Between Venice and Rome

The Amalfi Coast would be a better fit with your kids I think.
Fly from Venice to Naples and get a transfer (van) to either Sorrento or Positano.
If it's just beach you are after then opt for Positano.
If you want options for days to Naples and Pompeii then opt for Sorrento.
My cousin takes her family (with 3 similarly aged kids) for 2 weeks in Positano every year, and always sends back the most wonderful photos.

We are doing something similar this summer. Our cruise to the Greek Isles starts and ends in Rome. I was thinking about taking the kids (18 and 15) to the beach after the cruise, and apparently just over an hour south of Rome there are some pretty nice beaches. Checkout Sperlonga and the Gaeta area. There's also a little island off the coast called Ponza that looks awesome. And of course, being Italy, there are some historic sites nearby. Rick Steve's doesn't talk about these places but they get great reviews online. You could easily fly or take the fast train to Rome and then connect down south.

I went to Cinque Terres with my wife BC and although very picturesque I would have to agree with the other poster in that it's not a kid kind of beach area with long stretches of sand and crashing waves to play in. But that's not uncommon for European beaches. You definitely won't find anything close to what you have in Australia.

In my case, the kids surprised me and said they wanted to explore more of Italy instead of going to the beach. So we are doing Tuscany, Florence and Venice instead. May hit the Lido beach there if they feel the need, but I've read it's not very nice.

Happy holidays!

Sounds like what you are after is Positano, but are you giving Venice and Rome enough time? One day in Venice, which is what two nights gives you, is not much time there. Likewise Rome. Consider doing at least three nights in each of those cities if you have not visited prior.

Laurel makes a good point. The time you have planned for Venice and Rome is too little in my opinion. Venice deserves at least three nights and four would be better and Rome could easily justify four nights.

Have you traveled in Europe before with the kids? 2-night stays and lots of moving around isn't always enjoyable - constant packing/unpacking, rushing for trains . . .

If you find you like Venice, you'll be sorry to have only had one full day there. But if you stay longer, and tire of the city, you can take a day trip to Verona or Padua.

Tons of things to see and do in Rome to fill up 4-5 full days. Visit ancient Ostia Antica, walk along the Appian Way, take a trip out to Hadrian's Villa.

If you want to add one more destination, make it an easy one like Bologna or Florence. The fast trains between Venice and Rome pass through them both and the train stations are just a few minutes' walk from the historic centers. (getting to either the Cinque Terre or the Amalfi Coast will involve at least one train transfer and long journeys.

From Florence you can day trip by bus to Siena or San Giminano, or by train to Pisa or Lucca. Bologna is not a big tourist city, so it may be less crowded. It's a great base to explore the region by train: Modena, Ferrara, Ravenna . . .

We are planning Venice for just two nights (so 1 1/2 days to visit) because we have already been there,although we didn't sleep there. We want to be able to show the kids but I think three days will be too much.

I am really drawn to the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre. I love the nature/ water feeling. I also love hiking. I am trying to convince myself for Tuscany though because it just seems more logical with the fact that we are arriving in Venice and will be leaving from Rome. Everyone I talks olives Tuscany so I figure that I will too. Where to stay though????? Should I stay near Lucca to be able to visit Cinque Terre??? Everything is far. If I stay in Lucca , I will began fromSiena, Chianti etc. Where is my best base.

I also looked at Ponza (thank you for there reference. It looks amazing. It is still a long travelling day though.

Thank you so much for everyone's helpful feedback.

Kim