When you’ve travelled to more than 70 countries, you assume a kind of confidence. You believe you can figure almost anything out when outside your country. But you travel across Italy with three children, aged 12, 12 and 14, using trains, buses, ferries, metros and your two legs, and then humility locates you.
I have been to Italy more than 12 times, so this wasn’t my first visit. In fact, the children and I had already done Milan earlier in January as a winter trip. For our August summer holiday, I wanted something different. Rather than jumping between European countries, could we take one country and travel through it as a circuit? We had eight nights. We flew into Naples and travelled north through Capri, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Rome, Vatican City, Pisa, Florence and Venice before flying home. Had we not already done Milan in January, I would have added two more days and completed the circuit:
Naples → Sorrento & Amalfi Coast → Rome → Pisa → Florence → Venice → Milan.
Ten days. One country. No internal flights. After more than 70 countries, I think this is increasingly how I would advise families to approach Europe: stop counting countries and start drawing a sensible line on the map.
Start Around Naples, But Sleep Strategically
If Capri, Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi are your priorities, you don’t necessarily need to pay Sorrento or Amalfi Coast accommodation prices. We stayed in Castellammare di Stabia. I would also look at Vico Equense or Meta. The important thing is to stay close to a station on the Naples–Sorrento line and use one base for the coast. In other words: sleep where it is cheaper and commute to where it is expensive. For Capri, we took the train to Sorrento and then a taxi from Sorrento station down to the port to meet our ferry. Here came expensive lesson number one. Our train was delayed. We missed our ferry. Our tickets were non-refundable, so we had to buy new tickets for four people.
About €200. Again!
Unless your ticket is flexible or refundable, I would be careful about booking a tightly timed ferry before you arrive. Sometimes it may be better to get to the port first and buy the next suitable departure. Capri itself deserves a full day. The children did the chairlift in Anacapri; we window-shopped, ate at one of Capri’s famous restaurants and experienced one of those fabulous open-top convertible taxis back towards the port. Capri is beautiful. Capri is also very aware that it is Capri. Prepare your wallet accordingly. And learn the word coperto. It is the cover charge you will often see added per person to restaurant bills in Italy. A few euros doesn’t sound like much until everything is multiplied by four. This was also where Italian public transport began testing us. The buses between Capri and Anacapri were packed. You pay your fare, yes. Whether that fare includes personal space is another conversation entirely.
At some point, travelling with children, it becomes your call: save the money and stand packed like sardines or pay more for comfort. Budget travel doesn’t mean always choosing the cheapest option.
Our Sorrento “Rest Day”
Sorrento was supposed to be our rest day. I had directions for Marina Grande. The children had visions of Marina Piccola. By the time we discovered we were discussing two entirely different places, our low-walking rest day involved considerably more walking than planned. Lesson: when your children say they want to go to “the beach”, make them show you the exact beach on the map. If Marina Piccola is your plan, also be prepared to pay for beach clubs if you want some of the better-positioned spots.
And wear comfortable shoes throughout this trip. Honestly, you need the trainers you are wearing and perhaps simple slip-ons for the beach. That’s it. Italy will make you walk even when you have confidently announced that nobody is walking today.
Positano and Amalfi: Make Your Transport Part of the Experience
The next day we did Positano and Amalfi. One useful warning if you’re waiting around Sorrento: don’t assume a family of four can sit in a restaurant, share one pizza and happily wait for the ferry. Some restaurants expect each person occupying a seat to order a meal. If you’re only killing time, get snacks. We travelled towards Positano by bus, walked down through the town towards the waterfront and then took the ferry from Positano to Amalfi. I loved this because one expense did two jobs. We needed transportation anyway, but travelling along the coast by water also gave us those beautiful Amalfi Coast views people pay separately to experience on boat tours.
In Amalfi, spend time around the cathedral and its famous staircase and, obviously, have gelato. Look out for Il Pianeta Del Gelato and the Instagram-famous gelato spots around the cathedral. Actually, just accept now that gelato is a daily Italian budget category.
Before Every Long Train Journey, Find a Supermarket
This became one of my strongest budget rules. Buy your snacks before you get to the station. A packet of Haribo that costs a perfectly sensible amount in a supermarket can suddenly cost around €5 at a major train station. Now multiply everything by four. Water. Sweets. Crisps. Drinks. Something else because somebody is hungry again. Before travelling north to Rome, stock up at the supermarket.
Also, keep coins. Public toilets regularly cost around €1.20–€1.50, and not everywhere takes cards. Four people needing the toilet several times over eight days is apparently a legitimate holiday budget category. Nobody puts that part on Instagram.
Rome: You Don’t Have to Pay for Everything
Rome is where I would encourage families to distinguish between seeing something and paying to enter something. We did the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Vatican City, St Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum and Trastevere without buying tickets for every attraction. Do check the current arrangements at the Trevi Fountain before travelling because access has changed from the completely open experience many repeat visitors will remember. If your dates allow it, I would also consider putting Vatican City on a Sunday. When the Pope is in Rome, and his schedule permits, the Angelus is traditionally held at noon in St Peter’s Square.
And while in Rome, go to Giolitti for gelato. Yes, there is gelato everywhere. Go anyway. One thing I did choose to spend money on was a professional family photoshoot outside the Colosseum at sunset. The light was beautiful, and years from now those photographs will probably matter more to me than whether we bought another four attraction tickets. Afterwards, we headed to Trastevere. Our version of clubbing with three children? A public flash mob around Piazza Trilussa. Music, people, dancing and Rome at night. Perfect.
