farmgirl04

Hello! I am planning a trip this summer for our family of 6. It will be my husband and myself and our four kids ages 10-16. We were looking at taking a longer trip, but have whittled it down to 24 nights. That's still plenty of time! We will be arriving in Rome on June 17th, flying out of Zagreb on July 11.

A quick run-down of the family's must-see/do/interests list
Husband- Bologna
Me- Florence and Slovenia
16 year old daughter- History and food. She has read many Dan Brown novels and would like to see things mentioned
13 year old daughter- Beach town and shopping
11 year old daughter- Rome and finding the best gelato
10 year old son- Rome, cars, and outdoorsy stuff

Tentative itinerary
Rome- 5 Nights
Bologna?- 5 nights or split nights between Florence and Bologna
Venice- 2 nights
Bolzano- 3 nights
Ljubljana- 5 nights
Rovinj-3 nights
Zagreb- 1 night before flying out the next morning

I was thinking we would rent a car in Bolzano, drive it to Ljubljana, then return it in Trieste. Then rent another car in Croatia for the remainder of the trip. In Rome, Bologna/Florence, and Rovinj we would be renting apartments. In Venice, Bolzano, Ljubljana, and Zagreb we would be staying in Marriott properties using points.

I understand that we will be traveling during peak season, and it will be hot and crowded, especially in the Italian cities. We have booked places with AC, and the hotels we will be staying at have pools. I'm hoping the time in Slovenia will offer us fewer crowds and more opportunities outside to explore the lakes, caves, and mountains. Rovinj seems like it would fit my daughter's wish for a beach town.

I am struggling with the 5 nights after Rome. Five nights in Bologna seems like a lot, but splitting the nights between Florence and Bologna leaves us with a long stretch of 2 or 3 night stops. With four kids, I want to minimize the packing and unpacking, lugging luggage around, and sleep disruption that comes from sleeping in a new place. I realize Florence and Bologna are only about 40 minutes from each other on the fast train, but round trip tickets for our family appear to be around $200 for a day trip from one to the other. I should mention that these two cities are the only places my husband and I have visited in Italy, and we loved them both. We traveled mid-September.

My other concern is the plan to drive from Bolzano to Ljubljana, and then return the car to Italy before renting another in Croatia. Will this just be a ton of driving and extra stress?I am trying to make sure everyone has their desires accounted for in this trip, which makes it difficult to eliminate stops. If anyone has experience driving these routes, please let me know what I can expect.

We can change plane tickets if we can find suitable availability with points. Flights with points out of Italy to the US are very limited at this time. Originally we were going to fly home from Munich after staying in the Dolomites, but we have been there twice and weren't excited about visiting again.

Any suggestions or input is appreciated, thanks!

rialtogrl

It does not really make too much sense to go to Rovinj for just three nights then all the way to Zagreb to fly out. Renting a car in Italy and then returning it to Italy before going to Croatia to rent a car.. it does not make sense. What you could do is, visit Slovenia with your Italian rental car, and fly back from Italy instead (Venice, or Trieste if you can make that work.) There are places in Slovenia that are similar to Rovinj, like Piran and Isola. If you were going to stay more than four days in Croatia it would be different.

You can also drop your car off wherever in Italy, get a transfer across the border (like to Goriska Brda) and then pick up a car in Slovenia, spend your time there then drop it in Ljubljana before taking the train to Zagreb to fly back. If you can't leave from Italy. Depending on your airline Ljubljana could also work for the return home.

dreamon

Your plan seems good to me - you're covering a lot of ground but it's fine I think. However Bolzano doesn't fit logistically.

I think five nights in Bologna would be good. It's a transport hub for many other places in the region (e.g. Ferrara, Ravenna, Parma, Modena and lots more) and gives you the possibility to visit one of the exotic car factories in the region as well, for your son. I think it would be reasonable to skip Florence if it doesn't fit well within your plans. If you feel that five nights in Bologna is too much, take a night from there and add it to one of your other destinations.

I suggest you take the venezialines ferry from Venice to Rovinj. I suggest you substitute somewhere in the Julian Alps for your time in Bolzano, perhaps either lake Bohinj or the Soca valley. You can then travel to either your alps destination or Ljubljana from Rovinj by either car or bus/train (depending on where you're heading). Bus or train Ljubljana to Zagreb is easy if you decide to not hire a car. The only place you might need a car would be the Soca valley as buses are less frequent. There are day tours to Soca valley from places like Bled if that's of interest - they often include some adventure activities like rafting.

