We are spending 5 days of our 2 weeks trip to italy in Florence and Tuscany.
Can we see Tuscany while using Florence as a base and take day trips to Siena and San Gimignano? How do we get around Tuscany? do we need a car?

If you just want to visit Siena and San Gimignano, then, yes, they can be visited via public transportation from Florence.

If you want to explore country backroads and smaller hilltowns, then a car is a better choice. And you don't want to deal with a car in Florence.

Another choice would be to hire a driver, like Luca of hillsandroads.com, to do the driving for you.

Bus to Siena schedule (you want the rapid).
http://www.sitabus.it/sita-toscana/Firenze-Siena06.pdf

I agree wholeheartedly with ellenem. Do not have a car while in Florence. Do have a car if you want to visit the small and gorgeous hilltowns of Tuscany. Is this your first trip to Florence and Tuscany? If so, you may indeed want to choose a driver and guide instead. Luca is an excellent choice. We used him for 2 separate touring days about 4 years ago. He is an excellent and safe driver and a wonderful guide who can tailor your days around what you like, want, are capable of, etc. His tours are usually private although he has started also giving small group tours which are pre-set in terms of where you go and what you see, but are therefore also less expensive.

Enjoy.

Many people enjoy their first trip into Tuscany precisely because of the pleasure they get driving -- being the driver, not having someone drive them.

alane,


Florence is actually in Tuscany.

Many people want to spend many days in Florence because they have a long list of Renaissance art and historical sites that they want to see. However, many people who hear that Florence is a "must-see" experience in Italy really end up disliking the city and can't wait to leave. They simply have no appetite for non-stop art and educational touring. In fact, the whole explosion in "Tuscan" tourism is in many way a huge reaction to people fleeing museum-and-church touring In Florence.

So you get better advice if you share how much time you plan to spend inside the museums and churches of Florence, and whether you want a day's worth of those famous rolling hills covered with vines or veggies, or an immersion in it.