Family Vacation Ideas in Italy
Family Vacation Ideas - Travel Italy
Italy offers great family vacation ideas and is one of the most sensual places on earth.
It is rich with treasures of art, fresh produce, sumptuous food, traditional cooking and fantastic Italian restaurants, stunning countryside, lush vineyards, flamboyant fashion, exciting beaches, ancient cities, towns, villas and historical roman architecture.
From the famous canals of Venice to the dramatic ruins of Pompeii, the romantic Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Positano and Ravello, Italy has evolved into a land of diverse economic opportunities and popular travel destination.
Venice recently opened a new modern bridge over the Grand Canal and a spectacular contemporary art space at the Punta della Dogana.
The Italian countryside of Italy offers fascinating family vacation ideas where you can explore the Italian Alps with beautiful mountains such as Mount Blanc (Mont Bianco) and Mount Rosa.
My Current Picks of Top Vacation Spots in Italy
- Honeymoon vacation ideas in Venice
- Fun vacation ideas on the Italian Riviera and Cinque Terre
- Great vacation ideas in Tuscany - castles, quaint villages & scenic vineyards
- Leaning Tower of Pisa
- Italy vacations in Siena - a famous medieval town
- Florence Italy vacation - Ufizi Museum and stunning bridge Ponte Vecchio
- Italian vacation in Southern Tuscany - romantic and beautiful wine country
- Romantic vacation ideas on Lake Como
- Como - visit the village of Brunate above the city of Como on Lake Como
- Romantic vacations in Bellagio Italy - called the "pearl" of Lake Como
- Rome vacations in the Historical Center - the ancient ruins and Colisseum
- Rome Italy travel to Vatican City - Castel Sant’ Angelo in the Prati District
- Rome Travel Treasures - Famous Squares, Parks & Palaces of Rome
- Travel to Italy - unique Sites, ancient Catacombs & Day Trips from Rome
- Amalfi Coast including Sorrento and Positano
- Ravello above the Amalfi Coast
- The island of Capri off the Amalfi Coast
- Sicily
- Sardinia
- Italian Alps
You can ski in at first-class ski resorts like Cortina d'Ampezzo, hike in the Dolomites, visit the vineyards, or go diving off Sardinia’s golden coast, visit Sicily’s volcanoes, or simply pass the time at a street side cafe with a cup of coffee, or a glass of Italian wine and do some people-watching or stare at the sea.
The Italian Riviera includes seaside resorts such as Portofino and for exciting family vacation ideas, visit the stunning cliff-hanger villages of Cinque Terre.
Milan, the business capital, and the important port of Genoa share the region's visitors with beautiful landscapes like the romantic Lake Como area.
Rome, a famous destination for family vacation ideas, boasts the remaining wonders of the Roman Empire and some of the world's best known landmarks such as the Colosseum.
Step back in time while in Rome as there are so many wonderful historical sites to see.
Rome offers fantastic piazzas with stunning fountains, charming ristorantes, glamorous boutiques as well as shopping and great restaurants for your family vacation ideas.
Siena is a magnificent medieval gothic town in the heart of Tuscany and contains great examples of Italian Romanesque architecture.
The old walled town of Siena is charming and romantic with winding alleyways and many great Italian restaurants and boutique shops to explore.
One of Italy’s most beautiful squares, the Piazza del Campo, is worth including in your family vacation ideas.
Florence, the center of the Renaissance, home to Michelangelo's famous statue of David, and many other well-known museums of art is Tuscany's top attraction, with nearby cities like Siena, Pisa and Lucca which have much to offer for those looking for the country's rich history and cultural heritage.
Pisa is home to the unmistakable image of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Umbria has many important cities such as Perugia and Assisi with historical culture to explore.
Naples (Napoli) is one of the oldest cities of the western world, with a historic city centre that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is near the famous volcano Vesuvius and the ruins of the ancient Roman town of Pompeii.
