A week in Tuscany with a toddler

[Lejla]

Hello,

I will be traveling to Tuscany with my boyfriend and our two year old son in the end of May. We will be flying to Pisa and spend a week in the region. Which city would you recommend as a good base with a small child? Would Pisa be OK as a base, or should we opt for another town? We have already been to Florence a few years ago, and this time we plan on visiting Siena, Lucca, Chianti, San Gimignano including the Cinque Terre where we will stay for 2-3 days. I thought Pisa is a good option since all these towns can be easily reached by train. Do you have any suggestions/recommendations? And as to the 5T which one would you recommend considering the fact that we will be traveling with a toddler?

Any suggestions and recommendations are very much appreciated

Best,
Lejla

 

[Lourdes]

Ciao Lejla,

Are you planning to depend solely on public transportation for the week? Pisa is a fine central location and perfect as a base for using the train to then visit all of the places you're interested in. Are teh 2-3 days in CT extra or part of the week you have?

The only place that would be hard to visit by train is Chianti, as the rail lines do not cross the region, just go around... so rather than taking trains and then buses (which are not that many), if you really want to visit is to either consider joinging a group tour group into the area or hiring a private tour guide or driver to take you around the towns - that way you don't have to worry about transport at all.

CT is doable with a toddler, particularly if you just use the train to move between the towns. In any case, for the entire vacation you'll have to consider whether you'll be traveling with a stroller or with a backpack carrier since he'll get tired easily and won't want to walk too much after a while. My girl is also 2 years old and she loves the backpack carrier as she can see so much more around here