First trip to Italy 12 nights July 2019

7/1:
The watertaxi is €115 for the three of you.
The Alilaguna ferry is €15 per person (€45 for the three of you).
Both will drop you at the Santa Maria Del Giglio stazio (stazio=ferryboat dock).
Travel time on the Alilaguna from airport to S.Maria Del Giglio is 70 min. Not a whole lot longer than a water taxi. Neither would require boat or mode of transport changes
https://www.motoscafivenezia.it/en/information.php
https://www.alilaguna.it/en/lines/lines-map

7/3:
I would do Burano and Murano on the afternoon of the day of arrival. Less crowd, less walking, more outdoor, ideal while jet lagged. Any indoor dark place on the day of arrival will put you to sleep.

I will tackle some bits and pieces of this starting with IMO the biggest no no ---

food tours with a 14yo, maybe the evening we arrive ......... Forget anything the evening you arrive. Jet lag will do you in. Plan a light evening with flexibility depending on how you feel. The worse meal we every had was at 8pm in a very nice restaurants on arrival day. Service was European causal and we could not stay awake. That was 30 years ago -- never again.

Our plan for the first day would as follows -- get to hotel check in and drop luggage and immediately hit the street - walking in the sun shine (assuming it is not raining) check out the neighbor, maybe a very light lunch on outdoor patio, return to hotel around 2/3pm for a short nap of no more than two hours -- for us -- normally about an hour and half and set an alarm. Spend the evening outside, have dinner -- generally doesn't start til 7 or 8pm. And in bed by 10.. The next day we are so so and following day adjusted.

The water taxi will be expense but a great introduction to Venice. If comfortable with the price do it.

That is a lot of time in Siena. One option might be to rent a car for that leg. I am not a big fan of driving but Tuscany works best with a car. Drop it outside of Rome.

Personally I would not have booked a tour for Pompeii since it is so easy to do on your own. If you could back out of that tour I would do it.

Personally I would stay (because that is where we always stay) in the Termini area -- Sonya or Aberdeen hotels. Very convenient to transportation and nice restaurants.

Catacombs are very easy to see on your own. You are required to have guide for the catacombs and they come with the admission ticket. All the tour is provide some transportation that is not needed. Try to do it on a Sunday as the traffic on the Appian Way is restricted on that day. Second, the Archaeology Bus HO/HO is the only HO/HO bus I would recommend in Rome but Sunday is critical and that bus works very well for the catacombs.

I think you need to reduce some of your activities and, at the time of year, adopt the local custom of siesta in the heat of the day.

You have divided your time between Venice 7/1-7/4, Siena 7/4-7/8 and Rome 7/8-7/12 with a day trip to Pompeii.

Not sure why you skipped Florence. I have been to Siena and Florence and both are wonderful, but we saw Siena in one full day. Florence deserves 3-4 full days. For Rome, you have 4 nights or 4 1/2 days to tour and you are using one day to go to Pompeii.
You can't do justice to Rome in 3 days. My first time there we spend 6 nights and I didn't see everything that I wanted to see. Going to Pompeii on a dry trip is a long day. Yes, you can do it, but I don't recommend doing that. Stay in Rome and enjoy that wonderful city.

Back to some of your questions.

Venice- I see your hotel is a little west of St. Mark's Square. Yes, you can pay a lot for a water taxi. We have never do that (been to
Venice several times). The water taxi is a convenience, true, but you can save a lot by taking the bus from the Airport into the Piazzalle Roma, just across a canal from the Main train station. Then you can take the public transport. That would require some research. However, another option is to avoid the expensive private taxi and go with a shared boat. Here is a link showing the choices.
https://www.viator.com/Venice-tours/Airport-and-Ground-Transfers/d522-g15-c52

In Venice, you have two full days, I enjoyed my tour to Burano/Murano, but if you want to see St. Mark's, the Doges Palace, do a goldola ride, climb the tower next to St. Mark's or visit a museum, you may not have time.

I presume that you plan to take the train from Venice south to Siena. There is a fast train from Venice to Florence, wait, you aren't going to Florence. We visited Siena when we lived in Germany and drove there, not sure you want to rent a car. If you were staying in Florence, I would have advised you to take a day trip to Siena. Driving in Tuscany is great, but so many people drive in Italy and come back with tickets, not sure that I would drive. The trains go almost everywhere and you can take tours for places like San Gimignano.

