Lecce with kids: all you need to know to visit this stunning art city in Italy’s South as a family

All you need to know to visit Lecce with kids: why go, best things to do, family friendly hotels in Lecce, restaurants,where to buy essentials and more.

Lecce is a beautiful, landlocked city in the South of Italy famous for stunning art and Baroque architecture.

As such, many families overlook it when choosing where to stay in Puglia with kids, opting for locations on the coast or in the county instead and often don’t come to the city at all.

However, enjoying Lecce with kids is easy and worth doing. Lecce is absolutely stunning! A jewel!

The town is beautiful, compact, stroller friendly, walkable, plus it has great services; since it is a big enough towns, it is operational all year round, which means it is a fantastic choice if you are visiting Puglia outside of beach season.

Pure summer resort towns have no services at all outside of tourism season but Lecce is a living and breathing city and even has a university, so it never stops.!

I have visited Lecce with the kids and my parents and we all loved it.

We found Lecce mesmerizing, child friendly and we also found it a great base to explore Salento (we rented a car for that)

In a previous article I shared my travel guide to Lecce, where you’ll find all the city’s top attractions.

On this page, I share specifically what you need to know to visit Lecce with kids and our tips to make the most of your stay.

Safe travel planning!

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Why visit Lecce with kids

I recommend you come to Lecce with kids if you:

Want to see one of the most beautiful art city in the South of Italy

You visit Puglia outside of summer and are looking for a family friendly town with services all year round

Want a good base that allows to explore Salento with day trips but has enough to offer in terms of restaurants etc that you can stay several days

You are looking for a stroller friendly city with spaces for toddlers and young kids to run around.

Why not to visit Lecce with kids

Lecce is an art city and the main attraction here is the historic center, where you are surrounded by Lecce’s stunning architecture.

In this sense, it is a great city for art-loving parents to visit with kids in tow, rather than a spot you choose because of the kids. Kids’ attractions such as water parks, adventure parks etc are outside of the city and therefore require a car.

The other reason to skip / only plan a short visit to Lecce is if you’re looking for a holiday town type of feel and easy access to beaches.

While Lecce is a short driving distance to many of the best beaches in Puglia for families, it is very much a city so if you’re hoping for a more resort-feel, I would opt for coastal locations such as Porto Cesareo (summer resort) or Gallipoli instead.

The best things to do in Lecce with kids (city)

The main thing to do in Lecce is enjoying the city’s stunning city center and while baroque architecture may not sound like an item high up on kids’ agenda, we found ways to entertain our two!

Spot wolves (images of, not real ones!)

The wolf if the animal symbol of Lecce and you can spot many of them as you stroll around the city.

They are hidden in the elaborate carvings of Lecce’s church facades, on historic buildings, and you may see them in shops, on souvenirs and postcards.

Sometimes the are represented alone but more often they are beside or under some oak leaves, also symbol of the city.

this is a simple activity but it got my daughter to walk much longer than she would have without this task!

Top tip! In Piazza Sant’Oronzo, one of the most important in the city, kids will be a huge mosaic on the ground with a large image of the wolf and an oak tree. If you, can I recommend you start away from it and leave this one as a last stop of your itinerary, as a surprise after many, small images, this one will feel very special!

See Lecce’s Roman amphitheater

The Roman amphitheater of Lecce is not as impressive as the Colosseum or Verona’s arena, yet it is an interesting site older kids (as well as parents of course) may find interesting.

Lecce was an ancient Roman town and, as such, had an amphitheater that hosted the most popular type of games Roman enjoyed: animal hunts and gladiators’ games.

Even just strolling around the amphitheater, make your children notice the arena, where fighters used to stand and perform, and the corridors that allowed spectators to reach their seats and performers to get to the stage.

It’s quire a sight!

Spot the animals of the facade of Santa Croce

Santa Croce is one of the most significant and beautiful churches in Lecce and has something special for little kids: a facade with many many many animals they can spot!

The animals have specific symbolic meanings (the Emperor, the Pope, the Lamb of God etc) and I invite parents to consider taking a guided tour like this one we did to learn about their fascinating history, but they are fun for kids to spot and they’ll keep them busy as you get your art fix!

Learn about cartapesta (paper mache’)

Lecce is home to a unique craft: cartapesta (paper mache’), which is fascinating and easy for kids to enjoy.

History tells us that this craft first developed in Lecce in the XVII century.

