Planning a family trip to Italy with teenagers? Italy is a dream destination for many people, but even when traveling to one of the most beautiful countries in the world, coming up with an itinerary every member of the family will enjoy can seem daunting – especially when you throw teens into the mix.
Investing in a family trip to Italy is a big deal. Maybe once in a lifetime. Needless to say, you want everything to go well.
My husband, Ryan, and I recently ventured to Italy with our three teenagers ages 18, 16, and 13. We had been to Italy before, but not with kids. For this trip, we knew we had to do some things differently. Our kids had never been out of the country, and we wanted to make sure their first time abroad was a success. Plus, Ryan and I absolutely love Italy and really wanted our kids to experience the same kind of magic we feel each time we visit.
We compiled a list of our top 10 tips for planning a family trip to Italy with teenagers. We hope these suggestions help you minimize obstacles and maximize fun family memories. Feel free to comment at the end of the article with any tips, questions, or suggestions you have as well. And if you’re heading to Italy in the summer and wondering what to pack, you’ll want to read this: What to Pack for an Italy Family Vacation: A Summer Clothing Guide.
Here are our top 10 tips:
1. Carefully choose the best places to visit in Italy with your teenager.
With so many exciting, beautiful, and historic destinations in Italy, how do you choose which cities or regions to visit? Your specific Italy itinerary will depend on your family’s interests and the length of your trip, but here’s what we considered while planning our trip.
We had 6 days to spend in Italy. Our family is not especially interested in art and museums, although we will make time to see certain famous, iconic masterpieces (and Italy has a LOT of them). Knowing we would have a fast-paced itinerary in cities that are busy and bustling, we also wanted to balance our time by exploring regions that are more relaxing. Mixing in a little downtime to a packed itinerary is especially important when traveling with teens!
After careful research, these are the destinations we chose for our family trip to Italy.
Our first stop? Rome.
*Rome with teenagers
You can’t take a family trip to Italy and not see Rome with your teenager. Steeped in history and full of famous landmarks, monuments, churches, and attractions, Rome is unbelievably fascinating. It will no doubt leave a lasting impression on your teen as you visit the Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Roman Forum. Venture into Vatican City to see St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Ruins intermingled with modern, Rome is the perfect first stop on your family trip to Italy. Check out our 2-day Rome itinerary to see how we recommend spending your time in the Eternal City.
*Quick stop in Pisa
We were only in Pisa for two and a half hours, but that’s all we really needed. While you can spend more time there, we were just passing through and wanted to see the Leaning Tower. We had fun getting silly pictures before walking back to the train station. It’s not necessary to fit Pisa into your Italy itinerary, but it’s an easy and fun add-on if you’re heading north from Rome to, say, the Cinque Terre—another can’t-miss destination in our opinion.
*Cinque Terre charm
After an exciting and fast-paced start to our family trip, our teenagers were ready to slow things down when we arrived in the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre is a string of five charming seaside towns along the Italian Riviera coast. A wide sandy beach, panoramic Mediterranean views, and quaint cafes lining narrow cobblestone streets welcomed us as we enjoyed two and a half days in this stunning location.
(Visiting the Cinque Terre in summer? Click the link for tips to survive the heat and crowds.)
*Visiting Venice
Venice wasn’t high on Ryan and my list of Italian destinations to visit this time (read this article to find out why: Is Venice Worth Visiting), but we knew our kids would be interested in seeing this famous floating city. Gondolas, canals, Rialto Bridge, St. Mark’s Square… Venice’s rich history and distinctive setting make it a popular choice for families with teenagers.
We were happy with our Italian itinerary exploring Rome, Pisa, Cinque Terre, and Venice. After deciding which destinations you want to visit, you’ll need to think about what accommodations would suit your family best… which brings us to #2…
2. Look for spacious Italy accommodations.
With the wide availability of vacation rentals in Italy through Airbnb, renting an apartment, condo, or house can make traveling with teenagers more enjoyable. We specifically chose our Italy accommodations based on if our kids could each have their own bed. Having enough room so our family can spread out makes a big difference in everyone getting along for the duration of the trip. Plus, a place with a kitchen means you can buy groceries for breakfast and not have to eat out as often. Bonus if your Italy accommodations come with air conditioning and laundry facilities, too!
