Piedmont with kids: all you need to know to plan a great family trip in Piemonte, one of the most underrated destinations in Italy

Piedmont with kids: all you need to know to plan a family trip. Best places to visit with kids, Piedmont family attractions and practical tips for visiting Piemonte with kids (plus while we love it!

Piemonte, Italy’s Piedmont, is a beautiful, fascinating and fun region in Italy to visit with kids.

However, it is also one of the most overlooked, and not just by foreigners!

All it takes is to have a quick look on the web for ‘things to do in Piedmont with kids’ to see that the resources out there are somewhat limited in pretty much any language.

However, this doesn’t mean the region had little to offer to families with children!

Despite being outside the main tourism fluxes, Piedmont has fabulous family attractions, ranging from kid-friendly cites to charming small villages, farms for animal encounters and adventure parks.

It is also a great area to visit castles, enjoy vineyards, have water fun on stunning lakes and even ski!

Piedmont has been on my personal family travel list for ages and I am excited to now share with you all the fantastic family attractions we have found in this stunning, fascinating and truly off-the-beaten-track Italian destination!

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Why visit Piedmont kids

There are so many reasons to plan a family vacation in Piedmont with children!

Some of the best ones are:

• Lake Maggiore, one of the most beautiful lakes in Italy, is perfect for summer fun on the water

• Piedmont has fun adventure parks and outdoor attractions for kids, perfect for an active vacation

• Turin has some great museums for kids, including the incredible Egyptian Museum, one of the best in Italy

• Piedmont is a wonderful wine region with plenty of family-friendly accommodations in beautiful countryside.

• Piedmont is truffle heaven and is a great place to go truffle hunting with kids

• Piedmont has stunning castles

• Piedmont is off the main tourist circuits so while it has a lot to offer, it has a more local feel and often lower prices than many other areas in Italy

Why not visit Piedmont with kids

• Piedmont is best visited by car.

While you can visit Turin and select other towns by train, exploring the region by public transport is not ideal and you may find your options to be limited.

• Piedmont is off the beaten track by international tourism standards and, to ane extent, also by local ones.

I count being off the beaten path as a plus. However, this also comes with downsides, mostly the fact that there are fewer info and activities available in English than you may find in, for instance, famous Tuscany.

Definitely not a deal breaker, but something to be aware of when looking at this region, especially if planning on staying away from Lake Maggiore, the area of Piedmont that sees the highest number of foreign families.

The best places to visit in Piedmont with kids

Turin – Torino

Turin / Torino is Piedmont’s main city and a wonderful place to visit with kids.

Beautiful, safe and well-organized, Torino was Italy’s first capital and the Savoia family’s home city, and still retains the unmissable elegance and grandeur of a Kingdom’s capital.

Torino has a lot to offer to children as well as grown-ups.

Among the many things to do in the city, not to be missed are:

• Parco del Valentino, a fantastic park in the city center, with space to run, a playground and something special: an open-air museum to see how life was in the middle ages in this area of Italy (borgo medievale)

• The many child-friendly museums of Turin, including the incredible Egyptian Museum, the fun cinema Museum (in Torino’s main landmarks: Molte Antonelliana), the armory of the Royal Palace, the car museum and the Lavazza museum, dedicated to coffee

• Turin’s Planetarium, great for space lovers of all ages

• Zoom Animal Kingdom (seasonal), a wonderful animal park immediately outside of the city, for exciting animal encounters in a park with no cages.

As well as all this, Turin has plenty for grown-ups too, including an elegant city center, delicious food and drinks: did you know apertitivo was born here? A great excuse for an Aperol spritz!

To stay, we like Starhotel Majestic, ideally located in the city center and offering nice family rooms, excellent for a long weekend in the city.

Find here >>> our family guide to visiting Turin with kids

Lake Maggiore

Probably the very best place to visit in Piedmont with kids is Lake Maggiore.

Located in the northern part of the region, Lake Maggiore is a stunning, large lake, overlooked by beautiful mountains and dotted by fabulous villages and upscale homes, often chosen by celebrities as a quiet refuge in a quintessential Italian setting.

