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Tuscan town recommendations

We will be traveling to the Tuscany region in late August for a wedding. We were there last year, and did the main spots--Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Rome, so are looking to hit the smaller towns this time. We will be attending a wedding in Greve for three nights, but have two free nights after we arrive and would love recommendations of where to stay. We arrive mid-morning into Milan and are planning to take the train out to wherever we decide to stay the first night. We are thinking Lucca, but would love suggestions for other towns in the region as well! Considering a night each in two different towns (where we wouldn't have long travel times in between and can make our way toward Greve), or two nights in one town. Thanks!

Posted by
10344 posts

A one night stand in a town means you have a 1/2 day to see it.
Can you narrow your question down?
Because Tuscany small towns normally means car rental, the trains don't go everywhere.

Posted by
11613 posts

Lucca for two nights would be fine, you can take buses to other towns, but Lucca itself is charming. You don't need a car, but bus transportation on Sundays is less frequent than on weekdays.

Posted by
80 posts

I should have said we haven't decided if we will rent a car or take the train. Ideally would like a car while we're in Greve, but not sure if we'll pick the car up in Milan or train south and pick a car up closer to our destination. Also to note, when we leave Greve we will be on our way to Salzburg. Exploring our options there to see if it would be best to drive back to Milan and fly to Salzburg, or take the train from Florence to Salzburg. Appreciate any thoughts or tips!

Posted by
7175 posts

By the time you get thru the airport and out of Milan, that arrival day will be pretty much gone. Lucca would be a good choice but the fastest option sees you changing train in Florence so why not just get a hotel near the station there for 2 nights. The next morning (depending on jet lag) you can choose where you want to spend the day - Lucca, Siena, Pisa or indeed Florence itself. The local bus for Greve leaves from just near the station and takes an hour or so.

Posted by
15041 posts

I wouldn't go to the Chianti hills without a rental car for all the tea in China (or all the wine in Tuscany).
Relying on buses in that rural area where the median number of residents in each village is less than 50 souls is extremely limiting.
Since you have only 3 extra nights, I would probably stay in Greve since the start and not bother to change locations. You can use Greve as your base for pretty much every Tuscan visiting.
Whether you should rent a car from the get go upon landing at Malpensa, or once you arrive to Florence depends on cost, time, and willingness to drive 4 hours on the freeway after an overnight flight.
In terms of cost, renting at Malpensa and driving from there would cost you approximately 70 Euro in fuel+tolls. Also renting at the airport generally carries extra charges (about 30 euro a week extra). Taking the train to Florence and renting the car in Florence would save you the gas and tolls, and some extra rental fees for not renting at the airport, but the train isn't free and the trip from Milan Malpensa to Florence will cost about 60 euro per person and up (depending on class of service on the frecciarossa). In terms of time of travel, the two options are similar. The high speed train from Milan to Florence is much faster than the car, but once you add the train from Malpensa to Milano and the layover time at Milano Centrale, the time advantage of the train decreases, also because if you have a car from Milan, you can go straight to the Chianti without bothering to drive within Florence.
For going to Salzburg, there are no direct flights to Salzburg from either Milan or Florence. You could fly to Munich from Florence, then take a train from Munich. Or you could take a train from Florence to Salzburg (see www.bahn.com to see your options). The train option would be a rather long journey, but flying to Munich then the train wouldn't be too quick either.

Posted by
186 posts

Roberto, I will happily take all the wine in Tuscany and suffer the bus travel. Not because I think doing it by bus is a good idea but because I would be set for wine for a couple years at least!