Family trip to Italy in July 2022

Use whatever site you want to RESEARCH flights but buy from the airline.

Due to flight scheduling it works better to fly into Venice than flyng out. Many US bound flights from Venice leave VERY early which makes getting to VCE for an early flight expensive and inconvenient.
Your specific date and airline choice may have feasible solutions.

Many, if not most, would suggest you reverse your order , in to Venice , home from Rome.

How long is the trip?

Welcome to the Forum! You will find great advice here to help you and your family get the most from your travels.

Trains: The website seat61.com will familiarize you with Italian trains. Generally you can save substantially by purchasing early BUT those tickets are not refundable.

Tours: Viator does not conduct tours, they are a consolidator that sells them for other companies. If you know what type of tour/activity you are interested in (such as Vatican, Pizza Making, etc.) just enter the topic in the search box on this website. You will find many great recommendations and, generally, can book directly with the tour provider.

Activities for kids: I recently toured the Colosseum and observed a girl of about ten who clearly was not enjoying herself...and made it a challenge for the rest of her family to enjoy the tour. Visit your local public library or talk to a school librarian about age-appropriate books related to Italy and art, history, geography, food, sport. Read from a wide range of topics with your kids and see where their interests lie (they may surprise you!). Search for related videos. Then search this forum or ask about specific topics for tours/activities-you will likely get great advice.

Pair with gelato and everyone will have an amazing adventure!

Joe32F has given you very good advice.

In Rome my kids really liked the forum, the colosseum, Castel Sant' Angelo, and the Vatican. We did many of the major tourist sites, all on our own, walked a lot, took lots of gelato breaks and they also enjoyed Venice and the experience of riding a vaporetto, exploring the alleyways and St. Mark's Square.

If you do a group tour, reach out directly to the provider to see their prices and make reservations. Same is true for your lodging reservations. Avoid putting a third party into the picture.

1. I use Google Flights to research prices. You can search for whatever level of ticket you want and you'll see which airlines offer the best prices. I agree with the other comment that you should book directly with the airline once you decide.

2. Trenitalia and Italo are the train services and you can look on their websites. They may not have the schedule out for July. I usually book my train tickets 2-3 months out. You can look at third party sites (RailEurope) but you are going to pay a lot more.

3. In my humble opinion Viator is overpriced and most of what they offer can be booked much cheaper elsewhere.

4. We took our 9 year old to Paris and she just wasn't that into it. She was a little too young. When she was 12 we took her to Rome, Venice & Florence and she had a much better time.

The reason many folks discourage flying home from Venice is that you are likely to have a very, very early departure time, which often means you must take a costly private water taxi to the airport. [As noted below, this may not be an issue for flights back to San Francisco.] Those things can cost over 100 euros. And do you want to set an alarm for 3 AM or 3:30 AM on your departure day? Before progressing further with the Rome-Florence-Venice order, check to see what sort of flight options you'll have from Venice back home. I use Google Flights to check schedules, but there's nothing wrong with Kayak or something like that if you're already familiar with it. But as Joe wrote, be sure you buy your tickets from the airline itself.

I don't believe anyone has mentioned the weather. Italy is likely to be very hot in July. If you can pull your departure date forward into June, you may have somewhat more moderate weather. If you're stuck with July, keep in mind that some or all of you may need to take a break from sightseeing in the afternoon because of the heat. Be sure your hotel isn't difficult to return to in the middle of the day and that reviews don't quibble about the quality of its air conditioning.

I find the reviews on booking.com useful because only folks who've actually stayed at a property can leave a review. I often do book my rooms on booking.com, but I agree that booking directly with the hotel is a better idea if the rate is as good (very occasionally it is not) and you can get the cancellation policy you want. Do be careful about cancellation rules, because they can differ by booking platform. In addition, many hotels now offer both cancellable and (cheaper) non-cancellable reservations. Be sure you know what you are booking!

For the trains:

Trenitalia: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

Italotreno: https://www.italotreno.it/en

You'll need to use the Italian versions of the station names: Venezia S. Lucia, Firenze S. M. Novella, Roma Termini.

