Can anyone suggested a nice beach reosrt in Italy besides Viareggio?

me4bargains

Hi, in August my partner and I are going to a wedding in Tuscany and have decided to spend three more days holidaying near a beach.
The groom recommended Viareggio but all the affordable hotels are fully booked during our specific dates.
We don't mind spending one out of the three nights in Pisa (I heard there's not much there besides the tower), but would like somewhere nearby that has a lovely beach.
Can anyone suggest an alternative that isn't too far from Pisa airport as that's where we'll be departing.
Thanks.

puffinmuffin

The Cinque Terre area is gorgeous, but will probably be very busy in August. You can get there by road although the villages themselves are closed to cars. You can also catch a train from La Spezia.

Diamond_Olly

We stayed on a campsite not too far away - they had hotels in the nearby town. The town was San Vincenzo - has a rail station with direct links to Pisa. Seemed to be a very "Italian" resort - i.e. not too many international tourists. These mainly stayed out at the campsites. Beach was good and sandy. Nice town - plenty of restaurants and cafes.

isplumm

me4bargains wrote: »

Hi, in August my partner and I are going to a wedding in Tuscany and have decided to spend three more days holidaying near a beach.
The groom recommended Viareggio but all the affordable hotels are fully booked during our specific dates.
We don't mind spending one out of the three nights in Pisa (I heard there's not much there besides the tower), but would like somewhere nearby that has a lovely beach.
Can anyone suggest an alternative that isn't too far from Pisa airport as that's where we'll be departing.
Thanks.

Try looking @ http://www.welcometuscany.it/tuscany/tuscany_beaches_coasts/versilia/versilia.htm

or http://www.welcometuscany.it/outside_tuscany/regions/liguria/cinqueterre.htm

Mark

Ponkle22

You can 'do' Pisa in two hours or at the most half a day. But it is lovely. Lots of people riding bikes and very laid back feel. Don't eat near the tower if you want to keep it cheap or don't want the waiter to take all of your change as tip without checking first. ;oP (I asked for it back and he made me wait 10 minutes then slammed it down on the table). Most Italians just round up to the next Euro or so as a tip for info.

Florence is only 1 hour 9 mins (iirc) away on the train from Pisa. I know that is not a beach and you probably already knew that! Another 20-30 mins on from Florence on the train is a little town/village in the beautiful Chianti hills (if you have a car there are great views) called Figline Valdarno with a lovely water campsite - if you want water and sunshine. Its called Norcenni Girasole. Look up the reviews on Trip Advisor and book with Vacan Soleil - They have lovely pitches. Then half hour on from that is a lovely town called Arezzo - great photo opportunities - features in the well known film 'La Vita e Bella/Life is beautiful'.

However none of the above are seaside suggestions so apologies as I'm obviously offering the 'wrong' advice - iyswim.

Ponkle22

Just realised you are looking at August. If its the first two weeks of August you will struggle to find accommodation anywhere touristy. It will still be hard last two weeks. Often in August accommodation will only stick to Saturday to Saturday bookings - most do but obviously not all. Just be aware.

richardw

You can go on the train from Pisa to Viareggio if you want a bit of time on the beach.

isplumm

richardw wrote: »

You can go on the train from Pisa to Viareggio if you want a bit of time on the beach.

Actually I think this is a very good suggestion - stop in Pisa or Lucca & catch the train each day to Viareggio - we stayed @ Viareggio a few years ago ... very nice .... remember that there maybe beach charges - not sure where the public beaches are?

Mark

me4bargains

Thanks for all your suggestions.
We're hiring a car for the whole week as the wedding is taking place in a very secluded area not accessible any other way.
Plus, I'm pregnant so don't fancy relying too much on local public transport.
I'm going to research staying in Lucca for two days (get a train into Viareggio) for one of those, and spend a night in Pisa so I can go and visit the tower.
If anyone had a better suggestion please feel free to make one!!

richardw

Lucca is a great place, you could easily do the leaning tower from there in a day.

isplumm

richardw wrote: »

Lucca is a great place, you could easily do the leaning tower from there in a day.

I would back this up - you only really need a few hours at the leaning tower - suspect if you are 7 months pregnant it will be much easier to stay 3 nights in one place, than moving around.

Mark