Is Cortona a one day trip from Florence or an overnight with public transportation?

According to the Rome2Rio website, there are trains ~hourly, that take less than 1 1/2 hour each way, so it looks quite feasible to do as a day trip based on that info.

The train stops at a station that I believe is called "Camucia-Cortona" rather than in Cortona itself. Cortona is a hill town and thus has no train station, so you'll want to take a bus up to it--or I guess there might be a taxi around the station. I visited far too long ago to give any guidance on how much time to allow for the bus connection, but I think you'll find information if you Google "bus Camucia to Cortona".

Be very cautious about doing this trip on Sunday, though. Italian buses often have extremely reduced schedules on Sunday. I don't know whether the run from Camucia up to Cortona would be affected, but it might be.

Linda,

What time is your cooking class in Cortona? There are numerous trains on that route, with a travel time of about 1H:25M. The trains are mostly Regionale, so DON'T forget to validate your tickets prior to boarding on the day of travel!

There are two stations serving Cortona, Camucia and Terontola. Of the two, Camucia is a bit closer as I recall. You should be able to buy tickets for the Bus up to town at a Tabachi in or near the station (or you can take a Taxi). The ride up the hill is about 10-15 minutes. It would probably be a good idea to buy your return Bus tickets at the same time. The Bus will drop you in Piazza Garibaldi, and you can make the short walk along Via Nazionale to Piazza della Repubblica or other points in the city (the main part of the city is not that big).

For your return to Florence, the last "easy" train departs at 22:09, arriving Firenze S.M. Novella at 23:28. Fares are currently listed at €10.70 PP each way.

What I wanted to know was if you would do this trip in a one day trip and return to Florence or if you would stay overnight?

When does your cooking class start, and when does it end?

It starts about 9:30 and there is a train that gets in around 9:15 and then it is over late around 7 or 8. I see there are late trains to Florence. SO we could just leave our luggage at our Florence hotel where we will be coming from, and go back and stay the night in Florence or stay the night in Cortona. Either way, the next day we plan to move onto another city.
Linda

I definitely wouldn't count on being on time for the class, because you will (I assume) be depending on a bus to take you up to the city. 15 minutes isn't long enough.

Since you're moving on anyway, I'd suggest staying in Cortona at least the night before the class.

I agree with craven, you could easily be late for your class if you take the morning train and then a bus, or even a taxi. You could take a late train the evening before so as not to miss too much of your time in Firenze. That is what I would do.

Hotel Italia is a good choice, just a few steps from the main street.

It starts about 9:30 and there is a train that gets in around 9:15 and then it is over late around 7 or 8. I see there are late trains to Florence.

IMHO there is no way you make the start of the class, even if the train is on time, even with a taxi. You need to get up the hill and then find the building. Which may be a moot point, because I don't remember taxis meeting the train although its always possible that one will be sitting there.

The bus up the hill is easy. Here is the google map pic showing the stop with the station behind. https://goo.gl/GckBeS If there is no earlier train then you're not going to make the class with the bus.

If this was me I'd take the train the nite before the class and spend 2 nites. The arrival afternoon explore town a bit (its a small town!) and have drinks at the place overlooking the valley right by car turnaround https://goo.gl/bgF5DS (that picture is on a cloudy day, on a sunny day the views are stunning!) and a nice dinner somewhere. Since the class ending time is vague and may run late, it will be hard to commit to catching a particular train that nite unless you want to leave even if the class isn't over. And to me that kind of begs the point of travel. It isn't to move efficiently from A to B to C with nary a wasted minute, nor is that possible in many cases without a lot of stress. Instead I'd prefer to enjoy the cooking experience without worries of missing a train or having in the back of my mind plans for that nite in some other location. A day spent somewhere can take 2 nites, that's just the way it works.

Linda,

You said "we" a couple of times... How many are in your group? If you are in a group of more than 2-3 people, it may be just as cost effective to hire a driver or take a shuttle service to get back and forth. It's well worth looking into.

There are two of us. Do you think a private driver would be best?

"Do you think a private driver would be best?"

Only if you have a large budget. That's not something I'd ever use. The trains are perfectly adequate for getting back and forth on that route.

I'd go the day before the class and stay overnight. Enjoy the city in the evening. Cortona has spectacular views of the countryside. Particularly from Piazza Garibaldi