Itinerary for 3 weeks touring Italy with Kids

You probably know most are going to say "too fast." You are not really allowing for travel time between places. For example, leaving Florence on the 22nd, you want to see Pisa and Lucca on the way to the Cinque Terre. That's fine. but you will have no time to explore the CT when you get there and you are planning to leave the next day, the 23rd. I would not go all that way for one night.

But here is where I think you really need to reallocate. You arrive Naples mid-afternoon, presumably jet-lagged and needing to clear Passport Control and Customs. You will be lucky to be checked in by 17:30. Lucky. How much exploring are you going to do with 2 tired kids and exhausted parents? Then you leave on the 13th for Sorrento, where you have 1.5 to 2 days, arguably: a few hours on the 13th and all day the 14th, and half of the 15th. Pompeii alone is a full half day PLUS TRAVEL TIME to-and-from. I would say most people are exhausted by the end of a Pompeii tour so if you do that on the 14th, you probably only have time to toodle around Sorrento for a few hours. And you will still be a bit jet-lagged in all likelihood. You plan to leave on the 15th so no time for the Amalfi Coast. You might get by if you go to Pompeii on your way from Naples to Sorrento and stow your luggage while you tour, freeing up the 14th for the A.C. Still, a lot for a short short time there.

I think you need to drop about half of your stops. I would ditch everything south of Rome (Naples, Sorrento), pick either Assisi or Orvieto, and drop the Cinque Terre. Reallocate those nights to your other stops and slow the heck down. Let the kids remember something other than car time.

You will most certainly need your sabbatical by the time you leave Venice.

As Laurel has pointed out, your plan for the first two days is , umm, impractical, and the rest of your schedule is really not better.

Suggest a trip back to the drawing board.

I wasn't going to comment as they are others here with far more experience than I but I literally had to take a nap after first reading your plan.
You call this a "whirlwind tour", I'd call it the Bataan Death March.

Not sure what the fix should be not knowing your priorities- seems like your priorities are to cover as much ground as possible and spend lots of time in car and on trains. With this plan you surely won't be seeing much of the towns you have listed.

Have you traveled in Europe or Italy before?
Would you be able to take a few day trips while in Ambra?
Maybe do Pisa/Lucca as a day trip from Ambra. Also Orvieto OR Assisi.

Since you are flying into Naples- are flights booked?- keeping Naples/Amalfi/Rome makes sense and I'd probably drop Milan/Como/Dolomites/CT. Add a night at least to Rome then Train from Rome to Verona 2 nights, train to Venice 3 nights, then train back to Florence. You can get car as you leave there.

Naples 2
Sorrento- 4
Rome 3 at least
Verona 2
Venice 3
Florence 2
That is 16 nights so you've got 5 nights here before Ambra- I guess CT/Lucca/Pisa next might work.

From your other post, I'm assuming you are arriving Naples from Sicily. So let's slow this itinerary down a bit.

Day 1. Arrive Naples 3:30. Take this to Sorrento.
https://www.curreriviaggi.it/mobile/en/naples-airport-shuttle/ 16:30/ 1H15m.

Arriving in Sorrento first gives you a longer time to explore Naples and puts you closer to Napoli centrale for your train to Rome.

Day 2. Sorrento.

Day 3. Sorrento

Day 4. Sorrento

Day 5. Sorrento-Naples. 1N https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule. 1H06m. Site also has bus and ferry timetables.

Day 6. Naples, early evening train to Rome. 1H17m.

Day 7. Rome.

Day 8. Rome.

Day 9. Rome.

Day 10. Train, Rome-Venice 3H45m.

Day 11. Venice.

Day 12. Venice.

Day 13. EDIT: Rent car. Venice- Verona 1-2 N 1H24m.

Day 14. EDIT: The kids may enjoy this.
https://www.gardaland.it/en/
Or head to Varenna. 2H48m .

Day 15. EDIT: Varenna.

Day 16. Varenna.

Day 17. Varenna-Florence 4Hours.
Make sure you park outside a ZTL area.

Day 18. Florence.

Day 19. Florence-Ambra lodging 40m-1 hour.

We have spent about 3 weeks in the Ambra area over several trips, Florence is 1 hour away. Siena 30-40m. Assisi 1H25m. Orvieto 1H14m. Taking a long weekend, you could do Pisa &Lucca one day 1N Lucca then CT for another 1 1/2. Days.

Since you have never driven in Italy, you will need an IDP which is a translation of your home drivers license. Available at AAA for $24 including photos.

