Trying to pick the right trip for our family....

[ToyStory3]

Hi - we are considering booking our first ABD. We've been toying with the idea for a few years but the sticker shock has kept us away. Now we are getting a little more serious about it and trying to decide which is right for us. Our kids are 10 and 14 now and it will probably be summer of 2020 when we go. We know that we absolutely want to do Europe. I believe we've narrowed it down to Italy, Ireland, and France/England. My kids are dying for Italy and it definitely appeals to us, too.

We are more interested in a trip that isn't a lot of museums, churches, etc. We enjoy some of that but we are looking for beautiful, picturesque, old-country, cobblestone streets, cafes or pubs, etc. As much as the Italy (Rome, Tuscany and Venice) looks wonderful....I'm wondering if the Amalfi Coast Italy would give us more of what we are looking for?

I still think that England/France and Ireland would be wonderful itineraries. But, since we all 4 want to go to Italy we are probably leaning toward it. Thanks for any input you can give!

 

[mapsd]

We did ABD Italy as our first Euro trip with our kids (they were 14 & 11). We all loved it.

We actually visited Amalfi/Pompeii on our own & did a layover in London before returning home and it worked great!
At the time, just signing up for a British Airways VISA earned a bonus of enough miles to cover 4 Venice-London tickets
(flying home from London was cheaper than from Venice anyway, so the savings covered our hotel in London for 4 nights).

 

[ToyStory3]

We did ABD Italy as our first Euro trip with our kids (they were 14 & 11). We all loved it.

We actually visited Amalfi/Pompeii on our own & did a layover in London before returning home and it worked great!
At the time, just signing up for a British Airways VISA earned a bonus of enough miles to cover 4 Venice-London tickets
(flying home from London was cheaper than from Venice anyway, so the savings covered our hotel in London for 4 nights).

Hi - is the Italy (Rome, Venice, Florence) as museum-heavy as it seems? None of us are really museum lovers. I know these would be spectacular...but we just prefer seeing the towns, villages, etc. to that type of "touring". I would love to see Venice but Rome really isn't one that I'm dying to see. Everything I've read and heard is that it's a huge, crowded, bustling city. But, of course I haven't been there. Lucca is a place that's on my bucket list and I believe you get to see it on the Amalfi Coast trip.

 

[OKW Lover]

I'd suggest the Northern Italy/Switzerland trip. Not heavy on museums and very picturesque.

 

[Eastridge]

Hi - is the Italy (Rome, Venice, Florence) as museum-heavy as it seems? None of us are really museum lovers. I know these would be spectacular...but we just prefer seeing the towns, villages, etc. to that type of "touring". I would love to see Venice but Rome really isn't one that I'm dying to see. Everything I've read and heard is that it's a huge, crowded, bustling city. But, of course I haven't been there. Lucca is a place that's on my bucket list and I believe you get to see it on the Amalfi Coast trip.

We went on the Italy Rome/Florence/Venice trip in 2016. Yes, there are quite a few museums, churches and monuments. Our trip included the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Pantheon, Trevi fountain, Roman Forum, St. Peter's, Accademia Gallery (statue of David), Palazzo Vecchio, Doge's Palace, St. Mark's square, and St. Mark's Basilica.

There was a stop in Orvieto and a small family farm, and activities such as pasta making, mask painting and a private dinner in a castle. But if you are more interested in the small towns and villages, this trip might not be the best fit. Rome, Florence and Venice all had large crowds and were very busy.

 

[mapsd]

The Vatican day is about the only time I'd call museum-heavy.
Most of the other days focus on seeing the "big ticket item" ie seeing David in Florence.

My family isn't big into museums either, but even my youngest was glad we saw the Sistine Chapel and David.
They still love talking about being in the Coloseum every time Gladiator comes on TV!
We used our pre- and post-days, along with the free time to escape crowds/the group. Getting lost in Venice is highly recommended!

You can't pick a bad trip, but Viva Italia is an icon for a reason.
ABD knows the attention span of it's junior travelers and finds ways to make it interesting for kids (having 2 guides helps a lot!)

 

[2-pointdoe]

We did the rome/florence/venice in June of 2018, with a day trip to Pompeii. I was torn between this and the northern italy/switzerland one.

Here is how we decided. If, for some reason, this is the only time we ever go to Italy, what are the important things to have seen? For us it was the biggies - the coliseum, the Vatican, the doges palace, the pantheon, david, pompeii. The iconic places. Throw in the mask making and dinner on a pirate ship and this trip was magical.

