florence day trip from Montepulciano?
 

I am working on the Tuscany/Umbria portion of our upcoming trip to Italy in October and need some help. Can a day trip to Florence be comfortably made from a base near Montepulciano/Montalcino, or is it simply too far to be practical (it looks to me like it would make for a long day)? And, can towns in Umbria (eg., Assisi, Perugia, Spello, Deruta...) be easily visited from that base? We plan to drive to Orvieto at the end of our stay in that area, to visit Orvieto, drop off the rental and catch a train to Rome. Thanks for your help!

Hi V,

It's 2 - 2:30 hr by train from Montepulciano to Florence.

See www.trenitalia.com.

((I))

Are you considering driving to Florence??
If so, you might do better to park at a nearby small town and take the train into/out of Florence itself.

I don't recall seeing a train station in Montepulciano, but there is probably one nearby within driving distance.

We stayed a week in Montepulciano and took a day trip (drove & spent the night) to Florence. I would recommend against it, considering the time to/from and the parking. I would not do it again. ((b))

No, there isn't a train station in Montepulciano and if I remember correctly it's about 8 miles away???

With so much to see around Montepulciano, I'd skip the day trip to Florence, which deserves a few days. If you rent a car you would give yourself the opportunity to explore 2-4 towns in one day.

Monica ((F))
http://www.luvtotravel.homestead.com/home.html

The Montepulciano train station mentioned above is indeed out in the country - miles from the town. It has extremely limited and undependable service and there are no busses that even regularly go there.

A bus from Montepulciano to Siena and then another to Florence would probably be your best bet. But no it really isn't easy or practical to take public transportation for such a "day" trip.

Hi V,

Another option is to drive to Chiusi, about 0:30 min, and take the train from there - about 1:15 hr. This train goes to the Campo di Marte station.

Train schedules at www.trenitalia.com and driving directions at www.viamichelin.com.

If you get up early, you can be in Florence by 10:30.

Last train back to Chiusi is at 21:09.

Have a nice day.

((I))