cath05

We will be traveling by train from Paris to Italy and I would like to spend a few days in northern Italy. I'd like to visit some of the picturesque towns in the Alps, do some light hiking, try the local cheese. But I also want our sons, age 9 and 11, to have a good time. Any suggestions? Maybe a cable car ride up to a peak? Do the lakes have options for exploring? Is kayaking available? I'd appreciate any suggestions.

sandralist

All the lakes have nice lake activity. Stresa on Lago Maggiore has plenty of kid friendly activities. So does Lago di Garda, including amusement parks.

But I also suggest that you take a look at the possibility of going to Mt Blanc and taking the five-stage cable car ride from Chamonix into Italy. Inside Italy you can get around the valle d'Aosta by train and make a visit to Aosta itself, which is a startling sight in the Alps with it Roman ruins. (Be sure to also visit its weird underground tunnels built by the Romans for reasons no one is quite sure why.) Plenty of cheese and the most photogenic cows in the world, with heads the sizes of boulders and great clanging bells around their necks. Beautiful fields of tiny flowers and bees making famous honey. It is a mountain paradise.

http://sites.psu.edu/nzk5100/wp-cont...aly-bovine.jpg

cath05

That sounds amazing! Thanks!

sandralist

Ooops -- sorry! I got my cows mixed up. These are in the valle d'Aosta, at an agriturismo you can reach by train. (The ones above are in the Dolomiti -- nice place too!)

http://www.agriturismo-bien-etre.com...e-1_medium.jpg

http://www.agriturismo-bien-etre.com...-agricola.html

sandralist

And here is the cable car info:

http://www.answers.com/topic/soaring...in-a-cable-car

jangita

If you really want to cool off in July you need to get up into the mountains--Italian alps or Dolomiti. Stresa and Como can be hot.

Have you ever thought about Bormio?
Or Ortisei or Castelrotto? Bolzano has the Yeti museum which may interest your kids.

HappyTrvlr

You can easily combine the Dolomites and Lake Garda which I think would both appeal to kids.