Italy in June first time

Sounds like a nice family trip! Looks like you are in Itay for 14 days. With your proposed itinerary and arrival/departure days that means you realistically have 6 or 7 good days. In 2 weeks could I suggest fly into Venice and out of Rome. I might also look at skipping Milan and giving those days to Venice. Genoa and Padua are very nice but unless you have a specific reason for going there I'd reconsider. A day trip from Venice to Padua will allow you at least the time to do the 'major' sites. From Florence a bus trip to Siena is almost on my recommendation list (especially for myself!). If you have extra days maybe add them to Rome? Rome is one of those places where if you get tired of one century all you have to do is turn the corner and you have plenty more to chose from! The Vatican is a powerful experience. If you aren't museum people maybe the long walk through the Vatican Museum isn't for you but remember that's how you get into the Sistine Chapel. The 19 yr olds might really enjoy evenings in Trastevere (you too). On the plane home you can plan your next visit to Italy and make a list of the places you want to discover next time.

If that's really the order in which you plan to visit these cities, that's an awful lot of zig-zagging. Venice to Genoa is around 6 hours by train, whereas Venice to Padua is only 1/2 hour. And, only one day (night?) in Venice would really be a shame. I hope you'll rethink this.

Oh my goodness,I knew posting here was the way to go. The days are on the ground, we are traveling by air before and after. So these are the amount days on ground. Thank You,Thank you!!

How many nights do you have in Europe?

The first 6 days are a problem. Please do take another look at a map and check the train schedules on the very easy-to-use Deutsche Bahn website.

I'd head out of Milan immediately unless your reasons for listing it are religious, in which case try to see the Duomo on your arrival day and book a tour including The Last Supper as early as possible on Day 2, then head immediately for Venice (preferred) or Padua for Night 2. Visit the other city as a day-trip (Venice will need at least two such days) so you don't have so many time-consuming hotel changes.

Tickets for The Last Supper are sold out for June (they've been on sale since February 13), so some sort of tour will probably be your only option if you want to see it.

I'd skip Genoa unless you have ancestors from that city.

And don't forget to check your lodging description for air conditioning! If they don't specifically mention it, it's not there. (Same with elevator.)

I am so happy i did this, you all are the best. I do know about the air conditioning. our itinerary is up in the air we are extremely flexible. we are open to all and any suggestions and or revisions. Recommendation where to get advance tickets, restaurant what not to see what to see. we love to go go and try as much as possible. we can relax when we get back home 😂

I went to Italy last April with my mom. Flew into Venice(3 nights). Flew to Naples (drove down to Almafi Coast (3 nights). Train from their to Rome. then flew to Spain. I loved my timeline. worked perfect for us. I agree 1 day in Venice is not a lot but if that's all you have then you can make it work. Just plan your cities in an order that flows. Flying into one town and out of another. I did a tour to the Vatican. They BEST thing I did. It was extremely early but so worth it. we got in an hour before general public did which gave us time to see most of the museum without the crowds. And our tour guy got us in the Sistine Chapel when it was least crowded. Hope this helps.

One thing that always helps me when traveling with several family members is for everyone to list there MUST SEE THIS place or MUST DO THIS experience. That way everyone is assured of seeing/doing the most important thing on their travel to do list. It also helps narrow down where we want to go and why. If everyone is gung ho on one spot and only iffy on another, why not try to swap things up in favor of the more exciting (to the group) location?

That's my number one tip for traveling with others.

Vanessa,

IMHO, your proposed Itinerary is far too ambitious, and it would be prudent to cut some stops. The one day stops are especially problematic. To begin with, my suggestion would be to cut Genoa (more suggestions later). When planning an Itinerary, I find that it's best to plan on the basis of nights rather than days.

Using the places that you originally listed, you could consider something like this.....

• Milan, 2 nights (one full day of touring)
• Train to Padova, 3 nights (you can easily take a day trip to Venice as it's not far)
• Train to Florence, 4 nights (day trips to Siena, Lucca or Pisa are easily possible)
• Train to Rome, 4 nights (a day trip to Orvieto is popular from Rome)

Your profile doesn't indicate where you're travelling from, but you'll generally arrive in Europe the day after you depart from your home airport. You may be affected by jet lag, so may not be up to full "touring speed" for a day or two after arrival.

There are some potentially expensive caveats to be aware of when using trains or other public transit in Italy. If you need more information, post another note.

I'd also suggest packing along a copy of the RS Italy 2018 guidebook as there's a LOT of good information there that will help your trip go smoothly.

Venice is the perfect place to start - it's low key (just stay away from the 2-3 major places that tourists swarm during the day . . . St Mark's Square, Rialto Bridge . . . go to those in the early morning or late evening), relax and soak up the atmosphere. 3 nights gives you two full days to get over the jetlag and see the sights.

Florence seems to be as "overrun" with tourists as Venice but without the opportunity to get away that Venice affords. If you are art lovers, you need at least 3 full days in the city to enjoy the Renaissance painting, sculpture and architecture. If you want quaint/charming, stay somewhere else and day trip to Florence to see the highlights. Siena is well positioned for day trips to Florence and other Tuscan towns. Or spend a few nights in Bologna, not nearly so many tourists, it's a rail hub so you can easily day trip to Ravenna, Modena, Ferrara, Padua, and Florence.

Fewer hotel changes is better. Think about the time it takes to pack and go door-to-door with your luggage, keeping 5 individuals together. I'm not sure how many nights you have. The rule of thumb is x number of nights is (x-1) number of days to sightsee. Your last day is probably just packing and going to the airport, unless you have a night flight. Remember you need to be at the airport 2-3 hours before the flight and it's about an hour to the airport.

If you have 12-13 nights, you could manage 4 stops. Venice, Rome, and 1 or 2 of Florence-Siena--Bologna. If you choose one, you could add 2 nights in Orvieto before Rome. Though there's plenty to see and do if you choose just 3 stops.