Capri and Ischia - these famed islands are jewels in the Bay of Naples and retreats for the rich and famous but are worth including in your family vacation ideas.
Matera is a magical town and a province in the region of Basilicata, in southern Italy. The area has been settled since the Palaeolithic (which means the Stone Age).
This is where much of Mel Gibson’s movie “Passion of Christ” was filmed.
Calabria and its pearl Praja a Mare are an Italian best kept secret, with the stunning Dino Island, the Blu Grotto, and the Arcomagno bays.
Unique Family Vacation Ideas
Visit Unesco World Heritage Sites
Italy is home to the largest number of Unesco World Heritage sites than any other country on earth. These are the most important permanent collections:
- Uffizi Museum in Florence - one of the greatest museums in the world, advance ticket reservation is recommended to avoid hour-long queues.
- Egyptian Museum in Turin, the second-largest Egyptian collection in the world.
- The Aquarium in Genoa, one of the largest and most beautiful in the world.
- Science and Technology Museum in Milan, one of the largest in Europe, holds collections about boats, airplanes, trains, cars, motorcycles, radio and energy. Recently has also acquired the Toti submarine, which is open to visitors.
- Roman Civilization Museum in Rome, the world's largest collection of ancient Rome including a reproduction of the district of Rome in the age of Constantine the Great.
- The Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, with rooms painted by Raphael.
- The Etruscan Museum at Villa Giulia, Rome.
Nestled by the Mediterranean Sea, Italy borders with France in the north-west, Switzerland and Austria in the north and Slovenia in the north-east.
The boot shaped country is surrounded by the Ligurian Sea, the Sardinian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west, the Sicilian Sea and the Ionian Sea in the south and the Adriatic Sea in the east.
The landscape in Italy is quite varied, with green hilly rolling landscape, great massifs and two mountain chains, the Alps, the Apennines and the unique mountain range of the Dolomites.
Italy features mountain peaks rising to over 14,000 feet, including Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc), Monte Rosa and Cervino (the Matterhorn).
At the foot of the Italian Alpine is the Po Valley and the River Po, the longest in Italy, which flows into the Adriatic Sea.
The Alpine foothills contain the lovely lakes, Lake Maggiore, Lake Como, Lake Garda. and Lake Iseo.
Family Vacation Ideas - Plan for Variable Weather
When planning your Italy vacations, be aware that Italy has very hot, dry summers with July being the hottest month of the year.
In the north, the winters are cold, often with snow, while the south has milder winters.
Some regions in the south of Italy can experience no rainfall for the whole summer season.
The mountain ranges can also impact the weather significantly and you may experience different weather going from town to town.
During the fall and winter, you can expect to experience flooding in Venice so bring your tall rain boots.
and Rose Coloured Glass Lanterns in Venice Italy
Here is a more extensive listing of Unesco World Heritage sites to check out for more family vacation ideas:
- Piazza del Duomo, Italy
- Trulli of Alberobello, Italy18th-Century Royal Palace at Caserta with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli and the San Leucio Complex
- Amalfi Coast
- Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia
- Archaeological Area of Agrigento
- Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata
- Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites
- Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico), Padova
- Castel del Monte, Andria (Bari)
- Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande, Modena
- Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with "The Last Supper" by "Leonardo da Vinci" in Milan
- Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archeological sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula
- City of Verona
- City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto
- Crespi d'Adda
- The Dolomites
- Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna
- Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia
- Ferrara, City of the Renaissance and its Po Delta
- Historic Centre of Florence
- Historic Centre of Naples
- Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City enjoying Extraterritorial Rights, and San Paolo Fuori le Mura
- Historic Centre of San Gimignano
- Historic Centre of Siena
- Historic Centre of Urbino
- Historic Centre of the City of Pienza
- I Sassi di Matera
- Isole Eolie (Aeolian Islands)
- The Landscape of Val d'Orcia
- Late Baroque Towns of the Noto Valley: Noto, Caltagirone, Militello Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Palazzolo, Ragusa and Scicli (South-eastern Sicily)
- Piazza del Duomo, Pisa
- Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto)
- Residences of the Royal House of Savoy in and around Turin
- Rock Drawings in Valcamonica
- Su Nuraxi di Barumini
- Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica
- The trulli of Alberobello, (Bari)
- Venice and its Lagoon
- Villa Adriana, Tivoli
- Villa Romana del Casale, Piazza Armerina
- Villa d'Este, Tivoli
- Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy
- The Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli, in the historic centre of Genoa
Family Vacation Ideas - Travel Italy by Train
There is a large variety of trains in Italy.
