The Perfect 2 Week Italy and Greece Itinerary with Kids

We planned a 2-week trip to Italy and Greece with our 4 kids. If you're planning a similar trip to Europe, this blog post will walk you through the best places to visit during your two weeks, where to stay, which guided tours are worth it with kids, and more.

Many people will tell you that 2 weeks is not enough time to see Italy and Greece, especially with several young kids in tow. And while it's true that you would have a much more relaxing two weeks staying in one place, you can still have a great time trying to pack in as much as possible.

I know how expensive it is to fly a family to Europe, so these types of trips can be a once-in-a-lifetime thing for families. For that reason, we decided to change cities every 2 or 3 nights to see as much as we could.

Is that the best way to see Italy or Greece? Absolutely not. And we got quite a bit of criticism on Instagram and TikTok for our whirlwind itinerary.

Personally, though, I have no regrets. This was a bucket list trip for us, and our whole family had the best time making memories together.

So this is my encouragement that it is possible to see the highlights of Italy and Greece in 2 weeks if you're up for the challenge. Our kids were 3, 6, 7 (almost 8), and 10 at the time of our trip, so they were still pretty young but we made it work.

If you're ready to get your fill of art, culture, history, food, and beautiful views, let me share with you how we planned our 2-week family trip to Italy and Greece with kids.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Itinerary Overview: Venice - Florence - Rome - Paros - Athens

Day 1: Fly into Venice

Day 2: Burano, Rialto Bridge, and Gondola Ride

Day 3: Train ride to Florence, Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens, Ponte Vecchio, oldest Pharmacy

Day 4: Uffizi Gallery, Accademia to see the David Statue, see the Duomo, ride the carousel, oldest Gelateria in Florence

Day 5: Climb up to Piazzale Michelangelo, train ride to Rome, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps

Day 6: Small group tour of the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica, pizza-making class

Day 7: Small group tour of the Colosseum, fly to Greece

Day 8: Take the ferry to the island of Paros

Day 9: Paros (explore Naoussa, Santa Maria Beach)

Day 10: Paros (explore Lefkes, swim)

Day 11: Paros to Athens, check into Airbnb and grocery shop

Day 12: Tour of main sites of Athens: Acropolis, Plaka, Mars Hill, Olympic Stadium, Hadrian’s Arch. Evening climb up Philopappos Hill for a view of the Acropolis

Day 13: Enjoy Athens - go back and see any sights you missed from day 12.

Day 14: Travel Home

Getting There - Finding Affordable Plane Tickets to Europe

Buying flights to Europe is going to be the most expensive part of your trip. I'm going to share all of my tips for finding affordable flights to Europe.

Of course, if you have credit card points to use, that would be the most cost-effective way to fly across the Atlantic. If you have Chase Ultimate Reward points, for example, you could easily transfer to any one of their many transfer partners that fly to Europe, such as Flying Blue (Air France/KLM), Virgin Atlantic, Aer Lingus, United, etc.

However, we are still fairly new to the hobby of earning and redeeming credit card points and miles, so we didn't have nearly enough points saved up to fly a family of 6 to Italy or Greece. So we had to book flights the old-fashioned way. Here's how we found somewhat reasonably priced flights in a year when flight prices were skyrocketing.

Be Flexible

The best way to maximize your money when booking flights is to be flexible with your dates or your destination.

Like many families, we have to work around our school's schedule, so we were somewhat inflexible with dates. We had to wait until after the last day of school, especially since my husband is the school principal.

I was also willing to be flexible with my destination. As long as I could get our family across the ocean, I knew it would be somewhat affordable to get ourselves to Italy or Greece via train or a cheap airline like RyanAir.

Use Google Flights

My first stop when searching for flights is Google Flights. Go to Google Flights, then click the Explore bubble at the top of the page. Type in your home airport but leave the destination airport blank.

Then choose your dates. If you have specific dates, you can type those in. If you're more flexible, you can pick options like "2 weeks in June."

Flight prices will automatically start populating on the US Map, but all you need to do is scroll over on the map to Europe. You can hover over individual cities to see what the cheapest flight into that city will be.

Try different departure airports, too! If you can drive a bit further to get to a larger international airport, you may have luck with cheaper prices, too.

Always book directly with the airline, though, and not on aggregate sites like Kayak or Google Flights. In case something goes wrong, you'll have a much better chance of being taken care of! Also, always book your flight on a credit card that has travel protection.

I use my Chase Sapphire Preferred when booking flights because it has trip delay reimbursement, trip cancellation or interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, and lost luggage reimbursement. Here's a link to

We were lucky enough to find direct flights from Chicago (ORD) to Venice, Italy on Aer Lingus for between $800 and $900 per person (the child fares were cheaper than the adult fares). Our total for 6 people was $5169. I've had really good luck finding cheaper flights on Aer Lingus into Europe, as well as TAP Portugal and Iceland Air.

