Tuscany Feb 5-7, with Kids, 4 & 7. by Train

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NeverEnoughItaly

New member
I need advice please. I want to go to Tuscany with my wife and 2 young kids ages 4 & 7. We have been to Italy a few times, twice with 1 kid, first time the 4 of us. We are pretty tough travelers. We want to travel by train only, buses and cabs if needed. We will be on our way south to Rome.

I have done some research, but still have many questions. I am looking for food experiences, (wine of course) and maybe outdoor activities, horse back riding, biking or any suggested kids activities. Agriturismo?

1. To start, should we stay at La Spezia, or in a town in Cinque Terre? I know that some hiking will be too much for the kids, but Via dell' Amore is pretty easy. Good with kids? Any good town to stay in with kids?

2. We want to bypass Florence and Pisa. What other cities should we hit? Siena? San Gimignano?

3. Any other small town worth staying in with easy access to trains?

Thanks !
 
NeverEnoughItaly said:
I need advice please. I want to go to Tuscany with my wife and 2 young kids ages 4 & 7. We have been to Italy a few times, twice with 1 kid, first time the 4 of us. We are pretty tough travelers. We want to travel by train only, buses and cabs if needed. We will be on our way south to Rome.

I have done some research, but still have many questions. I am looking for food experiences, (wine of course) and maybe outdoor activities, horse back riding, biking or any suggested kids activities. Agriturismo?

1. To start, should we stay at La Spezia, or in a town in Cinque Terre? I know that some hiking will be too much for the kids, but Via dell' Amore is pretty easy. Good with kids? Any good town to stay in with kids?

2. We want to bypass Florence and Pisa. What other cities should we hit? Siena? San Gimignano?

3. Any other small town worth staying in with easy access to trains?

Thanks !
Click to expand...

I am narrowing it down to staying one night in La Spezia / Monteroso al mare o Riomaggiore, (visiting Luca if it's worth it in between) and the next night in either Siena or San Gimignano.

Please let me know if I am on the right track.
 
2 nights only? Riomaggiore and then Siena

Ciao NeverEnoughItaly! Not sure how I missed your questions but I hope I can still offer some tips and suggestions on your itinerary.

1. You're definitely on the right track... I definitely suggest staying in either Riomaggiore or Manarola so that you can do the easy Via dell'Amore with the kids and stroller for the little one. Both have playgrounds, I think Riomaggiore will be simpler because it has more wider, flatter areas for the little ones and a bit more restaurants. If you're still looking for accommodation, take a look here:
http://www.discovertuscany.com/book/?hotel=/city/it/manarola.html&label=webp-forum-feb2013
http://www.discovertuscany.com/book/?hotel=/city/it/riomaggiore.html&label=webp-forum-feb2013

2. & 3. Other highly suggested towns to visit in Tuscany: Lucca, San Gimignano (if there's time) and Siena. These are the ones easy to get to with trains/buses as you work your way down to Rome. From Riomaggiore go to Lucca, then from there on to Siena; from there head down to Rome.
The Val d'Orcia area south of Siena where you'll find Pienza, Montalcino, Montepulciano is also highly recommended but it is really hard to visit with public transport... if you had time, you could also visit either Cortona or Arezzo.

In the end, 3 days are going to go by really quickly. See what you can, remaining flexible and that way you'll enjoy all that you do and see :)
 
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