Ljubljana is a beautiful city and a transport hub for many other places. You can check either the Slovenian train website or ap-ljubljana.si for buses in/out Ljubljana.

Jean

Only you can decide whether 3, 4 or 5 nights in Bologna is enough/too much. Were you planning any day trips away from the city? Make a list of what you want to see/do while you're there and work up a loose schedule for each day. Everyone has their impressions and preferences... Bologna isn't high on my list of big Italian cities, and I will never have enough time in Florence. More nights in Bologna than Venice is not the usual choice, but this is your trip. My preference would be to have more time in the Dolomites and possibly skip Bologna altogether. But, again... your trip.

I would change the order a bit... Bologna, Dolomites, then Venice. Pick up the car in Bologna or Bolzano and drop in Venice. I think you'd have a better choice of vehicles in Bologna and the train fare Bologna-Bolzano x6 would really add up. I think the overall travel time would be similar, but you could get an earlier start in a car... esp. if you rent the car the day/night before. Drive as much of the Great Dolomites Road as you can fit in between Bolzano and Cortina d'Ampezzo and then head south to Venice. From Venice, you could train or ferry to your next destination and pick up another car.

The Great Dolomites Road:

https://www.guidedolomiti.com/en/great-dolomites-road/

I wouldn't stay in Bolzano.* I'd pick a town closer to the route/highlights of the Great Dolomites Road. Although Ortisei is not on the GDR, it's a convenient base with a large inventory of reasonable lodging. If you want to take some hikes from the top of cable cars, do a little research on which hikes, which cable cars.

* Although I don't recommend staying in Bolzano, I highly recommend visiting the South Tyrol Archeology Museum there to see the Ice Man Exhibit.

https://www.iceman.it/en/

farmgirl04

Rialtogirl- You are right that it doesn't seem to make sense. I like your suggestions, but unfortunately we can't find reasonable flights out of Ljubljana, Venice, or Trieste right now. I will look into Piran and Isola, although on first glance there didn't seem to be much beach. The town of Piran itself looks very charming though. Thanks for the input.

dreamon- Thanks for the response. Eliminating Bolzano is probably the right move to streamline the whole trip. Then, as you said, we could go straight to Rovinj from Venice and continue from there.

farmgirl04

Thanks for the suggestions Jean- I do like the route you laid out. I have really struggled to find a place in the Dolomites that can accommodate the six of us for less than a week that is affordable and has a flexible cancellation policy. I understand we are going during high season, and a lot of the places with apartments want bookings from Saturday to Saturday, but we just don't want to stay that long. There are more places available for short stays in Bolzano, and the ice man museum is a must-see for us!

Sassafrass

IMHO, take a day/night from Bologna and give it to Venice. Remember that Venice has a beach on the Lido. It is basically an island beach town. It may not be the Caribbean, but seemed really great when I was there (once as an overnight on the Lido and once just an afternoon beach walk), plus lots of restaurants near by. You could visit one of the islands like Burano, then hit the beach for the afternoon.

https://www.virtuoso.com/travel/arti...nice-with-kids
https://www.globeguide.ca/why-you-sh...-stay-in-lido/

dreamon

farmgirl04, I've only spent a day in Piran but agree that I was left with the impression that it's not a beach place if that means soft sand. The people I saw were swimming off concrete and rocks into deep water but it may well be that I was just in the wrong spot for beaches. I'd investigate further if sandy beaches are essential. Portoroz, down the road (and which I've never visited), reportedly has sandy beaches. But when we visited, it was actually easier to get a ferry from Venice to Rovinj than to Piran - and we really liked Rovinj. I visited Piran on a different holiday and found it very attractive but it was stinking hot so that took the edge off for me.

I'm interested in your findings that accommodation in the Dolomites is a bit of a challenge if you want less than a week. I hope to visit there myself the next time I get to Europe.

dreamon

With five nights in Ljubljana, I'd look into the Ljubljana Card. I found it good value and I went to some places that I might otherwise not have.

Jean

re lodging in the Dolomites... If it's only for 3 nights, does it have to be an apartment??

We stayed here a few years ago... a very friendly, family-owned hotel. They have an apartment, but you'd probably also need to add a double room. We weren't there in high-season summer, so I don't know if they have a minimum-stay requirement at that time. They do quote summer room rates by the night.

