Hello! Our family of four (kids 12/14) is planning a trip next summer starting in Paris and then making our way to Italy. We will spend 3-4 nights in Paris and then take the high-speed train to Turin and start the Italian leg. In Italy, I am thinking:
- Turin - 2 nights
- Venice - 3 nights
- Florence - 6 nights
- Rome - 5 nights
We want to travel primarily by train and I’m wondering:
Should we add/take away a night anywhere or is there a must-see spot we are missing? I have debated changing things to have stays in Orvieto, Bologna, Como, or Cinque Terre.
For Florence, the plan is to do a couple of day trips - although not sure where is best by train. I think we would like one day for the beach. Any recommendations?
This trip is big cities but we usually enjoy finding less touristy spots for a couple nights to relax a bit. I don’t know how to get any of those in while also giving enough time to the “main” attractions! If you have suggestions to swap out a few nights in a big city or skip one for a smaller gem, please let me know! We aren’t adverse to changing bases every few nights so could easily break up Florence. Should we do that? We could also have an extra night in Italy with only 3 nights in Paris.
My kids are great travellers and love food, museums, and learning about new cultures. We love to walk and explore on vacation and spend most of our days wandering around in between stops for food with a museum or sight thrown in here and there.
We will be going in July/August so know it will be crowded and hot. If there are spots to get a reprieve feom the crowds, I would love to hear about them! It will be our first time in Italy. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!