London, Rome, Naples. Two weeks. Me, my wife and two kids with my wife’s two sisters for part of it. That was the plan. It was fairly ambitious when I think back on it. It was only our second international trip as a family. We’d have with us a 9-year-old and 7-year old. We’d be going to some fascinating cities, but would it be enough to satisfy the younger ones in our group? Would they get homesick? At some point during the trip would they simply tire out and revolt? I wondered about all of those things when planning our family’s 14 days in Europe, but was still anxiously excited about what lay ahead.
It turns out our two weeks in Europe was an awesome adventure. As the two weeks came to a close I couldn’t believe all of the things that we were able to see and experience. Of course, we had it all mapped out and knew what we planned to do, but to look back over it and realize that we accomplished what we set out to do and got to enjoy those experiences was pretty amazing. Unfortunately though, our trip had a wet start.
Starting Our Family Trip in London
Our trip started in London, one of the greatest cities in the world. It was added to our itinerary (replacing Venice) because of its variety of things for families to do. In that, we were not disappointed. Surprisingly, of all the great things in London, the thing that we liked the most was the food. Yes, the food. And it wasn’t all fish and chips. Researching the food scene I found that London is the home of many great markets. Unfortunately, we somehow missed those (we’ll get to that later).
One place that we didn’t miss was the home of some amazing noodles. Lanzhou Lamian Noodle Bar is located in the Covent Garden neighborhood of London and is not to be missed. From the outside, it looks ordinary and as soon as you step in, you’ll realize that space is at a premium and the situation is what you would call cramped. Immediately to your left is a bar where you can pull up a stool and eat. Right behind that is the cashier area and a food display. When you make your way down the narrow aisle that separates them you move to the back of the restaurant where there’s a small cluster of tables. You’ll likely be sharing a table with fellow diners, but that won’t matter because the food is melt your face off good.
I’ve read that there can be a line to wait to get into the restaurant. But that won’t matter because you’ll quickly realize that there are few better places to be in London than here.
We had plans to make it to another restaurant, but after our first visit here, we decided to come back. Sequels aren’t usually as good, but this time it was. A year later and my kids are still talking about this place and I’m thinking of returning to London just to eat here again.
We arrived in London on a Sunday and left on a Thursday. This gave us three and a half days to see the city. And of what we saw, the Tower of London and the British Museum rank very high on the list. Kinda surprising considering we had kids with us, but those two were a hit.
The Tower of London is a must-see because of the crown jewels. It was a fascinating display of opulence and history.
Our first stop at the British Museum was the Egyptian display where we spent a long time. More than half of our time was spent admiring the impressive collection. We planned to spread our time around more but we just couldn’t drag ourselves out of that area.
We also loved the Assyrian area with the winged bulls and lions. These are massive works of art and there are several of them.
Our first London experience was riding a red double-decker bus. Even the simple things were fun. It got us where we needed to go and provided us a uniquely London experience.
Of course, being in London we had to have fish and chips. While not quite in the league of the noodles that we had, this was very close. Paired with a nice London ale and enjoyed in a classic looking London pub, that lunch was an amazing experience. Of course, I’m no pub expert, but it looked and felt like what I thought it might look and feel like. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad! But we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
The thing that we experienced more than anything in London was rain. Lots and lots and lots of rain. It simply would not quit. We, unfortunately, arrived in the middle of a massive storm that drenched London and the southern part of England. The weather was wet even by London standards. And the temperature dropped horribly on Monday. The weather was enough that it forced us to switch plans and head to the British Museum.
Despite the weather we enjoyed London. We’d be very happy to return. Our only complaint was the excessive rain.
From London to Rome
Rome is such a beautiful city that we fully enjoyed during our time there. It’s a city that I can see going back to visit over and over because there’s just so much to love about Rome.
After London’s cold and rain we were ready for a change in weather and Rome provided just that. June is a good time to go as the heat in the summer months can become overbearing. We were fortunate that we only had one day (our first day) that was very hot. The rest of the time it was nice and warm, but not too much.
We all loved Rome for different reasons, but it was unanimous that Rome is an amazing place to spend a few days.
For our kids, gelato was their number one reason they loved Rome. For my wife and me, it was the history and the amazing sites that seemingly cover the entire historic center of the city.
From the small to the large and magnificent we took in and appreciated it all. With our itinerary allowing us to spend four and a half days in Rome, we were able to cover a lot of ground without being overly rushed. We were able to space out the major sites and allow time for wandering and exploring, which is the best way to experience Rome. And we spent most of that time on foot.
With the abundance of culture we felt that it would be important to find things in Rome that the kids would enjoy and even some things that aren’t necessarily cultural or the first things that come into your mind when thinking of Rome.
One such location was Borghese Gardens. We found that this park is perfect for families with kids. Lots of open space, lots of greenery, and still touches of culture throughout. We enjoyed our stroll greatly through this park which culminated in the spectacular lookout point that is Terrazza del Pincio that overlooks Piazza del Popolo and the city of Rome.
Another location that our kids enjoyed was our stop at the playground in Piazza di San Cosimato. Nestled in the beautiful Trastevere neighborhood, this piazza hosts a market as well as a playground. It’s a nice break from a hectic schedule of visiting important historic sites in Rome.