We did a family trip in 2019 with our kids, aged 4, 7, 10, 13, and 16. It was great and we just had to be flexible. Our kids are not super into museums so we did ones that didn't take hours upon hours to see (ie, no Vatican museums) and when we were in larger museums, if they seemed to be reaching a limit, we wrapped things up early (ie, I need to go back to Palazo Pitti with just my wife).

In Rome our troop seemed to enjoy the Colosseum, Castel Sant'Angelo, the Pantheon and plenty of gelato. Oh! And the zoo. Of course they loved the zoo and it was not overwhelmed with tourists either. My wife and I had been to the Colosseum already and remembered much of the interesting bits and had read up on things. The only tickets we could get for our large group were with a Spanish tour so we wandered around with the group but my wife and I played tour guide for our kids, which worked out perfectly because we knew what they would be most interested in and how to deliver it to them in an engaging way.

In Florence they liked the Boboli Gardens. Getting plenty of outdoor stuff helped them not feel constantly cramped when we did go inside somewhere. We were only here two days so otherwise, we did a lot of church hopping and market wandering.

In Venice they seemed to enjoy island hopping to Murano, Burano, and Torcello (climbed the tower there) as well as wandering the streets. The Aresenale had the right size museum for us and they liked the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Part of the Scuola that they liked was holding the mirrors to look up at the ceiling in the upper room. But the paintings were of mostly familiar stories that they knew so it was easier for them to enjoy.

The best thing is, any time the kids' patience was wearing thing (or our 4 year old would "run out of walking"), any of the food or gelato would save the day. We had gelato once a day usually, twice on one or two of the more trying days. But overall it was awesome and our kids have great memories of the trip.

A note that using Google flights, then selecting at the bottom to buy from an airline website (can be a partner airline), is the best way to go. Google flights can find fares on airline websites that you can't pull up with a search on that airline website.

I know that there are later departures from Venice to the USA, that advice to not fly home from Venice is dated. For example with Delta and SkyTeam there is a midday nonstop to Atlanta, an early afternoon nonstop to JFK, or a 9:45am flight to Paris that has same day connections to the USA.

Train sites booking used to be about 4 months out. Must buy in advance for cheaper tickets, the children I believe will be half price.

For an easy trip, I suggest you choose lodging close to the Florence and Venice train stations and just walk. Rome is more complicated, although there is plenty of lodging by the train station it isn't always the most convenient base.

There's a cat sanctuary at Largo di Torre Argentina, less than 1/2 mile from the Roman Forum. Free to enter (as of my 2015 visit), but it will gratefully accept a donation.

There's also a cat sanctuary in Venice (I think somewhere on the Lido), but it would probably take too much time to get there if you have a short stay in Venice.

There are some books with titles like “Rome for Kids” and “Italy for Kids.” You’ll see them if you check on Amazon. My daughter used one to find a tour in Rome for her son that included a cooking class. Grandson loved it.
The choices of flights to Italy from SFO are pretty much limited to United and Delta. My preference is Delta. They or one of their affiliates fly into Venice. DO heed the advice about booking directly with the airlines. You would be opening up a path to misery if things go wrong and you have done anything else. I also recommend that you resist the small savings offered by hotels for non- cancellable reservations. With 4 people involved and the current unpleasantness, i.e., covid, you just don’t know what will be happening by July. It took me 2 experiences to learn that the unimaginable can happen. (I’m a slow learner!). Have you looked into apartments?
Buon viaggio.

As someone else said, the weather will be very hot...and humid!
You may be used to that where you live; but if not, you will be very uncomfortable.
With kids, it might be a good idea to have part of your stay at a place with a pool or nearby swimming.
There is a public pool in Florence.
I don't know about Rome, but I'm sure you can google it.
Here's some info:
https://www.eatingeurope.com/blog/swimming-pools-in-rome/
Venice has the Lido beaches, just a vaporetto ride away from the centre.
You absolutely MUST book all your accommodation with AC in every room.
I also agree with flying into Venice and out of Rome.

