Where in northern Italy would you go with kids and Grandma in July?
Jul 7th, 2014, 04:35 PM
#1
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Where in northern Italy would you go with kids and Grandma in July?
My husband has a conference in late July (2015) in southern France, and we're thinking of making a family trip out of it, which would include 2 kids (ages 2 and 6) and my 76 year old mother. My mom loves, loves, loves Italy, so even though the conference is in France (Montpelier), we're thinking of focusing on Italy since she's getting older and we want this trip to be special for her.
My mom and I spent a few weeks in Tuscany and Cinque Terre 10 years ago and just loved it. We'd like to go somewhere new, and ideally somewhere not too, too far from southern France by train (8 hours max?).
Where would be a good place to go, to focus on easy hikes, cute small towns and great food, that isn't too hot or too crowded in July? Mom and I especially liked the easy, coastal trails in Cinque Terre and Siena on our last trip to Italy.
Thanks for any suggestions you may have.
My mom and I spent a few weeks in Tuscany and Cinque Terre 10 years ago and just loved it. We'd like to go somewhere new, and ideally somewhere not too, too far from southern France by train (8 hours max?).
Where would be a good place to go, to focus on easy hikes, cute small towns and great food, that isn't too hot or too crowded in July? Mom and I especially liked the easy, coastal trails in Cinque Terre and Siena on our last trip to Italy.
Thanks for any suggestions you may have.
Jul 7th, 2014, 05:20 PM
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Lake Como. Midlake. There are tons of lovely towns that you take the ferry to visit and walk around each town. There are also villas and gardens to visit. You can get there by train or hydrofoil from Milan. It's peaceful and beautiful. I'm not sure about how crowded it will be in July but I recently looked at a webcam of Bellagio in the middle of the day and hardly saw anyone there.
Nice to Milan is 5 hours with 1 change. It's another hour to the middle of Lake Como.
Nice to Milan is 5 hours with 1 change. It's another hour to the middle of Lake Como.
Jul 7th, 2014, 05:22 PM
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Well in July any place will be crowded. For cooler weather you might want to spend time in the lakes regions in the foothills. Depending on how many days you have you could train to Milan, then rent a car and tour several of the lakes - perhaps even going as far as Garda.
We loved seeing maggiore and the Borromean Isles from Stresa - but you can do Como or Orta or the kids might love some of hte activities at Garda. All can be slow paced, but still have enough activities to keep you busy.
We loved seeing maggiore and the Borromean Isles from Stresa - but you can do Como or Orta or the kids might love some of hte activities at Garda. All can be slow paced, but still have enough activities to keep you busy.
Jul 7th, 2014, 06:00 PM
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Great ideas! My mom went to Lake Como years ago and still raves about it. Maybe we could see a different lake this time. Which would you recommend for good hikes & nature for my husband, quaint towns for my mom and an easy train ride from Milan for the kids? Ideally, we could just travel by train and skip the car rental (traveling with 2 car seats is a pain). I've read about Orta being less known, less crowded; is that true?
Jul 7th, 2014, 07:05 PM
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Orta is really nice. It would be a great place to stay. It's 45 minutes from Stresa by car so you'd have the option of Lake Maggiore as well. I would rent a car for Lakes Maggiore and Orta.
Lake Como has many small mid-lake towns and you don't need a car to get around but Maggiore and Orta are different. I would not stay on Lake Orta or Lake Maggiore without a car.
I think Lake Como is more beautiful but Lake Maggiore is grander with the mountains. Lake Orta is smaller than the other two lakes. I drove to Orta San Giulio one day from Stresa. It was a wonderful town but very small. I haven't visited the other towns along the lake so can't comment on them but I didn't see any ferries to go to other towns.
I realize the car seats are a pain but I think you'll feel confined without a car to get to other places.
Lake Como has many small mid-lake towns and you don't need a car to get around but Maggiore and Orta are different. I would not stay on Lake Orta or Lake Maggiore without a car.