Hotel - Garni - Apartment Walter - Ortisei - Holiday in South Tyrol

rialtogrl

Farmgirl, if you have to fly out of Zagreb, then dreamon’s recommendation of taking the venezialines catamaran to Rovinj from Venice is a good one. Then you can pick up the car and drop it in Croatia, and will be able to avoid one summertime land border crossing. Just make sure to get the Slovenia vignette for your car when you take it into Slovenia.

Rovinj beaches are pretty pebbly and will be very crowded, they are a bit of a walk away (a very nice walk.) in town there are lots of rocks to sunbathe on. The catamaran does not arrive until night so keep that in mind if you want three full days and want to use it. https://www.venezialines.com

farmgirl04

Yes, an extra day from Bologna for Venice would be nice. The Venice Lido does seem like it would be a hit with the kids. We will be staying at the JW Marriott on the Isola Delle Rose, so I'm not sure how much more difficult that would make it to get to the Lido. Having to take a water shuttle to and from Venice is a bit of a downside, but I think the kids will enjoy the grounds and the pool if Venice is super crowded during the day.

I think eliminating Bolzano and taking a ferry to Rovinj is a good option. As for the Dolomites, I think our family of 6 is the biggest limiting factor. Smaller groups or bigger budgets would have an easier time.

Thanks for the suggestion Jean, it looks lovely! I requested a quote for the three nights in June/July, and it would be 200 euro per night per room, for 2 triple rooms. So 400 euro per night, and they require a non-refundable deposit, and you must cancel at least 21 days before your visit in order to not be charged the full amount for the stay. I understand these small hotels have these policies for good reason, but it does not seem worth the expense and risk for us. I think I may look into spending a few days in the Julian Alps and see if there are better deals or more flexibility.

Thank you rialtogrl, I like the suggestion of going directly from Venice to Rovinj. I do not mind pebbly beaches, as long as there are places to wade. If we eliminate Bolzano, I may add one more night to Rovinj, and possibly a 2 night stay in the mountains of Slovenia? I need to do some research to figure out if that would work.

So with the suggestions, I am thinking along the lines of:

5 nights Rome
4 nights Bologna...or Lucca
3 nights Venice
4? nights Rovinj
2? nights Slovenia mountains? Bovec?
5 nights Ljubljana
1 night Zagreb before flying out

My husband loved Bologna when we visited last time because it was not so touristy. He enjoyed the food tour that we did (although we cannot do the same one with the kids due to cost and age), and would like to visit one or two of the car places in the area. We also just had a good time walking around town and shopping on Saturday and Sunday when more of the streets were closed for pedestrians and there were street performers and families out strolling.

Before we added Slovenia and Croatia, I had a 4 night stop in Lucca before Bologna. This would allow us to visit Florence for a day trip using the regional train, as well as a day trip to Pisa to see the tower (which a couple of the kids were excited about). It seemed like it would be a little more relaxed than Bologna, and easier for the kids to roam. I think this would be my choice for the time between Rome and Venice, but my husband is not convinced. One obvious downside is it is a bit off the path from Rome to Venice.

If anyone wants to bolster (or shut down) my argument for Lucca, please chime in. My husband does love flea markets and antique shopping, but it seems that neither Bologna nor Lucca have their monthly antiques market the weekend that we would be in town (fourth Sunday).

Additionally thoughts on the revised itinerary or suggestions for the extra nights gained from dropping Bolzano would be appreciated. I could add a fourth day to Rovinj and two nights around Bovec, or maybe split the nights equally between the beach and the mountains. Thanks!

dreamon

I think your plan sounds good, except that some more time in the countryside of Slovenia would be great. Does everyone enjoy hiking?

Do you plan to spend your 5 nights actually in Ljubljana or take day trips as well? If the former, then I would think about taking a night (or even two) from there and adding it to the countryside, which is very scenic. If the latter, do you have plans for where you'd like to visit? There's lots of options.