3. Prepare ahead so your teen can use a cell phone in Italy.
I’m guessing you don’t want your teen on his or her cell phone the whole time you’re traveling in Italy, but that doesn’t mean they should leave their phone at home. If you get separated, you’ll want to be able to reach them. Plus, they may want to take pictures along the way and share them with their friends. Plan ahead by contacting your cell phone carrier and adding any additional coverage that’s needed so your teen can use a cell phone in Italy without accruing hefty fees. In the end, a little scrolling during a train ride or during downtime isn’t the worst thing either.
4. Learn a few basic Italian phrases along with your teen.
Even though English is widely spoken in the larger Italian cities, we found people to be friendlier and genuinely happy when we used a few basic Italian phrases we had learned before our trip. This can be a good learning experience for your teen and a way to show respect to the local people.
5. Seek out adventures in Italy.
Make unforgettable memories by seeking out fun adventures beyond the traditional in Italy. Research ahead of time to find cool and unusual activities in the Italian destinations you’ll be visiting. We knew our teenagers would be thrilled rock jumping into the Mediterranean in the small Cinque Terre village of Manarola. Another swimming adventure—this time late at night off the sandy beach in Cinque Terre’s Monterrosso—was another highlight of our trip.
6. Let them indulge in authentic Italian pizza and pasta, cannoli and gelato.
Eating authentic Italian cuisine was one of the things my family was really looking forward to on our trip to Italy. While Ryan and I were a bit more adventurous while dining out, our teens often opted for the same Italian pizza or pasta dish almost every night for dinner. While I can be a stickler about my kids eating nutritiously at home, I am more lax on vacation. Pizza for dinner again? Why not. Gelato as a daily treat? Um, yes please! (I was all in on that one!)
7. Balance active early mornings with sleep-in days.
Often it makes sense to wake early and get going before places get crowded. We definitely had a couple of those days on our trip. If it were up to Ryan and me, we’d be going by 7 a.m. every morning. Our teens like to sleep in, however. To balance things out, we let our kids sleep in a few mornings. The good news is while we let our teenagers sleep in, Ryan and I knocked out some attractions and activities that the kids weren’t all that interested in.
For example, we were in Italy during the end of July when it was insanely hot. Our kids decided it was too hot to climb the 551 steps (or 320 after the elevator takes you part way) up St. Peter’s Dome, but Ryan and I wanted to see the views from the top. So, we ventured up the dome one morning while our kids slept in.
We also did an additional couple hikes in the Cinque Terre before our teenagers (and most locals for that matter) were even awake. Our quiet morning adventures alone end up being special memories for Ryan and me. It’s a win-win for our whole family.
8. Engage in their interests.
We purposely planned our itinerary keeping our kids’ interests in mind. My son is intrigued by trains, so we planned a leg of our journey to be on an overnight train (complete with beds and a sink in our own private room). The whole family enjoyed that adventure.
We also knew that our teenagers love swimming, so we left a lot of time in our itinerary for that. In fact, we booked our Cinque Terre accommodations overlooking the swimming area in the village with the largest sandy beach.
We have fun memories of our short time seeing the Leaning Tower in Pisa because we fully engaged in our kids requests for silly photos. It took some time to perfect the shots, but it was fun indulging in their antics. Hand placements had to be just right as they pretended to hold up or push over the tower, and my son needed multiple pictures taken of him so he could edit together this funny photo:
We had another enjoyable photo shoot in the Cinque Terre as our teens wanted pictures taken of them beside the Mediterranean reflecting the setting sun to post to social media. Engaging in their interests helped create unforgettable special moments.
9. Plan your visit to Italy’s basilicas/religious sites in one or two days.
There are strict dress codes in religious buildings in Italy. Knees and shoulders must be covered, which can pose a problem if your family trip to Italy is during the peak summer heat when teens want to be wearing shorts. Be strategic with your itinerary and try to lump all the religious site visits together in one or two days so they (and you) don’t have to be covered every day in the hot sun.