I think Lake Como is more beautiful but Lake Maggiore is grander with the mountains. Lake Orta is smaller than the other two lakes. I drove to Orta San Giulio one day from Stresa. It was a wonderful town but very small. I haven't visited the other towns along the lake so can't comment on them but I didn't see any ferries to go to other towns.
I realize the car seats are a pain but I think you'll feel confined without a car to get to other places.
Jul 8th, 2014, 12:36 AM
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It is really NOT true that "in July any place will be crowded". Just flat out untrue. 95 percent of Italy will not be crowded at all, including 95 percent of its most scenic places if you stay outside of the one or two towns listed in tourist guidebooks for that area.
Have you figured out how you will be traveling from Montpellier to Italy? I don't think the trains are a good option at all, not with 2 small children and someone 76 who cannot be counted on to carry her own luggage through unairconditioned train stations and heave it on and off trains. Unfortunately, I don't think picking up a car in Montpelier and driving to Italy makes sense either, largely because of drop off fees, but maybe if you crunch the numbers, you can make it work. But I would be looking to see what options for flying there are, either from Montpellier itself, or Marseilles or Barcelona.
Were it me, I might consider flying from Montpellier to Corsica. True, it is not Italy, but it used to be, and in July it won't be packed. You probably don't need a car there and you can have great food, easy hikes, cute small towns if you occasionally hire a driver.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/corsica/ajaccio
Have you figured out how you will be traveling from Montpellier to Italy? I don't think the trains are a good option at all, not with 2 small children and someone 76 who cannot be counted on to carry her own luggage through unairconditioned train stations and heave it on and off trains. Unfortunately, I don't think picking up a car in Montpelier and driving to Italy makes sense either, largely because of drop off fees, but maybe if you crunch the numbers, you can make it work. But I would be looking to see what options for flying there are, either from Montpellier itself, or Marseilles or Barcelona.
Were it me, I might consider flying from Montpellier to Corsica. True, it is not Italy, but it used to be, and in July it won't be packed. You probably don't need a car there and you can have great food, easy hikes, cute small towns if you occasionally hire a driver.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/corsica/ajaccio
Jul 8th, 2014, 01:14 AM
#7
I'm with those who are recommending the lakes, if you can work out the logistics of getting there.
Were your children slightly older, i would suggest Lake Garda because it's got both Gardaland and a great water park but with children this age, they would not be my priority.
The other thing you might think of doing is heading for the beaches at Sete/Agde and using that as a base for a beach/day trip holiday. i know that it's not exactly what you've got in mind but it would work with the children and there are plenty of trips you could do, and from the comfort of a car.
Were your children slightly older, i would suggest Lake Garda because it's got both Gardaland and a great water park but with children this age, they would not be my priority.
The other thing you might think of doing is heading for the beaches at Sete/Agde and using that as a base for a beach/day trip holiday. i know that it's not exactly what you've got in mind but it would work with the children and there are plenty of trips you could do, and from the comfort of a car.
Jul 8th, 2014, 01:27 AM
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I should add to my post in that suggesting Corsica, you would need to do some research about finding a nice place to be away from July holidaymakers. There are many parts of the island that are jammed. But the same is true for the lakes. Although I really don't know how you can comfortably get to Northern Italy with your group from Montpellier. You can fly to Rome from Montpellier, but finding a reliably cooler spot within easy reach of Rome that isn't overcrowded in July would also require some research. And you would definitely need a car.
I think perhaps Barcelona offers you the most flight options to Milan, or taking a train or plane to Paris and flying from there.
I think perhaps Barcelona offers you the most flight options to Milan, or taking a train or plane to Paris and flying from there.
Jul 8th, 2014, 01:37 AM
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Kids aged 2 and 6 will be happy anywhere that has a kiddie pool and a playground. I also would recommend Lake Garda if the kids were older.
I think Lago Maggiore would be a good choice if you want to see a different lake. Relatives of ours are going there later this month with their eight-year-old son. If you bring this post to the top in early August, I should see it and be able to tell you how it went.
I know that Stresa is a nice town on the lake that isn't hilly, which might be good for your mother. However, there are probably other suitable towns.