Rome
Do not miss the Sistine Chapel, it is the most amazing work of art in the World. Plan on spending about a full day to see St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. Doing the Coliseum and Roman Forum along with Palatine Hill will take most of another day. Don't miss Hadrian's Column and Forum. Don't miss the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps. Don't miss the Piazza Verona and Trevi Fountain. Also, Hadrian's Mausoleum, the catacombs, Borghese Gallery, Capitoline Hill Museum and there is more. As for hotels and where to stay, not sure of your budget, but my favorite area of Rome is near the Pantheon. There are some great places near there. Use TripAdvisor to find something in your budget. You can find cheaper accommodations near the main rail station, not my favorite area, but safe..

Also, watch you purse and wallet. Pickpockets are bad in Rome. I wear a money belt when in Rome, Paris or Barcelona.

Enjoy your trip. Italy is wonderful.

You probably have time for 3 day trips from Siena with 3.5 days there. Try to see as much as you can of Siena on the afternoon of arrival.
Renting a car for day trips is best, however check for parking accommodations near your Palagio hotel. I don’t think you can drive to that hotel (it’s within the ZTL).
Train Venice to Florence is 2h5min.
Florence bus station is across from train station (Bar Deanna side).
Bus Florence to Siena is 75 min.
You can also take a train to Siena but takes longer (95 min) and the bus drops you walking distance from the Palagio Relais (the train station is farther down the hill).

Siena to Rome is best by bus with Flixbus
https://www.busbud.com/en/bus-siena-rome/r/sr8n3y-sr2yk4

I do agree with Geo about Florence but assume you had reasons for staying in Sienna. But if you stayed in Florence you could day trip to Sienna. Again I do NOT recommend a car for Florence but if staying in Sienna you can easily drive to the other cities you mentioned. We have done that in the past.

In Rome my favorite area is Trastevere (quaint with lots of restaurants).
The historical center (within half mile from the Pantheon) is great and also convenient for visiting sights, albeit the area is more expensive for accommodations.
The Termini station is not my favorite area, but it is cheaper and conveniently located near the train station. However if you come from Siena by bus, the bus station is at Tiburtina station, a totally different area.
Visiting Pompeii fro Rome is very doable. However I would do it on my own by train (via Naples). Certainly much faster and probably cheaper than by tour bus. If you want a live person as a guide, you can also hire one at the Pompeii site.

In Rome you certainly want to see
1. Roman historical sights (Colosseum, Palatine Villa, Forum, Arc of Constantine, Circo Massimo, Caracalla baths)
2. Vatican (museums, St. Peter basilica, etc.

Each 1 and 2 will take the best part of your day

Siena- yes you do need a car to visit the surrounding area. We easily found parking at the top of the hill. We always have cars when we visit Tuscany, Umbria, Piemonte. The only time we don't rent car in Italy is when we're in cities such as Rome, Milan, Venice,Florence, Bologna, Naples, Palermo, etc.

Sounds like fun. I find less is more with teens. Part of the fun is wandering around especially Venice. Have been there three times for short trips and haven’t made it to the outer Islands yet. My kids love museums and history but I find after an intensive tour they need some down time. Your Pompei day is a really long day. It will also be very hot when you are there. I would not plan anything for your arrival day. Enjoy

Hotel Ala is only a few steps from SM Giglio vaporetto and alilaguna stop- no bridges or steps. Could not be more convenient. It was super easy to just take the alilaguna from the airport. We bought our vaporetto pass there then walked down to docks and bought alilaguna ticket- boat was there, we hopped right on.
On arrival day it will be hot and you'll be tired. Don't plan anything major. Just wander around, do the RS walk, ride the vaporetto in the evening, have a nice dinner. We actually took a nap on arrival since our room was ready and it was stinking hot. Just about an hour or so then we were fine the rest of the day.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Secret Itineraries tour. I had booked a timed entry for San Marco basilica for just after opening time on our first full day (cost just a few euros)- that allowed us in before any crowds- the line was huge! We found the RS audio tour of San Marco to be sufficient. Then we did the Secret Itineraries at 11 I think? once the tour is over you can visit the Doges Palace on your own. After you are done there- get away from San Marco! wander the other neighborhoods that are not filled with tourists ;)
For fabulous views take the elevator to top of the San Marco campanile- evening/sunset is best- maybe on your arrival evening?
We didn't visit Murano- unless you are really interested in the glass making, I'd just go to Burano which was delightful.

Siena- the duomo is a must see, we were fortunate to be there when floor was uncovered but to be honest I didn't care a whole lot for Siena. Can easily be seen in 1 day. Why are you not going to Florence? At least go for a day trip- you don't have to do the museums if that is not your thing- the market hall is wonderful- have lunch there- wander around town, cross the Ponte Vecchio, hike up to Piazzale Michelangelo for the beautiful views. We were blown away at how HUGE the duomo is- you just don't get that feeling when you are there at street level.
We did love Florence, Montepulciano, Pienza etc.

