My husband and I are taking a vacation to Italy for the first time and were wondering if anyone had any recommendations for day trips by train from Florence? We love art which is why we chose Florence as our home base, but want to venture outside the city a bit since we have almost 2 full weeks of vacation time. We are open to beach towns, mountainous areas, small villages, etc. We tend to like to travel off the beaten path and we are both big foodies (fine dining, street food, farm-to-table, you name it). We also like hiking and visiting breweries/wineries, which I am sure Tuscany is full of. Let us know your favorites!
Posted by
Oregon
248 posts
For day trips you can do yourself instead of by tour, Sienna is good. You can go by train but the bus lets you off closer to the attractions. For the small Tuscan villages, there are van/small bus tours that will simplify the transportation to the Tuscan villages not easily reached by public transport.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
A rail map is a good place to start. See one focused view under "At a Glance" at https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/tuscany.
Later, you can review travel time and schedules either in the Connections sections of Rick's guidebooks, through the Deutsche Bahn train schedule link at Looking Up Train Schedules and Routes Online, or at www.trenitalia.com.
Posted by
NorthCarolina
1101 posts
We took two great day trips with walkaboutflorence.com - we did their BEST OF TUSCANY TOUR and their CHIANI WINE & FOOD SAFARI TOUR. Check them out online - we had great meals at each one and saw the incredible Tuscan countryside and towns.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
Fiesole (by local bus)
Pisa
Lucca
Italian Riviera (e.g. Cinque Terre but not just there)
If you have two weeks, there are plenty of other choices. Even Bologna (a fast, direct train) just to get a meal, if anything.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7175 posts
Prato and Pistoia are two cities that are easy to reach by train from Florence. Pistoia is less than an hour from Florence and Prato about 30 min - both on the same train line so easy to see both in the same day. They each have interesting cathedrals and plenty to see and do for several hours. I especially like the Ospedale del Ceppo in Pistoia with it's glazed ceramic friezes.
I also loved Lucca for the nice stroll along the old city walls and a visit to the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, several outdoor cafes there for a quick lunch.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7314 posts
Are you staying in Florence for the entire 2 weeks?
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Yes, we are planning on definitely spending some days solely in Bologna and Modena since they are so close by bullet train and have great food options. However, Florence is the home base because we want to mostly spend time in Tuscany as well, though we aren't ruling out a longer day trip to the sea.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7175 posts
Other good day trips by train from Florence are Cortona, Arezzo, and Colle Val d'Elsa. All of them are interesting enough to spend a few hours to a whole day. Cortona was one of my favorites.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
All these day trips can be reached by train in under an hour.
Montecatini Terme beautiful spa town full of fountains and its hilltop town, reached by funicular.
Pistoia, medieval town almost as much art as Florence. Great market.
Viareggio beautiful Liberty era beach town, which could be combined with Pisa.
Bologna a true foodies paradise mmm!
By bus, anywhere between 50 min and an 1 1/2H
Greve in Chianti. 50 min. Two great wineries, both have tours, tasting rooms and fabulous food, tasting menus are unforgettable 😋
https://www.verrazzano.com/en/
https://www.vignamaggio.com/en/tuscan-food-and-wine-tours
Siena. Lots to see here, but just wandering off the Campo is one of my favorites.
San Gimignano the town of Towers and Ceramics.
As mentioned, there are plenty of tours.
Group bus tours.
https://www.getyourguide.com/florence-l32/wine-tasting-winery-tours-tc104/
Small group tour.
http://www.toursbyroberto.com
You'll be visiting one of my favorite area, Tuscany. Have a wonderful adventure.
Edit, glad to see Modena is on your list.