early stages of planning family trip

I would say most large cities will have something - Florence, Rome, Naples - usually a manned booth/room. Some smaller places may still have lockers, but for safety reasons most places are manned. Some smaller towns/villages may have nothing at all - we had to drag our bags around Monterosso in Cinque Terre (this was 2008, maybe they have somewhere now) as there was nowhere to leave them.

I know you are in the early stages, but if you can tell where you will be going, we can give you advice on which places do and don't have storage areas...and just another reason - especially when travelling by public transport - to travel light. The manned rooms also charge by the bag (we found that, anyways). Large or small, they all cost something like 3-5 euro a bag. I think at Pompeii it was maybe 2 euro a bag.

You may luck into accoms that will take your bags and hold them before check in, or will hold them after you check out. We've stayed at a great B&B in Venice 3 times that allowed us to do this, saving us storage fees.

Thanks Nicole! At this stage, I am trying to find an itinerary that would fit, Venice, Cinque-Terre, Florence, maybe Corsica, Rome, and the Amalfi coast.

My must though are Venice, Rome and the Amalfi coast...

Kids will be 12 and 9 and are great travellers.

I welcome any and all suggestions :)

First of all for us to give you advice on where to fly to, you need to put in your profile your city, State/Province. We are not interested in your exact address but we need to know which airports are near you. If you live your profile blank we have no idea where you will be flying from. People who ask questions here are mostly from the US, Canada, Australia, India, UK, so where are you writing from?

At first glance it appears that your best bet might be flying to Venice and return home from Rome or Naples.
Your itinerary could be (if you return from Rome)
Venice
Florence
Cinque Terre
Amalfi Coast
Rome

If you return from Naples switch Rome with Amalfi Coast, so:
Venice
Florence
Cinque Terre
Rome
Amalfi Coast
Naples (last night before flight).

Your plan however is too ambitious if you have only 13 nights on the ground.
These are my recommended minimum nights:
Venice 2 or 3
Florence 2 or 3
Cinque Terre 2
Amalfi Coast 3 or 4
Rome 3 or 4
So play with the above scenario and see what you can fit in your time available.
Corsica cannot possibly fit in any plan unless you have 3 or 4 weeks available. The only way to get to Corsica is by plane from France or by boat from Livorno. Either way it's not a quick trip and Corsica needs several days and a car to be visited.

Corsica is an island. I don't know anything about it. You may want to tack on Siena because it is easily accessible from Florence. You can day trip by bus to Siena or overnight there for 1-2 nights. An easy travel itinerary would be Venice, Florence, Siena, Rome. Then, Amalfi. Or, drop Amalfi for cinque Terre. Cinque- Terre needs to be done before or after Florence. There is a lot to see in Florence and Rome. Start jotting down your "must- see" sights then plan your days accordingly. Plan on 1/2 a day every time you switch cities for travel.

Thanks for all the thoughts.. Flying from Toronto, Canada.....

I have been to Florence and gasp did not love it ( I know, I know) so I would be more than ok with skipping Florence or making it a very cursory stop... and using those 2-3 nights elsewhere.

Consider eliminating 5 Terre or Amalfi. Lots of travel complications. Do one them.
Amalfi requires bus or water travel. CT requires train or boat.

My kids (8,8,8,6) didn't have much to do at 5 Terre. Amalfi you can see towns like CT but also Pompeii, Ercolono, Capri and its grottos, Naples and its pizza. Amalfi is my vote for your situation.

If you disliked Florence before, you are not going to like it in July when it's miserably hot. I'd skip it unless you are interested in using it a a base to see Tuscany. Coastal areas in July will be very crowded, especially the Cinque Terre, but Amalfi too.
Given your limited time, I'd also opt for either Cinque Terre or Amalfi. You can't do both and also fit Rome and Venice.

We've been to Italy 4 of our 5 trips to Europe. We did exactly what your must dos are in 2014 with my mom in tow. Naples/Amalfi coast, Rome and Venice.

