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Florence and surrounding area in February 2019

Hello!
We will be staying in Florence the last week in February 2019. We hope not to rent a car. Wanting to visit towns in the nearby area (including any Tuscan hill towns) that we can train/bus to. What suggestions would you possibly have for us on where to visit. Are there any Tuscan wineries that are offering tours/etc. at this time of year? We are open to any suggestions/comments/advice on how to make the most of our week in Florence.

Thank you!

Posted by
15560 posts

The first idea that comes to mind is that Carnevale will be in full swing in Venice and even though it's a long (and expensive) day trip and Venice will be very crowded, I'd definitely plan to visit. Siena is best by bus. I haven't done it but others say you can combine Pisa and Lucca by train in one day . . . my hesitation would be if there's enough daylight to enjoy Lucca after Pisa. Save those trips for sunny days - except for Venice, where it won't matter very much.

There are enough sights in Florence to fill a week. Check out the various venues on the internet and decide which ones most appeal to you. Remember, Florence is the place to enjoy Renaissance painting, sculpture and architecture.

Posted by
3112 posts

Siena, Lucca, Pisa, Pistoia and Bologna are all within an hour by train or bus and well worth a visit. I combined Lucca and Pisa, visiting Pisa in the morning so that I could spend as much time as desired in Lucca. Trains back to Florence run well into the evening. Longer but worthwhile day trips are Arezzo (train) and Volterra (bus as train isn't practical). Note that bus service is greatly reduced or non-existant on Sundays and holidays.

There have been some recent posts asking about winery tours near Florence. You can do a search using the Search box at the top of this page.

Posted by
248 posts

One problem is: you don't want to drive a rental car in Florence (lots of reasons, including ZTL's and parking); however, many of the smaller and interesting Tuscan hill towns don't have regular train service.

One solution (that I've used) is to not have a rental car for the time you want to spend in Florence. Then when you're done seeing Florence (maybe more culture per square foot than you'll find), then rent a car from the Florence airport, and drive immediately into the hill country.

But February in the small towns could be problematical (don't know for sure, haven't been there in February).