Please read this, it gives you all the information you need on rules of the road for Italy in their PDF.
https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.com/dont-mess-with-ztl-zones

I'm not sure where Gerri found these driving times (or perhaps they indicate something other than driving times??):

Rent car. Venice-Castelrotto 1N. 1H24m.
Castelrotto-Verona 1N. 14-20 minutes.
Verona-Varenna 2H07m
ViaMichelin is telling me that the fastest route to Castelrotto takes 3 hr. 35 min. without stops (also without time required to pick up the car and navigate). But the fast route is via Verona, and I think few people would opt to drive the same way twice, preferring a loop trip. That would mean the Treviso route, which VM estimates at 4 hr. 21 min.

VM estimates the drive from Castelrotto to Verona at 2 hr. 1 min. and from Verona to Varenna at 2 hr. 28 min. I think there might be traffic issues on the highway down the valley to Verona. I don't think that's a freeway, and it's a very popular vacation area. I think this Dolomite side-trip is especially misguided. It's really not a place to go for an overnight stop unless you are driving between Italy and Austria and just need to break the drive somewhere. It's also a shame--especially with children along--to blast past Bolzano without going to the museum housing the Iceman. Bolzano's historic district is very lovely, by the way.

As others have already pointed out, there is far too much traveling and far too little actually being somewhere on this itinerary. All those times when you plan to travel to a new place and then explore: understand that by the time you get settled, your explorations may amount to a very few hours, especially when you propose to stop in two towns along the way.

Here is one example: The driving time alone from Florence to Pisa to Lucca to Vernazza is estimated at 3 hr. 36 min. That doesn't include checking out of your hotel, retrieving your car (which may be parked blocks away), getting lost on your way, finding parking in Pisa, Lucca and Vernazza and then walking to the tourist sights in the first two and your hotel in the third town. How much time do you expect to have to see the Cinque Terre that day? That's five towns, connected by boats (slow), trains (often overcrowded) and walking trails (partially closed).

Since you plan to make a lot of mid-day stops, it's super-critical that you have a car with a trunk large enough to accommodate all your luggage. You must not leave anything visible in the car when you park it.

Acraven, so glad you caught that. I evidently got off a line in my notes 😳 those times are for Venice to Verona , and Verona to Peschiera.

Aah, I've had spreadsheets do that kind of shift. Can be deadly.

Davis 8,

Have to agree with acraven, drop Castelrotto.
I've edited my above post to reflect that change.

Since you are spending a month in Ambra you might want to leave Siena and Florence for day trips from there. I also second everyone who is telling you that you are moving too often to enjoy your location, see the sights and enjoy your travel. Every time you move you have to pack/unpack for 4 people. That's 11 moves in 19 days. You will become familiar with the inside of trains, buses and stations. Your itinerary can be done, but why do you want to put yourself through that.

Since most of you are saying this is too fast - i'm basing this on Rick Steves' 21 days in Italy itinerary. So i'm just curious if you guys think that's just way off base or what? I have never been there so i'm kind of submitting to his knowledge as the expert but you all seem to be saying other things. Is there another 3 week itinerary posted somewhere you think would be a better guide?

Yes, I think most of us think his itineraries are too fast. They also are not designed for any particular sort of traveler, because how could they be? You know what sort of things you and your family are especially interested in. Rick does not. You also know your children's tolerance for being cooped up in a car or on a train. Not to mention how easy (or not) it is going to be to get everyone going every morning. I don't know whether Rick's fast-paced itineraries are what even he would recommend for someone traveling with two pre-teens.

Secondly, you do not have 3 weeks; you have 17 days. You arrive late on May 12, which would be a pretty useless jetlagged day in any case. You fly home on May 30. That leaves 17 usable days.

An organied tour can move faster for several reasons:

1. There is a guide who knows exactly where everything is and has a specific agenda in each location.
2. Many pre-arranged tours and entries so little waiting in line.
3. No need for you to go to the TI, get oriented, figure out the place as you will be herded around. Believe me, this takes time when you have never been to a place before.
4. They wait for no one. No sleeping in! The bus leaves when it leaves.
5. Little free time
6. Professional driver, no getting lost

RS does not have a 21 day Italy tour. The 17 day tour he has does NOT include Milan, Sorrento and Naples. You seem to be trying to cram into 17 days all of the RS 17 day tour PLUS 3 additional locations. You are trying to put 5 quarts into a one gallon can

As Laurel points out, a tour group moves more efficiently than an independent traveler can.