You can get to Lago Maggiore by train from Milan, or there are shuttle buses from the airport if you fly.
I think Lago Maggiore would be a good choice if you want to see a different lake. Relatives of ours are going there later this month with their eight-year-old son. If you bring this post to the top in early August, I should see it and be able to tell you how it went.
I know that Stresa is a nice town on the lake that isn't hilly, which might be good for your mother. However, there are probably other suitable towns.
You can get to Lago Maggiore by train from Milan, or there are shuttle buses from the airport if you fly.
Jul 8th, 2014, 03:11 AM
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In the latter party of July, Stresa holds its annual music festival, which fills up hotels and makes for crowds for quite a stretch of time. The neighboring town of Baveno might feel less impact from the festival. Baveno is also reachable by bus from Malpensa airport.
For all the holiday locations whose names are generally the first ones that pop to mind to tourists, often precisely because they are accessible by train, you are likely to find crowds and festivals in July. If you wish to avoid them, you will probably need to rent a car.
Even if it is OK with you to share your space with crowds, the number of train changes involved in getting from Montpellier to Stresa or Como is something to think about. You are likely to spend longer than 8 hours in transit traveling by train.
This may be one of those times where renting a car in one country and dropping it off in another is actually worth the drop off fee compared to the cost of plane tickets or the hassles of train travel. But it is a long drive that you would probably want to break up with an overnight somewhere.
If you really don't want to drive or fly to Italy, and 8 hours is your max for train endurance, then you could consider the Italian Riviera near the French border. The garden town of Bordighera, with its long seafront promenade and beloved of Monet, might be the most congenial. There is delicious food there and you can make some excursions to nearby towns by bus or train for markets and sightseeing.
For all the holiday locations whose names are generally the first ones that pop to mind to tourists, often precisely because they are accessible by train, you are likely to find crowds and festivals in July. If you wish to avoid them, you will probably need to rent a car.
Even if it is OK with you to share your space with crowds, the number of train changes involved in getting from Montpellier to Stresa or Como is something to think about. You are likely to spend longer than 8 hours in transit traveling by train.
This may be one of those times where renting a car in one country and dropping it off in another is actually worth the drop off fee compared to the cost of plane tickets or the hassles of train travel. But it is a long drive that you would probably want to break up with an overnight somewhere.
If you really don't want to drive or fly to Italy, and 8 hours is your max for train endurance, then you could consider the Italian Riviera near the French border. The garden town of Bordighera, with its long seafront promenade and beloved of Monet, might be the most congenial. There is delicious food there and you can make some excursions to nearby towns by bus or train for markets and sightseeing.
Jul 8th, 2014, 04:02 AM
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Thanks for the great ideas. My thought about travel logistics (based on 10 min of internet research and no actual knowledge of the area) is to fly into Milan and take a train to the lake for 4 to 5 days (probably Orta or Maggiore since they are furthest west), then train back to Milan and down to Genoa (about 3 hours), and from Genoa to some nice coastal town between Genoa and France for several days. Bordighera sounds like a good choice! Then continue to Nice, and take a train (4 ish hours) to Montpelier. Fly home out of Montpelier, I assume through Paris though I'll check what's least expensive.
This way, we'd have 3 multi-day overnight stays (lake, coast, Montpelier) and just do trains. Or is that ridiculous and we'll wish we had a car? It is true that we'll have to carry my mom's luggage up/down stairs, and this won't work if we have car seats to lug around, too. I love the thought of train travel over sorting out rental cars and directions, if we can make it work.
This way, we'd have 3 multi-day overnight stays (lake, coast, Montpelier) and just do trains. Or is that ridiculous and we'll wish we had a car? It is true that we'll have to carry my mom's luggage up/down stairs, and this won't work if we have car seats to lug around, too. I love the thought of train travel over sorting out rental cars and directions, if we can make it work.
Jul 8th, 2014, 04:47 AM
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How do you intend to fly to Milan from Montpellier? You will need to go to another airport, either by train or plane.
