Itinerary tips for 2 weeks in Northern Italy with kids

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a trip to Northern Italy for 2 weeks in August 2025. Here’s my itinerary: MILAN – 2 days LAKE MAGGIORE – 2 days LAKE COMO – 3 days BERGAMO – 1 day LAKE GARDA – 2 days VERONA – 1 day DOLOMITES – 2 days BOLOGNA – 1 day CINQUE TERRE – 2 days TURIN – 1 day Return to France

Let me know your thoughts, and any kid-friendly attractions would be great!

Hello,

I assume you'll be driving? In that case, just so you know, a car can be a real burden in Italian cities and the Cinque Terre, where parking is complicated—and expensive. True, in August Milan will be quieter, but not around the lakes, the Dolomites, or especially the Cinque Terre.

Watch out for ZTLs (limited traffic zones) in cities to avoid fines. See here

Otherwise, your itinerary seems pretty ambitious for two weeks.

I’d recommend a small town near Verona but less crowded, which I recently discovered: Mantua. The city enjoys a privileged location by the Mincio River, which forms a belt of lakes. The huge Ducal Palace (a UNESCO site), with all its rooms covered in frescoes—especially by Mantegna—is a marvel. The **Mantova Card** for 25 € (the same price as the tourist trap Juliet’s House in Verona) gives you access to all the monuments for 72 hours (including the stunning Palazzo Te and many other sites), plus the charming town of Sabbioneta, also a UNESCO site.

Hi there, your schedule is way too packed—you might end up exhausted by the end of the trip. Two days in the Dolomites just isn’t enough; you’ll need at least 5 days. Same for Bologna and Turin—2 days each. I’ve written guides on all these spots, feel free to check them out on my blog! :)

Are you still there? 😮

yeah yeah but it's too packed... what should we cut? I have kids aged 4 and 6

Good evening,

what should we remove?

The Dolomites (without a doubt), and also Bologna and the Cinque Terre. For the kids, you can add Gardaland.

Catherine

What should you cut out? It depends on your goals.

I calculated that your itinerary covers 1,400 km from Milan to Turin, plus your travel to and from France.

With kids, I’d drop most of the cities—I’m not sure they’d be thrilled by Milan’s Duomo or the Pinacoteca di Brera at this age. If you love nature, keep only the northern part of your route: the lakes and mountains (Dolomites and Italian Tyrol). Two weeks is plenty of time for that. At a push, keep Bergamo and Verona since they’re on the way to the lakes.

In any case, cut Bologna—it’s too far—and the Cinque Terre, which is hell on earth in summer! !

Hi there, I’m cutting out the CINQUE TERRE and the DOLOMITES due to the distance, which leaves me with: MILAN – 2 days LAKE MAGGIORE – 2 days LAKE COMO – 3 days BERGAMO – 1 day LAKE GARDA – 2 days (including 1 day at Gardaland) VERONA – 1 day MANTUA and MODENA – 1 day BOLOGNA – 1 day PARMA – 1 day CREMONA – 1 day TURIN – 2 days Return to France

Hi, I’m dropping the CINQUE TERRE and the DOLOMITES because of the distance, which would leave: MILAN – 2 days LAKE MAGGIORE – 2 days LAKE COMO – 3 days BERGAMO – 1 day LAKE GARDA – 2 days (including 1 day at Gardaland) VERONA – 1 day MANTUA and MODENA – 1 day BOLOGNA – 1 day PARMA – 1 day CREMONA – 1 day TURIN – 2 days return to France

Hello,

So, lots of cities... Obviously, all of them are very interesting, and it's doable, provided you skip many sites.

Mantua and Modena in one day? Impossible—unless you skip Mantua’s stunning palaces and miss the little boat cruise on the Mincio lakes, which your kids might love.

My suggestion, but it’s your trip: 😉

Spend a full day in Mantua, skip Modena, and head straight to Parma. On the way, you can stop in the charming little fortified town of Sabbioneta—a 16th-century "new town" commissioned by Vespasiano Gonzaga and, like Mantua, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s worth the detour. Near Parma, don’t miss the Torrechiara Castle.

Ciao (just to set the mood 😉)

I’m dropping the CINQUE TERRE and the DOLOMITES due to distance, which leaves: MILAN – 2 days LAKE MAGGIORE – 2 days LAKE COMO – 3 days BERGAMO – 1 day LAKE GARDA – 2 days (including 1 day at Gardaland) VERONA – 1 day MANTUA and MODENA – 1 day BOLOGNA – 1 day PARMA – 1 day CREMONA – 1 day TURIN – 2 days return to France

I agree with Herodotos—Mantua and Modena in one day doesn’t make sense. To me, Modena belongs to a different trip, along with Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, and the Marches.

What makes me a bit hesitant about your itinerary isn’t so much the kilometers, but the weather conditions in August in that region. In all the beautiful cities you’re targeting, there’s a high chance of daytime temps hitting 35°C (95°F) or more, with nights around 25°C (77°F).

I’d try to find accommodations outside the cities—on the lakes (Lake Iseo could be a great addition, by the way) or agriturismi with pools on the lower slopes of the Apennines for Parma and Cremona. That way, you can explore the cities in the morning and spend the afternoons in the shade and/or in the water to recharge. The area is tourist-friendly, so you should be able to rent canoes or pedal boats on the lakes to keep the kids busy during those scorching afternoons.

Catherine

Looks like it’s going to be a fantastic trip! 🙂