Holidays in Italy with children

Rich history, fantastic nature and comfortable rest. All this is divine Italy. Do not give up the long-awaited vacation just because the child has no one to leave. In this European country, adult tourists and toddlers are greeted with cordiality. Naturally, for the little travelers they try to create special conditions so that the rest would be a joy and benefit.

Among the undoubted advantages - color and ancient history of the country. There is something to see, where to go, where to walk, and, entertainment - for every taste. For lovers of art, the doors of numerous museums and galleries, theaters and operas are open.

Those who want to have fun - a direct road to parks, amusement parks, zoos, water parks and entertainment centers. For those who want to buy cheap things of famous brands, you can go to one of the many sales of Milan.

If you want to make some noise - there are youth resorts, if you prefer silence and solitude, without any problems there will be a resort that is far from major cities, where only the sea, the sun and you.

Italian cuisine is famous not only for pizza, from which, by the way, even children are crazy, but also pasta, ravioli, lasagne and polenta, as well as other goodies, the names of which are not immediately remembered.

Cons vacation in Italy, a few fade before the pluses, but about them, too, should be said. First, it is the language barrier. It is almost impossible to find a connoisseur of the Russian language, only a third of the local population knows English at the primary level. It is quite difficult to explain in shops, in the markets, in parks and on walks.

Italian hoteliers have a rather strange approach to doing business. In recent years, in particular, service in boarding houses, guest houses, hostels and hotels, which used to delight the Russians (albeit 2-3 stars, but cheap), has completely deteriorated. Therefore, tourists rushed to book hotel rooms better and more expensive (from 4 stars and above). But the owners of low-cost budget places it does not stimulate positive changes in their possessions.

From the hoteliers not far away and representatives of the service sector. Tourists often complain about the inattentive and, at times, even boorish attitude towards themselves on the part of cleaners, salespeople, waiters and taxi drivers.

Another disadvantage - the high cost. In Italy, everything is expensive for tourists.

Not everyone will be able to enter this country, since obtaining an Italian Schengen visa is a rather difficult task. The percentage of refusals to issue entry documents is high, the reasons are not explained.

You can go to Italy at any time of the year, because the country is stretched for a thousand kilometers, and the climate of the north is very different from the weather in the south.

For sightseeing holidays Italy is open all year round, but the largest influx of tourists comes at the end of January and the beginning of February, when the Venice Carnival takes place here. Ski resorts in Italy begin to receive guests from mid-December and end the season in April. In the beginning of January, July, August, traditional sales will start in the country, and this is the best season for shopping lovers.

There are more than 270 beaches in Italy. They are different in length, purity of the sea, well-equipped. There are presentable well-groomed private beaches, for which hotels are responsible, there are municipal beaches - less well-groomed and more crowded.

There are enough of them in this country, we will consider some of them.

This is a beach with golden sand. The water is very clean, there are no problems with seasonal algae blooming. The descent into the water is gradual, long, which is important for families with children.

This is the name of the beaches, and the name of the resort in Sardinia. It should be noted that we are not talking about one beach, but about 24 beautiful places to relax by the sea. All of them are clean, equipped, with a thoughtful children's infrastructure.

Beautiful white sand and blue-blue sea, like in the movies. The beach is located in the resort of Saint-Teodoro. The depth of the water here is small, which allows the water to warm up well, not only in the summer months, but at the very beginning of the swimming season, and in the velvet season.

Very expensive, fashionable beach on the expensive and prestigious resort with the same name. In addition to pure white sand and azure sea, which changes color several times a day, a whole tourist paradise is built here - villas on the coast for tourists, golf courses. The beach is always crowded because it is expensive.

This beach is considered to be one of the traditional “children’s”, in any case, it is recommended by Italian pediatricians to their young patients who need the healing power of sea air and water. There are no strong waves, storms. The resting place is in Reggio Calabria.

All the beaches of this resort area are completely free to visit, but this does not mean that they are untidy or poorly equipped. Practically in all places of swimming rescuers are on duty, every day the beaches are cleaned. The only negative for family holidays is that the beaches of Rimini are always crowded, it’s not easy to find a place on them.

The hotel is located in the bay, and the scenery outside the window will delight even skeptics. For children there is a mini-club, a separate pool with fresh water and water slides, in the family rooms you can ask to put a cot.

In this hotel complex one can experience for oneself what is thalassotherapy (treatment with sea water and air), there are specially equipped rooms with large baths with water of varying degrees of salinity. The procedures are followed by doctors. For children there is a whole playground - with a club, own restaurant, bowling, go-carting, trampolines and slot machines.

This hotel is located right on the beach in a very picturesque bay. The beach is sandy, the water in the sea is very clean. Children can have fun at the mini-club, learn how to swim, play tennis, and scuba dive at special courses taught by professional trainers and athletes, and there is a children's pool.

The hotel complex, which is located in a cascade, going down from the mountain to the coast. The restaurant has the opportunity to eat on an "all inclusive". To the beach about 300 meters.For children, there are animators, there are development programs.

This hotel is perfect for relaxing with small childrenbecause it is located within the national natural park and literally immersed in greenery. It is quiet, calm, measured. For children there is a club, a playground with swings and slides, a swimming pool and swimming courses.

