Day trip to Florence - Tuscany from Rome

Hey Melody

If your going to take a day trip into Tuscany, you definitely want to do Florence and if you can, Siena! Siena is absolutely beautiful. Also, we went to the Amalfi coast without a guide and it was great. We took a train from Rome to Naples, took a taxi from the train station to the Porto di Napoli and then a ferry to Positano. We stayed in Positano (beautiful place) for 5 nights and took the ferry everyday to a new place, i.e., Capri, Sorrento, Amalfi and took the bus to Rapallo. Hope this helps! Actually, we bought RS Italy book and it was very helpful in showing us how to get around. Its worth the price of the book for the money you save from making travel mistakes. Have a wonderful time.

Wow, Good info! Thanks, Angelina! I think I'll get the RS book.

RS also has a "Florence/Tuscany" book and a "Rome" book.

After you read the books you may realize 1. Rome may keep you busy longer than you think and 2. Florence merits more time than a day trip if you can swing it.

Tuscany is a vast region, you won't be able to do a day trip to all of Tuscany. Florence is a possibility, although like Linda said, one day is not really enough. If you're determined to try to make it to Florence (I do NOT recommend squeezing Siena in on top of it), here's how we did it:

Book tickets on the Eurostar Italia, which will get you from Rome to Florence in about an hour and half. We reached Florence around 8:30am as I recall. We then immediately toured Santa Maria Novella, near the train station. From there, we worked our way down to the Duomo and Bapistry and then over to the Piazza della Signoria (where City Hall and the replica of David are. Fake David was covered with scaffolding when I was there last November). We stopped here for lunch. Then, you can loop down and see the Ponte Vecchio if you like.

After lunch, we met up with our private tour guide at the Uffizi Gallery where we had booked reservations. From there, we raced up to the Accademia to see the real David. Had just enough time for a nice dinner, then back to the train station to catch the Eurostar Italia back to Rome. I believe it was an 8:30pm train, although it ran half an hour late and we didn't make it back to Rome til closer to 11pm.

Obviously you can adjust this depending on your party's preferences and interests. It is doable, but it is a very full, busy day. Also, we were doing this in December when it was less crowded and not hot (in fact, I froze most of the day), and so we didn't have to worry about pacing ourselves quite as much as if it had been summer.

It IS doable, but it requires a lot of planning and double checking the times on everything, as Italy can be quite unpredictable. Reservations are a must. You will only scratch the surface of what's in Florence, but you will see the big ticket items.

Unfortunately, you really can't appreciate Florence in one day. Take the train and wander on your own, see the Uffizi and "David" at the Accademia (make reservations in advance). There is lots to see in Florence.

Last year, I took the train to Salerno and rented a car there and drove the Amalfi coast on my own. My base was Amalfi. I really don't recommend this to anyone but the most adventurous and those with nerves of steel. The road is extremely narrow and winding. A tour bus passed literally within an inch of the car. I was in a brand new C-class Mercedes (never driven) and we had to fold in the mirrors, squeeze up against the rock face, and pray. I could stick my finger outside the car window and poke the side of the bus. Taking the train to Naples or Salerno (less hassle) and then taking the ferry to one of the coastal towns as base sounds like the plan to me. I stayed in Amalfi last May, but wished that I had stayed in Positano (more expensive) instead. There is much more to see and do there.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not cut short your time in Tuscany, and in particular, Florence. Better not to go than just spend a day, or part of one. You don't say how long you will be in Italy, but I suspect that you're looking at a day trip to Tuscany because you're either limited on time in Italy or you're trying to squeeze too much into your trip. You can spend two days in Florence and fall well short of capturing the magic of the Renaissance, plus take an extra day for a full-day bus tour from there to San Gmignano and Siena to get the full flavor of Tuscany. If you truly are limited to a short time in Tuscany AND the Amalfi Coast, might I suggest you chose one of them and max out your time there. FYI, a day trip to Florence will take about 1 1/2 hours each way on the hi-speed train.

Don't worry about going back to Italy... several hours after you get there you will already be planning your return trip. Rick always says, "assume you will return", and he is exactly right.