Florence & Tuscany with Kids

***DEAR READER, THIS BOOK WAS PUBLISHED IN 2013. WE HAVE SINCE RELEASED A SECOND AND UPDATED EDITION (2015). IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN OUR UPDATED EDITION, PLEASE SEARCH AMAZON FOR: "FLORENCE AND TUSCANY WITH KIDS 2015"*** "Florence & Tuscany with Kids" is not your typical run-of-the-mill travel guide. Rather, it is an indispensable, hugely useful resource for any family travelling to Florence and Tuscany By far the most comprehensive guide available, "Florence & Tuscany with Kids" offers: * Fun and detailed step-by-step itineraries (easy to follow!) * Unique detective missions and kids' corners, filled with fun facts and hilarious stories *The top 5 Activities for Families in all the important Tuscan cities (Florence, Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano and more!) * Lists of the best family events and activities in Tuscany, such as: water parks, adventure parks, cooking classes to horseback rides, jousting matches and summer carnivals * fascinating details about Italian, art, culture, and history, that will appeal to both children and adults * Insider tips and advice that will save you time and money * Recommendations for great family hotels, B&Bs and restaurants * The best kid-friendly museums and sights

Ariela Bankier, an award-nominated journalist and author, KNOWS Tuscany. After a decade of living in Tuscany, travelling to every corner of this beautiful region and writing extensively about Italian culture, food and art, she decided to use her expertise and write a truly unique travel guide. "I set out to write a guide that would make my readers' lives easier, and their trip as fun and enjoyable as possible", she says. "I feel that if someone buys my guide then it's my responsibility to make sure they get their money's worth", she adds. "That's why I've included things like detailed itineraries, special sections about Italian art and history, time & money saving tips, activities for kids, missions, games, recommendations etc. I am confident that this guide will help any family build a truly marvelous Tuscan vacation!"

Most helpful customer reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent book--with or without kids
By Renee D'Antoni
This is an excellent book. For one thing the author actually lives in Tuscany, so she has a deep knowledge of the area and is writing from a local perspective. The content is excellent and educational. My family and I have traveled throughout Tuscany, but just flipping through the book, I've learned a lot of things I didn't know. My daughter (12) can't wait to do the "missions", which are designed to teach Italian art and history in a fun and experiential way. I find many travel guidebooks to be dry, dense, and rather difficult to navigate, but this one is well designed and laid out, so it's a pleasure to read. Highly recommend.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Great guidebook
By Linial
This guidebook was a lifesaver on my recent trip to Italy. I'm a seasoned traveler but was traveling with children this time (8 and 10 y/o) and figured a guide would come in handy. The book was not only well written easy to follow, super informative and up-to-date but had great advice for traveling with kids-- what attractions will be sure to be a hit, interesting facts to liven up what may have otherwise been "another boring church/castle/piazza" and activities to fill in the down-time.

I especially appreciated that the book did not try to dumb down this information nor did it treat children as an afterthought or as little tyrants that need only be pacified with gelato at every turn, and in fact many sections in the book are written for the kids themselves (kids' corners). The kids I was traveling with basically grabbed the book from us adults and read it cover-to-cover (well, the kids corners and activities).

In addition to its usefulness in traveling with children the book is also simply an excellent guide, with in-depth information, great itineraries, tips etc. the itineraries were useful, and more importantly, not so rigid that I felt I had to follow them word-for-word. The book covers each site or attraction individually and explains how to get from one to the other. The sections on history, art and Italian food and life were fun, easy to read and enlightening.

Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Great guide
By Shai Miriam Levi
We travelled to Tuscany using two guides, and this one was definetly better. It offered features and ideas we couldn't find anywhere else, it was very easy to use, very friendly, and filled with interesting facts (the kids missions and corners were especially good). We really liked the fact that instead of making general suggestions, such as "rent a bike and ride it along the ramparts in Lucca", this guide actually listed places where we could rent a bike, and then listed other activities for families in the area, always providing a number of options. You really got the sense that this guide was written by a local, who knows what she's talking about. The only thing we would recommend is packing a road map too, or a GPS, because the regional maps aren't enough if you plan on navigating the countryside.

