We are at the very beginning stages of planning a trip with 5 adults 5 children...We think Rome and Venice and maybe one other spot....any suggestions on how to make this a great experience? How many days would be suggested.
Children 6 thru 11.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32402 posts
Marsha, Some additional information would be helpful. For example.... > When will this trip be taking place? > What is the time frame for the trip? Do you have unlimited holiday time? > What are the interests of your group - history, Museums, galleries or ? Cheers!
Posted by
OP
Central Massachusetts, USA
3 posts
Those are all the same questions we are asking ourselves (wink) With thoughts to the kids....we don't want to overdo museums...yet don't want to miss some of the most notable ones. We are trying to determine time...doubt it could be more than 10-12 days.
Most probably June-2014
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23660 posts
A week in Rome, and another week in Venice and then rent a villa for three weeks in Tuscany. Rent a couple of cars to day trip to the various surrounding areas.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16232 posts
10 - 12 days isn't much. First of all, to maximize your time there, you need to buy multi-city (aka Open Jaw) plane ticket from US to Venice, then returning from Rome back to the US. That way you don't have to back track to the arrival city to catch a flight back. This is the itinerary for 10 nights in Italy. If you have 1 or 2 more nights, add them to any of the places below depending on your preferences: Fly from US to Venice. Spend 3 nights in Venice. One day devote to Venice, one day to Murano and Burano islands. Morning after 3rd night, train to Florence (2hrs). Arrive Florence by Noon. Spend 4 nights in Florence. Devote a day or two to side trips to some Tuscan town (Pisa, Siena or some of the smaller towns between Florence and Siena, such as San Gimignano) Morning after the 4th night in Florence, take train to Rome (90 min). Arrive at Rome by Noon. Visit Rome for a couple of days. Morning after the 3rd night in Rome, fly home from Rome. PS; since there is 10 of you, it might be cheaper to rent two cars at some point, rather than using only trains. That would also help exploring the Tuscan countryside. If that is your choice, I suggest to rent a car after visiting Venice or even after visiting Florence, to visit Tuscany and returning the car as soon as you arrive in Rome. In other words instead of taking the train from Florence to Rome, you would be driving to it, through Tuscany. The car is not needed while you visit Venice, Florence and Rome, but it's helpful while visiting the countryside.
If you decide to rent a car from Venice and returning it in Rome (ie no trains at all), make sure you find a hotel in Florence outside the historical center or even out of town. The historical centers in Florence (as well as Rome) are closed to vehicular traffic except for residents.
Posted by
OP
Central Massachusetts, USA
3 posts
Wow Roberto....all great & helpful suggestions......we are thinking of skipping Florence and heading over to Bari and the Foggia area where our families are originally from...Looks like we could even fly out of Bari
Posted by
SF Bay Area, CA, USA
81 posts
Marsha, touch base with me in August as we'll be in Italy this summer, 2 families, 4 adults, 6 children ages 9-14. I can give you the websites of the apartments we rented through vrbo if you're interested...just PM me. Well be in Venice 2 nights, Near Pistoia (Tuscany) for a week, and 5 nights in Rome. I'm sure I'll have lots of info once we return from our trip. Have fun planning!