Tuscany to Nice via Cinque Terre with active teens

Posted by Roger (Gig Harbor, WA, United States) on 06/13/09 03:06 PM

We'll be spending the last 2 weeks in July traveling between Rome and Paris. We plan on spending 2 nights in Tuscany, 2 nights in Cinque Terre, and 3 nights in Nice. We have a 16 year old girl and a 14 year old boy. Please help with the following:

The girl will be happy most places as long as she can get to a town with shopping and bustle. We'll want to see Siena and Florence if there's enough time so being near those cities would be good.

The boy can only handle a limited amount of cultural sight-seeing and will need a place to blow off steam between the cities. I'm considering an agriturismi in Tuscany. a pool would be a necessity. Being able to freely roam around a farm that has animals and physical activities to engage in would be perfect. We'd like to be able to let him roam around by himself and feel comfortable about his safety.

I also think he would really enjoy a visit to San Gimignano.

Is there enough access to the water in Cinque Terre or should we consider staying farther North in Levanto or Santa Margherita Ligure? I think hiking around CT will be great for burning off energy!

I know the girl will love Nice and the French Riviera because of the glamor and beaches. How well will the boy do?

Posted by Joanne

Atlanta, GA

06/13/09 06:19 PM

9 posts

We were in Cinque Terre in 2007 with our teens, aged 14 (boy)and 16 (girl) at the time. They had SUCH a wonderful time that we are going back again next month. We stayed at Manuel's Guesthouse in the Old Town and thoroughly enjoyed it. The best sand beach is in Monterosso, where we stayed, although the other towns had a lot to offer. In Manarola, everyone swam off the rocks, and it looked like a lot of fun. The water is so much nicer in Cinque Terre than in Nice.

Posted by Lise

St. Louis, MO (formerly, Windermere, FL)

06/13/09 08:12 PM

340 posts

Hi Roger,
First off, I'm not sure if your teenagers have been to Europe before, but my advice will assume they have not.

We traveled to Italy and France with our son and daughter for the first time when they were 13 and 15. That was 9 years ago and they have both returned several times with us and on their own. This will be a life shaping experience for your children!

The most important thing I think we did to make the trip great for all of us was to have the kids involved with the planning. For each location of the trip we had both of them research and choose one activity. For example: in the Cote d'Azure our daughter found out about the perfume factory in Grasse which we toured and spent a fun morning (including our son!). Paris offers so many wonderful options to pick from, but they both planned a day at Disneyland Paris and how to take the trains there and back. Although not what I would have initially chosen to do, we had so much fun and it was a nice break from museums and touring. Where ever we drove we had them help navigate and read road signs. In Paris they were in charge of deciphering the metro and what trains we would take to get to our next destination.

Spending time in such different cultures than they are accustomed to, with new languages to speak, foods to try, and people to observe and interact with (not just native to the places you visit, but tourists from around the world) - they will have plenty to keep their attention. As a family, learn a little French and Italian and speak it to each other for practice.

2 nts in Tuscany: other posters will have best advice for you here.

2 nts CT: you will all love it! Hiking, swimming at beaches & off rocks, riding trains & boats between towns - great Italian ice in Monterosso.

oops - running our of room so I'll comment on Nice in another post. . .

Posted by Lise

St. Louis, MO (formerly, Windermere, FL)

06/13/09 09:00 PM

340 posts

cont.

Regarding 3 nts in Nice: if you haven't made reservations yet, consider staying in Antibes or Cap d'Antibes as a base for exploring Nice, Eze, Cannes, Juan les Pins, etc. We have found this to be our favorite town to stay in on the Riviera. Old Antibes with its market and quaint shops is fun to explore for dinner options. The large public beach,although pebbly rather than sandy, is great for swimming and lots of kids kicking around soccer balls - a stand sells yummy hot waffles spread with nutella. The Picasso Museum in the old fortress is an unusual venue for art and Cubism may provoke interesting observations from both kids. Cap d'Antibes has a beautiful trail for a good hike, some smaller beaches, and lots of small inns. These towns are a little more relaxed/vacation-like than Nice, but a quick drive or train ride gets you there for some glitzy shopping and sightseeing (remember, you'll be in Paris, too!) Don't miss one or both of the hill towns of Eze or St. Paul de Vence.

Also, your son and daughter should be aware of the probability of women bathing and sunning topless. And if they are not familiar with nudity in paintings and sculpture, you may want to discuss this with them, too.