Venice or Rome First?

I would probably start in Venice... there is literally no other place like it, so a lot of initial 'wows'. Also, a little smaller and maybe easier to navigate...although expect to get lost...then a good plan to go to Tuscany and Florence and end in Rome. You could reverse it and have a wonderful time as well, but I think this might be the easiest and most impressive for the kids. Have a wonderful trip.

Kids will probably enjoy Venice because of all the water and boats, but if they really like history and you can teach them about the Roman empire they will like Rome too. Florence is the most fun because you can walk almost everywhere. Regardless of where you start, Florence is a great break from the other two and geographically it fits in the middle. If you want to pump them up, take them up the 478 steps to the top of the Doumo. Might I suggest if you already haven't that you order Rick's DVDs on Italy. It includes Italy's Cities and also the hill towns, and my favorite place the Cinque Terre. I have a friend who made a similar trip as yours with kids a year older and I loaned him my DVDs a month before they left. They said it taught their family about the places they would see and after their kids saw them in the DVDs it made everything more real for them. I just bought his entire 90 show set at half price, $49.95 as a Christmas gift. The other thing to consider is his book about art, Europe 101, the history of art for the traveler. We did and it made the art we saw come alive. Good Luck.

First time Italy visitor this past July-August, Mom & 20 y/o daughter. Rome first for 4 days, we both loved it. Good place to keep moving, getting over jet lag, lots of great sights to see. Venice next, and honestly my daughter hated it. She felt it was old, dilapidated, not well kept up, claustrophobic, expensive. We took a train to Verona for the day which she enjoyed. I on the other hand liked it, found it interesting but really don't need to return. There are two views of Venice, many at opposite ends of the spectrum. I saw the travel show "Globetrotters" and the host gave me an interesting and different perspective than RS before I went so I was better prepared. Sorry, did not get to Tuscany.

The cities are all so unique its just a matter of preference. We've done the Italian "trifecta" with several first timers. We prefer to jump into the well known history and sites of Rome. Bask in Florence and Tuscany to relax in the middle and then just when they think they couldn't be any more impressed, blow them away with Venice and the islands before we leave Italy. (It also fits chronologically with major features of the 3 cities to do them in this order).

We started in Venice. I felt it was just easier to land in Venice, carry the luggage to the hotel via bus and the Vaporetto (water bus), than to lug the luggage at the crack of dawn on the Vaporetto from the hotel in Venice to the airport trying to make our flight. It was much easier for a car to pick us up at the hotel at about 5:30am and take us to the airport in Florence. The flights leaving Euro back to the US leave usually around 7:00-9:00am. We did Rome on a different trip and used that train between the airport and the Termini back and forth. But at 18.00 euros a head, a car might be cheaper to the airport at about 60.00 euros. Do some homework on the price and compare. When you get to venice you have three options; Taxi (most expensive), Allilaguna (private company between airport and Venice) or ATVO bus to Piazza Roma (cheapest), then walk a short walk to the the Vaporetto to the stop that will get you closer to the hotel. Check the web site to see the machines in Venice airport that sell the bus ticket.Then just go outside and get on the bus. If you come on the train from anywhere in Italy, just step out of the station and get on the Vaporetto or walk to the hotel.
http://www.atvo.it/index.php?lang=en&area=23&menuid=35 Buy your Vaporetto and museum tickets go to VeniceConnected web-site and pick them up at the airport kiosk before you board the bus to Venice Piazza Roma. http://www.veniceconnected.com/ We just felt the hassle and anxiety of missing the flight back home wasn't worth it. Some others might disagree with me, but it worked for me.

Maybe living in a large city like Atlanta will prepare you for the noise and chaos of Rome. I think I would have had a different prospective of Rome if I hadn't gone there first. It took a lot out of me. If you want to ease yourself into Italy and be well rested for Rome, I suggest you start in Venice. Also, As someone else mentioned, I think the logistics of Venice would be easier for arriving and use Rome as your departure airport. Tuscany in the middle is perfect.

Allison, Hi - we just returned from Italy 2 weeks ago travelling w/ 4&6 yr olds - we did Venice, Cinque Terre, Sorrento and departed from Rome (4-5 days each) - I would tend to agree w/ previous posts that (at least psychologically and w/ small kids) it would be more difficult departing from Venice - it takes more time to get around, etc - when arriving there, would definitely recommend the water taxi directly from the airport - you just walk 5 min outside the terminal, get in the boat and you go directly to your hotel - the alilaguna boats are completely closed and to my mind a bit claustrophobic after a long plane ride (and hot if the weather is still warm) - and for 4 people, a private taxi only ends up costing you an extra 20 euro. Departing from Rome easy, from Pantheon area an easy 30 min ride in the morning. Have fun, we loved it!!!
Bob

I like Bob's Idea of the water taxi if it's 20 euros more. Since I usually travel with my wife, the added expense wasn't worth it for me. But if you divide out for four people the water taxi vs. bus and Vaporetto, the taxi might not be worth the hassle of the bus and usually the taxi drops you in front of the hotel or very close to it. Now if you are going to buy Vaporetto tickets anyway, you will only tack on the extra bus ticket to Piazza Roma. Tough??? Bob does make a good point.

All else being equal, I would do Venice first. It's beautiful and walkable without worrying about cars. As you get your travel legs, you will be able to deal with the Rome crowds and traffic better. The exception would be weather. If I was traveling in Spring or Fall, I'd put Venice where I'd have the most likelihood of decent weather.

I think Venice is the best place in Italy to start because you arrive jetlagged and tired. Venice is so different, you can enjoy it and soak up the atmosphere on your first day or two by just kicking back - get front seats (or very back, as the best second choice) on the vaporetto (water bus) and ride from one end of the Grand Canal to the other and enjoy the view. Walk around eating gelato or sit at a cafe and watch everyone else.

I'd finish in Rome. You'll have your travel groove on by then and be best able to enjoy the city. I'd devote the longest part of the trip to Rome. It's such a great place to visit and not as intimidating as people make it sound.

Recommend starting in Venice and ending in Rome. We did that beginning and ending in March with a different middle part. It seems to be easier to land in Venice and get to the hotels than it is to leave from Venice to get to the airport. We had purchased a discounted vaporetto pass on line and used it for the bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma where we again used the pass for the vaporetto to the hotel. Both arriving and leaving Rome is easy as you take the high speed train to Termini station and either walk to your hotel or take the metro. When we left Venice we left by train and it was just a short vaporetto ride to the train station vs getting up super early for a vaporetto ride to the bus station and then the bus to the airport or taking the more expensive water taxi to the airport.

Put me in the Venice first camp, if you can, for all the reasons listed above. It's a nicer place to recover from jetlag. Happy travels.

Venice it is!! Thank you all for your replies and helpful comments.
Allison

Let me add a dissenting opinion. We always finish in Venice. Part of that is that Venice is our favorite city, but the other part is the traffic. Rome and Florence are both busy cities. Lots of traffic, lots of noise, lots of vespas. Going from the quiet, no traffic streets of Venice to Rome would drive us nuts. Not to mention having to adjust very quickly to moving around and through traffic. Best, Jeff