1 Week in Italy: Venice - Florence - Rome

We started our itinerary with a week in Italy. We spent 2 nights in Venice, 2 nights in Florence, and 2 nights in Rome before flying to Greece. This was just enough time to see the highlights of each city.

This is a first-timer's itinerary for Italy, as Venice, Florence, and Rome are all very popular tourist destinations. I would love to return to Italy someday to explore off-the-beaten paths or to see other popular tourist sites like Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coast, Lake Como, or the Dolomites up north.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to visiting Italy, but everyone has to start somewhere!

Venice with Kids (Days 1-3)

Venice was our first stop, so we flew into the Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE). We did not check any bags since we packed 1 backpack each for this trip, plus one carry-on suitcase, and one stroller, so once we landed and went through customs and immigration, we got some cash (Euros) out of the ATM, then followed the signs for Water Transport. We took the Alilaguna Water Bus into Venice.

The Zoe Tour+ stroller has been a lifesaver for us on our travels! You can get $15 off a stroller purchase of $200 or more by using my affiliate link!

My parents met up with us in Venice and stayed with us for the rest of our time in Italy. They flew in a few days ahead of us to enjoy a few relaxing days in Cinque Terre before meeting up with our chaotic but fun family.

We wanted to all stay together, so we booked an apartment through Booking.com. Our vacation rental was called Apartment Minuetto and we ended up staying in the Santa Croce neighborhood.

The best things to do in Venice include:

Libreria Acqua Alta
St. Mark's Square
Doge's Palace
A Day Trip to Burano
Rialto Bridge
seeing the Grand Canal
taking a gondola ride

We managed to fit all of this into our short time in Venice. I fell in love with The Floating City and found that despite warnings that it was too touristy and crowded, it was romantic and unique.

Our trip started at the end of May, and the tourist crowds had not yet descended on Venice, so I was completely charmed. I think we just narrowly missed high tourist season!

If you want to read my full guide and itinerary for visiting Venice with Kids, read here: 15 Best Things to See in Venice in One Day with Kids

Florence with Kids (Days 3-5)

We took the train (we booked on Trenitalia) from Venice to Florence on the morning of Day 3, and our Airbnb in Florence was thankfully within walking distance of the train station. We dropped off our bags and spent the rest of the day exploring:

Pitti Palace
Boboli Gardens
Ponte Vecchio
Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy - the oldest pharmacy in the world
Piazza di Santa Maria Novella - this plaza was actually just a few blocks away from our Airbnb

We had waited until only a few weeks before our trip to book tickets to see Michelangelo's David and the Uffizi Gallery, so there was no availability left online. I panicked for a second before discovering that if we purchased the Firenze Card, we could get skip-the-line tickets to both. The Firenze Card is more expensive than just booking each of those attractions individually, but it gets you into many of the museums in Florence.

I do not recommend waiting as long as we did to reserve your time slot to see the David statue and the Uffizi Gallery. Book several months in advance to avoid standing in long lines or paying extra.

Once I purchased the Firenze Card (you only need to purchase these for adults since children get in free to most museums), I had to call and reserve time slots for the David Statue and the Uffizi. I scheduled them both on the same day, so on our only full day in Florence we spent a lot of time in museums! Here's what we fit into Day 4 of our trip:

The Uffizi Gallery
The Accademia (to see the David statue)
Piazza del Duomo
Fontana del Porcellino
Vivoli- the Oldest Gelateria in Florence
Riding the carousel in Piazza della Repubblica

On our last morning in Florence, we walked up to Piazzale Michelangelo for sweeping views of the Florence skyline. This was my favorite moment in Florence, so don't skip it! Many people go for sunset during which there is a lively atmosphere, but we went just after sunrise when it was incredibly quiet and peaceful. We had the place to ourselves and were able to get some of my favorite photos from the trip.

Side note: if you had some extra time in Florence, you could easily fit in a half-day tour to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

If you want to read my full guide and itinerary for visiting Florence with Kids, read here: Perfect Two-Day Itinerary in Florence with Kids

Rome with Kids (Days 5-7)

We arrived in the Eternal City shortly after lunch and made the short walk from the train station to our apartment. Thankfully we were once again able to drop off our bags early so we could head out and explore, making the most of our short time in Rome.

On our first day, we did many of the free activities Rome has to offer:

The Pantheon
The Spanish Steps
The Trevi Fountain
the fancy McDonald's near the Spanish steps (not free, and not a cultural activity, but a fun way to see how something familiar can be different in another country!)

On our first full day in Rome, we went to Vatican City and took a guided tour of the Vatican, including the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. A guided tour is your best option for visiting the Vatican with kids because it can be very overwhelming and crowded. Having a tour guide gives you some insight and history. Tip: bring your kids' headphones along on the tour because the earbuds they include (so that you can hear your tour guide as you walk) are not meant for kids' ears.

