I was considering taking a 12 hour tour on a bus. It goes to Siena, an organic farm for lunch and wine tasting, then San Gimignano and then Pisa. It's a guided tour in Siena and then free time and only an hour in San Gimignano and 45 minutes in Pisa. Just wondering if that's enough time to experience everything. It does give me the option to do so much in one day. My other option would be to go on a bus on myk own to Siena and SG, miss the lunch, and maybe stop in Pisa on the way to Cinque Terra. I'm staying 4 nights in florence. I'm going to do a day tour on a Vespa as well. That would give me a day and a half in Florence and then 2 days to explore outside of Florence.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16240 posts
I think the cost should be factored in as well. Some of those organized tours aren't cheap.
If you leave early enough, you can get to Siena early in the morning and visit the Palazzo Pubblico (City Hall) on Piazza del Campo and its museum, then head to the duomo and visit that too. To get there from the bus stop on via Tozzi, you would need to stroll on the Banchi di Sopra, and maybe stop for a Panforte (cake) at one of the Nannini's bars along the way. If you want to visit San Gimignano too, I wouldn't stop for a formal sit down lunch. Then you can go to San Gimignano and spend a couple of hours there, before going back to Florence.
I'd leave the wine tasting to when you have a vespa. Not sure where that vespa tour is taking you or if you will be just renting one and do your own thing, but they might take you along the via Chiantigiana. There are plenty of wineries between Grassina and Greve, some of them on the side roads branching out from the via Chiantigiana. Those are very quick to reach by vespa.
I wouldn't fit Pisa with Siena and San Gimignano, that is a major detour because Pisa is way far from either one. I'd leave Pisa to the time when you go to the Cinque Terre. It's along the way anyway, you might as well stop for an hour between train changes.
Posted by
OP
Canada
6 posts
Thank you for your quick reply. This tour had great reviews but I'd hate to rush and it did sound like alot of travelling on the bus. I don't mind the cost if it's worth it. The Vespa tour will be expensive so maybe one tour will be enough. It runs in the Montespertoli area? and it does do a wine and oil tasting. http://www.tuscany-vespatours.com/ I'm not sure if there were other cities that would be more interesting than Siana and SG but people I talk to area always mentlioning those 2 and there were listing on the tour.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
While the highlights of Pisa and San Gimignano can each be seen pretty quickly, we would not travel that far to spend an hour or less. In 45 minutes, you won't see much more of Pisa than you see in any photo, and climbing the tower requires a reserved/timed ticket. It would be nicer to have 2 - 3 hours in San Gimignano, or as much as you can get, to explore the side streets. Of course, I've also said in this forum that Siena has plenty to keep you busy for a full day.
Posted by
phoenix
52 posts
If you are staying 4 nights in Florence there is no need to rush. There is plenty to see, and quite some ground to cover if you really want to see as much as possible of Tuscany, but it is definitely do-able.
The big bus day tours are great at getting you to the popular tourist sites (San Gimignano, Pisa, Siena etc) at the lowest possible price. They are good value for money if you are looking to go to these places in a limited time: it simply would not be possible to use public transport and see as much in the same time. Individually it is fairly easy to get to Pisa (train, 50 mins, 7-8 Euros), Siena (Bus, 7 Euros 1 hour), San Gimignano (Bus from Siena or Florence, 7-8 Euros, less than an hour). So, it is possible, but linking it all up together in one day..not so easy.
I would definitely recommend trying to see the countryside on one day; the cities in Italy are fascinating but it can get a bit much if you don't break it up a little. There is a good company in Florence called Slow Days, which do small group day trips into the Tuscany countryside, visiting some of the vineyards and villages- worth considering if you want a day away from the crowds. Their website is http://www.slow-days.com
Vespa tour sounds like a lot of fun, but we decided against it as we wanted to do some proper wine tasting.