Gloriously sunny, with rolling green hills and really picturesque medieval hilltop villages, and an extremely family friendly cuisine, Umbria is like a more affordable, quieter Tuscany, making it ideal for a family holiday. There’s still the medieval architecture, Renaissance masterpieces and incredible churches and monasteries, but without the queues. And there’s still the gelato, and the breads, cakes, crackers and pasta, and the cheeses, the wine… for the parents, not the kids. So consider our recommendations for 10 of the best family hotels in Umbria for some properly family friendly choices, with spacious rooms and spacious grounds and a very generous welcome.
The Best Family Hotels in Umbria’s Centres
- The Park Hotel ai Cappuccini has been converted from a large, 17th century monastery in a super position at the top of Gubbio. This is a smart hotel, with 92 rooms and suites, with numerous choices for families, plus a top-notch spa and wellness centre, contemporary bar and a restaurant housed under a wonderfully arched ceiling. The interiors are smart, with elegant paintings and tapestries, traditional tiled floors, and there’s a choice of style when it comes to the furnishings, with some very stylishly minimal and some sumptuous, with four-poster beds.
For a luxury stay
- The Borgo della Marmotta is a long, low stone farmhouse and villa, beautifully converted into a collection of 11 bedrooms and seven suites and apartments, each sleeping four. Some of the apartments have their own kitchens as well as living areas. All the rooms are spacious, with plenty of original features, and finished with oversized Italian country furniture. Inside the main building the rustic Italian theme continues: there is a large sitting room with a huge open fireplace and a couple of vast sofas, an honesty bar and French doors which lead to a small paved terrace overlooking the gardens. Which are beautiful too, with a big pool and plenty of secluded spots. There’s also an excellent restaurant serving a simple, local menu. Spoleto is just ten minutes away, yet it still feels like a country escape.
- If you’re looking for somewhere to treat your family consider the Villa di Monte Solare, a refined country house hotel just west of Perugia and pleasingly surrounded by rolling Umbrian hills. There are 15 romantically decorated rooms and suites, with several family suites which comfortably fit a family of up to four. Expect original features, soft lighting and big, comfy beds. They also have a lovely pool-with-a-view, a gourmet Umbrian restaurant with a wine list offering 380 different wines, and they have bikes to rent and a spa. They also offer cooking classes, and you’re close to Lake Trasimeno too.
- Many of our favourite Umbrian family hotels have been converted from beautiful traditional villas and farmhouses, but not all of them have been as beautifully converted as the Casale Valigi, which has undergone a timeless renovation that reveals all the original features at their best by presenting them against a modern, minimal palette. The location, just outside pretty Narni, is idyllic, and makes a great base for exploring the other little hilltop towns nearby. There’s no restaurant, but they offer a lovely breakfast and supper on request, and there are a surprisingly good range of places to eat locally. There are just six rooms, most of which can accommodate extra beds, and there’s a pool and gardens with wonderful views. This is a place to come to relax.
Rural Family Friendly hotels
- Surrounded by small towns, and farming hamlets, Le Logge di Silvignano is a converted medieval tower and country house, converted into six charming self-catering apartments. Each apartment is slightly different but they all have kitchens, living areas, a balcony or terrace and cosy fireplaces. There’s also a pool and sprawling gardens with olive and cyprus trees, fifty different kinds of rosebush and a wonderful bouquet of herbs. This is a fantastic spot for anyone with an interest in food, with wineries and all sorts of markets and restaurants nearby.
- For something spectacular, consider the Abbazia San Pietro in Valle, a pale-stone, 8th century Benedictine abbey picturesquely situated on a hillside in Valnerina. There are 19 rooms and suites (two of them family suites which can sleep up to four), converted from the rather spacious monk’s cells, with the original stone floors and wooden beams, but now with dark wood furniture and paintings too. There’s a huge garden and grounds, and an elegant courtyard restaurant, but it’s the wonderful frescoes in the chapel and cloisters that you’ll never forget.
- The Relais il Canalicchio is another spacious choice with memorable views. Sitting atop a hill this castle-like villa and tower has panoramic views from several of its terraces, and from its restaurant with its vast wall of windows. Many of the 47 rooms, suites and two room apartments have incredible views too. Larger and more modern than our previous rural recommendations, the Relais il Cacailcchio has a pool and gym, tennis courts and an extensive spa.
- Just outside Assisi, the Castello di Petrata is another wonderful country escape, in an historic country house with wonderful views. The 22 rooms and suites have the original tiled floors and beamed ceilings, as well as charming wrought iron beds and country feeling fabrics. As well as having the standard mod. cons. we like the Castello de Petrata for families because of the extra family-friendly facilities, like the tennis courts, archery range, art and cooking classes and huge gardens. They also offer a babysitting service.
For great value
- If your family likes a lot of space, the San Pietro sopra le Acque, a beautifully converted convent just outside Todi, might be the great value option for you. The grounds are big, large enough to have a large pool on a very large lawn, tennis courts, a children’s playground and a football pitch. And there's still plenty of space for a quiet stroll in the grounds and gardens, enjoying the incredible views. Inside the decor is traditional and quite luxurious feeling, with 16 well arranged rooms and suites, several suitable for families, with extra beds on mezzanine levels, for example. There’s also a fitness and wellbeing centre, and they offer a babysitting service.
Still not sure which to book?
