Hello - my husband and I have flights booked to Pisa in May and will have 3 nights away. We have found a lovely small hotel to stay in at Monticiano so will need a car as its a bit of the way. However really want to see if we can see Pisa, Siena and Florence when we are there. Any suggestions for a good itinerary (arrive late Sat morning til Tue morning) or are we trying to pack too much in? Also what is driving like in the cities? Thanks!
Help with mini Tuscany visit itinerary
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Driving is terrible in Siena and Florence. There are large pedestrian only zones. I might be tempted to leave the car in Monteciano (I am not familiar with this town) or the nearest town where you can get the train - perhaps Pisa?- and take day trips by train or bus to Florence and Siena on the two full days you have. It takes only hours to visit Pisa and you can do that upon arrival Saturday.
Thanks for the advice - sounds a good plan to do day trips by train to both cities in that case. Makes us wonder whether we should then forget about the small hotel (which is about 45 mins away from Siena) as would need to be closer to train station if we don't have a car. Would you have any recommendations on places to stay which are more 'villa' style with views but close to Siena or Florence but still within reasonable distance to train station?
There are large parking lots on the outer edges of Siena and we didn't have any trouble finding a spot during the Palio whichis crowded.
For Florence, we parked at the train station.
We were staying in rural Tuscany and felt a car was essential.
Pisa also a ZTL.
I would stay IN Florence or Siena and use public trans.
Suziplum, hi:
You might find that Hotel Siena Borgo Grondaie just on the edge of Siena suits your needs. but check reviews on booking.com or TripAdvisor because (I've never stayed there. There are other places in Siena on the edge of town where, if you are willing to occasionally pay for taxis, you'll have a countryside experience while having a short trip to the center of town or the train station.
You will need to spend your final night in Pisa . So upon arrival in Pisa, stow your luggage in the train station, visit the monuments of Pisa, then return to pick up your luggage and take the train to Siena. Stay Sat and Sun night in Siena. On Monday morning, go to Florence by train, stow your luggage in the train station, and tour the town. At the end of the day, pick up your luggage and return to Pisa for your final night.
There are some museums that are closed on Monday in Florence, so if there is something you specifically want to see in Florence that is in one of those museums (check guidebooks), then either you need to
(a) see it en route to Siena your first day (stow your luggage in the Florence train station for a few hours), and see Pisa on Monday afternoon, or
(b) visit Florence from Siena on Sunday, or
(c) stay in Florence Sat and Sun night with a day trip to Siena on Monday (leave your luggage in the Florence train station so you can pick it up on your way back as you head to Pisa for your final night). It would be harder to get a countryside experience in the vicinity of Florence, but my pick would be to find a nice place to stay in the hills of Fiesole, which is 15 minute bus ride from Florence or 40 euro cab ride. If you are willing to go for the cab ride, then Fattoria di Maiano might be nice for you. (Since you were thinking renting a car, those cab fares might not seem so daunting).
Sadly, I just did a quick search for reviews of Fattoria di Maiano on TripAdvisor, and far too many of them were too negative. I still think Fiesole might work for you if you want to be near Florence but not right in it. But you should be looking for other accommodations:
http://www.booking.com/city/it/fiesole.en.html
It occurs to me that if you were comfortable with the idea of driving upon arrival in Pisa, and if you do your research about visiting Florence (Siena with a car is the norm and not difficult), then you could pick up a car at the airport and stay in small town or farm, but one closer to Florence, Siena and Pisa than the one you picked.
You would need, however, to pick a place or a town with a restaurant, because that first night, you will not want to drive to and from dinner. But here are some possibilities:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/villa-sonnino.en-gb.html?aid=356981;label=gog235jc-region-en-it-tuscany-brand-it-com;sid=15f8cc38a07e3fd2390442d33e896e1f;dcid=1
http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/villa-la-malva.en-gb.html?aid=356981;label=gog235jc-region-en-it-tuscany-brand-it-com;sid=15f8cc38a07e3fd2390442d33e896e1f;dcid=1#hash-blockdisplay4
You can use the booking.com website to search for Tuscan stays with a restaurant and parking. They have a map feature where you can look for hotels specifically convenient to Florence, Siena and Pisa.
If you go to the Slow Travel message forums or the TripAdvisor message forums, people will help you with specific directions about driving to Florence and Siena and where to park so you avoid the ZTL. It is not true that all of these places are off-limits. (For instance, the tower of Pisa has a large parking area that is completely outside the ZTL, and so is the airport.)
If you do the research, and if you are not daunted by driving when you arrive, you can stay in the countryside and visit Florence and Siena. Probably more people on Slow Travel or TripAdvisor can help you with specifics.