advice wanted on our travel plans

Personally I think it sounds great because you are giving yourselves a chance to stop and smell the roses in each place, and since you say that is the kind of traveler you are, then I think you will be pleased with this plan. Something in Rome you might enjoy is taking the kids out to Ostia Antica for a half day or so. They can run around these absolutely amazing ruins and even though it's close to the city center and easy enough to get to, it gives a bit of a respite from what I found to be very much a "hustle and bustle" kind of city. Rick has lots of self-guided tours for these places, so you might be able to take the books or pages from the book with you and instead of hiring guides or taking more organized tours that would make the kids restless, you can more casually/informally do these tours and read the historical/educational stuff to the kids so they'll still learn some stuff ;)

3 days in Paris and 4 in Florence... ? Not including the tour ,, Florence can done in two days, but Paris is cannot ( or should I say , " should not" )

When in Paris consider taking a tour of the Lourve , done by company called Paris Walks, ask for Iris, she did our family tour of the Lourve and she was great with kids,, and I enjoyed tour also, even though I had already been to Lourve at least 1/2 dozen times before.. she was awesome.

Your trip sounds like a lot of fun, bet the kids will love Greece, hope you will visit some islands.

Thank you both for your input and ideas. They were wonderful. I know I will do what you suggested. I can't wait to explore Italy...
I know Paris is short however; this is my second time there. (My husband and I were there for a week about 6 years ago) The children have never been and when planning this trip/adventure (12 weeks) that was their only request. I think/ hope we can do what they wanted to see in the three days.

thank you again!

Viv, look into the Catacombs in Paris, both my 14 yr olds loved them!I don't know how girls would feel about them.. and forget it if anyone is claustrophobic,, LOL, I did them with son( well had to ) and it was a teeth clencher for me.. but I survived.

Thank you Pat,

I will put that on my list of things we must do. I have two boys and sounds like I will have to bite my nails and go along with! :)

I agree with Pat. We spent 5 days in Paris and it wasn't enough, especially if you want to visit Versaille (sp). 2 days is Florence is more then enough. Also I would recommend with kids only a couple days in Venice. 5 days in Rome might also be a little much. Since you want to go to Pisa which you should why not looking into some lazy days in Cinque Terre. The kids would probably enjoy and a little hiking would help them get some good excercise although walking through the various cities would do that also. My experience with wine tours is you need to plan a good part of the day. Not sure the kids would enjoy that. Good luck and hope this helps.

Thank you Bill for your input as well. I agree with both of you.. normally 3 full days in Paris is NOT ENOUGH. However since we have been there before this time we are just doing a few things to please the kids . (and save time for other areas we haven't been to)

Since we will do a full days tour out of Florence we really only have 3 days and I am looking into another day away with a private driver so we may only have two days in Florence to tour that city. We are renting an apartment in Rome so we may not tour the city all day every day. With our long trip (12 weeks) we will need to take things slow and let the kids hang out from time to time. I find it is not good for them to have every minute scheduled. The kids will not enjoy the wine tour I agree. ( I may have to break out the I pods on this one) There is a Tuscany tour that stops at a wine estate for lunch.. that may please both Mom & Dad and them.

I did like the idea of Cinque Terre, I may regret not going there (excuse to go back!) with our other destinations I felt we could pass on this one.

thank you for your input and for getting me to really think about our plans and why I am choosing to do certain things.

Viv,

Our kids were slightly younger than yours when we spent a week in Paris (9 & 10). They loved the playground in Luxembourg Gardens - met French, Australian & English children and became friends for a few hours. They loved it! We went seveal times because of the original connection with the Australians. If yours become bored with museums, it may be a good break.

Jim

There's always the sewer tour in Paris. It's pretty interesting (not too smelly, and that only in a couple of places) and it might appeal to the boys.

A friend of mine was 11 when his folks to him to Venice. His favorite memory is watching the glass-blowing in Murano.

Viv-I think your plan sounds great. We've visited the cities listed (except Praiano) also as a family of 4 - 1 boy, 1 girl. I think 3 days in Paris is fine. The catacombs are not that bad and was a must for my son (age 11 at the time). I know you've been to Paris before so this may be evident - but our kids most regretted not having time to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was too crowded our first night (summertime-July) and we never managed to get back, so try to do that. Also, they MUCH preferred Musee d'Orsay to the Louvre. We also got to Versailles for one of our 3 days and that was a highlight as well.

