Help planning a trip

There are more knowlegeable folks than I here on this Forum, but I'm not sure you want to go to Cinque Terre in the off-season. I've read that the weather can be cold and rainy, and that many businesses close.
Safe travels.

I'm not sure about Lake Como in December, either, but let's see what others say.

Thanks for your replies so far.

For Cinque Terre, Im thinking of making a day by day decision, same with Capri (Which I have pretty much ruled out)

I know its winter and timing sucks, but also good just to take things in. For Varenna, we have 2 nights, and I see it as a chance to rest up at the start of the trip following 30-40 hours of flying and a train trip across the Alps. Im happy to do not a lot for those 2 nights.

Thanks for the tips so far, Trent

Como - even if there are daytime activities and the weather is good, take into account that sunset is around 4.45 pm. That could make for really long evenings with little to do.

Verona - there are things to see in Verona. Consider staying one more night so you have a full day in the city.

Venice - 3 nights (2 full days) is the minimum.

Florence - Greve area could be very cold, rainy, maybe snowy, making driving difficult. There's not much scenery, the vineyards will only have black stumps and many of the trees will be bare as well. Pisa is an easy day trip by train, Siena or San Gimignano by bus. (I have not clue about Monteriggioni). Because of the limited daylight hours, it might be a stretch to try seeing more than one in a day. Even in ideal conditions the Cinque Terre are too far for a day trip from Florence.

Sorrento - Just so you know . . . Getting there isn't straightforward - fast train to Naples, then either the slow metro (Circumvesuviana) to Sorrento or private driver. Then the same back to Naples for the fast train to Rome. There's not much to see or do in Sorrento itself in general, much less in the dead of winter. You can take the ferry to Capri for a day unless there's bad weather. If it's raining, go to Herculaneum, not Pompeii. Some of the most interesting parts of Pompeii are difficult walking, the rain will make them much more so. You can take the bus to the Amalfi Coast if the weather is good. If it isn't, there's not much point to going since hiking and scenic views will be out and the towns themselves will be mostly shut down. You might consider staying in Salerno instead, which has a well-preserved historic center and any number of good restaurants. You can take the train to Pompeii and you can also take the bus or train to Paestum to see the Greek temples and the archaeology museum. There are fast trains to Salerno from Florence and Rome so it's quite easy to get there. Wherever you choose, consider spending a day in Naples. The RS city walk is very good and the National Archaeology Museum is a wow.

We've been to CT in the winter (second week of January for 2 nights). We got really lucky with two days of sunshine and moderate temps (in the upper 40s, low 50s - Fahrenheit), but the locals made sure to tell us that was really unusual. There were also very very limited dining options. We really wanted to go, so we made it work, but be sure to check the weather beforehand. I'm not sure it makes sense to go all the way for a day trip. I'm assuming train schedules will be reduced so you may have limited or inconvenient transportation options. Having so many day trips from Florence will also leave you with not a ton of time in a city that has so much to see.

I can't comment on Varenna in the winter, but I'd suggest doing a lot of googling "Lake Como in the winter" to try and get a feel for what it's like in January (along with the amazing advise that I'm sure others here will offer). I've not been, but I've heard great things about Zurich, so I'm wondering if you might want to remove Como from your itinerary, and add another night (or two) to Zurich.

Have a great trip!

I was in some of these places last year in late November/early December so maybe this is helpful. Overall it was colder and more rainy than I had expected--we had packed for drizzly rain since that's what we're used to in the winter, and ended up buying rain coats and cashmere sweaters while we were there in an attempt to stay warm and dry.

Sorrento itself had most things open but we did a day trip to Positano and Amalfi and those were pretty closed up to the point where we couldn't even find a place to get some coffee in Positano. We tried the Capri ferry on two different days from both Naples and Sorrento and it was never running. That said, it was delightfully uncrowded and while not applicable to you, Sorrento was gorgeous with the Christmas decorations. I generally suggest stopping at Pompeii on the way between Naples and Sorrento, either coming or going, to avoid backtracking. There is free luggage storage and it wasn't even close to being full when we were there. We had glorious weather on our Pompeii day, but if you don't, there's not much in the way of cover so do be prepared.

Overall, it will be dark early, but I found that to add to the ambiance. I felt generally safe at night and there were typically other tourists out and about.

It must be lovely in Auckland that time of the year, but I sure wouldn’t want to go to Italy in January. In particular, I think it would be hard with kids that age if it is cold and rainy (or snowy) and outdoor activities aren’t an option.