We booked this small group tour on Viator.

After the tour, we went back to our apartment to give the kids some downtime while my parents walked around and explored the Trastevere neighborhood.

In the evening we took a pizza-making class from an Italian chef and it was one of the highlights of our trip. The kids even got to learn how to toss the pizza dough!

You can find the pizza-making class here!

On our last morning in Rome, we took the best tour I've ever taken of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. Our local guide, Giuseppe, was so funny, personable, and informative, and he told the best stories, which kept us all engaged the entire time.

First, we saw the ancient ruins of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. It was hard to picture what it would have looked like in the days of Ancient Rome, but our tour guide had visual representations of what used to stand where the ruins were.

The last part of the tour took us inside the Colosseum where we heard stories of the gladiators and wild animals that fought in the arena, and our older kids were absolutely captivated. This tour is a great option for history buffs, but anyone can enjoy it! We all concluded that this tour was our favorite travel experience in 2023.

You can find the tour here.

If you want to read my full guide and itinerary for visiting Rome with Kids, read here: Planning a Trip to Rome with Kids

Transportation to the Airport

Right after our tour, we walked back to the train station where we had stored our bags that morning. There are several lockers where you can pay to store your luggage near the train station.

We took the Leonardo Express from the Roma Termini train station to the Rome–Fiumicino International Airport "Leonardo da Vinci". From there we flew to Athens on RyanAir.

1 Week in Greece: Piraeus Port - Island of Paros - Athens

Piraeus Port (Days 7-8)

Our flight from Rome to Athens landed around 10 p.m., and we had arranged a private transfer to take us from the airport to a hotel near Piraeus Port. We stayed at Hotel Argo Anita where we booked 2 triple rooms to accommodate our family of 6. I picked that hotel because it was within walking distance of the ferry port where our ferry would be departing early the next morning.

We booked our ferry with Blue Star Ferries and sailed from Piraeus Port in Athens to Paros, one of the Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Sea.

Paros with Kids (days 8-11)

There are so many kid-friendly Greek Islands to choose from! We knew we wanted the classic Greek Island experience with white-washed villages and beautiful beaches where we could enjoy some Greek culture and relax after our whirlwind week in Italy.

Paros was a perfect choice for our family because it's a little less crowded than some of the more popular islands like Santorini or Mykenos, which also means it was more affordable!

The ferry arrived in Parikia, Paros midday, and we had arranged a private transfer through our hotel to take us from the port to the hotel.

We stayed at Corina Studios Apartments, which we originally found on Booking.com, but now it appears you can only book directly on their website. The apartment fits our family of 6 with 2 bedrooms, a living area, and a kitchen, plus a patio with a dining table and a shared pool. It’s located in Naoussa and a very short walk from the shops and restaurants in the village.

Paros was a great place to relax and do a little bit of exploring. Here's what we did during our 4-day, 3-night stay on the island:

Explored the village of Naoussa
Went to Santa Maria Beach
Got gelato from Nonna Crema (several times)
Explored the village of Lefkes
Relaxed, swam, read books, and enjoyed island life

We stayed 3 nights, so we ended up having 2 full days since the days at the front and back end were travel days. We took Blue Star Ferries back home, and the ferry port is located in the town of Parikia. By then we had figured out the public bus system, so we just took the bus from Naoussa to Parikia.

Athens with Kids (days 11-13 or 11-14)

Athens was our last stop, and we had booked 2 nights at an Airbnb in Athens. This was due to our flight schedule since our flight home was broken up with an overnight stop in Venice. If it had been within our budget I would have done an open jaw flight schedule flying into Venice, then flying home out of Athens, giving us one extra night in Athens. Unfortunately, it was so much more expensive to do that!

Since we only had one full day in Athens, we opted to splurge on a private guided tour that would hit the highlights of the city, including:

Olympic Stadium
Acropolis/Parthenon
Mars Hill
The Plaka
Ancient Agora
Old Parliament House
Hadrians' Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus

I want to try to explain in the nicest way possible why we were a bit disappointed by the tour.

It listed a bunch of top sites in Athens as part of the tour. What it meant was that we were walking past those sites, not actually going inside. Probably my fault for misunderstanding the description.
We DID get to go to the Acropolis with our tour guide. I was so excited for that. She was SO nice, and SO patient with the kids. She knew her stuff. But..she seemed like she wanted to rush through the Acropolis because “the crowds are coming.” Which is understandable, but I felt like we looked at it for 2 minutes and then rushed out. I at least spoke up and asked if we could take a few pictures.
We rushed through some the of main sites or didn’t go inside at all, but then included in the 6-hour tour was an hour where they dropped us off in the Plaka, a busy area with restaurants and shops, so we could get lunch. Then picked us up and took us back to our Airbnb. It seemed weird that we were paying for that part since we weren't even with our tour guide. I would have preferred a shorter tour and getting lunch on our own.
I guess I wouldn’t have minded not being able to go inside some of the main sites (like the Olympic Stadium), if while we were outside of it looking in she was telling us cool stories that we wouldn’t have otherwise known. Instead, they dropped us off while our guide went to sit in the shade. We looked at it for 30 seconds, and then just walked back toward the bus.