As far as RS tours are concerned, I disagree with her #5 comment about the lack of 'free time'.

Good point, joe. We have not taken a tour but my thoughts on little free time are that one has to adhere to a schedule and you really cannot go according to your own schedule, which a family really might need to do.

Clearly we agree it is not feasible to follow this schedule on one’s own!

I'm not talking about an official tour. I'm talking about the 21 day itinerary he lists here https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/itinerary

That's what I figured. That 3 week driving tour is a whirlwind tour, most here would say it's far too fast paced to allow any kind of enjoyment along the way.

I count 19 nights in your itinerary. Is that correct?
Try to eliminate 1 night and 2 night stops. 3 or 4 is always better- remember 3 nights is really just 2.5 days.- IF you are arriving before noon. Many of your days above have you driving/traveling all day and arriving closer to dinner time so can't really count as a "touring day".
Staying 3 or 4 nights in a location would also allow you to stay in an apartment- might be nice with 4 of you! I would not bother with apartment for anything less than 3 nights. You'll probably want to look for a place midway that has laundry facilities as well.

Make a list of what is important
Why are you going to Milan? What is it that you intend to see or do there?
Why are you stopping in Verona?
Same for Assisi, Orvieto, Civita.
Pick one coastal experience and 1 mountain experience, fill in the rest with the 3 major cities- Rome, Florence, Venice.

Since you are starting in Naples it makes sense to keep the Amalfi area- drop CT- it will be crushingly crowded. Do it as an overnight from Ambra if you must see.

Arrive Naples- take CV train or ferry right to Sorrento- I think there is airport bus that will drop you at ferry
Sorrento- 4 minimum- 1 day to Pompeii, 1 day for Amalfi/Positano, 1 day for just Sorrento and relaxing
Naples 1- arrive early am so you have a full day to sightsee here
Rome- 4 minimum
Venice- 3 minimum
Dolomites- 3
Florence 4- with day trips- or maybe Florence 2, Lucca 2

You won't need or want a car at all in Naples, Amalfi, Rome, Venice or Florence. I guess it would be useful in Dolomites- never been there myself.

I like to use Rome2Rio to sort out driving times and transpo options:
https://www.rome2rio.com

Not sure I'm answering any questions here, but I'll share our plans as I'm planning a similar trip, in some ways.

My family of 5 kids (4-16 yrs old) is planning a trip for next September. Mine is similar in length, but fewer stops. We're spending 4 nights in Ischia, 4 nights in Naples (as a base to explore Sorrento/Pompeii/Vesuvius), 5 nights in Rome, 3 nights in Florence (with a quick day trip to Pisa and/or Lucca), and ending with 4 nights in Venice. That Florence stop is really the only one I'm concerned about rushing through things. We're all early risers though and this fit with the interests of the family. We opted for this itinerary as it requires no rental car and hits what our family is most interested in. We were worried about museum fatigue as well but rather than just jumping ship/town to another location, we have left free time to explore the cities in whatever way we or our kids want to ... even if that means some slower, lazier, gelato-ier days. We figured you can't go wrong with time on your hands in any of the cities, but we certainly could wear ourselves out at train stations.

Again, not sure if that is useful or not, but thought it might provide some perspective or something for comparison...

slower, lazier, gelato-ier days.<<

You can never go wrong with this!

OP--- Thank you for clarifying about the "21 day itinerary". I had not seen that

I am surprised to see that. It looks like it is more suited to a 'tour' ( see Laurel's earlier post about 'tour efficiency')

I suspect when it was put together, having 8 & 10 year olds needs and pace was not factored in.

I would suggest some selective pruning, to cut down on the number of stops.

Let's start over. Where are you flying in and out of? Is Sicily still included in your plans?
Or are you flying into Naples and out of Rome or Florence.

Do you have a burning desire to visit all the places you mentioned? What sites are most important in each location? It doesn't make sense to plan where, when you don't yet know what.

What do your kids like to do? Italy is not only museums, but there are several they may enjoy.

As stated above, you usually loose a half day every time you change locations. This includes packing up, stops for fuel, food or other necessities. Finding your next location and parking. Checking into your new lodging, then acclimating to the area.

The itinerary I posted up thread, which can also be done by train, accomplished most of those sometimes forgotten necessities. Still leaving you a fairly reasonable amount of time to enjoy where you are instead of where do we go next.

I've traveled to all the places you mention. It's not the same as traveling where you're comfortable with the language and customs. Especially on a first trip.

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