Rome- We like the Pantheon area- it is smack dab in the center of Rome so everywhere is very walkable from that location. You can walk to Piazza Navonna, Trevi, Campo di Fiori, Colosseum, etc. We only took a cab to our Pristine Sistine tour and then a cab up to Borghese- had planned to walk but it was raining- wasn't too expensive less than 10 euros IIRC.
Pristine Sistine is worth every penny but I would not book another tour that day- it took the whole morning to do Vatican and St Peter's. We were pretty wiped out, I think we left there close to 1 PM. We walked back to our hotel near Pantheon and even that took a while- then we took a nap!

We did the Walks of Italy colosseum am tour- it was wonderful and also did the Catacombs and Crypts tour- that might double as something different/special for your daughter (instead of a ghost tour). The Capuchin crypts are super interesting and the St. Cecilia catacombs were quite nice.

As far as museums- I think the Borghese is a must see. You don't need to be an art lover to enjoy the jaw dropping sculptures- can be done in an hour or so and you get a timed entry so no waiting/no crowds. Walk thru the park afterwards and end up at Spanish Steps (which isn't really much to see)

If you want a food tour take a look at Eating Europe- Trastevere tour
https://www.eatingeurope.com/rome-food-tours/

Also wanted to say don't overbook yourselves- you have mentioned lots of tours you are considering booking. I'd stick with the main sights- Vatican, Colosseum, Secret Itineraries and maybe a food tour. You only have 4 days in Rome- 1 is already booked for Pompeii, 1 for Vatican. I'd do a Colosseum tour and leave the rest of your schedule a bit more fluid. Your hotel will give you a very good "tourist" map- you can do your own getting oriented tour with that and the RS walks. Half the fun is just wandering the beautiful streets of Rome, people watching, sitting in a piazza.

I think your overall plan is a good one. Just a few comments.

I think staying in Siena for that amount of time is fine, especially since you plan day trips. While a car is the 'ideal' way to see Tuscany, it is not necessary, especially for a short time. There are drawbacks to having a car, especially in mid summer - like finding parking where you want to go. So your idea to do one day trip 'tour' is good. But consider going to Florence for a day trip also, and that you can do on your own. Take the public bus, get a guidebook and map of Florence and do your own 'walking tour'. The bus is the best means to arrive in Siena because the bus stop is right outside the walls to old city while the train station is a couple of miles down the hill requiring a taxi (or long walk). So to get from Venice to Siena you'd take the train as far as Florence, then walk across the street to the bus station and take the bus for the last leg. I would plan to spend the afternoon of your arrival day and one other full day IN Siena and do one day trip to smaller towns (on a tour probably is easiest) and one day trip to Florence.

For arrival in Venice I agree with the others. If the extra 50€ is not a concern take a water taxi, otherwise a vaparetto is fine. Also agree not to plan a tour for the first night. Wandering around (and getting lost) is the top 'attraction' in Venice. Leave plenty of time to do just that.

Overall I think you have too many 'tours'. Most of what you want to do you can easily do on your own and you'll have way more flexibility - and the ability to be spontaneous and do what appeals to you in the moment. Probably the small Tuscan towns and the Sistine Chapel are the only ones you really need. Agree that Pompeii can be done on your own if you haven't paid for that one yet.
I would go straight to Rome and then do Orvieto (and possibly Civita di Bagnoregio) as a day trip. Although if there is a 'transfer' that will give you enough time and deal with your luggage that's not a bad idea.

Don't 'plan' every day/evening. Leave plenty of time to wander the streets and squares. I like to move all the time when traveling, I don't spend hours sitting in cafes. But you need a bit of that worked in too. Running from one activity to the next is not the best way to see a place.

I have traveled with my kids in Europe and found that my teens developed a love of history, art and culture from our travels. Yes, they loved the gondola ride in Venice, walking up to the top of the Doumo in Florence, the Eiffel Tower and especially the Sistine Chapel. They were in awe and didn't want to leave after almost half an hour.

Overall I think you have too many 'tours'. Most of what you want to do
you can easily do on your own and you'll have way more flexibility -
and the ability to be spontaneous and do what appeals to you in the
moment. Probably the small Tuscan towns and the Sistine Chapel are the
only ones you really need. Agree that Pompeii can be done on your own
if you haven't paid for that one yet.

I'm in this camp too. Booking so many tours locks up your time and eliminates the ability to change plan on whim and weather (heat & rain). While I definitely agree that a few attractions benefit from advance tickets/tours, you have others, such as a catacomb, which could easily be done independently.

