Help- Last minute trip to Italy in February for 7 days with family of 5

As Christine H asks: How many NIGHTS? It makes a big difference for planning.

At the most you can see 2 places. Not enough time for 3 and practically not enough for 2.

AS many on here will advise, jump on a train upon arrival in Rome and either go to Florence OR Venice. As an aside, there is no stopping by Pisa on the way to Florence! Then finish your trip in Rome.

As for activities, any you mention will be worth your time, but a day can reasonably only be 2 museums at the most or two sites, maybe three depending on how close they are to each other. Gelato any time of the day and often.

Yin, as SJS said, I'm guessing you realistically don't have time for 3 locations. This is your itinerary:

"Rome (2 days)
Florence/Tuscany possible stop to Pisa on our way (2 1/2 - 3 days)
Venice (2 days)
then back to Rome for our flight "

What day do you get into Rome?
What day do you fly out of Rome?

2 FULL days in Rome = 3 nights
3 FULL days in Florence = 4 nights
2 FULL days in Venice = 3 nights
Add one more night for Rome prior to your flight home: you do not want to be in Venice the same day as your flight.

So, do you have 11 nights to work with, not counting your overnight flight from the U.S.? If not, you need to cut a location.

7 day stay

How many nights are you there? Or to make it easy for the folks here, what day do you arrive in Rome and what day is your flight out?

A best case scenario is 2 locations, with Rome being at the end.

Drop Venice.

Land in Rome. Immediately get on the train to Florence.

Florence - 3 nights
Rome - 3 nights

You can do a day trip to Siena. You might be able to bus to Siena from Florence, look around for the day, and train to Rome from Siena.

You need to settle on the trip, since 1 month is a short time to find hotels at a reasonable price.

Here is a recent similar thread
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/travelling-to-rome-italy

As said above- we need to know exactly how many NIGHTS you have in Italy?
If 7 then Florence OR Venice 3- go there first
Rome 4

Your list of must dos in Rome would need at least 3 full days and those days will be packed.
Vatican needs more than a half day, Colosseum needs at least a half da , bike tour needs a day (not something I would do in Rome- the cobblestones and traffic would be killers). Food tour would take about 4 hours. Cooking class - half day

Your Florence lists would take at least 3 full days as well.
Pisa is NOT on the way to Florence

A 2 night stay means you have just 1.5 days actually in location for sightseeing activities.

If you have anything less than 7 nights then I'd advise you to spend all your time in Rome. Every time you change locations you lose a half day.

Question: I reached out to private car service but they didn’t answer
my questions yet, do you think this is something that won’t break the
bank and easier, will it cost much more than taking the trains and car
service on our own?

Trains are easy, cheap, comfortable and fun. A private car service will be very very expensive.

I respectfully think you're trying to do too much in too little time. I suggest either stay just in Rome & take a day trip or two, OR divide your time between Rome and Florence. There is so much to see and do in both cities. You want to have time to just experience them.
As for restaurants, it's hard to say what's "best". I usually check online once I know the general area I'm staying. Most places will have good food. For gelato, look for "artisanale" or organic places and avoid those with huge mounds of brightly-colored gelato, they probably have food coloring and additives.
Enjoy!

I will agree with others, packing too much into the time you have. You could do Rome and Venice, with just a day/stop in Florence on the way, but that would be the most.

For Rome, and the limited time, one day would be spent seeing St. Peters (skipping the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel) and the Colosseum/Forum. You can easily do a Central Rome walk (The Piazzas, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, etc.) but not much more. Of your list:

1. Hoping to do a bike tour of Rome - suggestions? I would do a bike tour on the Appian way, but not enough time, Bike tours within Rome, with the congestion, do not really work well to see any sights.

2. Walking food tour - suggestions?
3. Pasta and Pizza Cooking class? Suggestions? Again, for both of these, you really do not have 3-4 hours, or more, for each to devote to this.

4. Wanted to do night Coliseum Tour but I don’t see any dates offered for February - is it sold out or just not offered in February? No advice.

