Tuscany Day Tours in Florence or rent a car to drive through Tuscany

pinkshoes,

There are a few things to keep in mind regarding "driving through Tuscany".

Each driver will need the mandatory International Driver's Permit for driving in Italy. This must be used in conjunction with your home D.L. and failing to produce an I.D.P. on request can result in fines on the spot! You can obtain an I.D.P. at any AAA office for very reasonable cost.

It will also be a very good idea to search some of the previous posts here regarding "ZTL" areas. These are restricted traffic areas which have been designated in some cities and towns, and driving through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket EACH TIME. You won't receive the tickets until several months after you return home.

A GPS along with a good Map would also be a good idea. I have no information on the requirements for car seats.

Aside from taking organized tours such as the ones you mentioned, you could also take day trips via train or Bus and explore various towns in Tuscany on your own. With good information from the Guidebooks, this is very easy.

If you do rent a car and are renting in Florence, you should taxi to the AIRPORT and rent from there. You will avoid driving into or around the "ZTL", where you can rack up heavy fines. The airport is near the entrance to the Autostrada also. As far as the car seat, it would be best to contact the rental agency to find out the rules of the road. Definitely bring your own GPS with European maps pre-installed, and learn how to use it before you leave.

I'd really recommend the Walkabout Pass Best of Tuscany Tour. I know people say driving through Tuscany doesn't seem so bad, but going on a tour was stress-free.

As Ken and Steve mentioned, beware of the "ZTL"... we rented a car in Florence, got turned around abit at the downtown area during our return - months later we got our ticket in the mail (130 euros). Apparently, there are cameras around Florence and Milan -a huge revenue for them in sending out tickets in the mail to tourists! Rental agencies are obligated to provide names and addresses. Needless to say, they don't mention about these "zones" during rental process. If you need to rent a car, pick up from AIRPORT, or take daily trains to Siena ...or a bus tour - we did the Tour of Tuscany (to San Gimignano, Pisa, and Siena, also a farm tour and lunch at a vineyard), which we highly recommend (check out tripadvisor.com for other recommendations). We didn't feel hurried - you can break away from the group and do your thing with the kids,...Driving will allow you to visit smaller villages, while the trains will take you to the bigger towns, but less stress. we're returning to Florence in July, and planning on taking the train to various parts of Tuscany. Good Luck!

Thanks all. The walkabout tour is only on Sat and not Sun. Are there similar tours on Sun? Also, do they need to be booked well in advance?(we are traveling June 15th).

Thanks

Pinky