Pompeii? As Roberto said, you can cover the transport piece to/from that one so much quicker by train than via a road tour. Engaging a tour at the scavi itself would also allow you as much additional time there as you wish to spend when your tour is over versus having to be back on the van/bus. The other thing I don't like about the WOI tour is the side trip to the Amalfi Coast. It just adds more time sitting in that van/bus to an already very long day of sitting in a van/bus, and for minimal payoff. IMHO, it's just not a place to 'enjoy' in an hour or two, and especially not in high summer when Positano and the roads will be heaving with tourists. I'd consider cancelling that one if it's possible. If not, I will advise taking some Dramamine if any of you are prone to motion sickness as the A.C. drive can be pretty tough on touchy stomachs.

Not that "heaving with tourists" doesn't already apply to other locations on your list. That's my other concern with overbooking tours; between the heat and the crowds, you may appreciate the ability to move at your own pace, explore some of the corners where fewer visitors go, and take breaks as needed. It will help to better enjoy some marvelous (!!) places versus wear you down in a fat hurry.

What to do in the evenings? These are some of the BEST times just to wander! It's cooler, a chunk of the day-trippers will have gone, and the historical centers take on a completely different face when monuments, piazzas and fountains are lit up at night. Piazza della Signoria in Florence, for instance, was its Medieval best after dark, and exterior details/colors of the Duomo/belltower more impressive when illuminated. We loved walking Rome during the evenings as well.

I probably would have to chosen to stay in Florence and day-tripped to Siena versus the other way around but we loved that one, crowds and all, for the art and architecture so a matter of personal interests.

Thanks so much everyone! So much good info here, Ive read it over several times already.

Everything I have booked is refundable, so I can still change anything.

The major questions:

Pompeii- Personally I'd skip it altogether, its not that I don't think its worth seeing, I just think it will take too much time, but my husband and daughter really want to go. I will have my husband read what you have all said and see what he thinks.

Siena vs Florence- initially I thought we'd go to Florence, feeling Tuscany wouldn't offer much for a 14yo. But with reading and videos my daughter and I were more interested in Siena than Florence. Seemed odd at first to skip Florence, but no way to see everything. Still not sure we are ok with skipping Florence, but still lots of planning to do. Now I'm wondering if we want to add Florence maybe we should spend the night in Florence. Maybe train Venice to Florence drop luggage at hotel see a few things have dinner etc, then bus to Siena the next day. The 2 places my daughter really wants to see out of Siena are Volterra and Montepulciano(Twighlight) at first that seemed silly, but there was enough to interest my husband and I as well, so....

In Rome for sure we will book a Colosseum tour, but maybe walking tours would be best on our own, For sure we need to have plan for everyday, we just do better with a plan, but not being locked in all the time sounds good too.

Thanks for the advice on Rome neighborhoods, thinking Pantheon are is where I will look.

Thanks again everyone!

Now I'm wondering if we want to add Florence maybe we should spend the night in Florence. Maybe train Venice to Florence drop luggage at hotel see a few things have dinner etc, then bus to Siena the next day.<<

You would have to transfer at Florence train station anyway coming form Venice- either the bus (best) or train to Siena so I think I would do this. Early train from Venice gets you to Florence well before lunch- you'd have most of the day and a lovely evening in Florence. Florence is very compact and walkable you could see a good bit in that amount of time. Take the bus next am to Siena.

Montepulciano is beautiful ( I know nothing about Twilight- I think it was filmed there but the town itself is gorgeous anyway-I have not been to Volterra) the 2 locations are in opposite directions from Siena. Might look for a private driver- use some of the funds you were using for other "tours" and you could easily fit both in a day trip out of Siena.

If Pompeii weren't so far from Rome I would say go for it. But it certainly will be a very long (and hot!) day and your time in Rome is so limited as it is.

I question your time allotment for Siena, as did an earlier poster. I’ve never been as taken with it as some are; and if what you plan to do is mostly day trips from there, it may not be the best location. Orvieto is wonderful. If you can include, I advise you to do so. Lots of history, going back to Etruscan times. Splendid cathedral.
In my opinion, Civita d B is not worth a minute of your very limited time. I consider RS’s hyping of it as one of his sillier moments.

I like your idea to train from Venice to Florence, drop bags at a hotel near the train station and spend the afternoon/evening and the following day take a bus to Siena. I can recommend the Hotel Alba Palace which would work great for you as the room I stayed in was a triple room, the room itself was amazing and it's literally 5 minutes from the train station so dropping bags there would be a snap. Usually people advise against one night stays but in this case it makes perfect sense.

The first pictures of this post are of that hotel and I give a description of it. Also talk about what you can do in a short time in Florence.
https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/blog/2017/5/italy-through-fresh-eyes---chasing-the-sun-in-march-part-2-florence

Thanks again everyone!