Holidays with children in Sicily

Sicily is an Italian island with the active volcano Etna and a number of beautiful beaches. Holidays with children in Sicily is the best solution.

Pros and cons

The indisputable advantages are:

Sea, sun and clean beaches;
Italians are very hospitable and love children, so when staying with kids you will feel comfortable: there are playgrounds, a special menu, and chairs for very young travelers;
Lovers of architecture will find pleasant walks among the old streets;
The island has several water parks equipped for children of all ages. For example, Monreale Palermo, Castellana or Aqua Verde;
The beautiful nature of the island will be remembered by your family for a long time.

Among the large number of advantages, there are also disadvantages: it is getting a visa and transfer. Let's dwell on this topic in detail.

To travel around the island, citizens of the Russian Federation need a Schengen visa, which is issued from 4 to 7 days.

Please note that you will not be issued a visa without a tour or a voucher with confirmation of residence!

The most serious disadvantage is the transfer.

You will have to get by plane with transfers. The island has two international airports "Vincenzo Bellini" and "Falcone and Barcelino", there are regular flights from Rome and Milan.

In summer, there are charter flights from Moscow, the flight is about 8 hours.

Take care of tickets for charter flights in advance, as travel agencies quickly redeem them for package tours.

There is an option to get there by train. From the mainland, the train is transported by ferry, disbanding the train. Upon arrival on the island, the composition is formed again, and he continues his journey through Sicily.

Best season

The best season for families with children is spring and early summer (June), as well as autumn (September-October), when the weather is pleasing, the sun's rays warm up and the air temperature does not rise above +28 in the daytime.

The water temperature in the spring months rises to +23. In autumn, the water warms up to +26.

July and August are not the best months to travel with a child, the sweltering heat will leave a bad impression.

Suitable resorts

The resort towns of Letojanni and Giardini Naxos are suitable for families with children. One of the important advantages of these resorts is their close proximity to Taormina, the center of entertainment. In addition, they are easier to reach from the mainland. They should be called the best places for families with children because they have several clean and beautiful beaches, including urban ones, and most of the island's attractions are close by. For example, Etna volcano or Alcantara gorge.

The best sandy beaches

You will love all the beaches of the Italian island: there are sandy, pebble, lava and rocky.

Most of the sandy beaches are located in the south, also in the southeastern part of the continent. Almost all of them are free, you can take an umbrella and sunbed for a nominal fee.

The best sandy beaches are located between Fontana Bianca and Marinello di Selununte.

San Vito Lo Capo with its white sand and smooth descent into the water is considered to be suitable for little fidgets, the bottom is not deep here. It is ideal for families and is located near Palermo. Also recommended for family holidays is Santa Maria del Focallo beach with fine sand. It can be easily reached from Pazzalo.

Pebble beaches with clear water near the coast are also popular with tourists, but they have a drawback: the bathing season is short due to the fact that the pebbles take a long time to heat up and cool down quickly.

Hotels with kids clubs

The island has a large number of upscale hotels. And yet, when traveling with children, please note that not all of them have animation, water attractions and children's clubs.

Club Med Kamarina Hotellocated next to Syracuse and Modica, offers entertainment in the kids' club, which offers a variety of activities according to the age of the child (from 2 to 17). The children's club has playgrounds and a swimming pool.

Arenella Resort 4 *. The hotel is located near Syracuse. Children's club, which has entertainment programs, sports events, cognitive and educational games, children's disco. There are also pools with children's bathing areas.

Naxos Beach 4 *... A great place to relax with children. There is not only a kids club, but also discos for children of different ages. In the evenings, the animators teach various dances with the children.

Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo 5 *... It is in this hotel that you can see celebrities. The hotel area is surrounded by greenery. The kids club is located on the beach. There, your children will have a lot of fun!

Among the three-star hotels, Citta Del Mare stands out, abouttel with animation and water slides for kids.

Tips for choosing a hotel

Here are some tips for choosing a hotel.

Read general information about the city and resort you are interested in.
Check if the transfer is included in the service. Some hotels do not have a tourist delivery service. This is important when choosing a place to stay with children.
After choosing a place, check the availability of sandy beaches and the distance to them.
Decide on a food system that suits your family's budget. For families with children, the all-inclusive system is preferable.
Choosing a hotel, the priority will be for you the adjacent territory, the presence / absence of a children's club, the presence of children's pools or pools with a children's area.
Be sure to read the reviews of tourists, look at the photos and only then make a final decision.

Entertainment

Sicily is an amazing island with beautiful nature and entertainment. Young tourists will love it.

Etnaland is the largest amusement park in Europe, located in Sicily. Here you will find water slides, a laser show and a dinosaur park.
Butterfly House located in the old town of Modica will not leave indifferent either an adult or a child.
A visit to a chocolate factory in the same old town of Modica will be a real magic for young sweets lovers. Here they can see the process of making chocolate, take part in it, and then enjoy the taste of an Italian delicacy.
In addition to water parks, you can visit cheese dairies or go out to sea on a yacht.

Any of the resorts has a good selection of entertainment: attractions for children, water parks and numerous excursions that will remain in the memory of your children for a long time.

You can spend a wonderful vacation not only in a hotel, but also in private apartments. It is easy to rent them on the island if you act through an intermediary company.

We rent private housing

If you want to rent a house, you must:

Determine the place of the desired rest;
Book an apartment (it is better to do this 6 months before the arrival date);
Receive a voucher by email, which will become your confirmation for obtaining an Italian visa;
Buy a plane ticket (the choice of flight depends on the time of year and your wishes).

If you decide to rent a house without intermediaries, then you must:

Explore international sites on your own;
Clarify all available information about the accommodation and the owner. To do this, find compatriots living nearby and ask for help;
Clarify the range of additional services;
Require an official lease agreement from the owner, which will spell out the terms of lease and payment.

The most important thing when choosing a home without intermediaries is the cost... It should be 10-15% lower, but no more. Very cheap housing may mean that you will be charged extra for electricity, gas, water and / or bed linen.

Important nuances

Traveling to the sea is exciting, exciting and healthy. But any parent must be prepared for the child's body to adapt to the new climate. Therefore, when planning a vacation, be prepared for symptoms such as: headache or dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite and lethargy. It will take 2-3 days to acclimatize. It can be tangible, or it can pass unnoticed.

The food on the island is varied and delicious, the kids will love it. Lovers of kefir, cottage cheese and sour cream will be disappointed: there are no these products in Italy, but they can be easily replaced with Ricotta cheese by adding fresh fruit to it. You can try plain yogurt, it resembles sour cream. There are many supermarkets on the island, local shops where you can easily buy fresh food.

Reviews

Most of the tourists mark the island as a great place for families with children, with a rich selection of fruits and seafood. Some tourists complain about the lack of kids clubs and / or animation in hotels. But remember that the island has many attractions and activities for both children and adults.

We wish you a pleasant stay!