We flew into London from Nova Scotia, stayed for a few nights, went to Portsmouth for a night to gather up my mom (she was visiting my sister) and took a late arriving flight from London to Naples. Only stayed the night in Naples then went to Pompeii on our way to the coast. We spent 3 nights in Atrani (a few min walk from Amalfi) then to Rome for 5 nights. We stopped in Naples on the way to Rome to see the archaeological museum. Dropped our bags at the main train station. This was my hubby's and my second 5 night to Rome. We then went to Venice for three nights (our 4th time in Venice) and then flew back to London for an overnight and home. Five nights for Rome is perfect. Three nights is doable in Venice...prob especially in July...hot hot hot. I would have liked at least 4 nights on the coast instead of three. Five would have been great.

We didn't have a car on the coast. One day we used a private driver. Sorrento Silver Star. My mom said it was her fav day. And as much as I wanted Venice to be her favourite spot ( as it is my favourite spot) she enjoyed the Amalfi coast more.

I understand the desire to stuff a lot of things into your short vacation. Been there done that in 2012. But it really is nice to stay in one place at least three or four nights to minimize the moving around and the time lost transferring from place to place. And you can get a feel for a place if you stay longer.

And don't feel bad about Florence. It was our third trip to Italy before we even visited and we only had two nights and didn't see very much. I liked it, didn't love it like I do Venice. Someday will return and spend some time in Tuscany and I imagine I will fall in love with the area.

And just to add...you will def have to plan some afternoon siestas. When we did the mom trip, we were there early sept and it was gross hot. We usually travel mid sept to early oct. most days, we would go back to our (luckily) centrally located apartment and chill out for a few hours...have a rest, take a shower, have a snack. You really can't underestimate how blessed hot it will be and the probable chance you will need to spend a few hours recovering...or hiding out in a nice cool museum or church...lol.

More info on Corsica: it belongs to France - the official language is French, while the native Corsican language is an archaic form of Italian. Napoleon was born there. The ferry from Livorno takes almost five hours. There is very little public transportation, and a lot of the driving is extremely rugged. It has an extraordinary range of environments, and is incredibly beautiful. With only 14 days, though, I'd stick with Italy.

...aaaaand, lets start by getting honest with ourselves...

We would be looking at 13-14 nights...

I only say this because in almost every post that begins like this, there's usually some willful self-deception going on. Forget how many days you are taking off from work. Forget how many days you will be away from home. What counts - and what you should be counting - is the number of full days you have in Europe, not including your arrival or departure days. Those are not usable days. It takes about a day to get from North America to Europe. It usually involves flying overnight and arriving at your destination sometime around mid-day - if you have a connection or two, your arrival in your destination may be later. In terms of trip planning, it does not matter at all when you leave your home. What matters is when you get to your actual destination.

So, start by figuring out when you will show up at your first hotel - that's "Day Zero". Your trip actually begins the next day, after drag your jet-lagged self out of bed on Day One (you will probably not be functioning at 100% for that first day, so many of us recommend an easy first day, but let's ignore that for the moment). Next, figure out the day you fly home. That's not the last day of your trip (not in terms of it being a usable day). That's the day after your trip, or the day you spend getting home - you're not going to squeeze in another museum or cathedral that morning before you zoom off to the airport in the afternoon, the day is consumed with getting to the airport and on the plane.

So, begin with being honest with yourself about how many days you really have in Europe - full days, not including your arrival or departure days. Count the days you have, not the nights (yes, you can track where you will be each night, but you will do most things during the daytime hours). Only when you have this realistic number can you begin slicing the trip into X days here, Y days there, etc. And of course, be sure to account for the fact that simply the act of moving yourself from one place to another generally consumes a major portion of a day - even if you're good at it, if you're only going a short distance using efficient transportation, getting packed up, checked out, to the station/etc., the actual transportation, maybe getting lost once or twice, finding your next hotel, stopping for a meal, etc. - the basic logistics add up and eat anywhere from a half to an entire day.

July in Italy will be hot, maybe surprisingly so. Take that into account, too.

Hope some of this is helpful. Good luck!

