11 nights Rome-Florence-Venice with teenagers

I wondered what happened to that post!

I would do
Rome 4
Florence 4 - lots of day trips from here ( Pisa, Siena, Lucca…) but give Florence itself at least 2 full days
Venice 3

Realize that a 3 night stay is only 2.5 days to spend in location
You lose a half a day with every location change

I assume you are traveling by train

Where are you coming from? Don’t underestimate jet lag for you & your kids. I would put the most time in Rome. There is so much to see there. Remember you do lose at least half a day each time you travel.

How fun to bring your family. My kids first went to Venice, Florence & Rome as teenagers on a Rick Steves tour.

As usual with this itinerary I will suggest that you reverse your direction of travel. Flying into Venice is easier than flying out if it, for most North American flights. Fly home from Rome.

Flights are already purchased so unfortunately we will not be reversing the itinerary. We are traveling from the western side of US (Seattle area). So the jet lag will be bad.

5 Rome
3 Florence
3 Venice

1 extra in Rome for jet lag insurance/allow slower start

What do your children think? The more they are involved with the planning, the better the chance they will remember it as their trip too.

Here is what I have learned from traveling with my adult children and I assume it holds true for teenagers. They will not want to be on the same schedule as you would prefer. They will not be interested in all the sites you are interested in and you won’t necessarily be interested in what they are.

This is why flexibility, compromise and good communication are key for any individual brave enough to take on the trip planning role. You really need to involve everyone in the planning stages and make it clear that you will try to make sure everyone’s top “must see” for each location is addressed.

I don’t shop for entertainment. My daughter-in-laws idea of a perfect activity is thrift shops and antique stores. When we travel, we all go to a few museums for me and a few thrift shops for her. Find a way to include everyone’s interests somewhere.

If you can, watch Rick's videos of these 3 cities as a family. You might be surprised what appeals to your teens.

I recommend a minimum of four nights in Rome and Florence and take a day trip to Siena by direct bus (1h 15m) from Florence. You need three nights for Venice and if you have an early departure, splurge on a water taxi that will cost in the three figures. This is why people fly into Venice instead of out of there.