10. Empower your teen on your family trip to Italy.
Your teenager may appreciate being given a voice in the planning of your vacation and some decision-making during your travels. Let them make choices about fun things to do, places to stay or eat. Give them the job of navigating around town as you stroll to see the sights.
Depending how old and mature your teenager is, you can give them even more independence. On one of the mornings that our kids slept in while staying in the Cinque Terre, Ryan and I hiked to the next town over. Knowing it was just a short train ride away, we let them board the train by themselves and take the 5-minute ride to meet us for lunch. They had fun figuring out on their own what platform to wait at, what train number to board, and at which stop to exit.
All in all, our family trip to Italy with our teenagers exceeded all our expectations. Ryan and I had been to each of these Italian destinations previously, but nothing compares to experiencing the beauty and excitement of Italy with our teens. It was truly a trip of a lifetime!
This post was exactly what I needed…. planning a short-ish trip to Italy this summer with our tween and teen, and wasn’t sure which of the fabulous places we should visit. This was very helpful. Thanks so much.
Hi Liz,
I’m glad you found this info helpful! Thanks so much for the comment. I hope you have a great trip!
Can you please tell me if you booked any tours while you were there and through which touring company? Thank you for the great information!
Hi Renee, Yes! We booked two tours while in Italy – both in Rome. One for a guided tour through the Colosseum and one for the Vatican. They were both through Europe Odyssey Tours Italy. We were happy with the tours, especially for the Vatican. There is so much history behind the art and sculptures in the Vatican. We would have been completely overwhelmed viewing it on our own and would have missed some key interesting facts had we not booked the guided tour. The Colosseum tour was fine, but that was the day we arrived and we were all so jet lagged, so the tour got to be a little long for us.
Thank you for this helpful post! Trying to plan a trip for our family of 6 this summer to Italy. We have 2 girls ages 17 and 7 and 2 boys ages 13 and 15. I’m more concerned about keeping the boys (primarily into sports and eating) entertained but the swimming sounds perfect. Thanks again!
The swimming was so much fun! We all enjoyed it. And jumping from the rocks in Manarola was a blast and a welcome relief from the heat. Hope you have a great trip!
What a great webpage – I want to take my two girls (12 and 15) to italy – they keep bugging us to take them! Thanks for the tips – just wandered if this broke the bank…….!
It’s not a cheap vacation, but there are ways to make it more reasonable… travel during off-peak times, plan ahead- there are affordable rates on Airbnb’s throughout Italy if you start looking early before places book up, watch for deals on flights, etc. But, yes, it’s not cheap. Hope you’re able to take the trip with your girls!
Great information! Did you do the overnight train between Cinque Terra & Venice? How did you book it?
We actually traveled to Salzburg, Austria after leaving Italy, so we rode the overnight train from Venice to Salzburg. This is the website for the train we used: http://www.nightjet.com. (We also called them with questions and they were very helpful as well.)
If you’re looking to book trains within Italy, check out https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html. Hope that helps, Maureen!
Thank you so much! We are planning a trip to Italy with my 16 and 18 year old in July. Did you take the train from Rome to La Spezia and then on to Cinque Terra and then La Spezia to Venice? Friends are telling me we have to go to Florence, but I think my family will enjoy Cinque Terra More:))
Hi Sara, We took the train from Rome to Pisa. Then after spending a few hours there, we took a train that went through La Spezia to the Cinque Terre. When leaving the Cinque Terre we did not go through La Spezia. We took a train north to Milan and then over to Venice. It didn’t save time, but it was fewer connections than going through La Spezia. I think your family will LOVE the Cinque Terre. Out of all the European destinations we visited on that trip (we went to Salzburg, Hallstatt, and Munich after Italy) my kids say the Cinque Terre is their favorite! Whatever you decide, I hope you have a wonderful time!
The Cinque Terre is the best for teens!!
Totally agree! 🙂
This is such great info! Planning a week-long trip with three teen boys this August. What area of Rome did you stay in? Venice? Did you use AirBnB in each city? Please email me details. Thanks!
