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?
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).
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.
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.
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.
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