I suggest this hotel for your time in the Amalfi coast. It is close to Sorrento and you can walk (it is about a 15 minute walk) but worth having a quiet dead end location hotel right overlooking the water. It is an 8 minute drive. We went there for our honeymoon and had a one bedroom corner room on the 2nd or 3rd floor. There was a separate little room with a couch (I wonder if it pulls out because it would be ideal since you are bringing two kids. The bathroom is HUGE and wonderful. The hotel also has some common space, a gorgeous pool, nice breakfast room, and a place for drinks and lunch (which was fabulous) umbrella tables right on the cliff overlooking water. It is on the outskirts BUT we felt that it provided us everything we needed for our stay.

http://www.avantidestinations.com/EVWeb/prodinfo1.jsp?theme=AvdEur&sourceid=tg&utype=tc&stype=HTL&supid=RROVIL&servid=ESTFRT&path=Products/HTL/RRO&title=Sorrento%20-%20Hotel%20Villa%20Garden

Hi, Sharon. Have planned a similar trip for next June 26-July 12. Flying into Venice, out of Rome. Two nights Venice, Three nights Florence, 5 nights Tuscany (the vacation part), two nights Cinque Terre and Four nights Rome. I've already booked my hotels and found some places with limited availability already. I'm moving around more than I would like but feel comfortable with what I have. Let me know if I can share any tips. We are a family of 3, two adults, one teen.

If you have 3 maybe 4 "permanent" locations and just fo dsy trips, no need to store suitcases I'm train stations. If you didn't like Florence, I'd scrap that immediately.

How about 3 Venice
5 nights Rome...or more....so much to do and you can do a day trip somewhere.
2 nights Positano or Amalfi Town...take train from Rome to Salerno then ferry over.
3 nights Sorrento...you can do Pompeii one day.

You can train back to Rome or fly open jaw and leave from Naples. We disliked Naples immensely, but others love it.

I would say ...

Venice - 3 nights
Either, Florence - 4 nights
(with days to Siena, Pisa+Lucca)
Or, Cinque Terre - 2 nights, Florence - 2 nights
Sorrento/Amalfi Coast - 4 nights
(with days to Capri, Pompeii, Positano)
Rome - 3 nights

This is a different from what you are asking, but having just returned from family vacation with our 20 and 24 yr old ( first trip to Europe) we decided to change from a trip totally in Italy( was considering same locations you are) to 1 week in France in 1 week in Italy. I would not have changed anything about our trip:
Day 1-3-Paris( Marais)
Day 4-6 High Speed Train to Aix en Provence-rented car- stayed in Lauris in the Luberon and day trips to other towns in the area
Day 7 Returned car in Aix en Provence and Train to Nice
Day 8-11 Train to Corniglia, Cinque Terre
Day 12-14 Train to Florence
We stayed in hotels and Airbnbs
Backpacks instead of suitcases made all the difference- highly recommend for families( don't fill all the way so you can buy things)
We never had to store backpacks/ made sure we checked into our lodging right away or in one case, wore them around Florence for .5 days before going to the hotel
I think 3 night minimum per city ( except for Nice as a stopover) is a must
We kept travel to no more than 3-4 hours at each change of location

I would point out that the previous poster traveled with 2 adult offspring, while you're going with youngsters. Even if they are willing to wear heavy backpacks for hours, it can't be good for their physical well-being. Seattle David has given you the best advice. Determine how many days you have on the ground. If you have 12 days or less, I'd urge you to stick with 3 cities. Consider flying into Venice (great place to get over jetlag and soak up the atmosphere), then get to Sorrento by flying from Venice to Naples, then bus or train to Sorrento for your second stop, then train via Naples to Rome. If you have more days, you could train from Venice to Bologna (great base for day trips to Ravenna, Ferrara, Padua and more), then train to Sorrento via Naples and then to Rome.

I understand how many posters trying to plan their trips to Italy must travel in the summer, because of school and whatnot. I get it, but at the same time you have to know what you're getting into--it will be crowded, hot and queues virtually everywhere. That's pretty much a given. I travel off-season only because I can do it.