If you need to catch a flight or a transfer train, you would be better off to pay extra for the Eurostar Italia, as the Interregionale and Regionale trains stop at many more stations along the way.
Be advised that on the TBIZ, Eurostar Italia, Intercity Plus and Intercity services, to have the best seating, reservation is compulsory, where every passenger has a seat reserved in advance.
This means that the train will usually not be overbooked and you will need to purchase tickets in advance.
Keep in mind for your family vacation ideas that the cheaper train types can become extremely full, to the point where it gets very uncomfortable and you could find yourself sitting on a tiny fold out flap in the hallway, where you'll have to move for everyone passing by.
The main difference between the high speed trains is the number of stops made along the same routes. On some routes, the Eurostar will cut the travel time in half, but if your train is making a lot of stops, taking the Eurostar Italia could be a waste of money.
Check the Trenitalia website or the printed schedule, usually located near the entrance to each platform (or midway on the platform), to see how long the trip will take.
On long distance travel, seats are cheapest, and even sleeper cabins are not too expensive and are a very relaxing way to travel.
Keep in mind that some lower class trains do not provide air conditioning so bring your own portable mini fan and bottle of water during the hot summer months.
On the train schedules displayed at each station, every train is listed in different colours (i.e. blue, red, green). Note, some trains only operate seasonally, or for certain times such as holidays.
Here is a basic list in order of class to value trains with the TBiz and Eurostar trains being the classiest:
- TBiz
- EurostarItalia
- Eurostar Italia AV (Alta velocita means high speed and the trains have the ESAV logo)
- Eurostar City Italia
- IntercityPlus
- Intercity Espresso
- Interregionale Regionale
If you have not purchased a EuroRail Pass for your Italy vacations and need to buy tickets at a rail station, the lines to buy tickets can be very long, and slow, so get to the station early.
You can also buy tickets online on the Trenitalia website and you will either receive a printable ticket and confirmation, or a code that is used to pick up the ticket from a ("Self Service") ticket machine in the station.
The two main benefits of buying online is that you get on the train you want at the time you want to travel without having to stand in the extremely long line-ups to get your tickets.
Also, Trenitalia offers a straight forward discount scheme for advance purchases.
Eurostar trains can fill up quickly, so if you're on a tight schedule, you should buy those tickets in advance. I recommend that you to buy the tickets far in advance before boarding the train.
Remember that if you have purchased regular tickets from the ticket agent in the train station, you must validate the ticket before boarding by stamping it in one of the yellow boxes on the platform.
If you forget to stamp your ticket, your ticket becomes invalid. Do not to forget to validate your ticket as the conductors are generally not tolerant in this particular matter.
Useful Family Vacation Ideas if You are Travelling a Lot:
Either get a EuroRail Pass or a TRENITALIA Pass.
- The benefit of a EuroRail Pass is that you do not need to validate your pass in the yellow box.
- You can get on and off the trains as many times as you please in each 24 hour period.
- The EuroRail Pass provides you with a number of days of travel to be used within 2 months or more, but you still have to pay a supplement on the compulsory reservation seating, such as TBIZ, Eurostar Italia, Intercity Plus and Intercity.
- Always arrive at the train station early as sometimes the machines are out of order and the queue at the counter is very long and slow moving.