As someone who lived in Italy for two years and also recently visited in December/January, I can tell you that it's not a bad place to be during that time of year. Sure, the weather is cooler (and sometimes cold), but the crowds are much lighter. I wouldn't hesitate to work through your plan as you lay it out here and, as you've suggested, decide on a daily basis whether to take your day trips as you look at the weather. My son was 11-13 years old when we lived in Italy and he loved it. Hopefully your kids will, too.

Jan 27 Night in Zurich (Good idea, and Zurich is quite lovely. *Not sure what time you get in, but Zurich is beautiful, especially at night)***
Jan 28 Bernina Express - 2 Nights in Varenna (Como) Not sure much is going to be open, but you did say you wanted down time.
Dec3 0 Train to Verona - 2 Nights in Verona (1 Day in Gardaland) - New Years Eve in Verona - We loved Verona.

Jan 1 Train to Venice - 3 Nights in Venice ***Venice is nice, but you will find it chilly, damp, and rainy. WE have been here in winter, and spring, fall and summer, and winter wasn't a pleasant experience. We would have opted for two nights instead of three during this time of year. Would take a night from here and add to Zurich and at least do a day trip to Lucerne from Zurich. Your kids would love the lake boat ride, and Mount Pilatus and Mount Rigi.*

Jan 4 Train to Florence - 7 Nights in Florence (Day trip to Greve Wine district, day trip to Sienna, San Gimignano and Monteriggioni, day trip to Pisa and Cinque Terre. There are so many wonderful options from Florence for day trips. Don't forget Assisi and Cortona. We did a family cooking class in Cortona and my kids loved it.
Jan 11 Train to Sorrento - 4 Nights in Sorrento (Day trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum) Would definitely skip any day trips to the Amalfi area from here. Nothing much will be open
Jan 15 Train to Rome - 7 Nights in Rome *Nice option for day trips from here. *
Jan 22 - Fly out of FCO - Rome

AMAZING - Thank you to everyone for your insightful comments, they have given me so much more information. I have read every one, and have got something out of each one.

The comments have certainly solidified some things and asked me some questions.

1) Do I add more time in Zurich, and skip Como. I chose Como as the train leaves Zurich at 7am, and arrives at Tirano at 12.30 ish. It gets to Varenna at 2:30. Thought it would be good to call it off for the day check into the room, and have a quiet one. Then one day in Varenna to look around - Perhaps go out on the lake (We will have thermal under layers and warm jackets).
2) Do I add more time to Verona. This was only put in to visit Gardaland, but it appears there is so much more on offer
3) Take it day by day in Florence and Rome. Its unlikely I can do Cinque Terre in a day, so would have to be overnight. Pisa sounds easy, as well as other visits by bus or private driver (I have credit with a private driver from a cancelled April 2020 trip.
4) Where to stay down south. Salerno sounds very interesting and I love the fact its a direct train. And Paestum looks amazing. Does anyone else on the forum have an opinion on Sorrento vs Salerno? After looking into it, I am really torn as which way to go.. I wanted to keep a Capri option open, but that does not look easy from Salerno in Jan.
5) I want to see a seaside town - Cinque Terre vs Postiano. Both will be dead, I get that, but for me, its about walking around and looking. We will have bustle time in Rome and Florence, so dont need that in the towns. Im thinking Postiano by bus from Salerno/Sorrento.

Thanks again to everyone for the amazing help.

Trent

Thank you for all your options, I have a lot more research to do, thank goodness I have time.

Others will know better, but I wonder if shops and restaurants will be closed that time of year in Cinque Terre and Positano.

Edit: Don't know how up-to-date this is, but a quick google of 'Positano January' brings up sites suggesting things will be closed. https://www.positano.com/en/m/amalfi-coast-in-january

Most likely a lot more businesses will be open in Salerno in the dead of winter which is more of a town where people live and work, than Sorrento which is dependent on tourism. From Salerno you can take the train to Naples, where you may find a ferry for Capri in the off season. As for your beach town, if you stay in Salerno you can go to Vietri sul Mare which is just a few minutes away, or continue on the coast by bus to Amalfi which is closer than Positano.

Directferries.com only goes up to 12/31/22, but the ferries do run Naples to Capri on that date.

You would most likely be disappointed in Positano that time of year. The magic of such towns are when they are open and at their peak, not winter off-season when everything shuts down and shops, restaurants and hotels are closed. Save that for another trip. Salerno is a very nice town, but would only think of it if you were basing it to visit Amalfi or such. Otherwise you plan above looks better although because of off season you may want to shave another night somewhere and add to as mentioned above somewhere in Switzerland.

I would cut the amount of time your planning for Florence and put that time in Orvieto. Your children will love going on the underground cave tour, down the well, eating in a cave, seeing the tombs, and walking the alleys. J