GPP

We are staying in Florence for a week but will only have one day to explore the countryside of Tuscany. What are your recommendations for taking in Sienna, some small villages and a winery (or two)? Is there a route that you would recommend? We would like to rent a Fiat 500 to do our exploring. Thank you!

PalenQ

Head to Chianti-en-Greve - wine town en route to Siena- but that is a full day for sure.

Pascal_Traveller

Hi there!
I've been in Italy last year and for one day trip I decided to visit Siena by Bus from Florence.

It was like an adventure on the bus, for the crazy driver but we had fun.

So i would recommend Siena and Arezzo too.

What a pity that you have just one day because all the country surroundings are great and unique!

Jean

Although driving in Tuscany is very enjoyable, renting a car for your one-day excursion comes with some disadvantages.

It takes a little time to pick up and return the car. If you pick up the car IN Florence, you need to have clear driving instructions out of the city in order to avoid getting a ticket for violating the ZTL (limited traffic zone). Assuming you want to spend a long day exploring, you'd probably need to return the car at the airport where the offices remain open late in the evening. (You might also need to pick up at the airport to insure getting a Fiat 500 or if you wanted to start the day before the in-town office opens.)

As you're driving around the countryside, you must be alert to (and avoid driving into) the ZTLs in most towns, including Siena, find parking and then walk into the town center.

Most wineries do not accommodate drop-in visitors, so you'd need to do some research, decide where you're going to go and make reservations if necessary.

You'd need an International Driver's Permit, even for one day.

Alternatively, you could hire a driver for a day, see what you want to see without concern for car rental logistics, maps, directions and ZTLs. The driver can fashion an itinerary and/or make winery reservations. Many people here recommend Luca at Hills and Roads for this.

http://www.hillsandroads.com/inflash/index.html

There are also full day bus tours out of Florence. Artviva and Viator are two...

PalenQ

and regular cheap public buses if just wanting to go to Chiani or Siena but not both the same day.

bvlenci

Chianti is an area, not a town. The town is Greve in Chianti.

I agree with Jean about the disadvantages of renting a car for one day. There are some good day tours from Florence, which you can sign up for at the tourist office, or get a brochure from a hotel. I've never done one, but my daughter did one about a year ago, which sounded quite nice to me. Don't ask me the name.

Viator doesn't actually operate tours. They're a listing service for other tour operators. They also buy up blocks of unsold tickets at a discount and resell them, sometimes at discounted prices. The problem is that you can't tell from their description who the actual tour operator is. Some are great, and some not so great. You can try copying some text from the description of the tour and paste it into Google, and the real tour operator might pop up.

StCirq

You will also likely pay as much for a one-day rental as for a three-day rental. And even at the airport you can never be certain to get a particular model of car, just a certain category of car.

PalenQ

How about scooters? I hear they rent them and also have moped tours to places like the Chianti wine region in any case driving the driver should not imbibe - no tolerance no more for any alcohol in your system whilst driving.

PalenQ

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...e_Tuscany.html

Chianti the region is close to Florence and Greve in Chianti is a wine center with several wine tours in town.

Jean

I think the scooter idea is more fraught with possible problems than a one-day car rental.

Don't rent a scooter if you have no experience driving one or if you think you'll be returning it after sunset.

If you're buying trip insurance, make sure you're covered while riding scooters. I think they're usually 125 cc engines. Anything over 125 cc, and you likely would need a motorcycle license.

If you join an organized tour that provides the scooters, they will give you some instruction, guide you around and be with you if something happens.

However you get the scooter, be sure to ask about your liability for damage that could occur. Your credit card might provide enough coverage, but you should verify.

GPP

Thanks for your input everybody! It was really helpful. There are certainly a lot of things to consider that we hadn't thought of. We are looking into a driver who knows the area well and we don't have to worry about all the logistics. Can't wait to see this gorgeous area!

Ackislander

Tuscany falls into several parts. Chianti is one part, the Val d'Orcia is another.

Chianti looks sort of like Napa. Val d'Orcia reminds me of Sonoma. I like the latter better, but it is a good bit farther away.

Pascal_Traveller

Well by scooter just in florence! If you have to drive on the Chianti Hills by car is ok…GPP I can suggest you to stop for example one day in Siena and then take a bus to Val d'Orcia!

Siena is really a beautiful and handy town…I simply fall in love with Piazza del Campo where i took a photo shoot with my girlfriend

annhig

How about scooters? I hear they rent them and also have moped tours to places like the Chianti wine region in any case driving the driver should not imbibe - no tolerance no more for any alcohol in your system whilst driving.>>

have you SEEN the traffic in Florence, Pal? I'd want to be a really experienced scooter rider before I took that on.