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14 days Italy trip with 2 kids in December

I am planning a trip to Italy in end Nov/ early Dec with my sis and her 2 kids ( 8 and 6 yo). Planning to go to Rome, Pisa, Florence and Venice. Is 14 days too Long? Can we add in a few more places? Cinque terre in December? Milan?

Posted by
15678 posts

Hi Kay -
The short answer is no. 14 days is definitely not too long at all. Rome alone could consume 1/2 of that if you wanted to do it justice. We've spent a total of nearly two weeks there and felt as if we've just scratched the surface. It'll also be much easier with kids not to pick up and move a lot.

December isn't a great time to do the Cinque Terre; trails can easily close to bad weather, and a lot of businesses will be shut for the winter season. I also wouldn't add Milan unless flying in or out of there.

A better idea might be to add a couple more day trips to Florence (Pisa should be done as a day trip or enroute to Rome); Siena; Lucca; Fiesole; etc. You could also add a couple to Rome, if you wished; Ostia Antica; Orvieto; Tivoli; etc.

Editing to ask: do your 14 days include your arrival and departure days? How many nights in total will you have in Italy? Depending, it may be possible to fit in a 2-nighter in a smaller town ( but I wouldn't choose Pisa).

Posted by
26829 posts

You can walk or ride a bike on top of the wall in Lucca; that might be a hit with the kids. It's a picturesque town that appeals to most visitors, and it's easy to reach on a day trip from Florence.

If you are starting in Rome - consider dropping Pisa and adding Assisi before Florence. There are direct trains connecting Rome/Assisi and Assisi/Florence. You can day trip easily from Florence by bus in morning to Siena and bus back to Florence later. Siena is a great place to visit. Venice - plan on 2-3 nights maximum with kids. We spent 3-4 nights there - I can't remember. It was 1 night too much. See San Marco Church and Doge's palace/prison, Correr museum, Marianni library. If you have time, add Frari Church or Scuola San Rocco complex.

Posted by
15560 posts

Plenty of time. With small kids, I would not change hotels, instead I'd plan day trips from Florence and Rome. Fly open-jaw, into Venice and out of Rome, to save backtracking. Venice is the best place to start, get over jetlag while you soak up the atmosphere.

Posted by
4724 posts

Chani makes a good point. Fly open-jaw, into Venice and out of Rome and you'll save a lot of "dead" travel time. Venice is also a great place to adapt to a new environment. Keep hotel changes to a minimum. It always takes longer than anticipated to change locations and that is time that is simply lost.

Posted by
7175 posts

With an 8yo and a 6yo you won't want to change locations more than twice. Is your 14 days actually 13 nights? Keep it simple. Stay close to the train stations.

Rome (4N)
Florence (5N) - with days trips to Pisa+Lucca and Siena
Venice (4N) - with day trip to Padova or Verona