It is a fully packed trip and the cities are busy and crowded. The side trip to Orvieto was very cool and you do get to see the countryside while on the bus. Venice was my favorite city of all (but least favorite hotel) and I wish we had booked an extra couple of days there. I am so happy that we chose this trip.

 

[laceltris3]

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[Eastridge]

You can't pick a bad trip, but Viva Italia is an icon for a reason.
ABD knows the attention span of it's junior travelers and finds ways to make it interesting for kids (having 2 guides helps a lot!)

Yes, the kids get to do a scavenger hunt at the Doge's Palace and in the Palazzo Vecchio there are secret passageways and a room where they can try on costumes.

But I interpreted the original poster as stating their entire family didn't like museums and big cities, and would rather go to small Italian towns instead.

Maybe someone who has been on the Amalfi Coast trip (Bella Italia?) can comment? That seems to have many more small towns, although it does include Florence and the Uffizi museum

 

[Donalyn]

We are booked on the Rome/Florence/Venice trip this summer. My DH picked the trip for his 50th birthday, but I too worry about it being museum and church heavy. To counter that, for our on-our-own time, I'm trying to pick things that are not museum and churches. (Or, if they are museums, they are not renaissance art or even art museums.) Here is what I'm planning:

Rome - pre-day - a food tour for teenagers. Morning before the ABD starts - a tour out to Ostia Antica (to get a little out of the city and be active). Alternate activity is a bike tour.

Florence - visit the home store of a designer that I like who does trunk shows in my city (with my DDs). The Museo Galileo is also an option (non-art).

Venice - a picture taking expedition. Both DDs love to take pictures, so I thought it would be fun to wander around and take pictures of everyday things.

I also agree with 2-pointdoe. I couldn't imagine going to Italy and not seeing Rome (at least for my first trip).

 

[OKW Lover]

Rome - pre-day - a food tour for teenagers.

This sounds interesting. We did a twilight progressive food tour in the Trastevere region of Rome a few years ago and really loved it.

 

[OKW Lover]

Venice - a picture taking expedition. Both DDs love to take pictures,

Venice is a wonderful place to "get lost" wandering the little streets photographing sites big and small. Easy to find your way back as almost every street corner has a sign indicating the way to St. Marks or Rialto.

 

[nemofans]

We are looking at Italy as well. My kids are a little younger than yours and are also not looking for museums right now. I think we are honing in on the Tauck Bridges Rome and Sorrento trip. We had the guide this summer who had developed this itinerary for TB and it looks like much more of what we are looking for than Florence and Venice right now. It's also a day shorter, so we will just stay an extra day at the end at the hotel with a view of Mt. Vesuvius.

We are booked for that tour with TB this summer. It is our 2nd tour with TB. Did you book for this summer?

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

We are booked for that tour with TB this summer. It is our 2nd tour with TB. Did you book for this summer?

I hope you'll come back and report on this trip. It's one I thought about taking in 2020, but it's been put off for at least another year. Definitely seems like the best fit for an Italy trip for our family, so I'd love to hear your thoughts. Safe travels!

 

[TXTransplant]

I did Italy/Amalfi Coast with my son in 2016 (he was 11). Based on our experience, I think it would be a wonderful trip for your family. We did a few pre-days in Rome on our own (I had been to Rome before and felt totally comfortable). If you search for my trip report, it will give you all the details.

We also did Germany in 2015, but that itinerary has changed significantly since we traveled.

 

[laceltris3]

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[ToyStory3]

I did Italy/Amalfi Coast with my son in 2016 (he was 11). Based on our experience, I think it would be a wonderful trip for your family. We did a few pre-days in Rome on own own (I had been to Rome before and felt totally comfortable). If you search for my trip report, it will give you all the details.

We also did Germany in 2015, but that itinerary has changed significantly since we traveled.

Thanks! I'll look up your trip report.

 

[TXTransplant]

Thanks! I'll look up your trip report.

Here is the link, if you have any trouble finding it...

https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...une-15-22-2016-with-pre-days-in-rome.3517940/

 

[DD's Prince]

Like TXTransplant we also did the Amalfi Coast ABD in 2016. My kids were 13 and 15 at the time. I also did a trip report. I think it is a great introduction to Italy and is not terribly museum heavy. More active with visits to small towns. That is why we chose it over the Rome/Florence/Venice tour. This is the link to the trip report. https://disboards.com/threads/bella...st-–-completed-8-29-16.3536704/#post-56303467