Lake Maggiore has tons to offer to kids.

In summer, kids can have fun on the water, playing and swimming on the many beaches, enjoy boating or get active in popular Aquadeventure Park in Boveno, a water park with pool area, climbing frames, treetop trails and ziplining.

Thrill seekers can also have their adrenalin fix on the Alpine coaster Alypiland, a fun and scenic mono rail ride 1.2 km long!

In summer and winter, the whole family can also enjoy Mottarone mountain, where you find hiking trails (summer) and ski slopes (winter)

If you are not afraid of heights, Lake Maggiore is also where you can catch the scenic Funivia di Laveno, which leads you to the top of Colle del Ferro, from where you catch incredible views of the lake region.

The beautiful towns, Stresa, Pallanza and Verbania are all great options to stay and explore for that quintessential mellow Italian vacation feel.

Verbania also has a fun indoor playpark for small kids called SpaceVerbania.

There are plenty of excellent accommodation options on Lake Maggiore for Families, including:

Golfo Gabella Lake Resort – family-friendly resort offering apartments for up to 6 people, lake views and swimming pool (seasonal)

Casa Lari – family-friendly apartments in beautiful Stresa, with a pretty garden, waking distance from restaurants and facilities

Hotel Villa Porta, Luino – baby-friendly and kid-friendly on Lake Maggiore, with nice family rooms and stunning views over the lake

Camping Village Lago Maggiore, Dormelletto – lovely, family-friendly camping village with pool, restaurant on site, and private beach, close to the small and family-friendly town of Arona

Continental Camping Village Fondotoce – a great family-friendly campsite with a kid-friendly outdoor pool

Lake Orta

Lake Orta is another lovely lake in Piedmont, smaller and quieter than Lake Maggiore, yet still pleasant for families and close to kid- friendly attractions.

Orta San Giulio is the most famous sport here (easy to see why, it is really pretty!), but Pella is also cute for families as it is quiet, walkable, has a lovely lakeside promenade, playground, gelato spot, restaurants and all you need for a relaxing vacation.

Lake Orta is just West of Lake Maggiore and is therefore still very well located to reach Alpyland, Lake Maggiore itself, the Piedmont wine region and even Lugano in Switzerland.

Langhe and Monferrato

Langhe and Monferrato are two contiguous areas in the southern part of Piedmont famous for being one of the best wine regions in Italy.

Blessed with wonderful rolling hills and pretty villages, these are the areas of Barolo, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera and wine lovers will be happy to hear there are several wine experiences in the area you can take with kids in tow!

Two you may enjoy are a visit to the child-friendly winery Josetta Saffirio or a visit to the fantastic Barolo Wine Museum, which has educational materials and trails just for kids!

The area is also ideal for a rural experience in one of the many child-friendly agriturismo in this area.

Have a look at Cascina Gabutti (Alba), Le Colline Di Giuca, great educational farms for a day in touch with animals and nature (please enquire about activities in English before booking) and Monteruello Wine Estate.

There are plenty of accommodation options in Langhe and Monferrato to choose from.

Unique and unusual family stays in Piedmont Langhe and Monferrato include:

Hotel Castello di Santa Vittoria – fantastic property with family suites, a seasonal pool, a restaurant and the special atmosphere of a castle!

Villaggio Narrante – in the fabulous Fontanafredda estate, several accommodation options in the beautiful setting of Piedmon hills and vineyards. Several setups, some good for families with children

Giardino dei Semplici, where you can spend a night in a treehouse!

More reasons to visit Piemonte with kids!

Piedmont castles

Piedmont is a land of stunning, imposing castles, ranging from medieval fortresses to elegant palaces.

Among the best ones to visit, there are:

Reggia di Venaria, a stunning and elegant palace with extensive gardens, interactive digital guides for kids you can collect upon arrival

Castello di Govone, a kids’ favorite especially at Christmas, when it turns itself into a magical Christmas wonderland

Castello di Grinzane Cavour, which is beautiful and also hosts an interesting wine cellar

Castello Falletti, now also home to the child-friendly Wi-Mu, the wine museum of Barolo

Water parks and Adventure parks in Piedmont

Piedmont has some fun adventure parks for kids. Some you and your children may enjoy are:

• Mottarone recreational area

The recreational area of Mottarone, is a vast and scenic area on top of the Mottarone mountain, offering lots of family fun and great views over the lake region.

