Please sign in to post.

Favorite day trips from Florence

Hi, I know I've been posting a lot because I'm now at the stage of figuring out details for each place we will be staying while in Italy (ie: what to visit in each place, where to eat, day trips, etc.). We will be in Florence for 5 days and will stay in the city for 3 or those days (we want to see the Duomo, Academia and Uffizi and just explore the city). We do want to use Florence as a base to explore other nearby towns have decided on Lucca for one day. I was wondering if any of you have one other favorite town. I am thinking of Pistoia.

I should note that we will also be staying in an agriturismo near Sienna for four days prior to arriving in Florence so we won't need to visit Sienna from Florence.

Thank you

Posted by
2274 posts

Absolutely loved Pistoia, fabulous Liberty architecture plus numerous examples of Della Robbia terracotta statuary.

You can also spend a pretty nice day in Montecatini Terme.

Posted by
3067 posts

Lucca is a great choice!
Be sure to rent bikes and ride around the walls, it's very cheap to rent.

Posted by
15043 posts

Pistoia
Lucca + Pisa (they are close to each other)
Arezzo and/or Cortona (unless you visited Cortona from Siena)
Fiesole (just above Florence on the hill, one afternoon is sufficient)
If you have time and you like scenic trains you could take the scenic train along the Faentina Railway to Borgo San Lorenzo, in the Mugello Valley, and from Borgo San Lorenzo, take a bus or a taxi to nearby Scarperia, a beautiful ancient village. You could even take the train all the way to Faenza in Emilia Romagna.

Posted by
125 posts

Thank you for your responses. We may try to visit some of the places you mention like Cortona, Robert, from Siena. Will go back to my map and do a little more research but it’s nice to hear encouraging words about Lucca and Pistoia.

Posted by
140 posts

We spent a glorious day today visiting Pitti Palace, Boboli and Bardini gardens. All worth considering if you have time. The Uffizi ticket we got included entrance to all the places today, in addition to Uffizi the other day