Hi Allison, In Rome we stayed in the Ponte neighborhood. I highly recommend it! It’s close to the Pantheon, Campo de’ Fiori, and borders the Piazza Navona area. We rented an Airbnb there. In Venice, we actually didn’t stay overnight. We arrived by train in the early afternoon and then left that night around 10 p.m. on an overnight train to Salzburg. Seven or eight hours in Venice was all we really needed. We were able to visit Saint Mark’s Basilica and the bell tower, take a gondola ride, walk around town, see Rialto Bridge, and have dinner. Hope this helps! Have a great time!
Deanne, this has been one of the most helpful articles I’ve found about traveling to Italy with teens. My 3 are exactly the same ages as yours and also boy, boy, girl. We were thinking about going to Italy and Greece this summer, but after reading your article, we are thinking Italy may be plenty for 10 days. If you have taken them anywhere else you recommend, I’d love to hear from you! Thank you so much for posting your experiences and recommendations. (Alicia in Austin, TX)
Hi Alicia, Our teens LOVED Italy and there is definitely enough to fill 10 days. After Italy, we traveled to Salzburg and Hallstatt, Austria and a couple days in Germany (Berchtesgaden National Park and Munich) but Italy was their favorite. The only places we traveled with them in Italy were Rome, Pisa, Cinque Terre, and Venice, but if we had a little more time we would have stayed near the Dolomites. That is high on our bucket list and we’re already starting to plan another Italy vacation to hike there. The Dolomites are in northeast Italy, north of Venice, so if you’re visiting Venice it’s quite convenient. I hope you and your family have a great trip!!
HI Deanne
What a great website! We are going to italy in July 2024 with our 18 year old and 16 year old. Can’t wait! Can you please let me know the place you stayed in on the Cinque Terre? Thank you 🙂
Hi Jo, Here is a link to the AirBnB we stayed at in the Cinque Terre. We stayed in Monterosso and it was called “Bea’s Apartment – The Window To The Sea”. https://tinyurl.com/mryrp3mv
Thank you for sharing! I’m in a similar situation with my teens. I spent time in Italy many years ago and I’m excited to share with my teens but want to make sure they aren’t bored with too much adult type activities. I appreciate your suggestion for scheduling downtime and sleeping late a few days, that is so important to teens!
Can you share the place you stayed in Rome? And how noisy was it? I’m worried about the noise levels at night in the city.
Here is a link to the place we stayed in Rome. https://bit.ly/453Kk3J
No, it wasn’t noisy at all. This was a great place to stay. Plenty of room and super convenient to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. Great restaurants nearby, too!
Thank you for this information! Can you explain your travel logistics? You flew into Rome and then did you do trains to Pisa, Cinque Terre, then end in Venice? Trying to figure out best loop around cities in short amount of time! We are trying to make a stop in Milan too for a soccer match so not sure how to make it all work. Thanks for your help!
Hi Leah, We flew into Rome and spent a couple of days there. Then we took a train to Pisa, only spent a couple hours there and then continued on to Cinque Terre by train. After a couple days there we took the train to Venice by way of Milan, although we didn’t spend any time in Milan. After Venice we continued our trip into Austria and ended up in Germany and flew home from Munich – so we never looped back around to Rome. We often fly open-jaw (meaning we fly into one city and fly home from another) so that we don’t have to backtrack. It sometimes costs more but it’s way more convenient. Hope that helps!
We love Cinque Terre! You wrote a fantastic post full of amazing info and details
Thanks, Angel. I feel the Cinque Terre should be on everyone’s bucket list!
Your article is very helpful. I tried the link you posted for the Airbnb in Rome but it did not work. Could you provide again,
Thank you
Hi Grace, I’m not sure why the link didn’t work for you, but I emailed you with another link. That should work.
I recently found your blog and enjoy reading about your travels. I have two teens 13 and 15 and we are planning a trip to Italy in Jan 2025. Probably not the best month to visit but it suits our available time. Do you have any advice for Winter travel to Rome and Florence? Thanks
Hi Surita, We’ve never been to Italy in the winter, so I don’t have firsthand advice for you. But I do think January is a fine time to visit Rome and Florence since you’ll experience much fewer crowds and cheaper prices. You’ll also avoid the extreme heat of summer which is a good thing. January temperatures will range from around 39-53 degrees Fahrenheit. Definitely bring warm clothes that can layer, so you can put on and take off as needed. And don’t forget an umbrella (or buy one there) since you’ll likely see some rain during your visit. I hope you and your teens have a great time in Italy!
