My husband, 15 year old daughter and I are planning to stay a week in Florence towards the end of March. We would like to take day trips and hope to avoid renting a car. Has anyone had much experience making day trips by bus? I would love to hear people's experiences and recommendations. Thanks--

My friend and I stayed in Florence for a week in June. We rented an apartment next to the Duomo. It was wonderful- and very reasonable - 850 euros for the week. We went to San Gimignano , Siena, and Lucca. The bus station is next to the train station. Sometimes we went by bus and sometimes train. It was very affordable and easy. If you have specific questions - you can e-mail me.

just came back from Florence. There were 5 of us women,my sister, two daughters and my granddaughter.The problem we had was that most taxis wouldn't take 5 of us. You won't have that problem. We stayed at the Ritz overlooking the Arno River. The man at the desk gave me a brochure showing the bus tours one could take for day trips. We toured the wine country, the Chianti region. It was beautiful but there are a lot of other places you might prefer to see, such as Assisi or the area near Pisa. All Tuscany is beautiful.

If you're interested in guided tours, have a look at:<BR>www.caftours.com<BR><BR>If you prefer to go independantly, Siena is 75 mins by bus.<BR>Siena could be combined with San Gimignano as a day trip.<BR><BR>Pisa and Lucca are easier by train than bus, - and could also be combined.<BR><BR>Other good options by train are Assisi, Cortona, Orvieto, and Bologna ... to name a few!

I would go out with Dario, he will take you to the most remote off the beaten track villages in the countryside. Oh and the meal mmmmmmmm. [email protected] it was the highlight of my entire vacation

Donald - If someone is looking for trips by public transport, why suggest a driver at $170 a head?

Suggesting a private tour is just offering another option.I also would reccomend Dario.His fee is all-inclusive and if within the budget of the particular traveler,well worth the experience.

You have very good options for daytrippng with no car, although trains will prove more useful than buses. Daytrip destinations include Pisa, Lucca, Pistoia (they are on the same railway line, you could visit Pisa plus either Lucca or Pistoia in the same day, Pisa vill take you a couple of hours, than you can spend the rest of the time visiting another city). A wonderful daytrip could be takoing an early train to Pistoia, than from pistoia embark on one of the most fascinating trips you could make in italy by train going up to Porretta Terme and than down to Bologna. Spend a few hours in Bologna, than take a late trin back to Firenze via the direct route. Another great daytrip could be the train that climbs the mountains toward Marradi and beyond towards Romagna. Still other daytrips are Arezzo and Empoli. All these destinations require no more than one hour and a half, except the Porrettana trip or the trip to Marradi, but in this case the value of the daytrip resides more on the train travel than on the destination. Also, both Firenze and Pistoia organize daytrips on old steam trains several times a year: check them out because these trips are really great, very scenic, the price is moderate ind it is all inclusive and you will be travelling on real XIX century trains.