Taking my 18 year old daughter for graduation June 2022- help

What a wonderful gift and special memories you will have together!

I would say that she needs to make a list of her top 3 sights in each location and then build off of that. Maybe watch some you tube videos or Rick Steves videos together to get some ideas.

Caution: Don't try to do it all. It is tempting. As a parent you wonder if you will ever have another opportunity like this with your child again. You probably will.

It won't be all sites that you see that will make this a trip of a lifetime, it will be the memories that you build together, no matter what you see.

This sounds wonderful-- happy for you! The jet lag can be pretty daunting--has become harder the older I get. Don't plan to visit the Vatican or other heavy-duty activity on your first full day. Use that day to wander around the area between Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona -- see Trevi Fountain, Parthenon, and peek into churches with art treasures - like the Michelangelo at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. (See Rick Steves' Heart of Rome walk.) One day to visit Vatican Museum-- with timed ticket! Another for Colosseum (and adjacent Roman Forum, if you have the energy.) The hip restaurants are in Testaccio -- once a working class neighborhood now edgy and trendy. I did a fabulous food tour there with Eating Europe. Great food tour also offered in neighboring Trastevere. Pompeii is fascinating--but will be long day trip from Rome.

You'll be in Venice during the Biennalle -- an international art show with exhibits in churches, palaces, and other venues throughout the city. Check out: https://www.labiennale.org/en/art/2022

Have a fabulous time!

How awesome we just returned from spring break with our 14 and 17 year old it was their first trip and they loved Rome the most. Definitely book the underground tour for colosseum we used the Roman guy this trip and it was great we’ve also used walks of Italy which I highly recommend. She may enjoy a bike tour or food tour also. Pompeii is awesome I’d expect a full day there it’s not very close to Rome we did a tour that combined Pompeii and a Amalfi coast and it was a long day but worth it. I thought my kids would love Venice as much as I do but surprisingly it was their least favorite if you can do 2 days in Venice and 2 in Florence I’d recommend it. It’s never enough time anywhere but may be cool to see more we did all 3 places in a week and it worked fine for us but of course it just depends what your daughter wants. Have a wonderful trip!

Here's a reality check.

You will be tempted to pack each day full of special experiences, going to all the places you have been that she "must see".

Go ahead and do that to satisfy your planning bug...but then go and cut out 1/3 to 1/2 of it. For Rome for example, I would just block out an afternoon for just "shopping", no museums, no churches, just 2 or 3 shopping areas, with some strategic street snacking along the way.

Hard to know her interests, but in Rome, just trying various bakeries for pizza by the square, gelato, suppli, is life changing in itself. There is a more modern version Trappizzino sold by a chain of shops that is really tasty. Of course the food, not sure about trendy restaurants (well, Trappizzino is I suppose), but having some good solid Roman dishes...Cacio e Pepe, Carbonara, artichokes...is a must. Not sure your attitude towards alcohol, but wine with dinner, or a nice Aperol Spritz in the afternoon people watching, is a good introduction to responsible consumption.

I guess my point is, when it is all said and done, the things you will both remember will not be the ruins, museums, and churches, but the sights, sounds, tastes, and the quieter moments that do not even make the itinerary.

We were in Venice last summer with young adult children. We stayed four nights and found that perfect.

We did the Secret Itineraries tour at the Doge Palace. It goes to the back rooms of the palace like the offices and the prison. It is very worthwhile. It is booked through the website. It gives you entrance to the rest of the palace as well and allows you to skip all the lines (which was very worthwhile even last summer when crowds were less).

We did one day visiting the islands. We went to the Cemetery island, Murano, and Burano. The glass museum on Murano is very worthwhile. We otherwise liked Burano best. That day we also visited the fish market first thing.

I would do St. Mark's and Doge Palace on different days. We did St. Mark's the day we arrived. Do go to the museum inside which has the original gilded horses. And out to the balcony. We went to Doge Palace the second day. It took us all morning. There is a restaurant as you leave that we ate in. Decent food and not any more expensive than where we had eaten lunch the day before. In the afternoon we went to San Giorgio Maggiore which is across from St. Mark's. We took a vaporetto. A colleague of mine from Milan told me to go up in that tower rather than the St. Mark's one. It is less crowded and you get to look back on Venice. Some of our group afterwards went to Lido to go to the beach.

Do be sure to get in the front of a vaporetto and take a ride down the grand canal.

On our last day we went to the Accademia Museum which was impressive by the sheer size of the paintings even to our those in our party who were not particularly into art. After lunch we then went to Friar Church.

When I write it down, it does not seem like we did that much! I had lots of other things planned but we didn't do them. We will have to return!

We all loved Venice but not immediately. We were put off by the crowds around the Rialto bridge and the like the first day. The next morning we got up very early and it was a totally different city. People say Venice takes some time to grow on you and I agree. The maze of streets is frustrating at first but after a day you can figure your way around.