I'm glad you are giving Rome a fair shot. I love it and my kids did too. Maybe the only thing I'd suggest for Italy is what about staying outside of Florence? We stayed about 1/2 hour away by train in a "villa". It was great for summertime heat & crowds as we were able to do 2 half-day trips into Florence and then head back for swimming & resting by the pool before we went out for a later (cooler) dinner. Probably because it was summer and VERY hot and VERY crowded, Florence itself was not my favorite. I certainly put seeing the David up there as an all-time high, but the city did not thrill me. So I really was glad to be out in the country. We were also able to do day trips to Siena, Assisi, Chianti region, etc. - all from our Tuscan abode. There are many B&B's/agriturismos that are great for families all over Tuscany so that would be my choice instead of staying in Florence.

Also - if you can't make it to Pisa I wouldn't stress. It might be more fun now because I think you can actually go up into the tower, but we didn't spend much time there and my kids enjoyed the rest of Tuscany so much more that I wouldn't make it a must see.

Since the question is for summer of 2009 i have time to think..and although others have suggested underground sites..my kids liked climbing to the top of anything that had stairs...Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, St. Peter for ex...one parent climbed with, other went to a café..../Just noticed that you're not really just asking a kid question..and that you're Boston so maybe the boys are already museumed ? Take them to Isabella Stewart Gardner (sp?) for Italian art and building..and to the the North End to prepare them for the pizza taste-test..What's the difference between pizza in Rome and Regina's in Boston?

When you are in Rome I suggest that you do a tour of the Coloseum with Francesca Caruso [chris.fra@mclink.it]. She is a wonderful guide...Personally I think probably the best in Rome. Your kids will adore her. She really makes the Coloseum come to life! What a great trip...you will have a wonderful time.

Viv, I skipped the Cinque Terre on my trip last summer, and while I regret not going, I would either have had to take days away from the other cities or not spend enough time in CT, and neither of those was an option for me. So I figured I'll just wait til another time and that way I can make sure there is another time. If you are worried about cutting time away from other places and forcing yourself to rush, which you say you don't want to do, maybe skip it this time and come back some other time (without the kids sometime maybe?;)).... I was in Florence for 5 nights, I had originally planned to take 2 day trips, one to Siena and one to Lucca and Pisa, but I was having too much fun in Florence that I forgot about going to Lucca and Pisa this time; I just went to Siena and stayed in Florence for the rest. Because you consider yourself someone who hates to rush and loves to wander - and in my opinion, Florence is a perfect place to relax and wander (with your gelato in hand!) - I would caution against taking a second day trip out of Florence, but that's just me. Lots of people simply daytrip to Florence, see the Uffizi and a church and David and leave. But there's sooo much to do and see there if you take the time. Anyway, just my opinion.

Thank you everyone for all your input. This is exactly what I was hoping for when I posted this question.

I will post the same type of question for Greece soon. :) I hope to get just as many thoughtful answers.

Thank you again!
Viv

Will wait until you ask for further suggestions, but before i forget there's a wonderful church full of "bone art" in Rome...Eglise de santa maria della concezione dei cappuccini...27 Via Vittoria..near piazza Barberini..An underground highlight!!...I also love the Eglise di Santa Maria sopra Minerva behind the Panthéon..the only place where you can touch a Michelangelo statue..Even kids would (might) like that..Plus there's the body of St Catherine of Siena..Her head is still in Sienna which you might have already visited

Hi Regina, Wow! the things you mentioned brought great interest to the boys when I read it to them. I gave them both the assignment of finding out more about it and how we can get there... We have not been in Siena (yet) But will on this trip.

Thank you for your help.
Viv

thanks to YOU!!for saying thanks..one never wants to presume that kids (boys) are just interested in bones..but everyone seems to go thru a volcano or dinosaur or plane phase..Mine stuck with planes and is studying in SanDiego..Anyhow,...One of the helpline people, an american woman who lives in Bergamo, suggested to us (after our trip to rome) her favorite pizza resto in Rome..where she and kids and italian husband go "early"..before 900/2100...She didn't give me the street number but it's Nuovo Mondo on Via Amerigo Vespucci in the Testaccio neighborhood..If and when we go back i will find it..This spring on the way back to Paris after a week in Rome I said to my husband " i don't think i ate enough pizza..."

When in Venice, save the main sites - Piazza San Marco and Rialto bridge areas for after the daytrippers have left. Roam the rest of the city without crowds. In fact, the rest of the city will be almost vacant. After 5:00 check out the main areas when the crowds have left. The islands in the lagoon will also not be too crowded during the day.