hey hey kmardalan
welcome
totally agree with joe32F, fly into venice and out of rome. once was enough. we were up at 3am getting ready, packing up, leaving apt in a reserved private water taxi to airport for an early early morning flight. better and later flight times from rome. (SFO - VCE
FCO - SFO
do you have accomodations reserved? an important thing to know is that check in is between 2-4pm unless prior approval for early check in, or rent hotel/apt day before arrival and let them know you arriving next morning, so you have a place to arrive at. been there done that in london, had to wait at a cafe with luggage for 5 hours until we were allowed in with the key. read the cancellation policies carefully, what amenities you want/need, traveling in july will be HOT so look for A/C, how big is room, how many beds, what is your budget in euros, how many nights per city.
trenitalia or italotreno are the train companies. your train stations are italian named:
venezia santa lucia for venice/ firenze santa maria novella for florence/ roma termini for rome
i would stay away from viator, they are a 3rd party booking engine
with you kids being young, how long is attention span, walking can get tiring (taxi if needed are at designated taxi stops), how much museums/architecture are they interested in. stop at some piazza's (piazza navona/campo de fiori/pantheon in rome) central area of florence may have "free" entertainment for kids to watch (carry small euro coins to donate) walk thru some markets which are large with many different shops/cafes/restaurants in them
withlocals.com put in each city, family friendly (some are kids for free with paying adult)
eatwith.com lunch/dinner in residents homes, cooking classes, food tours
cookly.me many different activities in the cities
in venice: check out camacana.com under family workshops scroll to mask making. if your family want to ride gondola (a must) walk down a small alley on the canals to pick one. set prices about 80E daytime 100E nightime after 7pm
too hot in rome take a train to a beach town nearby. i'm sure kids would love it. restaurants/shops on the breezeway, go early, rent a lounge chair/umbrella (anzio beach or civitavecchia beach) just to get outta rome. pack light, rinse clothes in sink and hang to dry.
tripsavvy.com/ where to go to the beach near rome.
hope this gives you some ideas, always come back to get the good bad and ugly before booking. enjoy
aloha

Venice works well and inexpensively as the last city— no early departure required. It appears this was once true, early departure required, but when Italy reopened early from covid, airlines responded with nonstops directly to and from Venice from North America.

There are almost too many midday flights leaving Venice after 11:30 am that arrive in the US the same day. In addition to the 2 Delta midday nonstops to the USA, there are American and Air Canada nonstops also midday. All these flights connect well to SFO. So we have 1 connection in North America on the cheap side flights ($1100 or so RT) with all three airline alliances. Whatever your points or pleasure, there's a midday flight home to North America from Venice.

Hi and welcome to the forum -

1 - Any recommended on websites to book the flights (from San
Francisco to Rome and from Venice back to SF).

While you can explore flights via 3rd-party sites like Skyscanner, book directly with airlines themselves. What with the amount of flight cancellations and whatnot these days, if you have an issue, you want to be dealing with the airline themselves versus a 3rd party.

2 - Recommendations on how and where to book a high speed train from
Rome to Florence and from Florence to Venice.

A couple of months is usually fine to book for high-speed rail between major cities. Maybe even less. it's not that tickets in general will sell out but that the tickets you can get a price break on will sell out most quickly.

3 - Is Viator.com reliable for booking activity tours.

No. Absolutely not. Let us know which attractions you wish to see and we'll give you better resources for ticketing/tours.

4 - Any recommendation for kid activities in Rome, Florence, and
Venice).

That's tough one to answer as we don't know that YOU want to see, or what your family as a whole is interested in. My parents took us to the same things they wanted to do/see from the time we were very young so I've been a fan of museums since the ages your children are. I'd look for what is available at the more notable of them for young people? For Instance, the Uffizi in Florence has these activities for visitors with children:

https://www.uffizi.it/en/pages/families

That said, if you are not interested in art museums, then this is a skip for you. What do the 2 adults of this family want to get out of this trip?

Welcome! I’m fairly new here but have really enjoyed this forum! We are taking our kids ( ages 17 and 14) in early April for their first trip to Italy and we’re also a Bay Area family. I’ve been to Italy several times now and we enjoyed Lufthansa and Swiss Air those our are top picks out of SFO. We usually buy the most affordable and are flying United this upcoming trip and Swiss Air coming home. I would suggest looking into walks of Italy for tours especially for Rome we found the guides were amazing and truly made the experiences for us. I highly recommend the colosseum underground experience. Wish I had more advice in regards to kids mine are most excited for the food and gelato 🤣

Thanks a lot everyone for all the information. I heard about this forum from a friend and thought I'd give it a try and you guys did not disappoint!
I looked for flights outbound from Venice to San Francisco and there are multiple fights leaving at noon or early afternoon. In that case, is there any other reason to change my plan to arrive in Venice and leave from Rome?
Regards

Not as far as I'm concerned. I was only worried that you wouldn't find a decent flight home. Since you're traveling in mid-summer, there's no reason to think the weather will be better traveling south rather than north.

