Itinerary Advice - Tuscany, Lake Garda

Posted by Ed (San Diego, California, USA) on 06/02/08 07:39 PM

My family of 5 (wife, twin daughters-9, son-5) will be spending 10 days in Italy after a 10 day Med cruise (dropping off in Civitivechia in late June). We are planning to spend 5-6 days in Umbria (Orvieto area) and Tuscany (Cortona area) to enjoy the countryside, the people, and the food. We then have 4-5 days to spare before flying out of Milan. My wife and I have been to all of the major sights (Florence, Siena, Venice, Milan, etc) and since we are driving a car we are trying to stay out of any large towns. We are condidering going to the Lake Garda area (Mantova, Verona, Lake Garda) but am concerned that the Lake Garda area may be too busy with tourists and traffic. Stressa is another potential destination. Any advice for traveling to these areas with kids? Perhaps we should stay in Tuscany/Umbria longer? We appreciate any input.

Ciao'
Ed

Posted by Ken

Vernon, Canada

06/02/08 10:33 PM

32206 posts

Ed, a few thoughts on your post. Verona might not be a good choice in late June / early July, as Opera season will be starting about then (I was there a few weeks ago). Rooms will be priced higher and there will be LOTS of people.

You could also consider Lago di Como (Varenna?). You would be able to park your car and use the Ferries to see several communties on the lake (Bellagio, Mennagio, etc.). Stresa would be a good choice too, as would Lucca.

Another place in the north that would allow you to park your car and spend a few days relaxing, hiking, etc. would be the Cinque Terre. If you can find a Hotel in Monterosso at that time, parking shouldn't be a problem. You could hike and use the local trains to explore the five villages. Parking COULD be a problem in the other four villages, as some of them have very limited vehicle access (Riomaggiore has a parking lot at the top of town, but I can't recall the prices - check Rick's "Italy 2008" for details).

For something a bit different, have a look at Lago Maggiore and Locarno in Switzerland. There are lots of potential cities to visit!

Happy travels!

Posted by Claire

bergamo

06/03/08 07:24 AM

401 posts

Lake Garda is beautiful, this huge lake with mountains in the distance, and the towns around it Salò, Desenzano, Peschiera, are beautiful as well. Mantova and Verona are also worth seeing. There is also the famous Gardaland amusement park on Lake Garda which your kids may be interested in (?).
Yes, there will be people but I can't imagine that it will be any busier than other parts of Italy in the summer. August is when things get crazy, and in September you can find lots of Germans in the area. Based on the number of days you have, I think this part of Italy would be perfect for you and your family, with a wide choice of things to see and do.

Posted by Ed OP

San Diego, California, USA

06/08/08 11:48 AM

8 posts

Ken and Claire, thank you for the valuable info. We will probably avoid Verona during opera season and the Cinque Terra due to the summertime crowds. One additional question. The drive from Cortona to Lake Garda seems a bit lengthy. We were considering stopping for the night in Bologna (or another suggested town) to break up this drive (369km). Is Bologna a good town for kids and worth the extra effort to stop, unpack, explore and leave the next day? Any other cities we should consider instead along the route (i.e. Modena)? Again, any recommenced kid friendly accomodations in Bologna or Lake Garda are greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Ed