Best itinerary for a family of 3...Italy here we come!

It's always best to fly into Venice and out of Rome - book MULTICITY tickets, not round trip or one way. Florence is an incredible city too. If you are going in the Summer, expect ULTRA large crowds and lots of HEAT (esp in Pompeii). I'd do at least three full days in Venice, then take the train to Florence for a couple of days (if you want to see that area), then the train to Rome for a few days. If you want Pompeii, are you thinking Naples? You could also fly home from Naples instead of Rome. Or you could do Venice, Naples/Pompeii, Rome to Fly home. Def remember it takes lots of time to change towns. I also recommend hiring private guides or do group tours in these towns - there is so much to see and learn and it is overwhelming on your own. Be sure to buy the Rick Steves guide books. If you've never been to Europe, I aways recommend the Rick Steves book EUROPE THROUGH THE BACK DOOR -- it will teach you lots about trains, money, ATMs, CC, and so much more - it also has great info on Italy and other countries in the back of the book.

For trains, seat61.com is full of great info and has lots of info on how to book trains in Italy.

The FREE Rick Steves APP also has LOTS of great info on Italy and great walking tours (a great canal tour of Venice too).

Once you come up with an itinerary, it will be easier to help you.

Hello Mama2Anja, and welcome to the forums!

The approach most people here take is to measure by nights rather than days because it helps both with the counting and with keeping track of where you'll be sleeping and need to have reservations made. Keep in mind 2 nights in a place generally only gives you one full uninterrupted day there.

Look into what is generally called "multi-city" or "open jaw" flights and fly into Rome and out of Venice for vice versa to avoid wasting time traveling back to a place just to fly out of there.

With a schedule like that I would concentrate on 3 cities or maximum 4 since you want to make a side trip to Pompeii. Pompeii is really far from Rome for a day trip so I would recommend being closer and visiting from a local base. Sorrento is a lovely and coastal place to do this from. Naples is another option but is a large, chaotic city so your interests should dictate which of these sounds better to you.

I'd advocate doing on-line research and get some good guidebooks so you get to see everything you want to with the fewest surprises. This forum can be a great source of information and the opinions of others for consideration.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Venice+Florence+rome&utf8=%E2%9C%93

https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Pompeii&utf8=%E2%9C%93

There is just so much info posted here- you have a wealth of helpful advice at your fingertips . Perhaps start by reviewing the above Searches, then do a few targeted Searches of your own. Your question is asked almost weekly. Also review the posts under the Italy section here on the Forum. You'll be amazed at the detailed, well-written posts that can help you build your itinerary .
Have fun planning!

My 17 year old daughter will be graduating from high school next year
and has decided that our family should travel to Italy to celebrate.

Welcome to the forums, Mama! My first suggestion is to give your daughter the guidebook, have her subscribe to this forum, and be intimately involved in the planning of the trip. After all, she's the one who decided on the adventure in Italy, right? This is a PRIME opportunity for her to learn what's involved with trip planning: where to go, what to do, what attractions involve pre-reservations, which websites to use to purchase tickets, how to pack, how to get around, how to obtain local currency, etc..

There are young people her age or not much older planning and financing their own backpacking trips abroad. The work leading up to the trip is an exciting part of the adventure! So, involve her. What she will learn will serve her well when she does a solo flight in the (hopefully) near future. Where does SHE want to go in Italy and why? What's involved in making that happen?

Just a reminder if you haven't discovered them already, there are 3 basic sections of this website to help with your planning. They might be more attractive to your daughter than a book. I agree with those who say she needs to be engaged in the planning. Our son took his oldest 2 daughters to Paris several years ago. They were 10 and 12 at the time. The younger one was heavily involved in the research and planning for what to see and do there. The older one could not have cared less. You can easily guess who had the most fun on the trip.

1. Travel Tips: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips. This is a great place to start with the basics of European travel. It's especially good for helping travelers learn things they didn't know they needed to know.

2. Explore Europe. The Italy section is quite extensive with links to other sources of information online here. https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy.

3. Travel Forums found in the drop down Select Your Category box under Tips & Trip Reports. IMHO, particularly important are the forums on Packing, Transportation, Best Walking Shoes for Travel and Technology Tips.

Not on this website but essential to learn about train travel is the Man in Seat 61's Beginner's Guide to Train Travel in Italy: https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm.

Finally, I have an unusual recommendation for Rome, Scooteroma. The last time I was there I took a private tour of street art with them on the back of a Vespa. I was 71 at the time and absolutely loved it. It's not cheap, but was worth every € for me. They have lots of options, but this is the link to the basis of my tour: https://scooteroma.com/tours/street-art-vespa-tour/. From there you can explore what else they have to offer. If the thought of any of you riding on the back of a Vespa freaks you out, they also have a more sedate vehicle, an Ape Calessino (https://scooteroma.com/tours/ape-calessino-tour/), but I can't imagine it would be as much fun. 😉