My husband and I are taking a 10th anniversary dream trip to Tuscany. We will be flying into Florence and staying for about a week. We want to see the must see sights in Florence, but would also like to see some other places such as Sienna, Pisa, Volterra, Assisi, and possibly Cinque Terre. I know we likely can't do all of this in a week so we need to prioritize our time. I am looking for feedback on which of these places you recommend and the best ways to get there without a car. We don't feel comfortable in renting a car as we fear getting lost and or not finding parking etc. We are looking at day-tripping it for the most part, but want to see some of these other cities in addition to Florence. I'm not even sure doing Cinque Terre in a day makes sense, but we'd love to see it. ** I also wonder if you recommend any local tour companies for day trips to any of these locations. I have seen mixed reviews on the tour companies and want to make sure we choose a good one if we go this route. A great city tour of Florence would also be great if we knew who to book it with. I know I am asking a lot of questions here because I am so wanting to make this trip a wonderful experience for myself and my husband. We've been through a tough cancer journey together and want to make some good memories now. Thank you in advance for any advice you can give.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Congratulations!
Siena and Pisa/Lucca would be two nice day trips from Firenze.
I would consider five nights in Firenze and two in Assisi. The little town of Spello is one train stop away.
Or, spend four nights in Firenze and the rest in Venezia.
I am not a fan of the Cinque Terre for a short trip, it takes a long time to get there and in high season it's crowded.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
With seven days to fill from a base in Florence I would do something like this ...
Day 1 - Florence sights
Day 2 - Fiesole (bus)
Day 3 - Pisa & Lucca (train)
Day 4- Florence sights
Day 5- Siena (bus)
Day 6 - Cortona / Arezzo (train)
Day 7 - Chianti hill towns (SITA bus 365)
Personally I think Volterra, Assisi, and Cinque Terre are a bit too far to make for an enjoyable day.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32405 posts
To begin with, congratulations on your anniversary!
I may have missed it, when when is this trip taking place? The time-of-year will have some bearing on which sights might be better than others. The suggestions that David posted would be good to consider.
It is possible to visit the Cinque Terre as a day trip, but with such a short time frame that will have to be at the expense of one of the other spots, as it will take a full day. Whether to recommend that will depend on what time-of-year you'll be in Italy.
I'd highly recommend packing along a copy of the RS Florence & Tuscany guidebook, as that provides a lot of information on the best places to visit, transportation, hotels, restaurants and I believe has some information on tour firms.
Are you first time visitors to Italy, or just to Florence and Tuscany? There are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of when using trains, buses and other public transit in Italy. If you need more information, post another note here.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
My only tip is for your Pisa and Lucca day, see Lucca first. I did this in 1989 and it remains one of my great travel memories. I got to Pisa as the souvenir vendors were literally packing up and long after most tour buses. The marble in the Field of Miracles (where the Leaning Tower is) was lovely in the afternoon light.
I agree that Rick's Florence and Tuscany book is great for you - it will have ALL the details about how to get to each town by train or bus (mostly bus).
Posted by
Chicago
2124 posts
It's probably not likely, but if your trip is taking place off-season (November - April) you would have the luxuries of spontaneity and not having to deal with heavy crowds except on the weekends, as Florence/Tuscany is popular all the time.
We were there in early March, stayed five nights at an apartment through VRBO, which we loved. Had many day trips quasi-planned--Fiesole, Siena, Lucca, even to Venice--but we were grooving so much on just 'being' that we just stayed put at our second-floor flat facing a piazza, and never left town. Spent our time drinking espresso at cafes, wandering the backstreets, browsing the markets, taking in the obscure museums, doing our laundry. Wonderful stuff.
Granted, we had come from Paris & Switzerland and were heading down to Salerno from Firenze, so we didn't feel compelled to 'do' anything. You may feel otherwise. But definitely leave time to chill, to make some plans as you go along. You won't regret it!
Enjoy your planning!
Posted by
Los Angeles
1825 posts
I would split the time between Florence and a Hilltown like Montepulciano. To really enjoy the countryside you need a car and driving with a GPS is not that hard, compared to something like beating Cancer. Getting lost would probably be one of the highlights of your trip.