This is article has been super helpful. We are planning on taking our teens, ages 13 and 15, next April break. The weather seems like it would be a bit cooler so would Cinque Terre still be a place to visit? IT looks amazing! I did not visit there when I was in Italy when I was younger.
Hi Aimee, Yes, I would still plan to visit the Cinque Terre, especially if your teens like to hike. April will be too cool for swimming, but the weather will be perfect for hiking. And the hikes between Cinque Terre villages are world famous with unbelievable scenery and views. Restaurants and shops should be open at that time, too. Have a great time!
Thank you for a great post! Like you, my husband and I’ve been to Italy before but now we are taking our kids ages 16, 22 and 23. We will be there the last week of May and first week of June for total of 14 days. We are flying into Rome and out of Venice. While in Venice, we are planning to go up to the Dolomites. We had friends who went last year and said that was the best part of their trip. 😊
A question about Cinque Terre, do you think the water will be warm enough for swimming the last few days of May? The youngest is disappointed we changed our plans from Greece to Italy if nothing else but for the reason of swimming. 😂 Would you suggest two nights as enough time there? We are also visiting Florence. That was one of my favorite cities and my 20-year-old daughter especially wants to go. Would you go from Rome straight to Cinque Terre and then over to Florence or would you hit Florence first? Wondering what someone would say who is more familiar? I have only been one other time.
Thank you for any suggestions! They are much appreciated.
Hi Tosha, Yes the water should be warm enough to swim in at the end of May. We were there the second to last week in May one year and had fun swimming. I would suggest no less than 3 nights in the Cinque Terre. If you stay 2 nights that only gives you about a day and a half to explore/swim, while 3 nights gives you more than 2 full days there. As far as going from Rome straight to Cinque Terre or Florence first, I’d suggest going to the Cinque Terre first after Rome. I have a couple reasons for this… For one, the longest leg of your journey will be getting to Venice and it’s hardest/longest to get to from the Cinque Terre. It’s easier to get to Venice from Florence. So, Rome to Cinque Terre to Florence to Venice makes more sense. Also, that splits up your bigger cities in your itinerary. You start in Rome which is big and busy, then slow down in the Cinque Terre, then back to a big city in Florence, and end up in Venice. Be sure to research the train connections that work for you (assuming you’re taking the train) since there are multiple trains and routes you could take. Hope this helps. Have a great time!
This is a great post. Grandma planning a family trip. Son, “daughter”, and granddaughters 18 and 16. Possibly another adult son. Wondering about adding Amalfi coast instead of cinque Terre Probably will be June after h s graduation. Is train travel best?
Hi Bev, Yes train travel is the best way to get around – it’s so easy and efficient. If you’re flying into Rome and want to head south, then the Amalfi coast would be a great destination. However if you’re planning to visit Venice or locations north of Rome, it would be quite a bit out of the way to fit in the Amalfi coast. Also, just an FYI, we LOVE the Cinque Terre and our teens did too! It is quite possibly our favorite place on earth. You might regret not visiting there. Either way, I hope you have a fun trip!
This post was so helpful! We are going to Italy this month with our teens! We are staying in Monterosso for a few days. My kids love to swim. Where exactly are the rocks to jump off of in Manarola? Are there higher and lower ones? Thank you for any details!
Hi Doris, It’s very easy to get to the rocks in Manarola… just walk down the main street all the way to the water. You really can’t miss it. There are plenty of places to jump off the rocks, some higher and some lower. There’s even a ladder for people to step into the water if they don’t want to jump. (That’s what I did.) Have a great time! Oh, one more thing… there are public restrooms just off the main street but they charge a fee to use it and they will NOT let you change into your swimsuit there. There were signs up and they were strictly enforcing that rule. I couldn’t find anywhere to change into my swimsuit so I had to hide behind a small wall to change!