Getting To Tuscany without a Car

Renting a car to drive the Tuscan countryside is definitely an advantage. Those zones are well marked and are usually catching unsuspecting drivers. You are aware and can make sure you know where they are. I know they have added many in smaller towns but the worst are in Florence (which I am sure you do not want to drive there). I have driven there a number of times and avoid Florence (I rent at the airport) and have had no problems. Usually you have to park in the designated area and walk into town. There are some people who are just afraid to drive and scare the life out of new travelers. I am not sure if there is a way that a GPS can be programmed to route you to avoid the zones (I am sure there must be) Maybe you could post that question. The sign has a big red circle on it. You need to watch for those as you approach the historic city center of the towns.

A GPS will not help with ZTLs, so you have to be aware, but if the passenger can help navigate, you'll be fine. We find it takes two sets of eyes to drive in Italy. :-) That said, Montepulciano parking is easy. The lots are clearly marked as you ascend to the top of the town. Rick Steves describes the options quite well in his guide. Montalcino is also quite easy to park in. There is a large lot is along the main road as you come past the traffic circle.

You could also take a bus. Buses will drop you in the towns. Montalcino does not have a train station and Montepulciano's is a bit outside the town so you'd need to take a bus or cab the rest of the way. .

If you're a decent driver, don't be hesitant to rent a car to tour the countryside of Tuscany--most of which is south of Florence.
The car rental offices can give you easy instructions on how to get out of town avoiding any ZTL's.
So many of the great travel sights are off the beaten path, and you can simply see so much more and be so much more efficient traveling from hilltown to hilltown by automobile.

If GPS doesn't have that info maybe it's time for a new app...lots of drivers here would buy it!

Good navigator does help:)
I have rented at the airport in Florence and had no problem getting right out to the freeway and it was well marked for my return.

I've been to many places in Tuscany, usually by public transportation. It can be done, but a car makes destination choices much broader. If you base in a smaller town, there are buses (fewer on Sunday) to get you to the next place.

Seems much easier to rent a car and drive to Montepulciano, park outside the city and you have no ZTL worries.

Train station is not walking distance to town and as you mentioned takes longer than driving from Florence, it also does not serve many other towns so would need a bus for other trips.

Definitely look up the bus options and schedule for whatever town you plan on using for your base.
From my limited research the bus schedules appear to be geared toward workers commuting and not transporting tourists so you can use them but likely need to catch early buses and may have to stay at your stop until late in the day (very few mid-day routes)
To Florence I suspect on the bus you would need to go through Siena first and likely have a layover time there as well.
Could be done, but seems far less convenient.

We've traveled in the region by train, and by car. The car is more convenient since it goes to more towns than the train does, and saves time. By train their schedule is your schedule, meaning if the trains out of a town you're visiting leave in 2 hours or 5 hours, those are your choices. Still, you can travel by train if you want; I recommend looking up train times before your trip and planning out possible trips. Don't rule out hilltowns, either, if those are of interest; the train will stop at the base of towns like Cortona and Perugia and then you take public transit to the top.

Some people say use the bus. If you speak Italian that may work out but if not don't expect the driver or the people at the depot (if it is staffed) to speak English. Regional buses in Italy are mainly for locals going to work, school, and shopping so they are less frequent mid-day. If you look at any online bus schedule (which will be in Italian) at the bottom you'll see a dizzying list of exceptions to the listed service based on holidays, day of the week, etc. We once were thinking about visiting a hilltown and I asked a colleague who actually is Italian for help in figuring out if the bus we wanted was running the day we wanted and he eventually said he couldn't really be sure.

John is absolutely right. I always depend on public transportation and use a lot of buses. But decoding bus schedules is an adventure! Sundays in Italy are especially dicey, because bus service is very much reduced then, sometimes to the point of nonexistence. You also need to have local information on what is a "school day", unless you are traveling during the students' summer vacation period.

If you prefer to avoid renting a car, also consider the possibility of a one-day bus tour that hits several smaller towns you'd like to visit. This will cost a lot more than public buses, but it will allow you to cover more ground without having to drive yourself. Such bus trips typically run from touristy cities with enough demand to make them viable. Florence for sure, quite possibly Siena. Google may provide some decent starting information. The local tourist office should have more details.

Hiring a driver might be a good idea for you if you don't want to drive. I just got back from Italy and there were 8 of us who wanted to do some trips out of Florence. I did not want to drive a van this trip so we hired someone. Not a tour guide, simply a driver. Actually he did not speak English but we had someone in Florence that we could call for a few translation issues. It worked out especially well as it was raining that day and it was nice to be dropped off in easy locations to the villages. You could ask at your hotel, or also go on a few of those bus tours... they aren't bad. Just a different way of traveling than having your own car.

In that case I would stay in Florence as from Florence you can go in bus or train to any place in very little time.
Tell me how much time you intend to stay in Tuscany and I will design you a tour.
Make sure you take enough time in each city town or village you visit.

We would like to stay one to two nights in Tuscany. Thanks!

Choose Florence (2 days is hardly enough), Siena (2 days are fine), Lucca (1 day), Montepulciano (1 day) San Gimignano (1 day).
For two days only, choose just one place not more.