On Mottarone, you can find skiing in winter, hiking and biking trails for summer, you can get a ride on the fun Alpyland Alpine coaster and have a treetop adventure in Mottarone adventure park.

The adventure part of the park is equipped with a baby are and net experience for kids age 3 and up and three treetop trails for kids age 6 and up.

Mottarone is one of the best, most beautiful, and scenic parks in Piemonte for outdoor families.

You can find info and all it has to offer on their official website

• Parco avventura Veglio

Velgio Adventure park is a seasonal park with tree top trails and ziplining for kids and grown-ups in the province of Biella.

Open from April to October on selected days and (almost) every day in the month of August, the park has a ‘mini area’ (area bimbi) for kids age 3 and up, four trails for kids age 4 and up, two trails for kids age 10 and up and one more challenging treetop trail for teens age 15 and up and up for a challenge!

The park has picnic areas. Find the calendar and costs here

• Ondaland water park

Ondaland is the largest water park in Piedmont and a great place to spend a day with kids during the hot summer months.

The park has several pool areas with slides for all ages, a shallow pool area for little ones, a playground, lazy river, rest areas and the type of food offering you expect (burger and grill shack / pinsa and sandwich kiosk / cafeteria etc).

Find info and prices here

• Aquadventure water park Lake Maggiore (Baveno)

Aquadventure park is located right on the coast of Lake Maggiore and is a fun water parks for kids and sports lovers.

The park is organized in several areas offering treetop/ ziplining adventure, paintball area, archery, biking, and birds of prey center.

The water area of the park offers pools for playing and swimming, one of which is equipped with slides (the slides however are only for kids 10 and up)

You can find info and prices here.

Lavender fields

Another great thing to do in Piedmont with kids is enjoy the stunning lavender fields in this region!

Lavender grows in Piedmont in summer and the fields are lovely for children with their vibrant colors and relaxing fragrance.

For the best experiences and photos, you want to go to Sale San Giovanni (Cuneo) or drive the panoramic stretch between Cuccaro Monferrato and Lu.

Known as the Provence of Italy, this area has awesome lavender fields that make it one of the best places in Italy to see flower fields.

Here you also find a ‘Big Bench‘, fun for kids to see!

Ski resorts

If you plan to visit Piedmont with kids in winter, you may want to make the most of the beautiful ski reports in this area.

Piedmont, as the name suggests, is at the foothills of the Alps and it is blessed with wonderful family-friendly ski resorts.

Family-friendly skiing in Piedmon is in:

Sestriere, a popular ski area not far from Turin.

Sestriere is the first purpose-built ski resort in Italy, founded by Giovanni Agnelli (founder of Fiat) in 1930.

The resort has ski slopes for expert skiers but also areas for kids learning to ski, including mini slopes, baby fun park with inflatables and eve the option to go dog sledding.

Bardonecchia is another family friendly ski area in Piedmont, great also for beginner skiers. Here, you find here slopes for all levels, including baby fun park and snow tubing for slightly older kids.

Prato Nevoso is a popular area for weekends on the snow.

Here, you find slopes for expert skiers as well as baby and beginner friendly areas, with inflatables, baby sleds, classes and kids entertainment.

Prato Nevoso is one of the most family-friendly snow parks in Italy.

Some great mountain hotels for families in Piedmont are:

Savoia Mountain Resort Bardonecchia right on the slopes, offering family rooms, pools, Jacuzzi and easy access to mountain activities

Miramonti Hotel Gourmet and spa, close to the ski lift, offering family rooms, onsite restaurants and kids’ playground, also lovely for a summer stay

I hope you enjoyed this overview of the things to do in Italian Piedmont with kids and it inspired you to visit. Safe travels!

Piemonte with kids / Italy’s Piedmont region with kids – pin this!

Photos in this article are from Deposit Photos, purchased with license.