Again Thanks everyone.
I've included my itinerary (preliminary):
I'd appreciate any feedback, including where you recommend to book the tours.

Rome, 4 full days:
(day 1 Rome): Colosseum (tour), Roma Forumu and Palatine hill, 3 main sites of the eternal city
(day 2 Rome): Vatican (skip the line guided tour) and Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums
(day 3 Rome): Day trip to Amalfi coast, Positano, Pompeii
(day 4 Rome): Rome walking tour, visit squares, Piazza di Spagna, Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain,

Train to Florence

Florence, 3 full days:
(day 1 Florence): Guided walking tour of Florence (Piazza Republic, Loggia Del Marcato Nuovo, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza San Grovenni, Giotto Bell tower (Florence Cathedral)
(Day 2 Florence): Cinque Terre day trip from Florence
(Day 3 Florence): Rest of the walking tour

Train to Venice

Venice:
(Day 1 Venice): Guided walking tour (cannaregio, Rialto Bridge, Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Piazza San Marco
(Day 2 Venice): Gondola ride, Rest of walking tour?

I have found Hotel Artemide in Rome, Hotel Spadai in Florence, and Charming House DD724 in Venice just based on reviews on Tripadvisor to Booking.com. I've booked these hotels directly from the hotel website and they are all free cancellation until July 2022. What do you think about these. Any other hotel recommendations?

(day 3 Rome): Day trip to Amalfi coast, Positano, Pompeii

You may be able to logistically do all that, but it will be "an accomplisment" not an enjoyable experience. By 4 PM you may end up being questioned by the police for suspected child abuse, as the kids will be 'done' and protesting loudly, and you will still be 3-4 hours from being back in Rome. Oh, and in July it will be HOT

Please reconsider 'day 3'.

Have you considered Ostia Antica. It has shade to go with the ancient ruins.

Re: your plan for Rome day 3
Pompeii in July will be very hot, and there is no shade. The Ostia suggestion is a much better idea.
Re: your plan for Florence day 2
The Cinque Terre will also be incredibly crowded in July. It’s really not a good place to visit for a day trip; and, in fact, it’s really too far. Any charm the villages have is greatly diminished by the hordes of people clogging the footpaths and competing for restaurant seats. I can understand you wanting a break from the sights of Florence, but there are other, more doable possibilities. Perhaps Roberto will chime in here with suggestions.

You have an exciting trip ahead! My kids are now 19 and 16, but we've been travelling with them since they were babies. I have a few thoughts on just the "travelling with kids" aspect. Please take with a grain of salt, as I fully understand that each parent's approach to travelling with kids will be very different (and you may already be very experienced in this realm).

We discovered early on that over-planning our days was usually a harbinger of having some "bad days." :) We usually tried to have one main thing planned per day, and then just allowed the rest of the day to naturally flow from how we were doing/what the kids were interested in. My husband and I kind of went with the attitude that we understood we would not see nearly as much as WE would hope, but that what we would see, would more enjoyable and meaningful. We have even found that using this approach usually results in unique travel experiences that we would not have known to plan, and therefore would have missed. I sometimes think that the kids helped us learn to travel better! Once when we were in Lisbon (kids were 10 and 7), we took a tuk tuk ride (something we discovered thanks to the kids!) to the harbor to see the Padrao dos Descombrimentos monument. After visiting the monument we were just kind of ambling around, and before we knew it, we had stumbled into a guided tour of the Presidential Palace. This was something we never would have thought to schedule and it turned out to be a great day. No tears, just great travel memories.

There are lots of great travel guides written for kids (or families with kids). If your kids are interested, one thing we did when ours were younger was ask each of them to pick out one thing that they wanted to see in each destination (and then we honored that, even if it was something we wouldn't have picked out ourselves). That gave them some agency as to our overall trip, and usually meant that they were genuinely excited to visit "their" stop. That enthusiasm can go a long way!

