Pisa, Florence and Siena - transport, itinerary and accomodation

You must be very efficient travelers! I assume you are flying into Pisa. It's a short train ride to Florence but getting from the airport to the train station may take a bit of time. That's ok because Florence in the evening will be beautiful. As for the main sights, do your homework and book museum tickets in advance and for specific entry times. The Uffizi will be your biggest challenge - that can take a full day looking at amazing art. Pick one or two corridors because you won't want to just run through and not really see anything. Pisa, you're right, isn't loaded with attractions but Siena is! Check on line and in Rick's book about opening/closing times - that will help you plan your time there. I'm not sure but I think the bus from Florence to Siena is your best means of transportation. It takes a little over an hour and the scenery is beautiful. Otherwise I think from Pisa you end up going to Florence anyway. Someone correct me if I'm wrong there. Siena's Duomo is unparalleled. The museums around the Duomo are some of my favorite in Italy, maybe you'd have time to do one. Siena is a great walking town with lots to see and lots of places to stop for meals (don't eat on the Campo though - tourist trap!), have a glass of local wine (Campo is good for that, and people watching).

Sorry, no hotel suggestions - I usually rent an apartment in Florence and Siena because I stay there for at least a week in each place.

Whatever you end up doing I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time! Enjoy and tell them I'm coming soon.

@ Robert, thank you very much for your help and suggestions. Much appreciated.
I'll these cities, you're coming. :)

Siena is my favorite city in Italy and yet I would not recommend trying to wedge in a day trip with so little time in Florence. The pleasures of Florence are in its deep resources of Renaissance art and that takes time.

Daniel, clearly with such a short trip, you need to prioritize your time, and be very efficient. Florence easily deserves a week, and Siena a few days, so you will need to choose the highlights. You need to choose, two days in Florence, or take one of those days for Siena. Either way should be wonderful, yet not enough. Personally, rather than move to Pisa on Sunday evening, I would stay in Florence, then get a relatively early morning train to Pisa on Monday, stow your baggage at the train station, take a few hours to visit the Leaning Tower and other sites nearby, then move on to the airport in the afternoon in plenty of time for your flight. Just viewing those sites in Pisa doesn't take long, unless you feel the need to climb the Tower. In Siena, the two principal sites are the Campo and one or two of its buildings, and the Cathedral complex, with several wonderful things to see and do. If you want to climb something for views, a wise local recommended that I climb the tower by the Cathedral, as being a better view and more comfortable climb than at the Campo, and I am glad I followed her advice. I did find that Siena was crowded and not quite so special during the day, but became magical toward evening, when the tourist and workday crowds were much less, and the lights came on illuminating the public buildings. So, if you take a day for Siena, you might visit a site or two in Florence in the morning, then take the bus to Siena mid-day, and return mid-to-late evening. In Florence, whether you have one day or two days, any guide book will list all the many sites, plus just wandering around Florence is wonderful. With limited time, my personal guidance would be to skip the Uffizi museum, unless you really love Italian Renaissance paintings. It takes at least quite a while to go through, keeps you indoors, is usually crowded, and for my taste anyway, there are loads of better things to do with limited time in that beautiful city. Have a great long weekend in Tuscany!

Daniel,

Actually it's very easy to get from the Pisa Airport to Pisa Centrale station using the Pisamover Bus (the automated train isn't quite ready yet). Travel time from Pisa to Florence is about an hour, depending on which train you connect with. Note that your destination station will be Firenze S.M. Novella.

One travel method you could consider is.....

• Friday night - check into hotel, have dinner, brief touring in Florence.
• Saturday - using pre-booked reservations, visit the Uffizi or Accademia, or any other sites you're interested in.
• Sunday - departing early, take the Corse Rapide (Express) bus from Florence to Siena. Return in the early evening, possibly do a bit more touring in Florence. DON'T forget to validate you Bus tickets before boarding.
• Monday (early) - take the train back to Pisa, store your luggage in the Deposito Bagagli at Pisa Centrale and take bus or taxi to Piazza dei Miracoli to see the tower or whatever (as I recall, reservations are required to climb the tower).
• Take bus or taxi back to Pisa Centrale and retrieve your luggage. Be sure to leave lots of time, in case there's a queue at the luggage office.
• Take the Pisamover Bus back to the airport for your flight.

Note that the trains you'll be using between Pisa and Florence will likely be Regionale so DON'T forget to validate your ticket prior to boarding on the day of travel, or you'll risk heft fines!

This isn't a lot of time to see the sights in that area, but if you want to include Siena then some compromises will be necessary.

I would spend all 3 nights in Florence. Leave your hotel early on Monday for Pisa, store your bags, and see the sights in 3 or 4 hours before heading to the airport. This would leave Florence free for all Saturday, perhaps booking the Ufizzi for the afternoon. On Sunday then you could head to Siena after an early visit to the Academy in Florence for David.
(Pretty much as Ken just suggested).

Thank you all for your kindness and advices. They were helpful indeed in making right choices.

Exiting the arrival area at Pisa airport, on your right there is a bus parking area where bus shuttles to Florence railway station depart. As there are two competing companies, departures are rather frequent; there is a ticket stand near the parking area. It may be easier than going to Pisa station and taking a train.