We bought three day Vaporetto passes. Your daughter would qualify for a youth one which is less expensive. They are pricey but we did use them.

Another sanity check, which I am sorry to say, will not be what you want to hear…

Take a cold, sober look at your trip. You have, I believe, just seven full, non-travel days. Seven. You will burn most of one of those days when you move from one place to another.

With just 7 days, pick two places, at most. That gives you just 3 full days in Rome, 3 in Venice. That’s assuming you are flying open-jaws (in to Rome, out of Venice, or vice-versa). If you are booked round trip in/out of one city, then you’ve lost a day returning, so now you have one less day.

Bottom line: you have a very short trip. Don’t try to do too many locations, and start by being brutally honest with yourself about the time you do have.

If you're going to Pompeii(and unlike most people on this forum, I've done this twice from Rome and the really long day tour that includes the Amalfi Coast was my favorite), I would do 5 days in Rome and 3 in Venice.

If your 18 y/o is anything like my 16 y/o and a fan of vintage clothing, take some time in Rome to explore the area around Via del Governo Vecchio, which is full of vintage shops. If you're in Rome on a Sunday, you could also checkout the Porta Portese market in Trastevere (but do a little research first so you can zero in on the better stands).

I bookmarked this guide to vintage shops in Rome for our visit this summer & was pleased to see Via del Governo Vecchio is still a vintage hub.

I'm biased, but I'd recommend just staying in Rome for this trip. I lived there for 2 years in my 20s and there are still a ton of things I didn't see/do. I've always thought I would've hated it if I only had a few days, because it takes a little time to adjust to its wonderfully chaotic rhythm.

Whatever you end up doing, you & your daughter will have an amazing time! What an incredible gift.

Just got back from a trip with my teen daughters and this tour was our most memorable moment of the trip. It’s even more worthwhile because it’s at night when other tours and sites aren’t available. The guide is darling and it’s lots of fun.

https://www.guruwalk.com/walks/38348-free-walking-tour-of-ghosts-and-mysteries-of-rome

They also loved this and it was a great contrast to the historical ruins and cathedrals.

https://www.chiostrodelbramante.it/post_mostra/crazy-la-follia-nellarte-contemporanea/

Their favorite historical site was Basilica San Clemente. They didn’t even want to go but they were fascinated.

Maybe your daughter is more easygoing than mine are, but the biggest lesson I learned is, despite the huge investment and hopes, to let them have a bad time, lol. (There’s nuance of course, but when I had done everything I could- gotten the gelato, gone to the funky art exhibit, found the pizza, and they still had an occasional attitude issue, it served me better to just keep enjoying what was around me and not work myself into knots trying to make sure every moment was special. I tried both. The former got better results and fewer tears. This could be entirely a “me” problem. :)

Oh, wanted to add, if you are staying super duper close to the fountain and steps, you might have luck sneaking out after midnight or before 7-8am to get photos undisturbed.

We were there in March, but my daughter wanted to do a mini photo shoot and we were later getting out of our apartment than we wanted but we had the Spanish Steps to ourselves until 8am.

Restaurants!

This gelato shop was both delicious and an Instagram dream. The staff was sweet too:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d5328198-Reviews-Gelateria_Verde_Pistacchio-Rome_Lazio.html#photos;aggregationId=101&albumid=101&filter=7&ff=352933323

This was our favorite gelato in Rome. Amazing flavors. They even had one called Dolce & Gabbana.
https://www.dellapalma.it/?lang=en

You MUST go to Farini in Venice. It’s chic and sleek but reasonably priced considering and the ingredients are so fresh. It feels upscale but also very casual. It was the best bite of pizza we ate in Italy.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d10633692-Reviews-Farini-Venice_Veneto.html

I would second the recommendation to consider a bike tour in Rome. We found this an incredible way to cover a lot of ground in a short time, to get a feel for the city and some of the places we wanted to return to explore more on our own.

There are valuable suggestions here.
One adventure we had - Row Venice, where are had a 90 minute rowing lessons on the back canals, about 90 Euros total, for up to 4-5 folks. It's harder than it looks, and is a break from museums and churches!
Safe travels!

Pompeii is a tough day trip. Sounds like she has her heart set on it, but it’s really worth examining. Itineraries are about tough choices. Having seen Pompeii and spent time in Rome, I'd recommend passing on it this time. You’ll spend more time getting there and back than you will on site. You’ll also be there when it’s most crowded and hot. Worst of all, that’s time you lose in Rome. “Assume you will return” and keep that travel dream in her pocket.

As others suggested here, I think Eating Italy’s Testaccio food tour is a winning choice. It’s a great way to get acquainted with Roman culture and food, and a cool way to see an authentic side of town that is not crawling with tourists. I’d recommend doing this early in the trip. It’s not a bad thing to do the day you arrive, it’s something to do that will keep you up and about when you’re jet lagged.