5. Will visit the Coliseum, Vatican, Trevi fountain and other popular sights (girls are not into museums that much so we’re thinking of quick visits) - looking into this and other places. Like I said, for the Vatican, you are probably limited to going in St. Peters, and maybe climbing the Dome. The Vatican Museum would take up half a day, too much for you and girls not interested in museums, it means missing the Sistine Chapel, but par for the course, no "quick visit". In the Rick Steves books is a wonderful central Rome walk that hits most of the things you want to see.
"6. Girls want to shop - leather, clothing, accessories etc (they are sad we can’t make a stop to Milan) - suggestions?" Not sure if Rome is a great shopping city, but there is a Galleria in central Rome with high end shops, and Via Del Corso is the famous shopping street.

7. Best pasta restaurant in Rome? Any good small restaurant off the main squares that specializes in "Cucina Romana" will have great pastas, especially the four Roman pastas like Carbonara and Cacio e Pepe.

"8. Best pizza restaurant in Rome?" A great debate, try pizza al taglio from a bakery, pans of pizza sold in squares by the kilo. For sit down pizza? I still like Dar Poeta in the Trastevere, that is all you have time for.

9. Best Restaurant for Florentine Steak? Do that in Florence, not Rome.

10. Best Restsurant with iconic view of rome or Coliseum? Skip the view, overpriced and mediocre food.

11. Best Gelato? Again, debate, search this forum for threads, lots of suggestions.

12. Any other not to miss food in Rome and places to eat and snack? Definitely stop at a Trapizzino, quick serve, cheap, but a foccacia bread stuffed with any number of fillings, the "new" Roman street food. Other than that, Suppli, Porchetta sandwiches if you can find them, wander through a market.

If I get a chance, more later.

You've heard what I would tell you. I've visited Venice in winter and we just about froze our tails off. Water was lapping up on St. Marks Square and they had wooden walkways all over the square. There are better months to go.

I looked up the weather in February, and the average temperatures in Florence are lows of 36.5 degrees F and highs of 54.5 degrees F. Sunlight in February averages 4 hours per day.
Your group will need to be dressed for winter weather. And everyone should take no more than one carry on rolling bag..

Rome is one of the most important cities in the travel world, and it would be a shame not to give the city at least 4 full days.

The most efficient way to get to Florence is by a fast train. Rent a van and make a whirlwind day tour south of Florence to the Tuscan hilltowns of Certaldo, San Gimignano and Volterra. They're just 45 minutes to 75 minutes from Florence.

Tuscany roads are well paved and well marked. They're just a little hilly and crooked. It's easy to find your way around.

Yin, I think the list of things you want to do would make a wonderful 7 day stay in Rome. Seriously, consider just staying in Rome, perhaps with a side trip or two. There is so much to see and do there, and remember you'll be pretty tired that first day. And you want to keep the kids happy, right?

Enjoy Rome, and save the other cities for another time.

Yikes! I would see Orvieto and Roma or Sorrento and Roma, unless you really want to see the inside of a train and not much else. J