One of the best things about Rome is its abundance of historic sites. Despite its impressive list of sites to visit, when we stepped into the Colosseum we were amazed. Its high arching corridors, wide-open arena, steep staircases, and ancient stones give you a feeling that is unmatched anywhere else.
We were fortunate that our kids were old enough to appreciate the grandeur of places like the Pantheon as well as the beauty of Trevi Fountain, which happens to be my favorite place in Rome.
Of course, while we were there, we ate very well. Pizza, pasta, suppoli, and gelato. That’s quite the diet. And we had plenty of each. Rome is full of great locations to eat and we made sure that we had our share and then some.
The logistics of a 14 day trip to Europe can be challenging especially with two young children, but our trip from London to Rome was fairly easy despite a 2-hour delay. While it did throw our schedule off quite a bit, we worked around it fairly well. Aside from the delay, Easyjet was a decent ride. It’s nice to not have to weigh your bag. It only has to fit the size requirements and we had no problems with that.
Our Time in Naples
Naples was added to our itinerary initially as a matter of convenience. It’s only an hour or two from Rome by train, so it was easy to visit after we’ve been to Rome. Before settling on this trip, I knew very little about Naples. It didn’t take long for us to fall in love with the vibrant city.
Naples has a personality all its own and it’s one that we won’t soon forget. From the time that we arrived at our apartment and our first stroll through the city, we were hooked. We knew that this would be an interesting visit.
The narrow side streets create such an atmosphere. It was the authentic Italy that we were looking for. Rome has some of that feel, but it is more polished for tourists, Naples isn’t the same tourist destination, so its raw, unfiltered self shines through.
Visiting Naples was quite an adventure for us. Our first night we took a nice walk to get dinner and wandered the side streets until we reached our destination. There was a certain grit to Naples that wasn’t readily apparent in Rome, but it added such character to the venerable city. There also weren’t as many tourists in Naples as in Rome. That had such a profound effect on the feel of the city.
The food is simply unbelievable. Being the birthplace of pizza kind of guarantees that you’re going to appreciate what they serve. And we did! The Margherita pizza was amazing. There are several well-known pizzerias in Naples, but there are many other great options. In fact, on our first night, we were headed to one of the more popular spots, but after a long day we didn’t think the family would make the long walk, so we just stopped at a random spot and our meal was excellent. The limoncello was an outstanding discovery.
The gelato was just as good in Naples as in Rome and like the rest of the food, it was also a bit cheaper.
As great as the city is, one of the best things about Naples is its location. Several day trips are easily accessible from Naples. With only a couple of days, we had to decide what we wanted to see.
The Amalfi Coast was one of the first things that we considered. But with children, we felt that because of the distance and choice of activities we’d try something different.
My wife’s sisters decided on the Amalfi Coast. They took the train and made it a day trip and were quite happy that they went.
We decided on two day trips. The first was Pompeii, which actually is more like a half-day trip. It’s only about an hour away and we spent about 2 hours at the site. We could’ve stayed a bit longer, but we got there close to noon and it was pretty hot with little to no shade.
The other trip was the island of Ischia. This beautiful island is just off the coast of Naples and is the home to several beautiful beaches and villages. We liked the island so much that we wished that we had more than a day to explore it. We were glad that we chose Ischia instead of the Amalfi Coast for our family.
Naples was a wonderful city to explore by foot and public transportation. The metro and buses were clean and easy to use.
We got an extra beach trip by visiting Bagno Elena Beach which is actually in the city and turned out to be a favorite for our kids.
We had no problem getting to Naples from Rome. There are several trains to choose from that will take you to Naples. We rode Trenitalia because we’d used them before and it was an easy process to purchase the tickets online ahead of time. Purchasing them two months in advance gave us the the ability to choose the time that fit our schedule. We also chose the one-hour fast train as opposed to the two-hour regular train.
The logistics of moving between cities worked well. It helps that we took four carryons (one for each person) and a total of two backpacks. This made it easy to move around. We took the train from Fiumicino to our apartment in Rome as well as from Rome to Naples and back to Rome to fly home.
An Unforgettable Two Weeks in Europe
There was no way to know how this trip would work out for our family of four, it was quite an ambitious adventure. We weren’t experienced in international travel, though we had been to a few places and we loved to travel within the states. It took a lot of planning and some amazing people to ensure that a 14 day trip through Europe was an enjoyable experience.
There was also the realization after the fact that a two-week vacation was something completely different. The most time I had ever taken off work was one week. So just having the two weeks off was a revelation and it’s something that I’m looking forward to again. Though we had a lot on our itinerary, this was the first time that we didn’t feel rushed. We had enough time to get to so much. Then the benefits of a two-week vacation began to show. It was probably my favorite aspect of the two-week vacation. The days began to blend and we couldn’t tell which day was which. The best part is, it didn’t matter. Adding in the fact that we were in a completely different country on a completely different continent and it created a sort of a disorienting effect. And it was beautiful.
Our 14 days in Europe was such an epic adventure that we’re looking forward to trying it again. Travel is never perfect and we faced our moments on this trip, but this trip was so much of what I love about travel that I can’t wait to try it again.