We are arriving in Florence midday on day one and spending three nights in Florence (ie two full days). We would also like to visit Pisa and San Gimignano. I'm thinking we have two options. (1) do Pisa first thing on day 2 and San Gimigano first thing on day 3. This would give us the afternoons and evenings to sight see in Florence. (2) on one of the days, travel by bus to SG, after sightseeing, travel by train to Pisa via Empoli. Is this too much to do on one day? I would appreciate any advise or tips.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16268 posts
You can definitely do it in one day. Do San Gimignano first thing because you can come back from Pisa until very late at night, as there are trains to Florence until late at night. Buses from SG don't run late at night. All you need in Pisa is an hour or two.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, United States
907 posts
Roberto knows his stuff, that's for sure. But this seems like a lot to do in one day. It sounds easy but the logistics of getting from Firenze to SG, then to Empoli, then Pisa, and back to Firenze is NOT all that quick. It will be time consuming waiting for transport. If you had a car, no problem.
Just doing Pisa in the morning from Florence, sounds easy, but it will take longer than a morning unless things go perfectly. An hour or two in Pisa is enough (I would say two). SG by bus then return to Florence would be a good half day trip in my opinion.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Florence - San Gimignano - 2 buses
Get the Bus 131O
7:10 FLORENCE AUTOSTAZIONE
08:00 FS POGGIBONSI
Change to 130
08:00 FS POGGIBONSI
8:23 S.GIMIGNANO PSMATTEO
San Gimignano - Pisa - 2 trains
Regionale 11774
12:12 Poggibonsi-S. Gimignano
12:52 Empoli
Regionale Veloce 21423
12:58 Empoli
13:28 Pisa Centrale
Pisa - Florence - direct train
Regionale Veloce 3178
19:12 Pisa Centrale
20:00 Firenze S. M. Novella
Posted by
12 posts
if you re on a tight time schedule then both pisa and SG can be covered in one day, but like previously mentioned, if you dont have a car then transportation between places could greatly affect your experience. planning ahead and taking into account the sites you want to see in each place could help you know exactly how much time you have in each place. when i went to pisa, the only thing i did was go up the tower. when you get your tickets you have a choice to get a general time ticket which allows you to wait in the line up for a open spot. the other option is to buy a ticket for a certain time which guarantees you for that time. in SG we spent most of our time in two local museums, one was a museum on the history of torture and another one on the history of execution. they were very interesting and well worth it, however not everyones favourite.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16268 posts
The example given above is only one option. There are buses or trains going from Florence to Poggibonsi every half hour from very early in the morning till evening. Once at Poggibonsi there is a bus or two every hour going back and forth from Poggibonsi up the hill to San Gimignano (20 min ride).
Then from Poggibonsi to Pisa there is a train every half hour all day (change in Empoli).
From Pisa to Florence there are trains every 20-30 min till well past 10pm.
I see no problem spending 3 or 4 hours in each place and doing both in one day, even without a car.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you for your advise. Good to know that both towns can be done in one day if need be.
Posted by
Firenze
500 posts
IMHO with two full days in Florence, I would stay there and forget about day trips. If you want to take a day trip, maybe a single destination and an easy one (Pisa).
If you are planning Pisa and San Gimignano in the same day, consider they are in different directions and San Gimignano has not even direct connections with the rest of the world but only through connecting bus to/from Poggibonsi - this means spending more time in transit. If you like spending more time on local transportation than visiting sights, well, it can be done. But I would spend my two days in Florence.