Cinque Terre, Tuscan Coast with kids

Do you have the RS book for 2011? It's loaded with CT lodging suggestions.

Not yet. I need to pick it up. This idea of going several days prior to our original plan just came up. I've also been looking at Levanto. It seems like that could also be a good option.

Truthfully, I don't think the Cinque Terre would be a good choice for you. The beaches are minimal at best. the towns are fairly vertcal with not a lot of running around space for small children. There are spots on the trails and in the villages that where I would want to constantly be watching out for the brood and keeping them from getting into trouble. In addition the CT is not particularly car friendly. A better spot, IMHO, would be just slightly farther down the coast at Lerici on the Gulf of Poets. The town has wide beaches , beach front promenades that are easy to navigate and not as many tourists. http://goitaly.about.com/od/liguria/ss/italian_riviera_6.htm http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/travel/20next.html If you just google apartment rental lerici italy you should find some spots. Another option is Portovenere, but it is much smaller, without much of a beach and not as much to offer.

Thanks. I will look into Lerici and Portovenere as well. It sounds great from the NY Times article.

We took our kids to CT and it was their least favourite part of our Italy trip. The place is totally crowded in summer, the beaches are tiny and not kid friendly. Hiking is not really what most kids would consider a fun activity ... There are lots of better beaches in Italy. Our kids even loved the beach outside Rome. Or one on the Sorrento peninsula with view of Capri. Friends of mine have a house on Elba and really love going there for the summer as a family vacation with kids.

If is is broad sandy beaches populated with Eruopeans, check out the Versilian coast, just south of cinque Terre. Here is what one guide says about it: "The beach in the Versilia is very wide and long - there is basically a kilometers-long beach that goes from Forte dei Marmi in the north to Viareggio in the south. Forte dei Marmi and Lido di Camaiore are the higher end areas, where most of the beach is taken over by deckchairs and umbrellas by bathing establishments that also provide changing rooms, showers, bars with snacks and pasta. You won't find spiaggia libera or "free beach" along this track. Head to Pietrasanta for one of those. The spiaggia libera is basically a part of the beach where you can arrive with your own umbrella, towels, cooler and sit down wherever you want. If this is the sort of beach-going experience you want, then the Versilia really isn't for you - head south toward Livorno and Grosseto. "The water is clean but the current tends to be strong, making the water somewhat torrid. Versilia is definitely a place to catch sun rays and to be seen. In the evening, enjoy a stroll on the promenade that runs behind the beach, with hotels and restaurants looking over the sea. Enjoy a romantic meal at sunset looking over the sea." We tried to include a visit to Pietrasanta in our last trip to Italy, but ran out of time.

John, Levanto might be a good choice for you and the children. It sits on a natural bay and has wide sandy beaches. The old town is as quaint as the villages of the CT. A ferry connectes Levanto with the 5 villages, might be a fun trip for the kids, and then back by train.
(The Villa Margherita.net) does have an apartment, though I don't remember the pricing.

http://www.elba.org/ http://www.kidscantravel.com/destinationguides/elbaisland/plan/index.html

I do want to say thank you for all of the suggestions so far and I certainly appreciate any more to come. I have taken the time to look up all of the suggestions and they all seem to have merit. I tend to agree that staying in on of the Cinque Terre towns may not be the best idea as opposed to staying in Levanto or Lerici. As for the Tuscan coast I tend to think that during our stay in Lucca we will likely make their for a day trip or two so that is why I wasn't looking at it as closely. Elba though interests me but I have had trouble getting a feel for it and the various little areas that you can stay as there does not seem to be as much info on it.

We (myself, husband, and 13 y.o. daughter) spent 3 1/2 weeks in Italy last June. We spent 2 nights on Elba and loved it. The island was beautiful, and we wish we had allowed for more time. We also spent 3 nights in Cinque Terre. We enjoyed C.T., but the towns became very busy during the day. We did hike the trail between the towns, I would not recommend the trail between Vernazza and Monterosso. It was a difficult! When I plan our next trip to Italy, I will allow a minimum of 5 days on Elba....Good luck!

Kathy, Thank you. I was wondering where you stayed or where you would stay if you went back to Elba? Any info on accomodations or the area(s) you liked would be great. Thanks again to all for all of the comments.