How many nights will you be in IT?
While in Rome do you plan on visiting Vatican City? If so, you need four nights, if not three nights is doable.
Skip Pisa, it is not on the way from Rome to Florence. Pisa is a 3h 15m direct train ride from Rome’s Termini station and then you have to store your luggage at the train station in Pisa. From Pisa to Florence’s SM Novella station takes 1h and is a very long day. A direct train from Rome’s Termini station to Florence’s SM Novella station takes 1h 45m: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html. Make it an easy day not an exhausting one.
You need three nights in Venice so skip it.
Rome:
1. Hoping to do a bike tour of Rome - suggestions?
See Rome on foot. You have to allow time to do this which you have very little of.
2. Walking food tour - suggestions? 3. Pasta and Pizza Cooking class? Suggestions?
Rome’s has fantastic restaurants, enjoy them.
4. Wanted to do night Coliseum Tour but I don’t see any dates offered for February - is it sold out or just not offered in February?
I suggest seeing the Coliseum’s exterior at night even if you have to take a taxi to drive past it because every window is illuminated. Don’t bother touring the interior, you don’t have time.
5. Will visit the Vatican, Trevi fountain and other popular sights (girls are not into museums that much so we’re thinking of quick visits) - looking into this and other places.
Take Ricks self-guided walking tour found in his guidebook, it’s fantastic.
6. Girls want to shop - leather, clothing, accessories etc (they are sad we can’t make a stop to Milan) - suggestions?
Why, the euro is stronger than the dollar? You’re also hauling luggage and the secret to a great trip is packing light. You’ll draw less attention from pickpockets who look for people struggling with bags.
7. Best pasta restaurant in Rome?
Ask locals!
8. Best pizza restaurant in Rome?
Ask locals!
9. Best Restaurant for Florentine Steak?
Ask locals!
10. Best Restsurant with iconic view of rome or Coliseum?
Go for the food not the view.
11. Best Gelato?
I don’t believe Rome is best for gelato because it’s icier. It will be creamier in Florence.
Florence:
1. Bike tour or some sort of tour of Florence - suggestions?
My answer is the same as Rome, don’t bother.
2. Walking food tour suggestions?
Another great restaurant town.
3. Academia Gallery of Florence to see the David
Yes!
4. Still looking into activities for Florence
Rick Steves self-guided walks and buy tickets for the Uffizi Museum ASAP. This is by far the world’s greatest fine arts museum that dates back to the eleventh century. After two hours there walk over to Accademia to see David.
5. Cooking class in Tuscany farm or wine farm? (We don’t drink). Will do one cooking class either in Rome or Florence.
Why is this a must for a first-time visit? Assume you will return. Your first trip is about taking in the sights not learning how to cook an Italian meal. It would be different if you allowed five nights for Florence.
What time are you flying into Rome? There’s a direct train at 1:53p from Rome’s airport to Florence’s SM Novella station. Most flights land in the morning though. I suggest going to Florence first for the first three or four nights that includes a day trip to Siena by direct bus (1h 15m) if spending four nights in Florence. Do take Rick Steve’s self-guided walking tours that can be found in his book; this way you’ll see everything. Assume you will return, your daughters will.

Skip the Vatican Museum if your daughters just aren’t that interested. No reason to invest the time and money there.

Get your tickets for Coliseum yesterday. Separate amazing views from great food usually its one or the other and you pay a lot for the view with so-so food. RS Guidebook does an amazing job with listing all the sights with great free views, just look for views icon on his map in front of guide book and throughout book itself. I think your kids will enjoy Venice more than Florence so I'd do 3 nights Venice and 4 nights Rome. I recommened Murano and Burano as a single day trip from Venice.

Wanted to do night Coliseum Tour but I don’t see any dates offered for
February

Not currently offered Feb - mid-May:
https://www.coopculture.it/en/products/colosseum-by-night-2022-colosseum-underground/

Regarding the girls' shopping: it is YOUR trip so your preferences should be taken into account but, very kindly, it's long way to go and a lot of money to spend doing it to prioritize an activity that can be done at home. I assume it's clothes they're interested in? I think they'll find that Italian teens don't dress much differently than American kids. And yes, the amount of weight a lot of new clothing might add to the luggage is a should be considered. Anyway, I might try to expand their interests to more of what they CAN'T see or do at home?

Accommodations: yes, you need to sort this trip plan and get reservations made ASAP. As already suggested, I'd pull Venice from the itinerary....and do consider that Carnival runs from Feb 4 - Feb 21 so finding a place to stay there for 5 might be especially difficult and expensive during the latter part of that time and/or on the weekends. Could also be very chilly and wet.

