Tuscany Tour

Hello,

Yes, we were on the tour a couple of months ago. We flew into Rome and out of Florence.

It was our first tour and probably because we are used to planning our trips ourselves, it was a real learning experience! The time spent with the local guides was great, but that was kind of it. Because it was late fall, the days were short and there just wasn't anything to do except sit on our beds waiting for dinner at two of the stops. The free day, we were dropped off at a beach town where almost everything was closed for the season.

So it was a very slow moving, hang out kind of tour. Many folks loved it and commented on how nice the hotels were and how many meals were included. Which is true. But also true that you literally had to eat the lunch/dinner with the group 8 times because there was no other choice.

I would recommend going during the warmer months when there are longer days and being prepared to hang out at the remote hotels.

I am happy to answer any questions on the hotel list and the very good local guide 'tours'. Or anything else!

The tour starts in Florence, so you would either fly there (with a connection) or fly into Rome and train to Florence. The tour ends in Lucca, so you would fly out of either Florence or Pisa, depending on which connections work best for your international flight home.

SunnyBlue
Thanks for your tour description.food for thought.
What time of year did you go to Tuscany?
We were thinking of flying in and out of Pisa. Now I am not sure.
Thanks

We were thinking of flying in and out of Pisa. Now I am not sure

Why fly into Pisa when the tour starts in Florence? Look for a multicity ticket, rather than a return.

We were on the tour end of October ---> beginning of November.

So we were in Lucca right after their Comic-con. Many of the tents and things were being taken down while we were there. Very quiet in the villages like Pitigliano and Pienza. And I didn't think Florence was especially busy either. We were able to see the olive harvest and pressing on one of our stops because it was a late harvest in 2025. That was cool!

As far as where to fly in and out --- I think it would depend on what is most convenient and economical for you.

We fly on Delta from the west coast, and I couldn't find any good flights through Pisa. We had heard that sometimes planes can't land at Florence during bad weather (because of the short runway), and since we were only flying in 2 days before the tour, decided Rome would be best. The train to Florence is quick and easy, and we enjoyed our day in Rome, so that worked.

After the tour, we chose to take the private car/shuttle, arranged by the tour hotel, directly to the Florence airport. Only 50 minutes and it gave us about 3 more hours in Lucca than the tour members who took a taxi to the Lucca Train station, got on the train to Florence, off the train, taxi to the airport.....

We did a great Road Scholar tour of Tuscany and Umbria last year.
the tour started in Siena (we did five nights there on the tour+ we got there one day early). We used Siena as a base to visit one or two places a day. Then we moved to Umbria, staying in Spoleto for 4 nights, using it as a base then headed toward Rome, spending a day in Orvieto. The tour ended at the Rome airport (one night at a hotel near the airport).

We loved the tour.

We don't want to hassle with a layover, so we were planning to fly in and out of Rome, taking the train from Rome to Florence at the beginning and back to Rome from Lucca at the end, perhaps spending a 1/2 day and evening in Rome before flying home the following day. Any opinions on why this is either a good or bad idea?

Welcome top the forum midwest867- if you post your question in your own new thread you will get more specific advice

We don't want to hassle with a layover, so we were planning to fly in
and out of Rome, taking the train from Rome to Florence at the
beginning and back to Rome from Lucca at the end, perhaps spending a
1/2 day and evening in Rome before flying home the following day. Any
opinions on why this is either a good or bad idea?

Yes- this is a good plan.
Do not purchase the train ticket to Florence yet. Wait til you arrive and purchase it then as flights can be delayed and no way to predict how long passport control and baggage will take.
Best plan is to travel back to Rome the day/night before as you will need to be in Rome night before your departure flight.

You might even consider arriving in Rome a few days early to see a bit of Rome before heading to Florence.

If you need help with train tickets/schedule post a new question- the answers are all here.