Need lots of help-First visit to italy with kids

rebann

Member
Hello,
I am planning to visit tuscany area with my 7 and 4 year olds in may. I plan to fly from boston to rome, stay there for a day or two and then head to tuscany area. Thinking of doing san gimignano, lucca, siena, san vincenzo, pistoia etc.
-Can someone suggest if i should take a train out to tuscany from rome or rent a car on our way out?
-where should i rent a car in tuscany?
-will it be ok taking a train with kids and lots of luggage?
-Where should i make my base to explore tuscany? i will be driving a car in tuscany and need a kid friendly agriturismo kind of place for a week.
-any other suggestions and tips?
 
Ciao Rebann,

We're glad you found us and hope we can offer useful suggestions for planning your trip.

A car in Tuscany is definitely recommended, particularly when staying in the countryside outside of towns. Many areas can be reached by train and those are easier to get to and move around from, but many of the smaller towns in Tuscany cannot easily be reached by train and need a bus. So a car is more convenient, especially when time is limited.

For a week's stay at a family-friendly agriturismo, I would recommend you start from here:
http://www.discovertuscany.com/tusc...ndly-places-to-stay/top-ten-kid-friendly.html
these would make perfect bases from which to do day trips to the towns you've mentioned you're interested in seeing.

For ideas of what to do with kids:
http://www.discovertuscany.com/what-to-do-in-tuscany/fun-with-kids/

As far as San Vincenzo which is a coastal town perfect for the beach -- you'll have to see how the weather is when you come to include a day trip to the beach if it is warm enough :D Tuscans generally think May is still too cold for the beach so you might love having the beach mostly to yourself!

As far as car rental, if you are traveling with lots of luggage, I would suggest picking up the car in Rome (or maybe outside Rome if you don't want to deal with traffic in the capital city). Many people suggest taking train to Chiusi and renting the car there, less driving and no dealing with Rome traffic. You can take a look at car rentals from this search box: http://www.discovertuscany.com/tuscany-car-rental/
Another suggestion I often read about is Orvieto Scalo as an intermediate stop, renting from there.
 
This site has been so helpful in designing my trip. I have been dreaming of this ever since kids were born but never had the guts but finally doing it. Thank you so much. You think it's fine to take a train with lots of luggage?
 
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