Maggiore is the simplest to access from Milan airport, using the bus. You could also get a driver to Orta. On Maggiore, you could probably get back without renting a car, and therefore no need to bring car seats to Italy.
Taking the train to Genova will be a project (even without car seats) especially if you are not thinking of spending any time in Genoa (which I would recommend you skip given the make up of your group, all the steep hills, no beach, and the time of year you are going.) Starting from Lago Maggiore, you will need to switch trains in Milan, and switch again in Genoa. It would be a very long day of travel if your ultimate destination is Bordighera.
You would greatly simplify your trip if you flew out of Milan to Nice (if there is a flight) or to Barcelona, and took the train to Montpellier from there --- although must you return to Montpellier rather than fly home from Paris or Barcelona -- or Milan?
From Montpellier, you can fly nonstop to and from Rome. There are some no-car, seabreeze destinations you can reach from Rome in 2 or 3 hours, or you can spend 5 hours on a train getting to Stresa from Rome or vice versa.
I guess I think that with 2 kids, luggage and mom, I would prefer to have a car and move very slowly, and not return to France.
But I think my next step would be to have a detailed conversation with mom to find out what she really wants to do. Worst case scenario would be to plan this complicated trek to Italy only to find out she was always curious to see Barcelona!
Maggiore is the simplest to access from Milan airport, using the bus. You could also get a driver to Orta. On Maggiore, you could probably get back without renting a car, and therefore no need to bring car seats to Italy.
Taking the train to Genova will be a project (even without car seats) especially if you are not thinking of spending any time in Genoa (which I would recommend you skip given the make up of your group, all the steep hills, no beach, and the time of year you are going.) Starting from Lago Maggiore, you will need to switch trains in Milan, and switch again in Genoa. It would be a very long day of travel if your ultimate destination is Bordighera.
You would greatly simplify your trip if you flew out of Milan to Nice (if there is a flight) or to Barcelona, and took the train to Montpellier from there --- although must you return to Montpellier rather than fly home from Paris or Barcelona -- or Milan?
From Montpellier, you can fly nonstop to and from Rome. There are some no-car, seabreeze destinations you can reach from Rome in 2 or 3 hours, or you can spend 5 hours on a train getting to Stresa from Rome or vice versa.
I guess I think that with 2 kids, luggage and mom, I would prefer to have a car and move very slowly, and not return to France.
But I think my next step would be to have a detailed conversation with mom to find out what she really wants to do. Worst case scenario would be to plan this complicated trek to Italy only to find out she was always curious to see Barcelona!
Jul 8th, 2014, 06:07 AM
#14
t is true that we'll have to carry my mom's luggage up/down stairs, and this won't work if we have car seats to lug around, too. >>
why lugging car seats around? normally you rent them along with the car, and leave them in it.
<<My thought about travel logistics (based on 10 min of internet research and no actual knowledge of the area) is to fly into Milan and take a train to the lake for 4 to 5 days (probably Orta or Maggiore since they are furthest west), then train back to Milan and down to Genoa (about 3 hours), and from Genoa to some nice coastal town between Genoa and France for several days. Bordighera sounds like a good choice! Then continue to Nice, and take a train (4 ish hours) to Montpelier. Fly home out of Montpelier, I assume through Paris though I'll check what's least expensive. >>
pantanal, that sounds horribly complicated with far too many changes of plane, train and car. just looking at that and thinking about doing it with two children and granny makes me feel tired. I think that the French Riviera [Nice?] or the Italian one [Bordighera/Genoa] would do me, then fly back to Paris for flight home. I certainly wouldn't return to Montpellier just for the trip home- in fact I would pay money not to have to do that. Two centres max IMO; otherwise you'll need a holiday when you get home!
why lugging car seats around? normally you rent them along with the car, and leave them in it.
