10 Things to Do in Florence for Children

With so many museums, churches and historical sites you might think that Florence is a boring city to visit with children. Quite the opposite is true. The Florentine capital has plenty to see and do even with the little ones.

The city's many museums adapt their visits to make them more enjoyable for the little ones. Monuments and tourist sites have special rates and Florence is even the setting for one of the most popular video games among children... and not so children. Check out the top 10 things to do in Florence with kids below.

There are more than 70 museums in Florence and all of them are suitable for children. Don't miss them thinking that they'll get bored, because that would be a mistake. These are the ones that the little ones might like the most:

• Leonardo Da Vinci Museum: it houses many pieces, such as models of Da Vinci's inventions, with which children can interact and enjoy.
• Galileo Museum: like the Da Vinci Museum, it contains many interesting creations that children will enjoy.
• Natural History Museum: has a large collection of dinosaurs.
• The Uffizi Gallery: offers guided tours designed for children that transform the visit into a kind of treasure hunt.
• Palazzo Vecchio: contains the Children's Museum, which offers dramatised tours, laboratories and experiments that the little ones are sure to enjoy.

As you can see, there's no reason not to visit the city's best museums with children, and what's more, they all have special rates for them.

Few things are more popular with kids than a meal of pizza and gelato. And being in the heart of Italy, children can enjoy the best ice cream, pizza and pasta dishes. There are pizzerias and gelato parlours all over Florence, but my recommendation is to encourage them to make their own.

To do this, you can book a pizza and gelato cooking class, where Italian chefs will teach them how to make pizzas and even homemade gelato.

Getting around the historic centre of Florence on foot can be tedious for children. One way to turn a stroll through the streets into something different and fun is to take a bike tour. The whole city centre is pedestrianised so there is no danger of cars for children.

Another original way to explore Florence that your children will love is to take one of the electric golf cart tours. The driver will take you around the nooks and crannies of the city and with the audio guide that these tours usually include, you won't miss any of the monuments and buildings you'll visit along the way.

Visiting Florence's Duomo cathedral is a must-do if you're in the city. While seeing a cathedral doesn't sound particularly fun for kids, it can be if you get tickets to climb Brunelleschi's dome It's a different experience that can give the little ones a great time climbing up the narrow corridors and stairs of the dome.

The climb is a bit overwhelming for adults because of the narrowness at some points, while for them it is much more comfortable. It is always fun to see the adults "suffer".

The Florence Cathedral, like many tourist attractions, offers special rates for children. In this case the entrance to the Duomo for children from 7 to 14 years old has a reduced rate.

Another must-see in Florence is the Pitti Palace. Luckily for the little ones, the gardens of this palace are an ideal place to play. Known as the Boboli Gardens, the hedges and trees are arranged in a maze-like pattern where children can play 'lost and found' while the adults accompanying them enjoy a pleasant stroll through the palace gardens.

The entrance to the palace and gardens is discounted for children and on the first Sunday of every month the visit to the gardens is free of charge.

Piazza della Repubblica is one of the main squares in Florence and one of the most beautiful. While the adults enjoy the artistic part of the square, the children can have a great time on the merry-go-round installed in the square. It is open all year round and a ride costs only 1 euro.

In the same square there is also the Porcellino statue, a fountain with a figure of a wild boar on which a curious tradition has been created. It consists of putting your hand with a coin in the animal's snout and letting it fall. If the coin falls into the grids of the fountain it means that the Porcellino has brought you luck and you will be able to return to Florence. This "game" always pleases the little ones.

The famous Ponte Vecchio, besides being a must-see in Florence, is a place full of stimuli for children. On the bridge there are all kinds of shops, food outlets and street performances to keep them entertained, as well as a "secret" tunnel at the top of the bridge.

But the main attraction for the little ones is the puppet show that takes place almost every day and at various times on the Ponte Vecchio itself. There are several companies in Florence that do the show for free, although they do accept tips.

If you visit Florence in summer you will probably miss a swim at the beach. Well, surprisingly, this is something that can be solved, as Florence has a beach. Of course, it is not a normal beach, but an artificial one on the banks of the Arno River.

It is a very well conditioned space with umbrellas, deck chairs and a beach bar perfect for having a drink while the little ones play in the sand. It is a good option for the hottest days of the Florentine summer.

If your children are over 10 years old and they like to play video games, it is very likely that they have played Assassins Creed. This video game is set in Renaissance Florencewhere the main character walks through settings that you will visit such as the Piazza del Duomo, the bell tower of the cathedral or the Battistero di San Giovanni.

If they have played it they will surely enjoy visiting the settings of this popular video game. In fact, there are specific tours that cover the main points of Florence with the story of Assassins Creed as a common thread. Video games and tourism can go hand in hand and this is an activity that children will surely enjoy...and adults too.

If we have a day to spare in Florence we have the opportunity to make up for a trip full of museums and monuments by taking an excursion outside the city. In that case the best option is to visit the Pinocchio Park.

This theme park is based on the famous Pinocchio novel by Carlo Lorenzini and features various scenes from the story with rides and interactive activities designed for children's enjoyment.

The park is located in Collodi, about 80 kilometres from Florence. It is easy to reach by car in about 1 hour and there are also buses that go directly to Collodi. It is a highly recommended activity for children to enjoy in the midst of all the sightseeing in Florence and Tuscany.

Travelling with children requires a certain amount of patience and planning, but if you take into account a series of points and recommendations there is nothing you can't do in Florence. Here are some tips to keep in mind if you are travelling to the Florentine city with children:

• Book your entrance tickets to museums and monuments in advance: if you don't do so, it is quite likely that you will find yourself in long queues and we all know that children and queues don't get along well.
• Get special discounts for children: there are special discountsfor children at all tourist attractions. Many of them also offer specific guided tours for children. Find out about these tours before visiting a museum or monument.
• Don't worry if you're travelling with a pram: Florence is quite accessible in this sense and places like the cathedral allow you to enter with a stroller and if not there is usually a locker where you can leave it to make your visit without any problems.
• Find out about family tours: these are guided tours of the main sights of Florence designed especially for families with children. The advantage of these tours is that the guides adapt the visit to the little ones with treasure hunts and interactive activities.
• If you are travelling in summer... pay special attention to children's hydration as summer temperatures in Florence are quite high.
• If you are travelling by car with children... be aware that the city centre is pedestrianised and not accessible by car. Doing so can lead to hefty fines and parking near the centre is expensive. If you are travelling by car, look for centrally located accommodation to save you and your children from long car rides.