Assisi Day Trip Options

Spello and Perugia are great options. Another would be Trevi, but the train station is rather far from the town center (which is uphill). A trip to Montefalco might also work, don't know if you would have to connect through Perugia or if there is a direct bus.

We stayed in Spello and loved looking across at the lights of Assisi. We also spent a day there. Make sure you go up the hill above Assisi to see Eremo delle Carcere, the hermitage and chapel of St. Francis. It is in a forested area and you can take walks on paths past religious sculptures. We drove there but saw taxis beinging others up to the Eremo. We missed it on our first visit to Assisi and were so glad we saw it last year.
Perugia is also a beautiful historic city. We had a car the whole time in Umbria so do not know about train and bus access. Montefalco and Bevagna are also pretty towns to visit.

Be sure you allow enough time to enjoy Assisi itself. In addition to the basilica, you have quite a large historic district. Much of the uphill area wasn't very touristy when I visited in June 2015. I really enjoyed just wandering around.

You can easily pass a full day in Assisi. Of this three day suggested itinerary, you could do much of it in one big day as we did in September. Pick and choose which bits, of course.

Spello is a great idea, If you are hikers, consider the hike to Collepino, weather permitting. I second the idea to go to the Eremo. You can take a taxi roundtrip for about Euro 40. The driver will wait for you while you visit.

Perugia is rather museum-centric, so good on a rainy day.

We love Gusto Tours! We went with Mark back in 2011.

Be sure to go up to the "Rocca" - the views are beautiful from on top. Spello could easily fill a full day, especially if you want to walk some of the aqueduct trail (toward Collepino). Both of these spots would be best in good weather.

Thanks all! Looks like Perugia and Spello will be perfect day trips for us. Special thanks for the note re: Perugia being a better destination if there is weather - we are likely to have rain at least one day!

Perugia has a big train station, and it's really easy to get to the center of the city from it. There's a "minimetrò" station right next to it. For €1.50, you get to ride in a modern system design by Jean Nouvel, an award-winning architect. Sure, there are lots of goo museums, but the whole historic center is a good place to walk around, stop at cafes, shop and relax. Check out the Rocca Paolina, an underground complex that once was where the ruling families lived; the popes buried it over when they took over the city. Check out the city's website at http://turismo.comune.perugia.it, there are maps, events, and suggestions about what to do.