Traveling to Italy, with teenaged girls, using public transportation? Yes! I've done it several times: with one daughter when she was 13; with other daughter when she was 15, 17, and 20. Absolutely can be done and they will have a fabulous time. Here are my main thoughts: 1. They must each pack ONE spinner or two-wheeled carryon suitcase (or backpack), plus a student-type backpack for under the airplane seat. Carryons mean they don't get lost on way over plus they can handle them on the trains. Everyone responsible for own luggage. Make a list of what goes in, and NOTHING goes in that's not on the list. Do a practice pack and haul those bags around the neighborhood. Decant their hair products into small 3 oz plastic bottles, etc. Your hotels will likely have hairdryers. (You can check under amenities on booking.com website). Make sure to leave room for purchases in Italy. Maybe pack some expandable nylon zippable lockable bags to use to check clothes and unbreakable purchases on the way home. 2. My girls love to shop, too, and I love churches and museums. To keep everyone happy, we made a deal: equal parts church/museums and shopping. A couple of hours in a museum equaled a couple of hours in stores or markets. It worked well for us. 3. Public transportation, especially trains are so easy and so doable. From Rome airport, you walk inside to the train station. Every 20" or so there's a 40" train to Roma Termini (main train station) and from Termini there are multiple fast trains (around 2 hours or so) to Florence. You can buy lunch (and wine, and coffee) in Roma Termini and take it on the train with you to Florence. I agree with above folks who suggest going ahead to Florence once you land. This will make one less hotel change, so maybe 3 nights in Florence, 3 nights in Rome? The train tracks, and trains are well marked and almost everything is in English, too. My girls (and son) traveled so well as younger teens that by the time they were in college (doing study abroad) they were leading their groups of friends through multiple countries. Seats are reserved on the fast trains, and comfy. Now to some of your specific questions: there are no glass blowing courses in Venice, but there is at least one shop that lets you decorate your own Carnival mask. There is a well reviewed food tour in the Trastevere neighborhood in Rome. You can find out about it and some of your other specific questions by using the "Search" bar in this forum. Numerous folks have reviewed food tours in Rome and in Tuscany, also cooking classes in Tuscany, sometimes with pickup at your Florence hotel. I don't think I'd want someone I love to attempt riding a bike in Rome; traffic is too crazy. However, I suggest that everyone in your family download the "Rick Steves Audio" app. He has a bunch of free audio walking tours in Rome. His "Heart of Rome" covers the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, for example. There are also lots of free audio tours in Florence (including Uffizi gallery, the Accademia, and more). Listening to them, everyone can move more or less at their own pace and not have to listen to a parent tell them about the art, etc. (In my family this worked well.). Finally, both of my girls purchased leather items in Florence that they wore for years - leather boots for one, a jacket for the other. Lots of cool teen shopping in San Lorenzo street market in Florence, and in leather shops around San Lorenzo church. Hope all goes well! (PS: My daughters would have been bored to death in bus tours of the area. Listening to adults tell them what to see, and having to move around with a big group of older adults? That would not have gone over well with them...)

One more thought: Consider doing a day trip out of Florence in order to see more of Italy and get a few good selfies (instagrammable!) for the girls. I did a great long day trip with WalkaboutFlorence several years ago, that went to Siena, San Gimignano, and Pisa, with a stop for lunch at a winery (other drinks also available!). It was a great tour, in a smaller van/bus, and I see on their website that they continue to offer this tour. It leaves and returns to the Florence train station. I took this tour in late winter, so it was dark by the time we got to Pisa, but the Tower and Baptistry were all lit up, so it was still lovely.

When our college aged daughter went to Paris with us, she said the Food Tour was her favorite thing. My husband and I really enjoyed the one we did in Florence, so I think your girls would enjoy doing one.

Our friends do all their leather shopping in Florence at Sabani in Piazza di San Lorenzo. There is also a food market close to that area as well as the Medici Chapel. They also like the Gelato in the plaza by the Uffizzi museum. We have eaten at L’Osteria di Giovanni in Florence a couple times (in their wine cellar) and everyone said their bistecca is great (too rare for me).

Rome only. Plenty to do. You can do it “slow” then like so many here like to do. People go to Rome multiple times for reasons.
Then start to tick off the things on your list. You will do a lot of walking. There will be restaurants all over. Take your pick. One’s suggestions for best food are open to interpretation by everyone. How would you know it is the best pizza. Gelato is not worth even the thought of where. It is all over, everywhere. Use yelp if you want.
Don’t over stress it. You will have enough stress with 5 people and those teenage girls.