Hello, I'm at the planning stage for my trip to Italy in early November 2016 ( I know it will be rainy, but thats the only time I can go). Its a 10 night trip in total with 5 nights in Tuscany (the other 5 being in Venice and Rome on either ends of the Tuscan leg). Although Florence is the main attraction I was wondering if it made sense to base in Lucca for 3 nights and do Florence and Pisa as day trips instead of staying in Florence and doing Pisa and Lucca as day trips. Lucca looks like a great place to stay and we are not big museum fans, so a day trip to Florence should suffice to see the blockbuster sights with prior reservation. I will also be staying 2 nights in Siena after Lucca. We will be travelling by public transport. Please let me know if this is a good idea.
Thanks
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15244 posts
If you stay in Florence, which is central to both areas and the transport hub of Tuscany, you can visit everything from there and don't have to change hotels at all. Florence also offers much more to do in the evenings after you are done with your day trips.
The notion that Florence is just about museums is misplaced. Would you say the same about NYC and stay in New Jersey instead? Probably not, as NYC is not just museums.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8170 posts
Roberto is a Florence native, and his advice is always great.
Pisa has a fine church and the Leaning Tower, but other cities are probably better to stay in. Lucca's a very quiet city, however it's off the beaten path from so many other regional cities--north of Pisa which is already an hour west of Florence by train.
Florence is the most centrally located city to do day trips from, especially if you're going by bus or on organized tours.
We stayed in Florence for a long weekend, and then moved (by rental car) 45 minutes south to an apartment on agriturismo between Certaldo and San Gimignano. We did our grocery shopping at two big supermarkets in Poggibonsi. It was so easy to visit many interesting hilltowns close by, including Siena, Certaldo, San Gimignano and Volterra.
Tuscany is a region that's best seen with a rental car. Roads are not very congested, well paved and marked so travel is not at all difficult.
Posted by
Gettysburg, PA
1589 posts
" ( I know it will be rainy, but thats the only time I can go"
Early November is a GREAT time to go. The Tuscan temperatures are still not very cold & the crowds are vastly reduced.
Posted by
OP
99 posts
Really?? All the opinions on the internet almost universally called it the worst month to go to italy as it rained a lot in November. If it doesn't we will be super happy. The cold doesn't bother me much.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15244 posts
Just noticed you are going in early November.
David suggests to rent a car to visit the countryside. I would generally second that. But in November it's probably not the best time to visit the countryside as days are short, the weather often gloomy (albeit not very cold), and the landscape autumnal.
A city environment like Florence, with plenty of places to see, even after dark and with less amenable weather is probably best for your base.
Siena, Arezzo (and maybe nearby Cortona), Pistoia, Pisa & Lucca are easy day trips, all within 60-90 min by train/bus from Florence, and each can keep you busy for the best part of a November day.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
I agree with others, given it's November, stay in Florence, which is more central than Lucca and more connected than Siena. Moving locations just means you lose half a day.
With five nights you will have 4 full days ...
1) Florence
2) Siena
3) Pisa & Lucca
4) Arezzo
Posted by
8 posts
for me the attraction of tuscany is the people, culture, food, history and art (which involves museums), and wine. public transport via train is good between major towns like firenze and sienna but if you really want to do more you might think about renting a car. we're flying into roma for a couple of days, back on the express train to fiumicino airport to rent a car*, and heading to southern tuscany south of sienna, and staying just outside pienza within minutes of all of the beautiful parts of tuscany you see in the movies and photos, the hill towns, wine country of montalcino and montepulciano, and to soak for free with the locals in the hot springs of bagni san fillipo. then we're driving via volterra and san gimignano to the big city, florence, to drop off the car and spend a few days. then by train to venice for a few days before taking the fast train back to fiumicino and flying home.
we like lucca a lot but on your time frame it should probably be a day trip and it's only an hour from florence by train. there is so much to do in florence. pisa is not much unless you just have to see the tower. it all depends on what you want to do other than museums and for us it is museums and history but, even better, hanging out in the neighborhoods and the small hill towns, eating the amazing food and drinking the wine, and getting to know the locals. you'll want to go back. my advice is not to try to do too much in ten days.
get rick's book, "florence and tuscany", and study it. it's a great investment and research is king.
buon viaggio!
* we rent a car at the airport because you don't want to drive in rome! the road to tuscany is only a couple of kilometers from the airport and you don't even have to touch the outer ring of rome. if you don't want to rent a car then i would stick to rome, florence, maybe a side trip by train to lucca, and a quick bus tour to volterra and/or san gimignano which are both small and interesting hill towns not to far from florence.