Italy itinerary for family

4 in Rome is good enough.
Maybe add one day in Florence or Venice; otherwise it looks like a good plan

It is a good plan. I would normally recommend 5 nights in Roma, but better 4 there if you can squeeze out another night for Venezia. Do you have 13 nights or just 12?

Having been to Italy with 5 kids I can appreciate your thinking.

Rome looks good, consider getting a guide to hit the high points. We did a Forum/ Coliseum guide for a couple of hours and it worked well. If you want to have one for the Vatican that works too. The Vatican museums can be a long haul for kids, they will get bored.

I think 3 nights in 5 Terre might be one too many. Two full days with really not much to do except hike might be too much. Take a day there and add to either Florence (to cover your Siena trip giving you 2 full days to see Florence) or, add it to Venice. One day in Venice isn't really enough, at least for me. We spent three nights there with 5 kids, just right. Be sure to have a lot of gelatto in any case.

Have a great trip.

You need more time in Venice, especially with kids. Take a night from the Cinque Terre.

It may be easier to start in Venezia and end in Roma. Flights to the US tend to leave early in the morning; and it's easier to herd a group on an island than in a big city, while everyone moves into the family travel groove.

If you do that, take an extra night for Venezia.

Thanks for the initial replies. Is it worth moving the group to stay overnight for two nights in Cinque Terre? What if we adjusted to the following:

Rome--4-5 nights (with possible day trip--many options)
Florence--5 nights (with two day trips to Sienna and Cinque Terre)
Venice--3 nights

Laurel, we haven't booked tickets just yet, so we are not sure on 12 or 13 nights.

Jess

I like your second itinerary better..only 3 moves not 4. Moving from place to place is tough on everyone, but especially kids. My children were 12 and 13 when we first went to Rome, Florence and Venice and they loved it all. Why don't you get each one to do a research project on one of those places and they could be your tour guide? It would engage them and its a learning opportunity. Also, from Firenze you have many more options of traveling (via train and bus) to other places. Take the bus to Siena from Florence it is easy. Show them shorts about the Palio, etc before your travels. Have a great time!

Marie

Don't commit to starting in Rome until you take a careful look at your flight options from Venice. As already mentioned, many travelers find they must get very early flights out of Venice in order ro connect at a major European airport for their transatlantice flight home. How do you feel about waking up your family at 3 or 4 AM in order to take a crack-of-dawn flight out of Venice? Getting to the airport so early can also be quite expensive.

Well, the flight I am looking at is nonstop from Venice to Atlanta and leaves about 11 a.m. I am thinking a late-morning departure should be fine. ??

The flights I have looked at are also more expensive into Venice and out of Rome...but as we all know, that can change anytime.

nonstop from Venice to Atlanta and leaves about 11 a.m.

Book it.

An 11 AM flight from Venice that is budget friendly should not be passed up.
( When the issue of early Venice departure has come up, I have looked at flights and usually the flights departing after 9AM are twice the cost of the earlier flights and the later in the day the cost goes up even more)

Like your revised schedule much better than the original

Jess

We always fly out of Venezia Marco Polo Airport, it is not as congested as FCO and we usually fly out around 11:45 (VCE to PHL direct, non stop). It is an easy flight and we don't stay in Venice, we usually stay in Vicenza or Verona. We take the train in and then the bus from P. Roma. We have done this with as many as 6 people and it isn't bad at all. Just remember, all the bridges in Venice have steps and the Calatrava bridge is no exception.

Jess,

Your itinerary looks good but I'd suggest a change-of-order. In order to minimize travel times, it would be more efficient to travel Rome > Cinque Terre > Florence > Venice.

I'd suggest leaving C.T. as a stop to provide some beach and rest time, and allow you to explore the five towns and surrounding area. Monterosso has the best beaches so you might consider staying there. Three nights will provide two full days for touring. You may be in need of a rest after Rome!

If you want to add one more night in Venice, take it from Rome.

I like your second plan a lot. It will be easier on everybody. The Cinque Terre is lovely, but weather could put a damper on things. There's plenty to keep everyone entertained and engaged. [EDIT: There's plenty to do in V, F & R.]

The idea of having each child do some research is a good one. Not just "Where do you want to go?" but also why, how to get there, how long will it take, what will we see, how much will it cost?

With a large group you may find a private group tour will cost no more than (and possibly less than) a cattle-call tour in places like the Colosseo. Three hours with a guide should run Euro 160 to 180 as a planning guideline. Please write back if you need names of tour companies or guides.

I, also, like your second itinerary.

Years ago we took our boys to England. Hubby and I and the 2 boys each did some reading and compiled our priority lists of what we wanted to see.
We made sure everyone got their 2 top choices and some got more because some of the tops were on everyones list. The boys did their own research and explained to us why it was on the list. We also left some time for spontaneous activities that we came across. It was a great trip and our boys, now 38 and 34 still talk about that trip!

On our first trip to Italy I booked Rome, Florence and Venice. We got up so early to get to the airport that on trips now that include Venice I make sure not to fly out of there. If you have found a flight at 11 am with price you like, I would grab it!

One more thing. It is so much more special to stay in Venice on the island and not in Mestre or other area where you have to train or bus in each day.

Have a great trip and please post a trip report after!

I agree with everyone who liked your second itinerary better. Your kids will love Venice. I can not recommend enough the PBS show “Travel With Kids.” They have done shows on Venice, Florence and Rome. I would try and find the shows on YouTube. If they are not available there, try the PBS website or iTunes. I know you can buy them from the “Travel With Kids” website. The shows are very entertaining, even if you didn’t have kids and provide a wealth of information.

A big heartfelt thank you to everyone who offered input! We booked our tickets yesterday, and we are trying to work out accommodations now. Laurel, I will message you later for recommendations of tour companies and guides. I appreciate the many suggestions on how to get the kids involved. Some pre-trip studying will definitely be in order. It’s sure to be a wonderful adventure!

Jess,

I am looking into a similar trip for May 2018 and I'm in NC. Can I ask what flights you looked at out of Atlanta for Venice?

Thanks,
Elana

Elana, we are on Delta flight 193, Venice to Atlanta, leaving Venice at 11:10 a.m. I can't remember what other flights we looked at, but I did many combinations of searches, almost entirely on Kayak. I'm sorry I can't be more help. Good luck!