At that time, the city saw the build of many churches, but this was a poor area and they town was lacking access to precious materials to embellished them with the statues that would have been expected in churches of such grandeur.

So, they came up with a solution: instead of wood or gold, the started using local, poor materials they had easy access to, like, hay, clay or paper and the result was incredible.

Even now, if you didn’t know, you’d never guess the statues are hollow as the texture and detailing is exceptional.

Cartapesta artisan shops are common in Lecce and you will see many just walking along the city’s main streets, still with the artisan at work, so to can see how they do it!

Two we remember specifically are:

Laboratorio Castapesta di Marco Epicochi, right on Piazza Duomo

CartapestaRiso on 27 Via Vittorio Emanuele II Website https://www.cartapestariso.com/

Good to know! Classes for kids are available: enquire at Info Point Tour just in front of Santa Croce.

Go to the park

We didn’t find many playgronds or park in Lecce historic center but there is one garden worth seeing. Giardini Pubblici Giuseppe Garibaldi – park with small play area with climbing frames for kids

Kids’ attractions in Lecce area

As I mentioned above, if you have a car, there kid-friendly attractions in the area of Lecce which you may enjoy if yo have a longer stay in the city.

Those I recommend to check out are:

Parco Avventura Salento adventures (20 mins by car) Adventure park for kids with tree-top trails, kids’ natur workshop (In Italian, but a great way to meet other kids!) etc Web: https://www.facebook.com/salentoadventures/

Splash Rivabella Acqua Park (about 30 mins by car) Water park with slides. Web: https://lnx.splashparco.it/

Where to eat in Lecce with kids

Restaurants we enjoyed in Lecce with the kids:

Boccon Divino: a budget friendly, welcoming, good quality restaurant with a large selection of dishes ranging from plain kid-friendly options to more elaborate local specialties. Three generations of us loved it, we came back here several nights! Web: https://www.boccondivinolecce.com/

La Bottega del Corso – this a small, excellent wine bar with exceptional platters and a good wine list for the adults but also delicious bread with chocolate spread for kids Perfect for a quick lunch, aperitivo or a snack. Address: Via Giuseppe Libertini 52, 73100, Lecce

Pizza & Co – informal pizza place great for a pizza (of course) and sandwiches Address: Via Giuseppe Libertini 39, 73100 Lecce

Cafes we enjoyed for breakfast or a pastry: Bar Alvino beside the amphitheater, Bar Cotognata Leccese, both excellent for coffee and pastries. My kids also loved a place called Flow Bar and Bistro, again on the main street, because of a huge teddy bear at one of the outside table! We went a few times for a juice and a drink.

Where to stay in Lecce with kids

I like to stay in Lecce city center, because it is safe, beautiful and means I am walking distance to all main attractions.

Family friendly accommodation I recommend you check out are:

Casetta Rubichi – lovely, clean apartment with space for up to 5 guests (double bed and two single beds) and option to get a baby crib. Great location close to Piazza Sant’Oronzo and the public park. Make sure you look at the photos and pay attention to the internal stairs, should you have very young kids.

B&B Corte dei Romiti – lovely B&B in historic building with suites for space for up to 5 people with double beds/ single beds/ sofa bed (depending on rooms chose) and kitchenette. Immaculately clean!

Where to buy baby and toddler essentials in Lecce

Shops in Lecce historic town center are on the small size (think mini market / convenience store more than big supermarkets) but immediatiely outside of it you have several addresses with wider selections.

Look for your nearest Conad City, Lidl, Coop, or Dok, all good addresses.

For baby clothes toys, specialized items and bigger things such as strollers or bouncers: Chicco Store Lecce Address: Via Cesare Battisti 44c, 73100 Lecce

How to get to Lecce, how to get around Lecce with kids

Lecce is easy to reach by car or train. If arriving by car, I recommend you make parking arrangements with yourt host, as mosy of the city center is closed to traffic.

If you come by train, depending on your exact address and how much luggage you have, you may be able to walk to your accommodation from the station (about 10-15 mins to get to the old town) or you may want to get a taxi from outside the station.

Please bear in mind that taxis do not carry and no not require car seats.

The best way to visit Lecce itself is on foot.

The best way to explore the beautiful Salento region is by car. You can find here >>> all about driving in Puglia (don’t worry, it’s easy!)

I hope you found this quick travel guide to Lecce with kids useful. Safe travels!

Lecce with kids – pin this!