Best day trip from Florence?

Siena is a short bus ride and a great place to visit. A great compact town in middle of Tuscany and all is within walking distance of bus station.. CT is too far , &Pisa has really only one sight to see.

Hi Julia, My wife and I just returned from 2 weeks in Rome, Florence and Siena. We stayed 5 nights in Florence and wished for more time. I think Siena is the clear choice for a day trip, an easy 1.25 hour fast bus trip. No need to book in advance, always seats available. Your ticket, 7 euro one way, is good for any bus on any day.

Siena is absolutely worth the visit!!!!!
Catch the bus and in 1 hour you will be right in the past!!! beautiful town easy to go around, breathtaking main sq and Duomo. Nice food and icecream.... what else?????
ciao
Serena

I thought San Gimignano was worth the trip. Wasn't much impressed with Siena.

Actually, I really recommend this bus tour we did- Best of Tuscany Tours
http://www.walkaboutpass.com/nqcontent.cfm?a_name=bestoftuscanytour_homepage

It let's you see Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa

Answer #1 is good advice - :)

Cinque Terre is very close by train. You'll love it, and you'll meet many other Rick Steves' fans.... San Gimignano would be your second choice. It has TALL TOWERS, lots of quaint shops with fun things to buy, good wine, and you can walk around anywhere in the city till the tour bus takes you back.

Cinque Terre is about 3 hours each way by train, from Florence (that's Florence to Vernazza). That's 6 hours of station to station train time. Add to that the time to get to the train station, wait for the train, on both ends--and it ends up being about 7 to 8 hours of travel time, to get from Florence to the CT and back in a day trip.

Why does everyone like Siena so much? I know I was only there for a few hours, but after all the hype about it having the most beautiful main square, I was completely disappointed. I realize there's more to the town that this, but again, after all the hype....

It was really the only stop where I was underwhelmed though. Like I said, I realize you don't get the full experience just passing through, but there were other places I passed through and felt the urge to return. Guess everyone will be attracted to different things.

It is an easy bus ride from Florence to Siena for a worthwhile day trip. Another day we trained to Lucca...a real nice break from the hubbub of Florence. Walked around, rented bikes to ride atop the city walls, had a nice lunch and tasted our first grappa. Returning to the station for the Florence train, and found we could grab a quick train to Pisa. Transport from Pisa station to the tower is easy and painless, makes for an easy return and train back to Florence. A great day.

We are going in June, and have plans to ride bikes for 1 day around Chianti, with florencebybike.it; it will be our first trip but it sounds like a nice way to spend a day seeing some countryside on bikes, having lunch, tasting wine, etc. It may not be what you're looking for but just in case...

We did a day bike trip in the Chianti area in 2008 and we loved it. It was a great way to spend a day. If you go to Siena, ride the SITA bus that takes you from Florence to Siena through Greve. It is a slower road, but you pass through some amazing scenery. I would plan to get off in at least one small village (Greve or Castelina) as well. You might get off in Greve and end up spending the day walking through the surrounding hills of vineyards. We stayed in Greve in 2008, and loved walking in the countryside soaking up the postcard perfect views. I have stayed in Siena (2 nights my first trip) and spent an afternoon there in 2008. It was Ok, but not as special as our time in Greve or the day we spent biking.

Hi Julia, I think Connie's idea is a great one. I too felt that Siena was OK, but like most here, you may really love it. We stayed in Castelina 5 nights last year and the town is absolutely gorgeous (great photo ops). It would be a good compromise to see more than just one town.