what are some good day trips for 6 adults from Florence in October

There are several day trips that you can take. The few that pop up for me would be San Gimignano, Pisa or Lucca. All three are wonderful and well worth the trip.

Grab a guide book to see if these cities are something you might be interested in. They're all different with different things to offer. You'll also find other possible day trip suggestions inside your guide book.

Donna

kim,

There are lots of possibilities.....

• Siena (as you note, that's an easy one)
• Lucca
• Pisa (some of your group may want to see the tower)
• Cinque Terre (that will be a longer day trip, but it's certainly possible - be sure to check the weather before going)
• Bologna (might be a good trip to sample the cuisine)
• Venice (about 2 hours each way, but might be of interest to those that haven't seen Venice)
• Assisi (about 2.5 hours each way, but also possible)
• TOURS: an organized tour of wineries or whatever. I believe there are some tour firms listed in the guidebook. You could also consider a cooking tour.

Of course lots to see in Florence as well, including a trip up the hill to Fiesole. You shouldn't have any trouble finding things to do for a week!

You can do Pisa and Lucca in one day...not much to see in Pisa other than the tower so go there first then continue on the train to Lucca. Stop at some shops for picnic supplies and take a break on the walls surrounding Lucca for lunch....it's lovely! So much to do and see in Florence, spend the rest of your time there exploring. enjoy!

We also did Lucca and Pisa in a one day daytrip from Florence. We had intended to visit only Lucca. Walked around, rented a tandem bicycle and rode the walls, had a late lunch. Still remember the complimentary grappa the waiter gave us after lunch. Viva Lucca! All quite leisurely. When returning to the station for the train to Florence, we saw cheap and easy connections to Pisa so jumped onboard. Convenient bus connection from the train station to the tower area and back. Saw nothing of Pisa other than the tower area but had a few hours and were satisfied. Also recall the hordes of schlock vendors surrounding the tower area...take a deep breath and forge onward. From Pisa we trained back to Florence. It was a very nice day, we didn't feel rushed and the easy train connections made for a rewarding day. Have fun.

My vote would be Cinque Terre! It is a long day trip, but well worth it. Magnificent scenery and an easy train ride. I would skip San Gimagnano unless you want to see lots of souvenir shops with crowds of people. It was probably our leas favorite place in the 17 days we spent in Italy.

We did the Best of Tuscany Walkabout Tour. It was a long day, but even our 5-year old granddaughter enjoyed it. The company has other tours that also might interest you. And I notice that there are currently 25% discounts as well as additional 5 EUR per person discounts for groups of 6 or more.

We went the 2nd week of June, 2011 and it wasn't particularly crowded anywhere we went except Pisa. I'd bet that in late October, it won't be very crowded either. I can only imagine how beautiful the drives will be at that time of year.

We were on a big bus, but we were not a big group. I didn't feel rushed at all, and thought the general guide as well as the guide at Siena were excellent. I learned so much more than I did when I went by myself a bazillion years ago.

Hmmm, I see the adorable Stefano is still working as a general guide. He was recommended to our daughter and we were thrilled to be on his bus. He was great.

Lot's of excellent suggestions. I would echo a previous poster's suggestion of Bologna. It is only a fifty minute train ride. Spectacular center and university, mmmm and the food.

Don't forget possibly a little half-day adventure to Fiesole, a hilltown that overlooks Florence. Take the #7 bus about 20 minutes up to Fiesole, walk around, have lunch, then maybe walk back down, or if not, take the bus! (Oops-saw that Ken posted about this too!)

But be forewarned. We had a few daytrips planned for our five nights in Florence this last March, and did none of it. With each passing day we were getting more & more into the vibe of the town--where to have coffee, oh we better go back to the Mercato Centrale to get some of that good prosciutto and a lampredotto sandwich, or I better buy that leather jacket that I saw yesterday from Massimo near the San Lorenzo market--that type of thing. It's intoxicating.

Love the hilltown of Cortona. It is not overrun by tourist shops and has lots to see. The Etruscan Museum is wonderful and if you like Signorelli's painting, there are several in the Diocesan Museum (small, easy museum). Just sitting in the piazzas and enjoying a cup of coffee or lunch was wonderful. I also enjoyed several of the many churches in the town. Note that you will have to take a bus/taxi up to the hilltown. Take the train to the Cortona Camucia station. Enjoy your trip.

I concur with Lo on the Best of Tuscany tour by Walkaboutflorence. We took it in May and it was great! You have plenty of time to wander and plenty of down time on the bus between locations so that you are not completely exhausted when you are done. You get to see a lot - Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa and a Chianti winery lunch (with plenty of wine and pasta!).

Another vote for Walkaboutflorence Best of Tuscany. It's a long day, but it includes a nice lunch with wine, Sienna, San Gimignano and lastly Pisa. The also have a day trip to Cinque Terre but we were there off season so this tour wasn't open yet. See the Cinque Terre Trek.
Since you are a party of 6, it may be more cost effective to hire your own private driver for the day.
https://www.walkaboutflorence.com/

The Verrazzano Castle and Winery was highly suggested to me by a friend. I'm so glad we did this! Fun! We didn't have a car, but there are easy bus directions from Florence. See web page.

http://www.verrazzano.com/en/
We did the Chianti lunch and wine tasting/tour. Plenty of food and wine and a great estate and cellar tour. The bus ride is about an hour but its a pleasant scenic ride. We did have a little hiccup finding the correct bus area in Florence, but we went early and asked around and no problem. I am fairly functional in Italian, so when we boarded I asked the bus driver to tell us when we would arrive at Verrazzano. He was only to glad to help us!
The castle is a long walk up a steep driveway, so if mobility is an issue I think you can tell them in advance and they may be able to send a van down for you. We didn't know, so we worked off lunch in advance. We got a van ride down the hill. It's a beautiful walk up the hill.
If you don't speak any Italian I would hand the driver a translated note to let him know where you want to go.