We found that on each trip, usually right around half-way, we usually hit a slump. The kids are crabby, hot, tired, you name it. My husband and I have come to joke about it ("Oh, that's right, it's Wednesday!"). If it happens, just recognize it as normal. It won't ruin the trip. Get some gelato, get out of the sun, go for a swim. Things will turn around quickly!

As to your specific itinerary, I 100% agree with what others have mentioned about your proposed Day 3. We were in Pompeii this past summer in early August. It was 100 degrees (really!), and as others have mentioned, there is very little shade. We were with an excellent guide, Gaetano Manfredi, who knew to stop us in the shade of walls (where possible) to describe something else we were seeing, but this is not always possible, and it's surprisingly difficult to do on your own. We absolutely enjoyed our visit, but I would not try to fit it in with multiple other activities. It will turn into a slog. You will likely find yourself, years from now, saying "Remember that day we visited Pompeii, Positano, and the Amalfi Coast?" - and you won't be asking because it's a fond memory. ;)

Lastly, find yourself a few hand held sun umbrellas. We had them this past summer, and they saved us on more than one occasion. Italy is sunny, hot, and humid that time of the year. They will be difficult to use in Venice (and not as necessary), but we used them in Pompeii and Rome. Have a wonderful time!

A couple of comments:

(day 1 Rome): Colosseum (tour), Roma Forumu and Palatine hill, 3 main
sites of the eternal city

Is this the day you arrive fresh off an international flight? If so, I'd scrap this plan. The 3 sites are too much to absorb in a potentially jet-lagged fog. Take whatever hoours you have before bedtime just to walk around and get somewhat acclimated. You might move your day 4 plan to this day?

(day 3 Rome): Day trip to Amalfi coast, Positano, Pompeii

If you are looking at one of the bus tours which do this trip, I'd scrap this plan too, ESPECIALLY with young children. It involves many hours sitting on the bus - at least 3 hours each way +bus time between Pompeii and Positano - and my guess is that your kids will be miserable. Yes, Pompeii will be blazing hot in July, Please, save Pompeii/Amalfi for when the kids are older and when you can actually give the coast the time it deserves (meaning stay there for 4 nights or more).

(day 2 Rome): Vatican (skip the line guided tour) and Sistine Chapel
and Vatican Museums

This is going to be another trying day with young children. Understand that the Vatican Museums (the Sistine is IN the museums, BTW) can be mobbed during high season, and your children could be spending a lot of time looking at the legs and backsides of the adults in front of them. Many of the tours are also 3.5-4 hours in length with no breaks; can your children handle that amount of museum time? I won't say don't go but I would look at one of shorter tours. The Vatican's "Prime Experience" group tour with breakfast is 2 hours long, excluding breakfast. It's also an early-entrance tour, meaning you get in an hour before people with standard-entry tickets. Might be a good choice for your family? It's the tour at the top of list linked.

https://tickets.museivaticani.va/home/fromtag/1/1643263200000/VG-Musei

Going back to your day 1 plan (which should not be attempted on arrival day) tours of the Colosseum can be booked through the coopculture website; look at "The wonders of the Colosseum: visiting the Underground and the Arena" for the-whole-enchilada tour of the stadium.

https://www.coopculture.it/en/products/the-wonders-of-the-colosseum-visiting-the-underground-and-the-arena/

While the ticket includes entry to the Forum/Palatine, it doesn't provide an escorted tour of those areas. There are tours which include all 3 but again, I'm concerned about your kids holding up in the heat for over 3 hours. Here's one option with an oft-recommended tour company amongst forum posters (and there are others):

https://www.walksofitaly.com/rome-tours/roman-colosseum-tours/

If moving your day 4 plan to day 1, consider taking the kids to Villa Borghese for a romp in the (huge) park on your last day. Rent pedal surreys for a spin around, a rowboat on the pond, & there is a zoo. Lots to do.

https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/villa-borghese-park

(Day 2 Florence): Cinque Terre day trip from Florence

Again, I'd scrap this plan with young children due to the crowds. I also wouldn't consider doing as a guided bus/van tour from Florence; too much time sitting on transport, and I can't imagine it would be fun at ALL following a guide around the masses of humanity the CT has been in high summer. Like the Amalfi, this is a destination best saved for a trip when you can enjoy it in the early mornings/late evenings when the day-trippers aren't around.

