Ciao Bambino’s roots are in family-focused trip planning to Italy and it is still our most requested destination by a long shot. Incredible food, a rich culture that loves children, amazing sights—there’s a good reason why Italy is an all-time favorite destination for many travelers.
Ciao Bambino readers write us all the time asking for help constructing the best itinerary with kids in Italy. This post is long overdue!
Family Tours of Italy
Travel Days
Given the time and culture change, families need a minimum of 10 days on the ground to travel successfully to Italy, particularly when coming from the United States. To be honest, we break this rule every year given our schedule constraints; it’s not impossible to travel in less time, it simply makes the trip much tougher on everyone.
Trip Structure
Variety is important to maximize interest and engagement—I like to mix up city time with countryside and/or seaside time. The main Italian tourist cities can be brutally hot and crowded over the summer months when most families are vacationing. That said, cities are an essential part of experiencing Italian culture; rather then skipping them all together, my recommendation is to experience them in small doses.
A week-long stay in the countryside is absolutely ideal with kids. Tuscany is the first rural region I recommend to families (Umbria is the second). Yes Tuscany is touristy, but it is touristy for a reason—there is a long list of incredible things to see and do. The consequence of Tuscany’s popularity is that there is a wide array accommodation options and services. This infrastructure is what makes travel with kids here work so well.
14-Day Itinerary Italy with Kids Travel Tips
Italy is a big place—make sure you look at a map and understand where you will start and finish the trip. When possible, I encourage people to go in one direction and structure flights accordingly, i.e. start in Rome and end in Venice, flying in and out of each city, respectively.
The most popular 14-day itinerary for Ciao Bambino clients is:
4 nights Rome
7 nights Countryside (Tuscany or Umbria)
3 nights Venice
Rome with Kids
The rumors are true, Rome is big, crowded, and hectic. There are also an insane number of awe-inspiring, historic sights to visit. Despite all the times I’ve been to Rome, I still haven’t seen many of the tourist attractions. Parents continually give me feedback that they are surprised at how much they enjoy Rome with their kids. See our guest post on How to Visit Rome with Kids on Italylogue.com.
The bottom line is that is that Rome is a fantastic place to start an Italy adventure. Inbound flights are plentiful and it’s relatively easy to enjoy the city without an intense schedule—part of the fun is simply walking around and exploring the neighborhoods. Meals and services are easy to find and you don’t need to worry about driving. Note that 4 nights is just enough time to recover from jet lag and see the main sights, nothing more.
Countryside
Most of the truly family-friendly accommodation options—those with a kitchen and private living space—have week-long minimum stay requirements from Saturday-to-Saturday in peak travel periods. It is best to book this part of your trip first and then work around it.
The set up of many of theses properties in the countryside (see our article Family Travel in Tuscany – Agriturismo Living) make it easy to settle in and live like a local (they are under the ‘resorts’ category on Ciao Bambino). Ideal options have open spaces for kids to run around and a swimming pool. This means you can easily pair sightseeing with time hanging out and relaxing.
What to see is the subject of another blog post, but suffice to say that there are an endless number of interesting options for kids of all ages.
Burano by Eustaquio Santimano on Flickr
Venice with Kids
People have a love/hate relationship with Venice. Either they come back raving or they are miserable every minute they are there. In my book, it is a must-see city, particularly with school age kids and older (it is a bit of a challenge with babies and toddlers given all the steps and open water, but not impossible). If you have young children and want to opt out of Venice, there are many other options for an additional few days on the ground—Cinque Terre, Lucca, and Florence, to name a few.
In a 10-day itinerary, visit a city for 2-3 days and spend the bulk of the time in the countryside per my outline above. The only exception is winter months when rural activities are more limited—in those cases (skiing is the exception), the itinerary can be reversed with more city time.
Yes, I know I’m not addressing the Lakes, Dolomites, Italian Riviera, and Amalfi Coast. If this is Italy Travel 101, that is Italy Travel 102. Stay tuned!
Relevant Links:
Ciao Bambino recommended Florence family hotels
Ciao Bambino recommended Rome family hotels
Ciao Bambino recommended Venice family hotels
Ciao Bambino recommended Italy family hotels, resorts, and villas
Florence with children, things to do
Rome travel tips and guides
Top things to do Rome
Unique Rome sights with kids
Rome iPhone Apps
Family-friendly dining in Rome
Introduction to Rome with kids (book by the Tourist Office)
Tips for visiting Rome sights with kids
Customizable favorite kid-friendly activities in Rome (written for NileGuide)
Our guide to kid-friendly walking tours of Rome
Veneto with children, family-friendly activities
Lucca attractions
Amalfi Coast sightseeing
Italy Art Camp
Google+
Topics: Europe, Florence, Italy, Rome, Tips, Trip Planning, Tuscany, Venice