After having such a great experience with our tour guides in Italy, I had high expectations for splurging on a private tour of Athens. Instead, I felt like we wasted a lot of money rushing from site to site with no extra information.

I would have preferred just hiring a private driver to take us around, and touring the sites on our own. Even figuring out public transportation would have been a better experience.

For that reason, if you decide to do a private tour in Athens, make sure it comes highly recommended! Or maybe do a small group tour at the Acropolis since that would be the main historical site to see.

We loved our Airbnb - Blue Ark Loving Athens, and wished we had an extra night there! There was a lot of space to spread out, and the location was great!

Days 13-14 Travel Days

As I mentioned, our journey home was broken up over two days. We flew Aegean Air from Athens to Venice, then stayed overnight at an apartment we found on Booking.com that was within walking distance of the airport. (Have you ever walked to or from an airport? That was an interesting experience).

The next morning we flew from Venice to Dublin where we had a layover, then we flew from Dublin to Chicago. One of the perks of flying through Dublin is that you get to clear customs for the USA in the Dublin airport, so when you land in the USA, you can go straight to baggage claim (or you can leave the airport if you have no checked bags).

Tips for Planning a Trip to Europe with Kids

Pack Light

My very best advice for planning a trip to Europe where you'll be moving around a lot is to pack light. Not only does this save you on baggage fees, but it makes transitioning from one city to another much easier.

Imagine yourself arriving at a train station in a new city, and having to navigate with a map on your phone while herding your children and keeping them from getting lost in the crowds, all while dragging heavy suitcases over cobblestones. If you're far outnumbered like us (2 adults, and 4 children), there's no way you will even have enough hands to manage all your bags!

We opted to pack one backpack each, and just one carry-on-size suitcase for overflow (shoes, diapers and wipes, snacks). Each person got one packing cube full of clothes in their backpack. We wore tennis shoes on travel days and put sandals in our backpacks or the suitcase. We did laundry at our Airbnb apartments since most had a washing machine, then hung our clothes up to dry. Bring laundry sheets to do sink laundry just in case your place doesn't have a washing machine.

We also had the Zoe Tour+ Stroller along (my affiliate link gets you $15 off your purchase!), and we could usually fit one of the backpacks under the stroller. Then my husband and I would both carry 2 backpacks each, one on our back and one on our front. Then we would either strap my backpack to the top of the suitcase since it has a trolley sleeve, or we would convince the older kids to take turns carrying one of the lighter backpacks.

Carrying heavy backpacks for up to a mile in the summer heat through a city isn't necessarily fun either, but if at least left our hands free to push a stroller or manage children in crowded places.

Book in Advance

My biggest mistake when planning this trip was not booking tours and reserving entry times far enough in advance. I would start researching at least 4-6 months in advance to see when the earliest time you can make a reservation or book a tour is.

Travel to places like Italy and Greece is very popular right now, and if you wait too long you run the risk of popular places having no availability left.

This means you need to have a rough outline of where you'll be on which dates at least 6 months in advance so you which dates and times you'll have available.

One last word of advice. I'm used to the type of travel where we do mostly free and cheap activities. However, when you're visiting a destination like Italy or Greece with so many historical or cultural sites that are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for most people, be ready to open your wallet and splurge.

I had a bit of sticker shock when booking things for a family of 6, but I have no regrets. I'm so glad we splurged on tours for some of the bigger sites, and I think for the one bad experience we did have (in Athens), I don't regret that we booked a tour, just that I didn't research it well enough ahead of time.

The kids playing with rocks in the shadow of the Acropolis - a fun way to build in downtime with a view!

Leave Some Downtime in Your Itinerary

Our itinerary was admittedly packed with tours and sightseeing, but we were very intentional about building some downtime into our schedule. On days when we had multiple museums or historical sites to visit, we tried to take a couple of hours in the afternoon to take the kids back to our apartment to relax.

We also purposely scheduled our visit to a Greek Island right after our week in Italy because we knew we would be able to move a little slower and incorporate activities the kids enjoy like swimming and going to the beach.

As much as I would love to see everything, I know that my family is more enjoyable to travel with when we are all well-rested, well-fed, and have had some quiet time to process the day.

I would highly advise planning one or two big outings fo the mornings, then taking an afternoon rest. An alternative would be to build rest days into your itinerary where you have absolutely nothing scheduled.