You might consider an independent day trip to the town of Lucca instead? It won't take as long to get there (by train; 1 hr, 20 minutes; no need to purchase in advance), no need for public transport once you get there, and your family can walk or bike the old defensive walls. Just my IMHO but I think overall that it's a less hectic, overcrowded spot for the kids.

https://www.discovertuscany.com/lucca/one-day-in-lucca.html

You are doing the right thing by reaching out and starting to think about your trip now. I encourage you, as some other posters have done, to look for resources (books and/or websites/blogs) about traveling with kids to Italy.

I think it will be pushing way too much to try to do day trips from Rome (Positano, Pompeii, Amalfi) and Florence (Cinque Terre). First of all you couldn't even do all of those sites from Rome and back in one day, secondly to even try to do one with children in the hot summer will make you miserable and exhausted.

You might think of staying at a hotel with a pool -- of course that is not the easiest to find because it's a bit rare, but there are a few -- I stayed in one a few years ago, and it really helped the kid who was with us to be able to relax at the end of the day and jump in the pool! -- I googled and found it, the Grand Hotel Gianicolo.

Anyway good luck with your planning! It will be a great trip.

Sounds like a fun trip! What do your kids like to do? What types of activities would you like to do as a family? It will be hot, which can limit people's stamina. We traveled with two young kids (6 and 2) to Italy and Switzerland this past summer. We mainly focused on smaller towns and did lots of outdoor activities such as hikes and playgrounds. I am happy to pass link my trip report if you are interested. My kids were great travelers, but our pace was significantly different compared to traveling with no kids. In Rome, you may enjoy Ostia Antica. It's an easy train ride from Rome and much more doable than Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. A few years ago (kids were not with us) we spent the morning at the ruins and then the afternoon at one of the nearby lidos (beaches). It made for a great day. As much as I love Cinque Terre, I would not want to take a daytrip there from Florence. We like being able to stay in CT to take advantage of hiking and nearby daytrips. I will say I thought it was a wonderful place to stay with kids. Good luck with your trip planning!

As someone who did this very same thing a few years ago I HIGHLY recommend spending time reading Rick's book on Italy. It was an invaluable guide to itinerary planning and booking.

Here are some things my Grandaughter enjoyed.

Venice…Lion counting game. Give them a small notebook and see how many they can find.
Saint Marks Basilica Museum to see the Bronze Horses and look at the square below from the balcony. Gondola ride. Vaporeto ride after dark.

Florence… Leonardo interactive Museum, Merry Go Round in Piazza Republicia. Any small garden or piazza (Pitti comes to mind) to run off some energy.

Edit, rather than the Vatican Museum, Tour of Castel San Angelo with lunch on the terrace.

Rome…Bike ride or paddle around a temple in Borghese Gardens. Elevator to the top of the Victor Emmanuel Monument. Rome after dark walk from Piazza del Popolo-Pantheon-Piazza Novona. (Lots of street performers) ending with Gelato.

Thanks a lot everyone.
Kathy, special thanks for all the detailed information.
I'll cross out the day trip for Cinque Terre and Amalfi coast.
I will arrive a day before and have 24 hours to unwind and deal with jet lag. I'll still have 4 full days in Rome. Any other recommendations for a 4-days in Rome? Is there any day trip from Rome that is worth it to try?

I like Orvieto a lot; it's definitely worth an overnight stay (or even two nights), but lots of folks visit on a day trip from Rome. Ostia Antica is a partial-day trip.

Your kids might like this as a day trip…
1hr.17m from Roma termini.

https://www.visittivoli.eu/le-ville/villa-d-este&lang=EN

We did Rome and Venice with our kids when they were 9 and 10. (Now they will be 16 and 17 and we are returning to Napoli.)

Background: We were living for Europe for 3 months for work and the kids saw all sorts of places. Rome and Venice were tiring for them, even though we were used to travels with kids (trust me, there comes a point where the kids WILL get tired of gelato. I saw it happen.). Take lots of playground breaks.

