We are on a Trafalgar tour this May. We have ~2 days in Florence. I have a little free time.
Trafalgar offers a sponsered tour to San Gimignano from Florence. I want to do some things on our own. How easy is it to get public transportation to San Gimignano?
Lastly, is San G a town that you can easily see without the use of a guide? Thanks.
I have gone from Florence to San Gimignano by bus. SITA buses run about hourly and require a change in Poggibonsi. Ask for a schedule when you purchase your tickets - when the SITA website www.sitabus.it is working, you can view a pdf of the schedule online. Trip by bus was pretty easy.
Depending on how much is the charge, taking the Trafalgar tour could be worth it for convenience alone. You don't have to stay with the tour once you're in San Jimmy. Just make sure you know when the bus back to Florence leaves.
I'm fairly certain that the SITA bus system goes from Florence to San Gimigniano. I know that it goes to Siena and many other places in Tuscany. The website is www.sitabus.it but I've had difficulty in getting the site to come up in recent months. I'm unable to access it at the present time.
The SITA bus terminal is a long block directly south from the front of the Florence SMN train station. As you walk out, south is to your right. You need to cross the busy street and walk down a 1/2 block to see the terminal.
You can easily walk around San G. without a guide. The town is not really that big. The main street is nothing but shops and galleries. I believe that you can go up in some of the towers.
If you really want to go to SG go with Trafalgar it will be so much easier for someone to do all the organisation for you. If I read you correctly you will only have 2 days in Florence. It that's correct, and SG is not on your must see list, I would stay in Florence and do other things. There is so much to see and do there and a trip to SG will take a good 1/2 to full day.
It's a short bus ride from the train station at Poggibonsi. Possibly a guide would add value, but it's a pretty straightforward (and pretty, and (in season during the day) crowded) place. So I don't think you need a guide to enjoy it.
We were most unimpressed with San Gimignano. The city has been totally given over to tourism. It's been rebuilt to an almost "too perfect" degree. I gave up Siena to go to San Gimignano because it looked so nice in the brochures...that was a mistake. Yes, the bus will easily take you from Florence.