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Florence and Tuscany with Kids: Florence and Tuscany Travel Guide

The #1 Travel Guide for Families Visiting Florence and Tuscany! Florence & Tuscany with Kids (second edition-2015) is not your typical run-of-the-mill travel guide. Rather, it is an indispensable and hugely useful resource for any family travelling to beautiful Tuscany. Here you will find: Detailed family-friendly itineraries, covering the entire region * The top 5 activities for Families in all the important cities (Florence, Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano, Lucca and more!) * Lists of the best events and activities in Tuscany, such as: water parks, adventure parks, cooking classes, horseback rides, jousting matches and medieval carnivals * Unique detective missions and kids' corners, filled with interesting facts and stories * Fascinating details about Italian art, culture, and history * Insider tips and top advice, from a local, that will save you time and money during your travels * Recommendations for excellent family hotels, B&Bs and restaurants * The best kid-friendly museums and sights. Here's what a few of our readers had to say about Florence & Tuscany with Kids: "This book is a must-have if you are taking your kids to the Tuscany region! It was invaluable and made our trip a great experience. We traveled with a 3 & 5 year old and the tips and activities inside were great. The restaurant recommendations proved to be helpful and delicious." Allison Neumann "Better than your normal travel guide. I love the additional information provided.... And now I have a much better understanding of Renaissance art!" W.Mason "Very good guide for Florence and the surrounding areas if you have kids. The major attractions had some kid based projects, these were fun to complete. Also, the facts based for kids were useful in keeping our child focused. We really liked the area/attraction gelato based information." C. Frears "This travel guide is detailed, thorough and full of useful information. As other reviewers have pointed out, its forte isn't an abundance of colorful photos and maps (on the contrary, it is printed in b/w), but the information it provides. The detailed itineraries (especially the Maremma and the Florence itineraries, which we followed) were very interesting and enjoyable. The reviews of Florence's best family friendly attractions and the recommendations for parks and medieval festivities were great. In fact, we found several suggestions and activity ideas here that we did not see in any other guide we consulted (don't skip the family events/ attractions section at the end of each chapter!). All in all, this is a highly recommended resource for families traveling to Tuscany" Roi "Excellent book, tried and tested in Tuscany Aug 2014 with 3 kids aged 10-11. We took a regular guide book too but always found ourselves checkin this one because it had relevant info for famiilies, like: which place sells the best gelato? Good local panini bars, cafes, child friendly restaurants?..." DC

Ariela Bankier is an award-nominated journalist and author. After a decade of living in Tuscany, travelling to every corner of this beautiful region and writing extensively about Italian culture, food and art, she decided to use her expertise to create a truly unique travel guide. "I set out to write a guide that would make my readers' lives easier, and their trips as enjoyable as possible", she says. "I've spent years travelling and testing itineraries, all to make sure that my readers get the best possible information", she adds. "I've also included easy-to-follow recommendations for the best family activities and sights in Florence and Tuscany, as well as dozens of time & money saving tips. Readers will also find several activities for kids, missions, games and other fun little surprises. I am confident that this guide will help any family build a truly marvelous Tuscan vacation!"

Most helpful customer reviews

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
excellent!
By W Mason
Better than your normal travel guide. I love the additional information provided.... And now I have a much better understanding of Renaissance art!

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Invaluable
By A Customer
We spent a week traveling throughout Tuscany with our extended family which included four kids under four. We had several different guidebooks but this was used the most. The tips and recommendations for children were invaluable! The only thing I'd change is to see more maps within the book.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
recommended
By T. C. Huber
great tips for traveling in Tuscany with kids; helpful historical summary of towns too; give great 'treasure hunt' style games for the kids.

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Lonely Planet Florence & Tuscany (Regional Travel Guide)

“Home to some of the world’s most recognizable tourist icons, Tuscany has been enticing visitors with its cooking and culture ever since the Etruscans arrived over two millennia ago.” – Virginia Maxwell, Lonely Planet Writer

Our Promise

You can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about, each and every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage so you can rely on us to tell it like it is.