We did the colosseum with a personal guide and the kids enjoyed it. We did the colosseum, too, and did a lot of walking. (It will be HOT HOT HOT. Bring extra underwear and socks. Trust me.)

We honestly hadn't planned on going to the Vatican but thought...when in Rome... (haha). We actually DID enjoy it. Go to the Vatican Museum at one of the night openings. It is absolutely beautiful-- less crowds and the Sistine Chapel is cool. So are the mummies. We climbed to the dome of st. Peter's Basilica and my daughter still talks about how we "made" her look at the dead popes (she gets creeped out easily). They're just in the church- not the dome. Definitely worth a trip. We also enjoyed the Forum.

And...the zoo! Yes, we also went to the Roman zoo. My kids still mention the hippos we saw fighting there.

As for Venice, it was just a day trip for us. We spent most of the time lost. (I was having a foot problem, so I was not in the best of moods.) One of my kids ended up with a bloody nose while we were lost in the maze (you have no idea just how crazy it can be). My memories of that were just being hot, tired and lost. It is cool to see Venice. Just wish it would have been a better experience.

We spent one day at a beach nearby and it was absolutely beautiful and wonderful. We stayed in Treviso which was nice to get away from the crowds, though I hear Venice at night is beautiful. If you will have a car (or don't mind spending the cash on transportation)-- YOU MUST GO TO AI PIOPPI. (If it is open.) Look it up. It was seriously one of the best things I've done in my life.

Also, prepare the kids for the fact that sometimes, in Italy, the bathrooms are still holes in the ground. It was a bit of a shock to my oldest (a girl) how I had to explain to her what to do.

Have fun! I'm excited to go back with the kids to Rome (in July, too!) and see what they remember.

Quick reply about Viator…we have used them successfully for some of the “big sights”, and it was worth the extra cash. Wherever you book , be sure to buy the “skip the line” options! Worth every penny!

Viator doesn't conduct any tours. It just sells tours run by other companies. Sometimes a traveler can save money by buying the tour directly from the company that operates it. The rest of the time, the operating company gets more money when the purchase is made directly, because Viator takes a healthy cut of tours booked through its website.

After several trips to Europe with our kids at different ages, my advice is to get travel guides specifically for kids and to review with the kids to learn more about what will interest them. We used “Family Guide Italy” and “Family Guide Rome” for Venice, Florence and Rome.

When our kids were younger and when in cities, we always looked for green spaces with fun activities like playground, bikes, go karts, animals, water, etc. Typically, we planned one tourist activity per day and one fun activity, with quiet time at the hotel/apartment in between. We also planned country/small town stays between city stays.

For the main tourist sites in Rome, the best thing we ever did was to hire a private guide (kids were ages 8&9). We let her know about our kids’ interests (e.g., animals, music, etc) and she tailored our visits accordingly. For that trip, we chose the Colosseum and St. Peter’s/Vatican and she arranged two, three hour tours on two separate days. She even had food recommendations that she directed us to afterwards and of course a visit to the gift shop afterwards :) I’d recommend you do something similar for each city you’re planning to visit.

Have a wonderful trip!

Having traveled a lot with kids, I think you really have to be attuned to them. You may have an agenda but on a long afternoon, they might have had enough. If you start feeling cross, it's time to be done. I'd have them help plan parts of it. Give them a list of things to choose from and try to incorporate that.

In stream-of-consciousness order:

-Back in the day, my daughter had a series of books from England called "Horrible Histories" Each book was about a historic event or location and helped make it amusing and relatable to young readers. Definitely in the 6-10 age range. I bet they are still available.

-If they are artsy, maybe a drawing book or buy postcards to document the trip.

-Jetlag can be brutal on kids, too. You might shaking up their schedule before you go. Get them out of their routine in anticipation of another.

-Get spacious hotel rooms.

-Don't be afraid to have a few dinners at some place that are vaguely Americanized. Sometimes, we need the familiar. Hotel room dinners can be lovely.

-On our trip to Asia, my then 8 year-old was worried about the food being "yucky". I brought a small jar of peanut butter and said that she could always have a sandwich if she wanted it. She left the USA reassured. In the end, it was never opened and she ate everything put in front of her.

-They might love Gelato or they might opt for the dollar ice cream cone at McDonald's. (A McDonald's cone a day got our family through that long, hot southeast Asian trip.)