That being said, summer travel in Italy is fine as long as you get in that mindset & pick your destinations with that in mind. For 13-14 nights on the road--even if it turns into 11-12 nights--Venice, Rome and the Amalfi Coast are doable. Flying out of Toronto is actually a plus. One stop--probably Paris CDG--into Venice. Not familiar with the area, but then Freccia train to Rome (just under 4 hours), Freccia then Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento (2.5 hours), which is where I'd stay on the peninsula that time of year, even if it's not technically considered the A.C. 3-4 nights in Venice, 4-5 nights in Rome, 4-5 nights in Sorrento. Fly out of Naples Capodichino Airport home unless you can get a nonstop out of Rome Fiumicino, in which case you'd flip your final two destinations, finishing in Rome.

Have your three bases, plan your activities for the morning--especially places like the Colosseum/Rome or Pompeii--and leave the heat of the day and evening to relax & chill. Enjoy your planning!

I'll just echo the suggestions for Florence as a base for day trips. Like the city of not, it's a great hub for short trips around parts of Tuscany, and it's easier (IMHO) to do that from base than to mess with luggage during en-route stops. I'm guessing you didn't do any out-of-city trips during your previous stay in Florence?

My personal opinion is that you are trying to see too much for a 13-14 night trip to Italy. I would pick three places you want to see the most and stick to that.

During a longer stay in Venice you can take a day trip to the mountains or Padua/Vicenza or Verona to escape the hordes to tourists.

During a longer stay in Florence, you can day trip to Pisa/Lucca or one of the hill towns south of Florence as an escape.

From Rome, you can also escape on day trips (Salerno or Sorrento are 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours each way).

When you change places every two nights, you tend to spend most of your vacation packing/unpacking and rushing to/from your transportation. None of your destinations are automobile friendly so public transportation will be the name of the game. While the rapid change of city is doable with an escorted tour, you need to remember that they have taken car of the transportation, lodging and sites to see for you - you're just along for the ride. When you are doing this yourself, it takes a lot more time.

BTW - if you do decide to slow down, I highly recommend getting apartments versus hotel rooms. Much more comfortable and often cheaper.

If you care to, you can read my Italy Venice-Florence-Rome report here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/my-italy-trip-1-of-4.

Hi Sharon - I concur with others regarding your actual "on the ground days", and will add jet lag should be considered too in your planning. On a recent trip to Paris jet lag knocked out my 7 year old for two full days! It's easy to ask adults to "push through it" but not kids. I suggest keeping any must see places off your itnerery for the first 48 hours!

Thanks for all the suggestions... We have traveled quite a bit with kids and were in Ireland for 2 weeks this past summer. We toured a lot and had a great time... Italy I think would be harder to drive than Ireland so this is why we are looking at possibly using public transportation......
Lots to think about .. thank you!

Don't under estimate how hot it will be. Many places including museums do not have air conditioning or very strong air conditioning. This took a lot out of my kids while in Italy last month.

We did a lot less than I hoped but still had a great trip. I would stick to three cities to get the most out of them and so the kids don't have to keep packing up and moving. That takes a lot of time too.

Have a great trip. Just a thought have you considered RS my way tours? They would provide the transportation and hotels.

Still and all, as stated above it's probably best to have only 3 bases--your picks Venice, Rome, A.C. (Sorrento is my pick), and take public trans for daytrips. Thus, it's uber-important--within reason--to stay within walking distance (or easy bus distance) from the train stations. You have plenty of time to get the lay of the land online and query this forum about logistics.

Plenty to do via train from each of these bases, too, although you could take no daytrips and be perfectly satisfied staying put. From Venice, there's Verona and Lake Garda within 90 minutes, and there's even Trieste on the Slovenian border 2 hours away, a place I've always wanted to visit. Rome of course is an entity onto itself. We are traveling there next February and am just starting to understand the bus & metro systems. But we are going to take a daytrip up to the hilltown of Orvieto, less than an hour away from Termini station. And then Sorrento--where we'll be visiting as well--has easy access to Naples, Pompeii, Ercolano, Capri, and of course the underbelly of the Amalfi Coast, with Positano, Amalfi, Atrani, Minori & Maiori.

With the right planning, no need for a car--especially that time of year, with mondo amounts of tourists. Enjoy your planning!