Ok, so I'm traveling to Germany this summer with my mom and then we are flying to Florence for a week...no idea where to stay. I'd like to stay someplace where we can take a few day trips but have a quiet place to unwind and also explore. I'm thinking Cortona or someplace in that region closer to Umbria. Could we stay there and take day trips to Siena, Florence, and maybe Assisi. Is that possible or should I pick another base??? Anyone been to Cortona? Any suggestions for a good base we can train or bus out of for day trips?
Posted by
Connecticut, USA
114 posts
We've just booked two hotels in Florence for a week in March. Two because our hotel of choice, Porta Faenza, was booked for two of the days we'd be there. So we will spend the last three nights at Hotel Globus. These are solid 3 star hotels in the vicinity of the train station. They've had great reviews on Trip advisor and the prices are really good right now. I guess not that many folks are traveling.
We stayed at Porta Faenza 5 years ago and liked it very much. Clean, comfortable, a little antique-y with an ancient well right in the lobby. Breakfast was good, too.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
251 posts
I've stayed in Cortona several times, and I would recommend it as a good base for daytrips. Towns like Assisi (just over an hour) and Orvieto (just over an hour) in Umbria are easily accessible by train, as is Florence (1 hour 20 min.) up in Tuscany. In terms of getting to Siena, the quickest way from Cortona would probably be to bus or train to Arezzo then take another bus to Siena (totaling just under 2 hours); so that would be your longest trip of your destinations listed, which isn't bad seeing how it would be at least 1 hr. 15 min. by bus from Florence, and if you stayed in Florence, places like Assisi and Orvieto would then be more than twice as far away. So, with that, again, I'd definitely recommend Cortona, as it also provides "a quiet place to unwind" as you described.
Have fun!
Posted by
Orlando, Florida
676 posts
Erin, I've been to Cortona for a short visit, and it was lovely. I think that would be a great place to relax!
Posted by
Austin, TX, USA
492 posts
We also like Cortona as a base for southern Tuscany and Umbria day trips if you have a rental car. If you don't have a car it can be a little bit of a pain to get down to the train station in Camucia though. The train station for Sienna is a bit out of the way too, but the busses look more convenient.