-Picking their slice of pizza at a walkup pizzeria might be fun. So many choices!

-Grocery stores, parks and elevators will be your friends.

-You have to be careful of "old building" and church syndrome. Too much and even adults go cross-eyed after awhile. Pick the best and/or give them nicknames so the experience sticks and is differentiated.

-If you go to the Vatican, take a short tour. It's overwhelming for adults. Being a small kid in the tall hoards, surrounded by herds of people pontificating about art in different languages, while attempting to be on best (God is watching) behavior sounds like a slice of hell.

-If that's their thing, take turns being the parent escort up bell towers and domes.

-Oltrarno.

-Throw many coins in Trevi Fountain.

-If you gotta get a gladiator outfit, you gotta get a gladiator outfit.

-In Murano, we were there on a rainy day and it was fun walking around in our crazy, plastic tourist boots. There was a big cat colony there that we watched being fed.

-Vaporettos are cool and an amazing bang for the buck.

-Think about if a gondola would be fun or scary.

-Ostia Antica: Just an short, entertaining train trip out of Rome. Plenty of room to run and no need to be hushed. Trees to play under. No need for a tour. Relatable antiquities. Who doesn't need a bathroom?

-Maybe you can find a water park or pool somewhere.

-Bike rides

-I find the water spigots in Rome fascinating. Maybe they would, too. All this drinkable water just there on the street. You could refill your water bottles whenever you see one.

-Make up your own stories about the big fountains.

-Street performers: Good or bad? I've seen little kids enthralled by accordian players.

-Mostly, be kind to yourself and others. Know when to fold 'em.

-Oh yeah, we learned to always get the house wine. It will still be amazing and very affordable.

Have Fun!

My husband and I took our 2 boys (8 and 10 at the time) to Rome in the spring of 2019. Best trip ever!!! It was in a pre-Covid world, of course, but we dream of going back often.
My husband found a “gladiator school” activity through the Viator website, and it was a lot of fun—in large part due to our very personable instructor. It appears to still be in business on Viator. I would definitely recommend it as a kind-of-silly, memory-making opportunity that gave our kids a break from all the serious cultural/historic fare. My only word of caution is that the “school” itself is tricky to find/get to. (We took a cab (HIGHLY recommend) and still got dropped off on the wrong road.)
Honestly, I think having kids with us forced my husband and I to enjoy simply BEING in Rome in a way we wouldn’t have otherwise—LOTS of gelato, watching the sun rise at St. Peter’s, noticing what Roman kids were doing, comparing “Coco Piu Puffs” to American cereals, and watching “Curious George” dubbed in Italian! My kids discovered a favorite new candy (“Goal Leaders”?) that only cost a nickel at any tabaccheria. My boys are also both pretty high energy, so I packed a lightweight ring frisbee and a pair of those “rocket slingshot” toys—and it was a very smart decision for us! (Funny enough, the rocket slingshots were the kitschy toy of the moment also being sold in all the major piazzas at night!) We made plenty of park time a big priority for their sake: a day wandering/picnicking/boating in the Borghese Gardens; a bit of a public transit adventure finding the Doria Pamphijli park (HUGE and so worth it!); a few magical places we just stumbled on; and early morning frisbee at the park just outside Castel San Angelo. Almost 3 years later, they are proud to say they’ve seen the Colosseo and can still remember that “cinque” is “five”; but the joy of experiencing a new place as a family came from a thousand tiny things, almost none of them curated. Happy travels!

Quick reply about Viator…we have used them successfully for some of
the “big sights”, and it was worth the extra cash. Wherever you book ,
be sure to buy the “skip the line” options! Worth every penny!

What acraven said about Viator: best to book directly with the tour companies so that ALL the money goes to them. As well, you want to be working directly with your tour provider should something go awry. It eliminates any back-and-forth about who is responsible for making things right.

Skip the line: these days nearly all of the most-visited attractions which involve ticketing have gone to timed-entry reservations, meaning you'll be admitted at the time slot you booked. There is no skipping of security lines where those are part of an entry process, including for tour groups. but because of timed-entry mandates security lines move right along. The exception can be entry to cathedrals and large basilicas; they are generally free but most have security checks at the entrances, and those queues can be long.