The Best Family-Friendly Hotels in Tuscany

Arriving in Tuscany can feel like walking into a watercolor—the sun-dappled hills are so dense with hue, and the medieval architecture so in harmony with the natural surroundings. Add to this the fact that it harbors one of the world's most celebrated wine regions, as well as 43 Michelin-starred restaurants (the third-most in Italy in 2024), and it's not surprising it's considered a sensory playground for adults. Thankfully, it's also home to increasingly cutting-edge hotel kids clubs and a hugely family-centric culture in general, so the prestigious location can be enjoyed with babies, children, teens, and their less refined palates in tow, too.
From family campsites (such as hu Norcenni Girasole village), to smart villas (including the newly renovated Villa Il Santo), and even private islands (perhaps Forte San Giorgio and its 11 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms?)—there are plenty of accommodation options to choose from, however big your brood. Plus, tour companies such as Black Tomato are on hand to come up with multiple places and a broader Tuscan adventure. But for canny parents who like to make the most of room service, fully-staffed kitchens, and increasingly creative (free) childcare to maximize everyone's eating and exploring time while travelling as a pack, here's our pick of the best hotels in Tuscany for families.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Condé Nast Traveler

6 hours ago

• Condé Nast Traveler

The Best Family-Friendly Hotels in Tuscany

Arriving in Tuscany can feel like walking into a watercolor—the sun-dappled hills are so dense with hue, and the medieval architecture so in harmony with the natural surroundings. Add to this the fact that it harbors one of the world's most celebrated wine regions, as well as 43 Michelin-starred restaurants (the third-most in Italy in 2024), and it's not surprising it's considered a sensory playground for adults. Thankfully, it's also home to increasingly cutting-edge hotel kids clubs and a hugely family-centric culture in general, so the prestigious location can be enjoyed with babies, children, teens, and their less refined palates in tow, too. From family campsites (such as hu Norcenni Girasole village), to smart villas (including the newly renovated Villa Il Santo), and even private islands (perhaps Forte San Giorgio and its 11 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms?)—there are plenty of accommodation options to choose from, however big your brood. Plus, tour companies such as Black Tomato are on hand to come up with multiple places and a broader Tuscan adventure. But for canny parents who like to make the most of room service, fully-staffed kitchens, and increasingly creative (free) childcare to maximize everyone's eating and exploring time while travelling as a pack, here's our pick of the best hotels in Tuscany for families.

Associated Press

12 hours ago

• Associated Press

Surging travel in Europe spikes concerns over tourism's drawbacks

MADRID (AP) — Suitcases rattle against cobblestones. Selfie-snappers jostle for the same shot. Ice cream shops are everywhere. Europe has been called the world's museum, but its record numbers of visitors have also made it ground zero for concerns about overtourism. Last year, 747 million international travelers visited the continent, far outnumbering any other region in the world, according to the U.N.'s World Tourism Barometer. Southern and Western Europe welcomed more than 70% of them. As the growing tide of travelers strains housing, water and the most Instagrammable hotspots in the region, protests and measures to lessen the effects of overtourism have proliferated. Here's a look at the issue in some of Europe's most visited destinations. What's causing overtourism Among factors driving the record numbers are cheap flights, social media, the ease of travel planning using artificial intelligence and what U.N. tourism officials call a strong economic outlook for many rich countries that send tourists despite some geopolitical and economic tensions. Citizens of countries like the U.S., Japan, China and the U.K. generate the most international trips, especially to popular destinations, such as Barcelona in Spain and Venice in Italy. They swarm these places seasonally, creating uneven demand for housing and resources such as water. Despite popular backlash against the crowds, some tourism officials believe they can be managed with the right infrastructure in place. Italy's Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè said she thinks tourism flows at crowded sites such Florence's Uffizi Galleries that house some of the world's most famous artworks could be better managed with AI, with tourists able to buy their tickets when they book their travel, even months in advance, to prevent surges. She pushed back against the idea that Italy — which like all of its Southern European neighbors, welcomed more international visitors in 2024 than its entire population — has a problem with too many tourists, adding that most visits are within just 4% of the country's territory. 'It's a phenomenon that can absolutely be managed,' Santanchè told The Associated Press in an interview in her office on Friday. 'Tourism must be an opportunity, not a threat — even for local communities. That's why we are focusing on organizing flows.' Where overtourism is most intenseCountries on the Mediterranean are at the forefront. Olympics-host France, the biggest international destination, last year received 100 million international visitors, while second-place Spain received almost 94 million — nearly double its own population. Protests have erupted across Spain over the past two years. In Barcelona, the water gun has become a symbol of the city's anti-tourism movement after marching protests have spritzed unsuspecting tourists while carrying signs saying: 'One more tourist, one less resident!' The pressure on infrastructure has been particularly acute on Spain's Canary and Balearic Islands, which have a combined population of less than 5 million people. Each archipelago saw upwards of 15 million visitors last year. Elsewhere in Europe, tourism overcrowding has vexed Italy's most popular sites including Venice, Rome, Capri and Verona, where Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' was set. On the popular Amalfi Coast, ride-hailing app Uber offers private helicopter and boat rides in the summer to beat the crowds. Greece, which saw nearly four times as many tourists as its own population last year, has struggled with the strain on water, housing and energy in the summer months, especially on popular islands such as Santorini, Mykonos and others. The impact of overtourism In Spain, anti-tourism activists, academics, and the government say that overtourism is driving up housing costs in city centers and other popular locations due to the proliferation of short-term rentals that cater to visitors. Others bemoan changes to the very character of city neighborhoods that drew tourists in the first place. In Barcelona and elsewhere, activists and academics have said that neighborhoods popular with tourists have seen local shops replaced with souvenir vendors, international chains and trendy eateries. On some of Greece's most-visited islands, tourism has overlapped with water scarcity as drought grips the Mediterranean country of 10.4 million. In France, the Louvre, the world's most-visited museum, shut down this week when its staff went on strike warning that the facility was crumbling beneath the weight of overtourism, stranding thousands of ticketed visitors lined up under the baking sun. Angelos Varvarousis, a Barcelona- and Athens-based academic and urban planner who studies the industry, said overtourism risks imposing a 'monoculture' on many of Europe's hotspots. 'It is combined with the gradual loss and displacement of other social and economic activities,' Varvarousis said. What authorities are doing to cope Spain's government wants to tackle what officials call the country's biggest governance challenge: its housing crunch. Last month, Spain's government ordered Airbnb to take down almost 66,000 properties it said had violated local rules — while Barcelona announced a plan last year to phase out all of the 10,000 apartments licensed in the city as short-term rentals by 2028. Officials said the measure was to safeguard the housing supply for full-time residents. Elsewhere, authorities have tried to regulate tourist flows by cracking down on overnight stays or imposing fees for those visiting via cruises. In Greece, starting July 1, a cruise tax will be levied on island visitors at 20 euros ($23) for popular destinations like Mykonos and 5 euros ($5.70) for less-visited islands like Samos. The government has also encouraged visitors to seek quieter locations. To alleviate water problems, water tankers from mainland Greece have helped parched islands, and the islands have also used desalination technology, which separates salts from ocean water to make it drinkable, to boost their drinking water. Other measures have included staggered visiting hours at the Acropolis. Meanwhile, Venice brought back an entry fee this year that was piloted last year on day-trippers who will have to pay between 5 and 10 euros (roughly $6 to $12) to enter the city during the peak season. ___ AP journalists Laurie Kellman in London, Derek Gatopoulos in Athens and David Biller in Rome contributed.

