Ncz

Hello,
My husband and I will be spending 4 days in Florence this September and plan on taking the train to Rome. We were thinking of taking a day trip to Lucca or Siena while we are in Florence.
Will it be better to spend the night there on the way to Rome?

Alternately, what are some Tuscan towns that are easily accessible by train that we can spend 1-2 nights in before we head to Rome?

Any tips will be appreciated!

Thanks!
Ncz

PalenQ

Will it be better to spend the night there on the way to Rome?>

these towns are not on the way to Rome time wise but much longer from it as the trains serving them are sideline trains - the fastest way to Rome from either is to go via Florence and jump on the high-speed non-stop Florence to Rome trains.

Tuscan towns with rail service on the way to Rome would include Orvieto - not sure it is Tuscan but it is one of those icon hill towns or Assisi or Perugia are more or less on the way and Cortona is as nice as any hill town and it is smack on main rail lines to Rome.

But time wise Siena to Rome is about the same as going to Rome from all those others since the non-stop Florence to Rome train is so much faster than any trains serving any of those cities.

I like Siena as a base for two days - hop to another nearby hill town like San gimignano and its famous gaggle of medieval towers.

Jean

I would make a day trip to Siena. If you can afford to hire a driver/guide to pick you up in Florence, take you to Siena, anywhere else you'd like to go (through Chianti?) and return you to Florence, that would be great. Or, if you'd like to spend less, take the bus from Florence but hire a personal guide to give you a walking tour of Siena and then spend the rest of the day exploring on your own. I do think having a guide in Siena, even for a couple of hours, would maximize your time there.

I would train Florence-Orvieto and stay just one night on the way to Rome. Add the leftover night (if there is one) to Florence. (I admit I'm not a fan of Lucca.) If you departed Florence at about 9:00a, you could be in Orvieto in time for lunch. Spend the afternoon, evening and following morning exploring Orvieto, and then take a train to Rome sometime in the afternoon. Florence to Orvieto is 2:15 hours, and Orvieto to Rome is 1:10-1:30 hours depending on which train you take.

Axel2DP

I think it'll depend on what you plan to see and do in Siena and Lucca. I did a day trip to Siena last month, and I wish I had spent at least a night there since I didn't see/do everything that I had planned. Lucca is very low key, so I don't think spending a night is necessary unless you just wanted to have a break from the crowd in Florence and Rome. Riding a bike around the top of Lucca's city wall was a very cool experience.

Ncz

Thanks everyone! I think I'll opt for the day trip to Siena. It would be great to just see the highlights for a day. I'll have to check the costs of the driver as the tours I am looking at are already 100/person.

kybourbon

The bus which drops you at the center is 8€ one way.