4 day family friendly trip in Tuscany, Lucca or Castiglioncello?

[seonjuu]

Hi, we are planning a trip to Tuscany area in the 1st week of June. We will be arriving in Pisa and staying for 4 nights.

1. As we have a five old boy, we are thinking of spending half day in Pisa, a full day in Florence, but also need to plan some child friendly holiday, perhaps playing on a nice beach would be nice. In that case, where would you recommend? (Personally I would like to visit Sienna, but is there a family friendly beach there?).

2. Also, where would be better to stay as our base? Many people recommended Lucca, also some mentioned about Castiglioncello. (We want to chill out one day in the local area that we will be staying). Lucca seems to have good connections to Pisa and Florence, etc. How about Casiglioncello? Would that be too far?

3. I'm not too sure about car hire, either. Obviously, it will help us explore the beauty of small villages, and convenience, etc. But I read that it will be crazy to bring a car to Florence and Sienna, for example. If we decide to go to Sienna as well, we won't need a car for 2 days, or can we park nearest town or train station? Is train fare for 4 people a lot more expensive than hiring a car? What would you recommend?

Many thanks for reading this, and I would appreciate if you could please advise on the above

 

[Lourdes]

If you're not considering a car hire, then you need to stay in a town that has easy connections to other parts of Tuscany. Since you arrive in Pisa, it makes sense to start from there and then move around to make it easier for your family.
If you want to include the beach, I would suggest doing Pisa first, then the beach, then heading to Florence. So maybe split up your stay - 2 nights in Pisa, 2 nights in Florence. It is easier to get to Siena from Florence if you do want to make your way there (it isn't near the coast though).

You can head to the coast from Pisa by bus - go to the beach near Tirrenia or south to north of Livorno. Take a look at this article:
http://www.discovertuscany.com/what-to-do-in-tuscany/top-beaches-in-tuscany.html
Castiglioncello is just for beach, but it is easy to reach with train. Keep in mind that it has rocky coast, not sandy beaches, right by the town.

There are special rates for train travel as a family, when you first arrive at the train station, make sure to indicate your are a family of 4 traveling and show passports to show ages. I just found a special offer that allows for kids under 15 to travel free - but you do have to buy tickets at least 2 days in advance and indicate "bimbi gratis" as the special offer - http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom/Offerte-e-servizi/Bimbi-Gratis
Depends on the itinerary. In any case, kids under 4 travel free at all times as long as they travel on your lap.

If you have to still book your hotels/B&Bs, I suggest you start from www.tuscanyaccommodation.com and book before you arrive - this is busy tourist season in Tuscany so you'll find lots of places already won't have availability.

 

[seonjuu]

Thanks a lot!

Thanks a lot for your advice, really love this website, so helpful!

If you're not considering a car hire, then you need to stay in a town that has easy connections to other parts of Tuscany. Since you arrive in Pisa, it makes sense to start from there and then move around to make it easier for your family.
If you want to include the beach, I would suggest doing Pisa first, then the beach, then heading to Florence. So maybe split up your stay - 2 nights in Pisa, 2 nights in Florence. It is easier to get to Siena from Florence if you do want to make your way there (it isn't near the coast though).

You can head to the coast from Pisa by bus - go to the beach near Tirrenia or south to north of Livorno. Take a look at this article:
http://www.discovertuscany.com/what-to-do-in-tuscany/top-beaches-in-tuscany.html
Castiglioncello is just for beach, but it is easy to reach with train. Keep in mind that it has rocky coast, not sandy beaches, right by the town.

There are special rates for train travel as a family, when you first arrive at the train station, make sure to indicate your are a family of 4 traveling and show passports to show ages. I just found a special offer that allows for kids under 15 to travel free - but you do have to buy tickets at least 2 days in advance and indicate "bimbi gratis" as the special offer - http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom/Offerte-e-servizi/Bimbi-Gratis
Depends on the itinerary. In any case, kids under 4 travel free at all times as long as they travel on your lap.

If you have to still book your hotels/B&Bs, I suggest you start from www.tuscanyaccommodation.com and book before you arrive - this is busy tourist season in Tuscany so you'll find lots of places already won't have availability.

 

[Lourdes]

Hope you have found good places to stay at! Enjoy your time in Tuscany!