A Kid's Tour of Europe--suggested itineraries, helpful hints needed!

We are traveling to Italy next summer with our 8 year old son, and we have decided to base ourselves for a week at an agriturismo in Tuscany, that has a pool, a few farm animals, etc. We will do day trips from there. That way, he can have some "regular kid" time. If you are in a city, make sure there is down time, go to a park or the like, whatever his interests are. And don't forget "gameboy" or that type of thing, to help keep him entertained!

Took my son to Italy when he was 10 for 2 1/2 weeks including one week at an agriturismo in Tuscany. In Rome he liked: St. Peters, especially climbing to the top. Colesseum was also great and just walking around, lots of gelato & pizza. Vatican museum not as successful except for the Sistine Chapel - there is just almost too much to see - museum overload for both him and me. He loved Venice - taking the vaparettos, getting off at a non-touristy spot in order to "get lost", wandering around, the bridges, etc. St. Marks was so crowded (summertime) that we never went in but I think he would have liked it. We did the Doges Palace tour and he was sorry to miss the "Secret Passage Tour" - probably based on the name, but bottom line is don't underestimate your son's ability to enjoy museums and churches!

Never been to CT but I think he would enjoy it. It is nice to alternate city/museum stuff with outdoor things. We stayed 2 nights on Lake Como enjoying the out of doors (continued).

The week in Tuscany was his favorite. We used it as a base to see Assisi, Siena, Florence. He enjoyed the churches in Siena especially because St. Catherine's head and thumb are there. Again, we enjoyed climbing the tower in Siena (we climb anything possible and count stairs - family tradition). Florence was our least favorite city but I think it was only due to the timing (crowded summer). We did get a reservation for the Ufizzi and he had seen some of the pictures in books at school so he liked seeing them in person. We ALL loved seeing the David - it truly is a most magnificent thing. Returning this year as a 17 year old he found Pompeii to be as interesting as he thought it would be.

Final tips - MAKE him sleep on the plane (we used Benadryl along with rising at 4:00am day of departure). Return to your room, daily if possible, for down time (books, music, rest) but resolve to get up early to miss the crowds. Eat lots of gelato (every day, twice a day), try the wine!

We spent 2 weeks in Italy this summer with kids 12 and 14. I have a couple of suggestions that I think helped our kids enjoy the trip more. 1) We took a private tour of ancient Rome (Colosseum, forum, palatine hill). We used Context but I'm sure other companies are also good. We had a 4 hour tour, which was maybe a little long (maybe just seemed so because it was very hot!), but it was a great way to see/learn a lot. 2) We watched some videos before we went. One was about the Medici family (I believe called Godfathers of the Renaissance). We got it from our local library. It was a bit long for the kids, but made Florence very interesting. We also caught a PBS show on art (Simon Schama's The Power of Art); the episodes on Bernini and Caravaggio. Note-might be rated PG-13 and some might be offended by the frank description of religious art. That being said, my kids really enjoyed seeing in person what they had seen on the show-it helped define what we chose to see in Rome.

We took our 12 year old son all over Europe for 5 weeks last year. For Italy my suggestions are Venice - go to the fish market early in the morning, and out to Murano to check out the glass blowing. Florence - climb to the Duomo or Campanile to break up the museums.

Try to only schedule 1 or 2 sights a day. I also think the private tour of the colleseum is a good idea - you're son will learn much more and make historical connections. There are lots of good books he can read before you go. I suggest a book on ancient Rome - gladiators etc.

My son actually handled the jetlag better than I did. I wouldn't stress over it too much. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip!

We're also in the very early stages of planning a trip with our 10 year old and 6 year old daughters. In addition to the Rick Steves information, I found a book I also recommend titled "Open Road's Italy With Kids". There are some other Family Travel titles in the Open Road's series.

Our draft plan: 9 days in N. Italy flying in/out of Milan, staying at one of the Lakes (Garda or Cumo) a few days and somewhere in the Cinque Terra area a few days. I'm trying to plan a lot of swimming and horseback riding type activites, with just a few historic and museum sites.

I'm struggling with an internal debate as to whether the expense is worth the experience. It's so much more expensive to travel in Europe than 20 years ago and so different to be travelling with kids rather than a couple of gals right out of college or on a Eurorail based honeymoon. (Both times with Rick Steves' books leading the way.) If I discover any gems of wisdom, I will send them your way. Please do so also.

Elizabeth - my 8 year old LOVED the Cinque Terre - the magical little villages, the trails, riding the train. Any old castles are also a big plus. My son enjoyed funky little differences - he is very observant - the motor scooters, dogs in restaurants, the little three wheeled work trucks. We also found that there was almost no problem that Gelato would not solve! Have fun.

This is for Deborah -- have you decided on your horse back riding trips? We would like to go on one, and I am looking for recommendations in the Tuscany region.

The key to traveling with kids is giving the kids time to be kids. Don't cram too much into one day or too many cities into one trip. I think the canals of Venice would be exciting to a child - especially taking a gondala ride! However I wouldn't stay for more than a few days. Cinque Terre has amazing coastal views and hiking trails - is your son the outdoorsy type?

Rome is great for kids. Pick up a copy of the book Rome With Kids for tips. With 12 days I would only do 2 cities - 3 tops. You could do Pompeii as a long daytrip from Rome. This would be a good option if the only thing you want to see in the Sorrento area is Pompeii. Avoid packing up and changing hotels whenever possible.

In response to Christie's question about horseback riding - I will start a new question dialog regarding this.

Keep in mind that mid-March in the Cinque Terre might be a bit cold; you might want to check a site liked weatherunderground.com for historical temperatures.

I would think any kid would love Venice!

We took our now-12-year-old son for his first trip to Europe (London, Loire Valley & Paris) when he was 10, and it went great.

In terms of what to do on the trip, examine what he (and you) have enjoyed on previous trips (in the U.S.). For example, our son likes art and architecture and loves big cities. After visiting the Loire Valley, he knew he liked castles. So our following trip definitely included castles (and big cities)!

Also, have him help you with some of the research. We've found the eyewitness guides, which have lots of pictures, very helpful (check them out from your library). Also websites with info on specific sites/sights are good too.