Babies & toddlers

Best areas:Puglia, Sardinia, Lake Como and South Tyrol

Why it works: Italy is surprisingly brilliant for a first family holiday. Flights are relatively short from the UK, Italians genuinely adore children (expect plenty of fuss over your little one), and family mealtimes are wonderfully relaxed. The Italian Alps are also one of Europe’s best-kept family holiday secrets, with luxury hotels offering outstanding childcare, baby clubs, indoor play areas, splash pools and gourmet full board dining packages

Our favourites for babies & toddlers:

AKI Family Resort Plose

Club Med La Rosiere

School-age children

Best areas: Lake Garda, the Dolomites, Tuscany, Sicily

Why it works: Once your children are old enough to want more than a bucket and spade, Italy becomes one giant outdoor playground. Lake Garda is brilliant for families who like to stay busy, with boat trips, cycling, beaches, cable cars and some of Europe’s best theme parks all within easy reach. The Italian Alps swap beach days for mountain adventures, with hiking, alpine coasters, climbing parks, family bike trails and exceptional kids’ clubs at hotels that are genuinely designed around children. Tuscany adds a dose of culture without feeling like a museum marathon, thanks to medieval villages, castles, vineyards and family-friendly agriturismos, while Puglia and Sicily combine warm seas with boat trips, snorkelling, water sports and fascinating ancient ruins

Our favourites for kids:

Villa Pia

Falkensteiner Resort Capo Boi

Feuerstein Nature Family Resort

Tweens & teenagers

Best areas: Rome, Florence, the Amalfi Coast, Sicily and the Dolomites

Why it works: The Dolomites offer mountain biking, zip lines, hiking and skiing in winter, while Rome and Florence bring history to life without feeling like a school trip. Italy’s excellent train network also makes multi-stop holidays surprisingly easy. The Amalfi Coast is undeniably postcard-perfect, but its steep steps, winding roads and buggy-unfriendly villages make it better suited to tweens and teenagers, who’ll love the boat trips, beach clubs, snorkelling and freedom to explore. For adventurous families, the Italian Alps remain one of Europe’s standout destinations, pairing year-round outdoor adventures with some of the continent’s best family hotels

Our favourites for teens:

Falkensteiner Family Resort Lido

Forte Village

Still not sure where would work best for your family? We’ve rounded up our favourite family hotels in Italy, matched by age and stage, here

A flight from the UK to Italy usually takes between 2 and 3 hours, depending on where you’re flying from and which part of the country you’re visiting

Italy is one of the easiest European destinations for families, with direct flights from airports across the UK to gateways including Rome, Milan, Venice, Naples, Bari, Catania and Verona

For beach holidays, June to September is the sweet spot. Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily and the Italian Riviera enjoy long, sunny days, warm seas and brilliant family-friendly beaches. July and August bring the hottest weather (and the biggest crowds), so if you have the flexibility, we’d choose June or September for warm temperatures, quieter beaches and better value

Italy is also one of our favourite family ski destinations. The Dolomites and South Tyrol offer reliable snow from December through to March, with February half term delivering some of the best conditions of the season. Better still, the Italian Alps are home to some of Europe’s finest family hotels, where exceptional kids’ clubs, childcare and wellness facilities make them just as enjoyable off the slopes as on them

For city breaks, spring and autumn are hard to beat. Rome, Florence, Venice and Bologna are far more enjoyable when you’re not sightseeing in 35°C heat

Good news for families: Italy is only one hour ahead of the UK, so the time difference is minimal and usually very easy for little ones to adjust to. Italy runs on Central European Time, meaning mealtimes, naps and bedtimes may shift slightly, but there’s rarely any major disruption to routines (although we can’t promise your toddler won’t decide that 5am Italian sunshine is the ideal time to start the day)