Travel with child: Milan/Northern Italy in June
Mar 21st, 2001, 10:10 AM
#1
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Travel with child: Milan/Northern Italy in June
We are seriously considering two weeks in Milan in the beginning of June. We will be bringing Alpha boy, age 9. We always try to include and equal amount of kid-oriented activities/sites and adult attractions. We will probably rent a car and drive where ever the roads lead.
Any suggestions for both kid-friendly places and general places in Milan and Northern Italy?
Any suggestions for both kid-friendly places and general places in Milan and Northern Italy?
Mar 21st, 2001, 11:41 AM
#3
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Hello EG, That question could take an hour to answer well. My best advice is to minimize your time in Milan and plan at least 3 other destinations within 4 hours of Milan. Here are some options:
Lake Garda and Gardaland theme park
Venice--by train, drive back via Garda
Ligurian coast--Santa Margherita
Lugano, CH---day trips in Lakes region
Lots of good choices, but Milan is worth about a day IMHO. I would spend the rest of your time in 3 of the 4 above---3 days each. Good luck !
Lake Garda and Gardaland theme park
Venice--by train, drive back via Garda
Ligurian coast--Santa Margherita
Lugano, CH---day trips in Lakes region
Lots of good choices, but Milan is worth about a day IMHO. I would spend the rest of your time in 3 of the 4 above---3 days each. Good luck !
Mar 22nd, 2001, 07:09 AM
#5
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Last year, I went to northern Italy with my husband and my six-year-old son. We booked a week in Lake Orta, and a week in San Remo. We ended up in Milan for 24 hours, thanks to a friend who was living there.
I was delighted that we got that day in Milan (it was not part of the original trip plan) but really it is not the most child-friendly spot in Italy. We saw the Duomo and La Scala (which my son was absolutely wild to see, thanks to Bianca Castafiore of the Tintin comics) and that's about it. I'll probably go back to Milan alone someday and do the design circuit, or wait until my son is a lot older.
We actually enjoyed the much-reviled San Remo a lot. The beaches are nice, the old town on the hill is interesting to wander in, and the market is fun --all good for kids and adults alike. There is a small museum, but the hours are so limited that we never managed to get in. The miniscule Eastern Orthodox church was also good for the whole.
Our original plan was to take the train down the coast and visit other Liguran seaside towns, but we ended up just relaxing in San Remo. Later, we were told by our friend in Milan that Santa Margherita was beautiful and we ought to have gone there, but in the same breath he told us that the weekend traffic was just awful. I still think our original plan of traveling down the coast was a good one, and with a car you may be in a better position to do so.
In Lake Orta, the thing our son loved (besides swimming in the lake) was the series of chapels above the town. These have life-sized dioramas depicting scenes from the bible.
The lakes and the coast are both excellent choices, and you won't have trouble balancing kid and adult activities in either location. If you decide to do both, I think you need to pick a pit stop halfway between, but since I went by train, I can't recommend one specifically.
I was delighted that we got that day in Milan (it was not part of the original trip plan) but really it is not the most child-friendly spot in Italy. We saw the Duomo and La Scala (which my son was absolutely wild to see, thanks to Bianca Castafiore of the Tintin comics) and that's about it. I'll probably go back to Milan alone someday and do the design circuit, or wait until my son is a lot older.
We actually enjoyed the much-reviled San Remo a lot. The beaches are nice, the old town on the hill is interesting to wander in, and the market is fun --all good for kids and adults alike. There is a small museum, but the hours are so limited that we never managed to get in. The miniscule Eastern Orthodox church was also good for the whole.
Our original plan was to take the train down the coast and visit other Liguran seaside towns, but we ended up just relaxing in San Remo. Later, we were told by our friend in Milan that Santa Margherita was beautiful and we ought to have gone there, but in the same breath he told us that the weekend traffic was just awful. I still think our original plan of traveling down the coast was a good one, and with a car you may be in a better position to do so.
In Lake Orta, the thing our son loved (besides swimming in the lake) was the series of chapels above the town. These have life-sized dioramas depicting scenes from the bible.
The lakes and the coast are both excellent choices, and you won't have trouble balancing kid and adult activities in either location. If you decide to do both, I think you need to pick a pit stop halfway between, but since I went by train, I can't recommend one specifically.
Mar 22nd, 2001, 07:50 AM
#6
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Hi!
I would not recommend that you stay in Milan. It is okay to visit for a day and see all that there is to be seen and that will not take you more than a day. It is an industrial city and not known for much more than shopping and the Duomo. How about Tuscany? You would only be a couple of hours away from Milan, Venice, Liguria and also quite near Rome, (a couple of hours). Florence is the capital of tuscany and here there is loads to see and you would be near Siena and so many places you will not have time to see them all. How about staying at a farmhouse in tuscany for a week?
www.tuscany.net/mugnano/index.html
or
www.tuscany.net/casabian/index.html
I don't know if this would be something that you would enjoy as they are in the country side but they still have lots to do
why not try visiting
www.charmingitaly.com
and see if you can find something for yourself and maybe organise an itinerary, since you have 2 weeks to stay here.
Enjoy Italy
I would not recommend that you stay in Milan. It is okay to visit for a day and see all that there is to be seen and that will not take you more than a day. It is an industrial city and not known for much more than shopping and the Duomo. How about Tuscany? You would only be a couple of hours away from Milan, Venice, Liguria and also quite near Rome, (a couple of hours). Florence is the capital of tuscany and here there is loads to see and you would be near Siena and so many places you will not have time to see them all. How about staying at a farmhouse in tuscany for a week?
www.tuscany.net/mugnano/index.html
or
www.tuscany.net/casabian/index.html
I don't know if this would be something that you would enjoy as they are in the country side but they still have lots to do
why not try visiting
www.charmingitaly.com
and see if you can find something for yourself and maybe organise an itinerary, since you have 2 weeks to stay here.
Enjoy Italy
Mar 22nd, 2001, 08:24 AM
#7
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You will have a good time, but I do agree with the above posters that Milan is only worth a day or two. They all had good suggestions but I would add that I saw the most kids having a real good time within the Cinque Terra area. The people there are super friendly and walking the towns with a 9 year old would be enchanting. It was about 3 hours from Milan and it's already in full bloom with all the spring flowers.
Have a great time and if you do go to Cinque Terra plan on taking the train through the towns once too. Easy and fun. We did not walk between the towns but we did walk the coast between Portifino and Rapallo (and back)- and it was a wonderful part of the North, for us. But there are some areas which have little or no walking space and tend to put you right into the traffic, so be careful on those mirrored curves with a nine year old.
Have a great time and if you do go to Cinque Terra plan on taking the train through the towns once too. Easy and fun. We did not walk between the towns but we did walk the coast between Portifino and Rapallo (and back)- and it was a wonderful part of the North, for us. But there are some areas which have little or no walking space and tend to put you right into the traffic, so be careful on those mirrored curves with a nine year old.