Pisa: Where a Cheap Day Became Expensive
Pisa was supposed to be simple. Arrive. See the Leaning Tower. Take our photographs. Eat. Catch the FlixBus to Venice. First came the local bus. I tapped my contactless bank card believing I was paying for all four of us. Apparently not. One card had paid for one passenger. Then the inspector arrived. Three penalty notices followed.
So here is another rule: never assume public transport payment systems work the same way they do in London. Ask whether every passenger needs a separate ticket or payment method and whether tickets need validating.
Then we missed our FlixBus to Venice. Our carefully budgeted coach journey suddenly became a same-day Pisa → Florence → Venice train purchase. Not the plan.
Not the budget. But it gave us Florence.
Sometimes the Missed Bus Becomes Florence
We had about two hours between trains in Florence, so instead of sitting inside the station regretting our financial decisions, we went walking. As luck would have it, Fiorentina centenary celebrations were happening that same day, so we found ourselves joining the atmosphere before heading back for our train.
It wasn’t on the itinerary. It became part of the holiday. If you’re recreating our journey with 10 days rather than eight, don’t make Florence an accident. Give it proper time. See the Duomo, walk the historic centre, eat and explore before continuing north. Sometimes the missed bus becomes Florence.
Venice: I Would Walk More and Vaporetto Less
We eventually arrived at Venezia Santa Lucia and, like millions of visitors before us, used the vaporetto. Would I automatically recommend it for a family travelling on a budget? No. For four people, it becomes expensive quickly. Add the waiting time, crowds and possibility of paying all that money only to stand packed like sardines again, and the value becomes questionable.
If everyone is physically able and you’re travelling light, walk. A 30-minute walk through Venice isn’t wasted transport time. It is sightseeing. You cross bridges, find little canals, browse shops, stop for gelato and perhaps pick up a frozen Aperol Spritz for the adults along the way. We did, however, pay for a gondola because that was an experience I specifically wanted us to have.
Again: save where it doesn’t matter so you can spend where it does. When it was time for us to leave, we walked back towards Ferrovia at Santa Lucia, took the short train to Venezia Mestre and then caught the Barzi airport coach to Treviso Airport. For four of us, that worked out at roughly €46, compared with around €54 for the more direct airport option we had considered. I also discovered that Barzi can be cheaper when booked sufficiently in advance. But if you’re following my recommended 10-day itinerary, don’t follow us to the airport.
Get on the train to Milan.
Turn Our Eight Days Into Your 10-Day Circuit
We skipped Milan because we’d already taken the children there in January. If you haven’t, it is the logical finish. I would structure the journey like this:
Days 1–4: Base yourself around Castellammare di Stabia, Vico Equense or Meta. Do Capri, Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi.
Days 5–7: Rome and Vatican City.
Day 8: Pisa and Florence.
Day 9: Venice.
Day 10: Train to Milan.
In Milan, visit the Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, then personalise the experience for the children. For the football lovers, visit San Siro Stadium. For the beauty lovers, we did a custom lip-gloss session at KIKO Milano, which was something completely different and the girls enjoyed. Then, obviously, more gelato. If you have an extra day and the budget permits, add Lake Como. Then fly home from Milan instead of travelling backwards through Italy.
The Things Nobody Puts in the Instagram Budget
Family travel is multiplication. €5 isn’t €5 for us. It is €20. A €15 experience is €60.
A €30 attraction is €120. So throughout this trip, I stopped asking only, How much does it cost? I started asking:
Is this worth buying four times? Sometimes the answer was no. The Capri convertible taxi? Yes. The gondola? Yes. The Colosseum photoshoot? Absolutely. Another €5 packet of sweets at a train station? Please direct me to the nearest supermarket. Budget for the unglamorous things too: toilets, coperto, beach clubs, taxis to ports, local buses, supermarket runs and replacement tickets when things go wrong. And travel light. Our backpacks made trains, buses, stairs, stations and unexpected changes considerably easier.
One Country Can Be a European Summer
For Nigerian travellers, I understand the temptation to make a Schengen visa work overtime. You’ve gone through the application. You’ve paid for the international flight. Why not collect five countries? Because more borders don’t automatically create a better holiday. If you’re already spending time in the UK, consider leaving your larger luggage there and using one of the many onward European connections with just what you need. If you’re travelling directly from Nigeria, compare multi-city fares. You could, for example, fly into Naples and home from Milan instead of forcing yourself to return to your arrival city.
Our eight days gave the children Capri, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Rome, Vatican City, Pisa, Florence and Venice. Give yourself 10 days and add Milan. That’s an extraordinary European summer without changing countries every 48 hours or collecting airports. After more than 12 visits to Italy and more than 70 countries, I am increasingly less interested in how many borders I can cross.
I’m interested in how intelligently a journey connects. So, for your next Euro summer, perhaps don’t start by counting countries.
Draw a Line on the Map Instead
Travel light. Follow the railway. Use supermarkets. Keep coins. Read your ticket conditions. Protect important connections. Wear comfortable shoes. Budget for the whole family, not one person, and spend on the experiences your family will actually remember. Most importantly, leave some room for things to go wrong. Because sometimes the train delay costs you €200. Sometimes the €3 bus gives you three fines. And sometimes the missed bus becomes Florence. That’s travel too.
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