Inside This Book…

2 expert authors
29 driving tours and itineraries
42 Renaissance masterpieces
4000 years of art and architecture
Eat & Drink Like a Local feature
In-depth background
Pull-out city map
Feature coverage of top sights
Comprehensive planning tools
At-a-glance practical info

After working for many years as a publishing manager at Lonely Planet's Melbourne headquarters, Virginia decided that she'd be happier writing guidebooks rather than commissioning them. Since then she's written or contributed to Lonely Planet books about nine countries, eight of which are on the Mediterranean. Virginia has covered Rome and Florence for Lonely Planet's Italy and the north of the country for Western Europe. She is also the coordinating author of Lonely Planet's Tuscany & Umbria.

Most helpful customer reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Inconvenient
By Harry Cheung
I don't like its viewing system and index
Unlike its paper version, I found it very inconvenient to locate the part I want to read

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Great guide book for Tuscany
By Betsy L. Smulyan
I am just finishing a trip through Tuscany, Florence and the island of Elba. This book had great suggestions and good format, I highly recommend it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Very helpful in finding the best places to stay
By Steve A.
Very helpful in finding the best places to stay. Good solid information. Will know more after our trip. Contains both sightseeing info and general background info on history, food etc

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Lonely Planet Florence & Tuscany (Travel Guide)

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher

Lonely Planet Florence & Tuscany is your passport to all the most relevant and up-to-date advice on what to see, what to skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Come face to face with Italian masters at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa, or hunt for truffles in the Tuscan Hills; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Florence & Tuscany and begin your journey now!

Inside Lonely Planet's Florence & Tuscany Travel Guide:

• Colour maps and images throughout
• Highlights and itineraries show you the simplest way to tailor your trip to your own personal needs and interests
• Insider tips save you time and money, and help you get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots
• Essential info at your fingertips - including hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, and prices
• Honest reviews for all budgets - including eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, and hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
• Cultural insights give you a richer and more rewarding travel experience - including history, art, literature, cinema, music, architecture, politics, landscapes, cuisine, wine, customs and etiquette.
• Free, convenient pull-out Florence map (included in print version), plus over 45 colour maps
• Useful features - including Walking & Driving Tours, Staying in Tuscany and Eat & Drink Like a Local.
• Coverage of Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Pistoia, San Gimignano, Elba, Arezzo, Chianti, San Miniato, Montepulciano, and more

The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Florence & Tuscany,our most comprehensive guide to Florence & Tuscany, is perfect for those planning to both explore the top sights and take the road less travelled.

• Looking for a guide focused on Florence? Check out Lonely Planet's Pocket Florence, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip.
• Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's Italy guide for a comprehensive look at all the country has to offer.
• Looking for just the highlights of Italy? Check out Lonely Planet's Discover Italy, a photo-rich guide to the country's most popular attractions.

Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Virginia Maxwell & Nicola Williams.

About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in.

TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category

'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - The New York Times

'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' -Fairfax Media (Australia)

Most helpful customer reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
good guide, but I found Rick Steves more useful
By Howard Schulman
I just came back from 8 days in Florence. I had both this guide and the Rick Steves guide. Although Lonely Planet guides in general tend to make more interesting reading, especially with regard to understand the history and culture, I found the audioguide and walking guides in Rick Steves extremely helpful. I was somewhat overwhelmed initially by all the sites in Florence and Rick Steves I found most helpful planning each day. Lonely Planet was relegated to secondary resource.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent Reference
By J. Schrempp
We relied on this book for our trip and it did not disappoint. We didn't use if for Florence, just for the area south of there. Good guide to all the hill fortress towns. And what a great place to visit! We did have lunch at The Grotto. Great lunch but "Tuscan steak" was just a huge hunk of beef served so rare it was almost alive; I don't see what's so great about it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Helpful!
By Celtic Italiana
This guide book was rather good when my husband and I travelled around Tuscany during our week away. The guide was easy to use, the descriptions were well written and the pictures gave a true idea of what we wanted to look for.

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