Posted by
phoenix, az, usa
58 posts
Cinque Terre will be very crowded because it's high season--save it for another trip. Lucca is one of my favorites as is Assisi but you don't need more than a day in each, given your short stay. Skip Pisa, try to get a bus to Fiesole, and spend the remainder of your time in Florence where 3 or 4 days will just scratch the surface of things to see and do. Have a great trip.
Posted by
616 posts
Assisi and CT a bit far.
Would do Florence (3 full days)
Then day trip from Florence to Fiesole,Lucca and Siena.
2 nights in Volterra.
Posted by
32 posts
Congratulations!
We hired a private driver to take us through Tuscany and it was the highlight of our vacation. Our driver took us to small towns enroute to Siena and the drive was breathtaking!
If you are interested, I can email you the company name. I am not sure if I can post company names here.
Posted by
195 posts
To answer your question about local tour companies, we used Walkabout Florence and took their "Best of Tuscany in One Day" tour, which we really enjoyed. You can go on TripAdvisor and read the reviews. We've been recommending the tour to our friends, as it allowed us to see Siena, Chianti, vineyards, San Gimignano, and Pisa all in one day without needing to lift a finger to plan anything. It was much nicer being driven around than having to navigate on our own. Cinque Terre is great, but I'm assuming it would be quite a long trip, so I'm not sure if it is worth it as a day trip....the whole allure of being there is just slowing down, lingering, strolling in the evening, swimming, eating great food, etc. That being said, if this is your only time you'll ever be in Italy, look into the train connections and see how long it will take...might be worth it for you guys if you have a strong preference to go. Oh, and if you don't find a good tour group for Florence, Rick Steves does have a free downloadable walking audiotour of the city that you can use. Best Wishes!
Posted by
14 posts
I was in Florence last May and took some cooking classes / wine tours through FlorenceTown [http://www.florencetown.com/]
They are fabulous and I will use them again! Also, you get a Rick Steves discount as well as a multiple booking discount. I also bought a one-day pass for the hop-on / hop-off bus and took the different guided routes around Florence to get oriented to the area and see the different sights. One of the routes goes to Fiesole - sweet city!
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8079 posts
While Siena is pretty easy to get to, it is one of the most crowded, along with San Gimignano. OTOH, some of the beautiful hill towns are more of a half-day visit, which could seem (incorrectly!) disappointing after a public transportation trip. Lucca is definitely worth a whole day-trip. Can you drive a standard transmission? I'd consider a car, but maybe not while sleeping in Florence.
I wonder if has train service. We just got back from a lovely rural luxury resort, accessible by taxi from the train station in Sinalunga - Locanda dall' Amorosa. But I absolutely wouldn't stay there without a car. Bologna is not in Tuscany, but it's very easy to get to from Florence, and has some similar characteristics. Are you flying through Rome? If so, note that Orvieto and Arezzo are "on the way". Orvieto is almost big enough to spend the night, but I don't like changing hotels multiple times, myself.
I don't want you to change your plans, but if the airlines cooperate, Venice is extremely romantic and easy to see for multiple days without a car.
You didn't give the month of your trip. Is it high season?
Posted by
St. Louis, MO
251 posts
I took a day trip to Cinque Terre last summer from Florence and thought it was very good. One day is definitely too short for such a beautiful area, but you can do it if you really want to go. We did a Florence walking tour, half day trip to Pisa and the Cinque Terre tour with CAF Tours. We had a great experience with them and loved their tour guides!
Posted by
34 posts
If you don't mind changing locations once, I'd do 4 nights in Florence and 3 nights in one of the other small times with possibly a rental car for doing day trips. We had no trouble driving between towns - we stayed in Cortona 3 nights and went to Assisi and Orvieto where it was easy to park in a lot for the day. The distances aren't great and it was easy pick up the car and leave town without any traffic. Google maps or a GPS are necessary. I agree you won't want a car in Florence. Tours are another good way to go with possibly a one day RT train to Sienna. Have a wonderful time.
Posted by
15 posts
Cinque terre it's a bit far away from Firenze, but definately I would give a chance it's spectacular up there.
In Siena you sould check out the Palio in Piazza il Campo takes place twice a year on the 2nd of July and 16th of August. To relax please take into account the Val d' Orcia, Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulciano are recommended for those ones who would like to enjoy the countryside wine and Pecorino cheese. I would recommend the followings winery experiences Capanna in Montalcino & Dei in Montepulciano for wine tastings. Cogusi cheese farm offer a fantastic pic nic experience.