This piece is a write-up of one family's recent trip, names changed, details preserved. They did 14 days of Italy on a Europamundo Bilingual journey in April 2026, three generations strong: Granny (78), Mom (52), Dad (54), and the two children (15 and 13). Cape Town to Rome and back. We were with them from the first question to the last departure card.
The first conversation
Granny wanted to see Rome before she "couldn't walk it anymore". Mom wanted everyone in the same hotel. Dad wanted not to drive. The teenagers wanted gelato and wifi. We landed on the 14-day Italian Wonder route: Rome, Assisi, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Verona, the Italian Lakes, with one rest day built into Florence.
Pricing came in at R245,000 for the family (land only), with Granny getting a senior consideration on a single supplement and the kids getting child-share discounts. We locked the quote in Rands at booking, the Rand softened by 8% in the four months before departure, and our family paid not a cent more than the original invoice.
The Schengen visa marathon
Five family members, five visa applications, five trips to VFS. Take the day off work. Bring the kids out of school. We had everything in by mid-December for an April departure. Granny's took longest (they wanted extra proof of return) but everything came back by mid-February. Read our 2026 visa guide for the current rules.
Day one: Rome
They arrived at FCO at 7am after Emirates via Dubai. The hotel pickup was waiting (we'd added a private transfer, for three generations and six suitcases, worth every cent). Hotel in central Rome, two double rooms and a twin, all adjacent. Granny napped. Mom and Dad walked to the Pantheon with the kids before lunch. The official tour started at 18:00 with the welcome briefing.
What worked: the rhythm
Every day followed the same broad shape, 07:30 breakfast, 08:30 coach departure, morning city tour with a local guide, lunch break, optional excursion or free afternoon, dinner at 19:00 either with the group or independently. After three days the family had internalised it. The kids stopped asking what was next. Granny stopped fretting about timing. Everyone slept on the coach between cities.
What didn't work: the Vatican Museums
Optional excursion, three hours, hot, crowded. The kids hated it. The 15-year-old asked to leave after the first hour. We'd warned the family in advance, if there's a museum your teenager will rebel against, this is the one. Next time we'd book a different optional that morning and let the parents do the Vatican on the rest day.
The dinners
Five included dinners across the tour. Three were lovely (Tuscan farm, Venice canal-side, Verona welcome dinner). Two were standard hotel buffets, the family ate quickly and went to bed. On free dinner nights they ate as a unit at small trattorias the Tour Director recommended. Granny had the carbonara every single time and was completely unapologetic.
The Florence rest day
We'd insisted on building in a non-touring day in Florence. The family used it perfectly: Granny rested at the hotel until lunch, the parents walked the Boboli Gardens, the kids found a gaming café in the centre. Everyone met at 16:00 for the Duomo climb (kids and dad only) followed by gelato. This was the single best day of the trip according to all five of them.
What the kids took home
The 13-year-old kept a sketch journal of every meal and the views from the coach. The 15-year-old came back interested in Roman history for the first time. Both are now learning conversational Italian. School trips to Europe will never feel the same.
What it cost in the end
- Land journey (5 travellers): R245,000
- Flights from CPT via Dubai: R88,000
- Schengen visa fees + VFS service: R12,000
- Travel insurance (family): R8,500
- On-the-ground spend (incidentals, optional excursions, dinners not included): about R45,000
- All-in: ~R398,500
For a family of five, two weeks in Italy with not a single logistics worry, this was a fair number. They've already asked us about the 2027 Greece-and-Islands itinerary. Read our multi-generational tours guide for general advice, or our best tours for kids 8 to 14 for routes when the children are younger.
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