Choosing a hotel in Italy is a rather difficult task, considering that there are a great many different hotels in the country. In order not to get confused, you need to clearly define the purpose of your family trip. If you are going most of the time to see the sights, eat pizza and enjoy life in entertainment centers, it is best to choose a hotel located as close as possible to the places that you would like to visit. Ideal option - the center of the cities of Rome, Rimini, Venice, Florence. True, in all, even very good hotels located in the city center, the rooms are rather small. The farther from the center the hotel is located, the more chances for a smaller amount to get more spacious apartments. If you want to travel around Italy, find a hotel in the immediate vicinity of the station, since the railway transport in this country is better developed than all other types: it is fast, comfortable, inexpensive.

When choosing a hotel for a beach holiday, you should definitely ask how far the beach is from the place of residence and whether beach equipment is included in the price. The concepts of "star" in Italy are quite blurred: some hotels, having 4 stars in the name, do not pull on 3 stars. Keeping the brand so far only turns out at the luxury five-star options, but they are quite expensive.

The presence of children's infrastructure does not mean that all services for children will be included in the price. It is best to clarify what the child can use from the list for free, and what - for a fee.

Ski resorts in Italy, as a rule, are very small, designed for a few dozen rooms, and therefore it is quite difficult to find a free spot during the season. If there are plans to visit a mountain resort, it is best to book a place in advance for several months, in this case, you can additionally expect a small discount.

In Italy, do not be bored. And even if the rest by the sea gets bored, you can easily find for yourself and the children a great option to have fun. Here are just some of the places where it would not hurt to visit the whole family:

This is one of the largest Italian amusement parks, in its scope is not inferior to the famous French Disneyland. You will find about four dozen, breathtaking, rides, views of stuntmen and most of these fakirs, as well as the performance of the theater on ice.

In this kind of zoo, children can enjoy the performance of very unusual artists - elephants, monkeys, giraffes. An interesting nuance is that children who are less than a meter tall do not have to pay for entrance to the biopark.

This park is located in the city of Valmonte and it works only in the summer months. Here is a large selection of attractions for every taste, there are many small cafes in which you can treat your child with real Italian pizza.

You can see not only all the sights of Italy in one place, but also the sights of other European countries, in this park near Rimini. Here are miniature replicas of buildings, monuments, bridges and towers, whose names are known to all.

This is one of the largest and most interesting dolphinariums in Italy. Here is a large collection of sea creatures. Every day you can watch the show, and after it feed and stroke the dolphins.

This is the largest amusement park in the country. Here a huge number of different slides, water rides and themed entertainment. The park is located in the town of Castenuvo del Garda.

This is a real city of water entertainment in Riccione. Here you can not only ride from the water slides, but also visit the show, where the main characters are dolphins, as well as see the large aquariums, which contain various inhabitants of the sea.

This is a museum of butterflies, where all the exhibits are alive and fluttering. It is located in Milano Marittima. The special microclimate contains the brightest representatives of the butterfly family. Children can learn more about them, as well as touch them and take pictures.

This is the most beautiful lake in the country. Here with the children it will be quite interesting to take part in the “Following the Dinosaur Footsteps” trip to the province of Trento, visit the Vittoriale Park Museum, the medieval castle of Scaligers, and also try fresh products from Italian farmers, since agritourism is developed here nowhere else.

As far as possible, time and financial opportunities, you must see the Colosseum, the Tower of Pisa, the Milan Cathedral, the Pantheon.

The all-knowing Internet today offers a lot of different housing rental options without intermediaries for those who are going to travel around Italy on their own. Experienced tourists advise those who do not have the experience of such a lease to prepare themselves for substantial expenses. Accommodation in Italy is expensive. The closer it is to resort areas and main attractions, the more expensive.

It is most advantageous to rent houses in the provinces, although financial savings are usually “touched” by the lack of many benefits of civilization, such as air conditioning and a washing machine. It is most advantageous to rent a large villa by the sea for up to 30 days for a large company (2-3-4 families). If you're lucky, there will even be a pool.

Many landlords with Italian scruples inherent to them, pick their own temporary tenants, and having learned more about you, they can refuse to rent out their apartment or house without giving reasons.

A serious and prolonged acclimatization in Italy for a Russian child should not arise. The climate of the country, although very contrasting, is still a rather mild, improved version of the climate of our Sochi. Special vaccinations our compatriots when traveling to Italy is not required. Rospotrebnadzor pays attention that the vaccination card must contain the main vaccinations - hepatitis A, B, polio, tetanus, diphtheria.

Food in the vast majority of Italian hotels - buffet, breakfast. However, this is not the kind of buffet that can be seen in a hotel in Egypt or Turkey. This is a leaner and slightly different set of certain products day by day. Enjoy Italian cuisine is fully possible only in cafes and restaurants.

Most reviews about holidays in Italy with the whole family are positive.Parents celebrate the wealth of nature, well-groomed Italian cities and towns, good roads and exciting excursions. Many people point out that this direction is a great opportunity to plan your vacation on your own, without contacting travel agencies and intermediaries.

Among the negative reviews, those who warn other tourists about the pocket theft in the centers of Italian cities deserve special attention. Also, moms and dads complain of strong dampness and coolness at night, due to which the children began to get sick. The tradition of Italian hoteliers to levy a special tourist tax, as well as the high cost of excursions and tickets to amusement parks, is also criticized.

For more on holiday in Italy, see the video below.