<<My thought about travel logistics (based on 10 min of internet research and no actual knowledge of the area) is to fly into Milan and take a train to the lake for 4 to 5 days (probably Orta or Maggiore since they are furthest west), then train back to Milan and down to Genoa (about 3 hours), and from Genoa to some nice coastal town between Genoa and France for several days. Bordighera sounds like a good choice! Then continue to Nice, and take a train (4 ish hours) to Montpelier. Fly home out of Montpelier, I assume through Paris though I'll check what's least expensive. >>
pantanal, that sounds horribly complicated with far too many changes of plane, train and car. just looking at that and thinking about doing it with two children and granny makes me feel tired. I think that the French Riviera [Nice?] or the Italian one [Bordighera/Genoa] would do me, then fly back to Paris for flight home. I certainly wouldn't return to Montpellier just for the trip home- in fact I would pay money not to have to do that. Two centres max IMO; otherwise you'll need a holiday when you get home!
Jul 8th, 2014, 06:46 AM
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Has your Mom been to Provence? If not look at some pictures and do some reading. She might enjoy that just as much Italy without so much travel. If I were already in Montpellier, I would give that serious consideration. There is charm to the max, villages for walking and the seaside.
Jul 8th, 2014, 06:55 AM
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The conference in Montpelier would be at the end of the trip - I agree going twice would be silly and extra travel for no reason! I suggest flying into Milan because there are good flight from where we live. Thus, we would travel one-way from Milan to Montpelier, stopping ideally twice for multi-day stays at the lakes and then the coast. Alternatively, we could just do the lakes or just the coast. Just the lakes means a very long trip to Montpelier afterwards, so I'd probably just fly from Milan rather than drive or train. If just the coast, it would make more sense to fly into Genoa than Milan. I'll need to check with the family to get their thoughts on those decisions.
My mom does prefer Italy to France and Spain (she likes Barcelona, but spent about 10 days there a few years back, and mentioned that she would rather see new places). She's not really a trip planner; on most trips she gives a general description and asks me to plan it! My travel flaw (as you can probably tell) is trying to do too much, which is why I'm attempting to narrow this trip down to 2 stops plus the conference, but perhaps with kids even that is too much!
My mom does prefer Italy to France and Spain (she likes Barcelona, but spent about 10 days there a few years back, and mentioned that she would rather see new places). She's not really a trip planner; on most trips she gives a general description and asks me to plan it! My travel flaw (as you can probably tell) is trying to do too much, which is why I'm attempting to narrow this trip down to 2 stops plus the conference, but perhaps with kids even that is too much!
Jul 8th, 2014, 06:57 AM
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Just saw the Provence suggestion from Sassafrass. I like the idea but am concerned that it will be very crowded and expensive in July. Perhaps, though, that is also true of the places we are considering in Italy.
Jul 8th, 2014, 08:24 AM
#20
pantanal,
I know that you are wedded to the idea of using the train, but that seems very hard work with your participants, at least 2 [and probably 3] of whom are not going to be able to carry their own luggage. a car, frankly, is going to be by far the easiest option.
once that decision is made, things become a little easier, I think.
next question - Where can you fly into from your home? Nice? Toulouse? a direct flight from somewhere convenient is again going to make things easier both at home and when you arrive.
That decision made, where can you go from that airport that is reasonably easy to get to? if it's Toulouse, then San Sebastian is not out of the question. if it's Nice, then you could go to the Italian riviera. or Provence, or just stay in Nice. rent a villa, relax, do day trips, have fun on the beach.
At the end of the stay, just drive to Montpellier. Simples.
I know that you are wedded to the idea of using the train, but that seems very hard work with your participants, at least 2 [and probably 3] of whom are not going to be able to carry their own luggage. a car, frankly, is going to be by far the easiest option.
once that decision is made, things become a little easier, I think.
next question - Where can you fly into from your home? Nice? Toulouse? a direct flight from somewhere convenient is again going to make things easier both at home and when you arrive.
That decision made, where can you go from that airport that is reasonably easy to get to? if it's Toulouse, then San Sebastian is not out of the question. if it's Nice, then you could go to the Italian riviera. or Provence, or just stay in Nice. rent a villa, relax, do day trips, have fun on the beach.
At the end of the stay, just drive to Montpellier. Simples.
