Florence 3 nights opinion
 

A friend told me we should try and get to Siena for a day trip from Florence. Is having three nights in Florence enough to enjoy the city and also see Siena?

We will have come from three nights in Rome. Thanks..again

We just returned from Italy over the Christmas/New Year's holiday. We spent four days in Florence and thought it was one day too much. I would definitely recommend a day trip to Sienna and maybe even San Gimagno. We rented a driver who took our family to a agritorisimo for a wine tasting. It was definitely a highlight of our vacation. Florence is a lovely but bustling small city with LOTS of art, museums,and of course the Duomo. So side trips to these cities give you a break from the city feel of Rome and Florence. Have a great time and enjoy!

Since it's only a day trip (i.e. you won't need to plan a hotel), why not just wait until you get there to see how you feel?

I've spent 4 days in each place and enjoyed them both, however, I'm not sure I'd do a day trip to Siena if I only had 4 days in Florence. While I did love Siena, both cities have a similar "feel", IMO.

But, as the above poster said, you might spend two days in Florence and decide that you'd love to get out and see more. If you're willing to drive, I'd personally recommend If I had to a drive through the countryside & wineries with tiny stops in San G. and Siena, vs. a whole day in Siena, but it depends on your interests.

Either way - sounds like you'll have a great trip!

We spent 4 days in Florence and still never got to see all that we wished to. I think that it all depends on how much you are into Renaissance art.

We did do an afternoon trip to Fiesole and felt that it broke up the hustle and bustle of the city. It all just depends on your personal preference.

We honestly wished we'd had time to see some of the Tuscan countryside, but we had so much that we wanted to see in Florence, itself.

Hi robbie,

We spent 11 days in Florence of which 6 were spent in the city and 5 on daytrips. There is a lot to see and do there.

You might find my trip report helpful

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

We spent 4 days in Florence and were racing around the last morning trying to fit in some of what we wanted to do. Depending on the time of year, I agree with the suggestion to spend an afternoon in Fiesole (nicer in spring, summer or fall). For me, 3 days would not be enough to spend one of them on a full day trip out of the city.

Would agree with the poster who suggested to wait until you get there and keep an open mind. My wife and I went last summer and had planned on 4 nights in Tuscany with 3 of those nights Florence. We thought 2 days in Florence were enough for us and ended up cancelling our last night. Only you will know. I have friends who told us they would move to Florence and thought it was the gretaest place in the world.

There are certainly plenty of museums and stores to occupy you in Florence for at least 3 days though. I would keep the option of a day trip to Siena open and see how your trip is going.

We just came back in October and had 3 nights in Florence and 3 in Siena and wished we had cut one night from Florence for an extra in Siena. See how it goes but Siena is definately worth the trip.

I debated the same thing. We were to be in Florence for three full days. I decided to do a daytrip to Siena if we did all we really wanted to do in Florence, so I put off the decision until we were there. We ended up staying in Florence for the whole three days but did go up to Fiesole early one evening. I think 3-4 days is the right amount for a good visit to Florence.

Two big cities. Not my personal cup of tea. I'd def. fit in Siena or day trip to San Gimignano for an even smaller cool town!