Yahoo

a day ago

• Yahoo

I spent $20,000 to take my kids to a resort in Bora Bora. People thought I was wasting money, but I'd do it again.

I spent $20,000 to take my two young adult kids to a resort in Bora Bora for a family wedding. My kids were old enough to appreciate the culture, beauty, and privilege of the experience. I believe in investing in experiences while we're healthy and able to enjoy them together. When I told people I was spending $20,000 to take my two kids to Bora Bora, the reactions ranged from wide-eyed surprise to outright judgment. "You're taking them to a five-star resort?" someone asked. "Don't you have college to pay for in the Fall?" said another. The answer to both was, "Yes." My kids, however, weren't "little kids." At 18 and 21, they're young adults, and this trip was about much more than a luxury vacation. It was for a wedding of dear family friends, a bucket-list trip, and a memory I wanted us to share. Between flights, resort fees, and excursions, my husband and I spent a lot. Yes, it was expensive. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Travel has been a constant in our family. From the time they were infants, I made it a priority to expose my kids to different places and cultures. Now that they're adults, those values have only deepened. I didn't want Bora Bora to be something they only saw on social media or waited decades to experience after hearing our stories. I wanted them to feel what it's like to be somewhere stunning, unfamiliar, and culturally rich — and to do it together. This was more than a once-in-a-lifetime trip for the kids. This was me scratching off an item on my own bucket list. There are things I want to do while I still can. Life happens when you're making plans, and we had the time, means, and opportunity to make this happen. Our youngest is heading off to college in a few months, making my husband and me empty nesters. We can, of course, still travel together as a family, but our dynamics will change now that we aren't under the same roof. Plus, the kids might want to travel with their friends in the future. Our son even commented that this would be our last "real family vacation" now that they are all grown up. I think he meant the last family vacation that Mom and Dad would fully fund. The hope is that one day, the kids can pay for us! Some friends were shocked that we would "waste" this kind of money on a week's vacation in general. Others wondered why we wouldn't just go as a couple, because the kids wouldn't appreciate it. I understood where they were coming from. But I also knew this would be amazing for my kids, who are thoughtful, responsible, and aware of how special this trip would be. We swam in crystal-clear water, snorkeled beside blacktip reef sharks and manta rays, and ate meals with our toes in the sand. On the night of our snorkeling excursion, my 21-year-old turned to me and said, "I get why people say this is paradise. This is an adventure of a lifetime. Thank you for bringing us here." That moment alone was worth it. These weren't kids on vacation; they were young adults engaging with and enjoying the world. We learned cultural wedding customs and traditions, immersed ourselves in the Tahitian language as we conversed with the local staff, and learned about the rich history of French Polynesia and what allows the islands to maintain their natural beauty through the care of the local residents. Sure, we got some great Instagram-worthy shots of beautiful sunsets to document our experience and memories. We also had late-night and early-morning conversations with each other while lounging by the pool or on our deck, which created more memories. To me, these things are never a waste. The time away from daily life is a lifelong education, and the amazing cultural experience was priceless. As parents, we save for college, for weddings, for our future. But we forget the value of right now. I'm in my 50s. My kids are on the cusp of full independence. We're healthy. We're close. I don't want to wait for the "perfect time" to make more memories. This trip was a financial stretch, but it was also a gift for all of us. The older I get, the more I realize that the best investments aren't always in things. Sometimes they're in memories and experiences that change you forever. Read the original article on Business Insider