Family Vacation Ideas - Travel Italy by Car
Italy has a great system of highways, especially in the northern part of the country. The highways are fantastic with plenty of wonderful restaurant and refuelling stops.
In the southern part of Italy, the quality and extent of highways is a bit less developed.
Most of the highways (autostrade) are toll roads.
Do not lose your entrance ticket, as you will be charged for the longest part of your journey.
Another word of advice; when entering with a car into a city, avoid restricted areas or you could be fined about €100. There are certain parts of Italian cities that are inaccessible by car for tourists. The reason is simply because of too much traffic.
Do your homework in advance to see if you can drive to your hotel, apartment, B&B, or villa.
Family Vacation Ideas - Travel by Boat
In Italy, all coastal, seaside or lakeside towns, villages and cities have superb water transportation services.
You will usually have the option of taking slower moving ferries, some which provide transportation for your rental vehicles, or the high speed hydrofoils which are more costly, but more efficient if you have limited time on your vacation.
There are also boat tours for your favourite family vacation ideas.
You can find a list of schedules and prices at the ticket offices located in the harbours, or from your hotel.
Be aware that the ferries or hydrofoils may not be running during stormy weather. Also, try not to take the last boat in the evening as they sometimes get cancelled.
Family Vacation Ideas - Travel Italy by Bus
Italy has a comprehensive public bus system and bus tickets can be purchased from corner stores and other shops before boarding.
The payment system for most mass transit in Italy (trains, city buses, subway) is based on voluntary payment combined with random enforcement.
Depending on the varying frequency and the mode of transportation, occasionally a transit official will ask you for your ticket and if you don't have one, you get a fine. You may find the ticket inspectors to be very unsympathetic.
If you are using public transportation several times a day, it may be more convenient to buy a daily pass or multi-day tickets that allow you to travel as much as you want in a single or more days.
City Cards, fixed-fee cards allow you to travel on local public transportation, visit a number of museums and give you discounts in shops, hotels and restaurants.
Family Vacation Ideas - Travel Italy by International Flights
Arrive to the Following Cities:
- Milan - has several airports. The main airports are Malpensa (MXP) and Linate (LIN). In addition, Bergamo (BGY - Orio al Serio) is sometimes referred to as "Milan Bergamo"
- Rome has two major airports: Fiumicino (FCO - Leonardo Da Vinci) and Ciampino (CIA) which accommodates budget airlines.
- Bologna (BLQ – Guglielmo Marconi)
- Naples (NAP - Capodichino)
- Pisa (PSA - Galileo Galilei)
- Venice (VCE – Marco Polo)
- Turin (TRN – Sandro Pertini)
- Catania (CTA - Vincenzo Bellini)
- Bari (BRI - Karol Wojtyla or Palese)
- Genoa (GOA - Cristoforo Colombo)
Family Vacation Ideas - Internet Access
If you are an internet geek, be advised that the Italian government has recently passed a law requiring all public-access internet points to keep records of web sites viewed by customers, and even the customer's ID.
Hotels providing Internet access are not required to record IDs if the connection is provided in the guest's room, although if the connection is offered in the main public hall then IDs are required.
Dress Code for Sacred and Holy Places
If you plan to visit a church or religious site, you will need to cover yourself up; no bare backs, chests, shoulders and sometimes no knees.
Some museums may also enforce a modest dress code. If you’re a woman, it's a good idea to bring a shawl or two to cover yourself before entering a Duomo in any Italian town or city as well as your visit to Saint Peters Basilica and the Vatican in Rome.
Some churches supply cover-ups, e.g. sarongs are loaned to men with shorts so that they can modestly conceal their legs.
Even where there are no written rules, it's worth noting that bare chests and large expanses of sunburnt skin aren't acceptable except at beaches or sunbathing areas, regardless of the temperature.
I hope all these tips will be useful for your family vacation ideas.
Family Vacation Ideas - Return to Great Vacation Ideas Travel Guide
