Has anyone travelling with kids to this area?? We are thinking of staying 3 nights in Santa Margherita, visiting Cinque Terra, Portofino and 1 in Lucca. Flying in/out of Pisa. We are concerned that maybe it's not kid friendly or suitable? Any comments would be helpful. Thanks!
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Vernon, Canada
32219 posts
Yvonne, I've never travelled with kids that age, so all I can offer is impressions based on experiences when my kids were that age. I've been to all the locations you're planning to visit, and have a few comments. You might consider staying in Levanto or Monterosso rather than Santa Margherita. While Santa Margherita is quite picturesque, it didn't seem too attractive as a place to stay. The other two towns are much more convenient for visiting the Cinque Terre (Levanto is only about 10-minutes by train from Monterosso). While the boat ride from Santa Margherita to Portofino may be an "adventure" for your kids, there's not a lot to see once you arrive there. There are lots of "posh" stores and pricey restaurants. Hiking up the hill to Castello Brown provides a great view of the area. It's mostly paved so not a difficult hike. If you really want to see Portofino, you could easily do that as a day trip from Levanto or Monterosso, and just stay until the kids get bored. It's a bit of a walk from the train station down to the harbor, but not difficult (go down the stairs to the main part of town). Buy your tickets for the boat in the small coffee shop at the station. For the visit to Lucca, you might consider renting one of the four-seat bicycles (they're hard to describe - sure wish I could add a photo). Happy travels!