I have enjoyed my visits to both Bologna and Lucca. If your kids enjoy cycling, they may enjoy cycling around the walls of Lucca. They aren't very long but you can extend your cycle along the river (just be careful crossing the road when you leave town). I'd check the weather as I've heard that Bologna can be very hot in the summer, to see if it's substantially different in Lucca. Lucca is more pedestrianised. But other than that, they're both great places and the logistics of Bologna would probably win out for me. The cost of travelling to Venice from Bologna vs Lucca may also be a factor for you. If location on the map wasn't a factor, then I'd probably choose Lucca for a family.

rialtogrl

Try to plan Ljubljana around a Friday, so you can go to Open Kitchen. It is a lot of fun (but can get crowded as the evening goes on.)

https://www.odprtakuhna.si/en/

Saturday at the open market is fantastic too and on Sundays there is an antique/flea kind of market along the southern part of the river. Your husband should enjoy it.

farmgirl04

Thanks for the feedback! Yes, we wanted to rent a car and do days trips out of Ljubljana, as well as spending time in the city itself. I definitely wanted to do one of the caves, lake bled, and I have a bunch of other things saved. As it will be at the end of the trip, I’m not sure how much running around we will want to do, so I just plan on studying up on the options and playing it by ear. I think we will take the 3 nights from Bolzano and use them in the mountains of Slovenia. The Bovec area looks like a good possibility.

Oh thank you for the information! We are going to be there over the weekend, heading to Zagreb on Sunday so we will probably be able to do all of those things.

dreamon

I would prefer to stay in the centre of Ljubljana but I'm not sure how compatible that would be with a car. You should check this out. I think there are previous posts on this (also check tripadvisor).

I've just done day trips to these places with public transport or actually stayed in places which were further afield.

dugi_otok

Your tentative itinerary:
5 nights Rome
4 nights Bologna...or Lucca
3 nights Venice
4? nights Rovinj
2? nights Slovenia mountains? Bovec?
5 nights Ljubljana
1 night Zagreb before flying out

Since you have been to Bologna and you need to fly home from Zagreb I would replace Bologna with Split, on the Dalmation coast of Croatia.
I would also add two nights at Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park which is one of Europe's most spectacular natural wonders.
This itinerary has only one car rental.

Then your itinerary could look something like this:

5 nights Rome
(Take high speed train from Rome to Venice, about 4 hrs)
3 nights Venice
(Train Venice to Trieste. Bus Trieste to Rovinj, about 5 hrs total)
3 nights Rovinj
(Rent a car in Rovinj, drive 2hrs22 to Ljubljana)
5 nights Ljubljana (Drive day trips )
(Drive 3hrs7 Ljubljana to Plitvice)
2 nights Plitvice National Park
(Drive 2hrs41 Plitvice to Split)

5 nights Split or Trogir (Drive day trips, ferry to island-Hvar and/or Brac day trips)
(Return rental car, Fly Split to Zagreb) or (Drive 4hrs17 Split to Zagreb. Return rental car.) OR you might fly home from Split which gains you an extra vacation day.
1 night Zagreb before flying out

https://goo.gl/maps/ZFHSQ7fxWqmaJyup6

farmgirl04

Hello! I appreciated all the advice earlier. We have landed on the following itinerary:

Mid-June
Fly into Rome from Oregon
5 nights- Rome Airbnb
3 nights- Florence Airbnb
Train to Bologna, then rent van for 4 nights
2 nights- Agriturismo near Reggio Emilia
3 nights- Bologna Airbnb- where we will have van for one full day parked in a garage outside the city center. My daughter’s 18 year old friend will be joining us in Bologna and we want to visit an aceitaia and parmigiano producer. Maybe a visit to Pagani or Ducati for those interested. We will be a group of 7 from here on out.
2 nights- JW Marriott Venice- will take water taxi from train station to hotel on arrival.
4 nights- Kobarid apartment- Will have a rental van from here on out
5 nights Ljublajana Four Points- Don’t love how far this is outside city center (10 minute drive) but do love that it will make day trips easy, and it has a pool for the kids. Using points so the price is right.
Fly out of Ljubljana airport.

Things get a little rushed in the middle of the trip, I know. The time in Venice in particular is very short. We were originally going to do 4 nights at the agriturismo (which unfortunately does not have a pool, but does have ac) and 3 in Venice, but when we found out my daughter’s friend would be joining us, I wanted to spend some time in the center of a less touristy city where they could explore on their own. So we squeezed in 3 nights in Bologna.

I do wonder if the proportion of time in Slovenia is too large, but the more research I do, the more comfortable I become with it. I think the kids will enjoy the outdoor adventures available, and we will hopefully escape the worst of the tourist crowds in Italy.

Any feedback is welcome, although affordable lodging for large groups is scarce at this point, so changes would be challenging. Nothing we have booked is non-refundable at this point though. Thanks!