Florence to Val d'Orcia day trip
Jul 14th, 2018, 03:10 AM
#1
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Florence to Val d'Orcia day trip
Me and my wife are planning to a day trip from Florence to Val d'orcia in September. We are in awe of the pictures of the Tuscan countryside, and want to club it with a visit to a winery in that region, something we haven't done ever before.
The first option we have is to take a bus tour from Florence which takes around 11-12 hours for an entire day trip to Pienza, Montalcino and Montepulciano, including couple of wineries. However, i'm not too keen on a group tour with 25-30 people in a bus, as past experience of such tours was bit of a let down for me, feels like doing window shopping in a mall! Private tours/ drivers are not an option for me either, for they are just too expensive.
The only other option i could think of is self driving, since i firmly believe that is the best way of experiencing the beauty of the region. However, i do not want to start the drive from Florence, for various issues such ZTL and the long drive till the O'rcia valley. So after some research on the internet, we are planning to take a morning train from Florence to a town which is close enough to the places we want to visit - Pienza and Montepulciano, and if possible the La Foce. After the train journey, we plan to hire a vehicle and then drive around to these places, and return by late evening by train to Florence. I am a bit confused about the following:
1. At which place should we get off the train from Florence to visit these places? Chuisi seems like an option, although i also read on these forums that the train service there is unreliable or untimely. We want the train journey to not take more than 2 hours one way, given that this is a day trip we're planning with return to Florence same day.
2. My first preference is to rent a motorcycle or a vespa. Is it a good idea? Are there any restrictions on riding these two wheelers on the highways that i'll have to cross to visit the above places? Renting a car is the second option which i'll be happy to avoid due to the right hand driving in Italy (which i'm not used to) and the requirement for an international driving permit. However, if push comes to shove i am fine with renting a car as plan B.
3. Any recommendations for rental companies from where we can pick up the vehicle as per the above plan?
4. I can imagine that it would be more organised to do a winery visit with a tour guide, but how easy or difficult is it to arrange a winery visit on your own (given this is our first time)? What is the process - do we need to pre-book such a visit or can we just show up at the winery for a tour?
Any inputs would be highly appreciated! Many thanks!
The first option we have is to take a bus tour from Florence which takes around 11-12 hours for an entire day trip to Pienza, Montalcino and Montepulciano, including couple of wineries. However, i'm not too keen on a group tour with 25-30 people in a bus, as past experience of such tours was bit of a let down for me, feels like doing window shopping in a mall! Private tours/ drivers are not an option for me either, for they are just too expensive.
The only other option i could think of is self driving, since i firmly believe that is the best way of experiencing the beauty of the region. However, i do not want to start the drive from Florence, for various issues such ZTL and the long drive till the O'rcia valley. So after some research on the internet, we are planning to take a morning train from Florence to a town which is close enough to the places we want to visit - Pienza and Montepulciano, and if possible the La Foce. After the train journey, we plan to hire a vehicle and then drive around to these places, and return by late evening by train to Florence. I am a bit confused about the following:
1. At which place should we get off the train from Florence to visit these places? Chuisi seems like an option, although i also read on these forums that the train service there is unreliable or untimely. We want the train journey to not take more than 2 hours one way, given that this is a day trip we're planning with return to Florence same day.
2. My first preference is to rent a motorcycle or a vespa. Is it a good idea? Are there any restrictions on riding these two wheelers on the highways that i'll have to cross to visit the above places? Renting a car is the second option which i'll be happy to avoid due to the right hand driving in Italy (which i'm not used to) and the requirement for an international driving permit. However, if push comes to shove i am fine with renting a car as plan B.
3. Any recommendations for rental companies from where we can pick up the vehicle as per the above plan?
4. I can imagine that it would be more organised to do a winery visit with a tour guide, but how easy or difficult is it to arrange a winery visit on your own (given this is our first time)? What is the process - do we need to pre-book such a visit or can we just show up at the winery for a tour?
Any inputs would be highly appreciated! Many thanks!
Jul 14th, 2018, 05:21 AM
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Take train Florence to Chiusi - near Montepulciano - pick up cars from major rental companies opposite station. Those are regional trains so just buy tickets at station - no benefit to buying online - for lots on trains check www.trenitalia.com; www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.
Jul 14th, 2018, 07:21 AM
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Our introduction to the southern Tuscany countryside was a bus from Chiusi to Siena. It was a magic carpet ride through the beautiful Tuscan hills. So you might look into busses instead of cars or vespas or trains.
Jul 14th, 2018, 08:44 AM
#4
Will you be anywhere before and after Florence? If so, it might make more sense to travel through southern Tuscany along the way.
Although renting a car and driving yourself provides the opportunity to cover as much of the area as possible, having a car also brings issues that involve time, money and logistics. Are you sure a private driver is more expensive than renting, insuring and fueling a car for a single day? And if you do rent a car, can you fit all of your sightseeing plans within the hours that the car rental office is open? The rental offices in Chiusi, for example, likely open at 9:00a and close at 6:30p. You would have to catch a train from Florence at 6:40a to be there by 9:00a. It takes some time to rent the car (especially if there is a line), and the drive Chiusi-Montepulciano-Pienza-Chiusi would take upwards of 3 hours. In the remaining 6 hours, you want to explore 2 towns, presumably have lunch, perhaps detour to other sights like a winery and La Foce. Every town stop also includes a search for parking and a short walk into and out of the town center. You may travel differently, but this feels rushed to me.
I don't know where you'd rent a motorcycle for a day, but I suspect it wouldn't be possible in a small town like Chiusi. You'd have to research that. Personally, I wouldn't rent a Vespa in this plan.
Although renting a car and driving yourself provides the opportunity to cover as much of the area as possible, having a car also brings issues that involve time, money and logistics. Are you sure a private driver is more expensive than renting, insuring and fueling a car for a single day? And if you do rent a car, can you fit all of your sightseeing plans within the hours that the car rental office is open? The rental offices in Chiusi, for example, likely open at 9:00a and close at 6:30p. You would have to catch a train from Florence at 6:40a to be there by 9:00a. It takes some time to rent the car (especially if there is a line), and the drive Chiusi-Montepulciano-Pienza-Chiusi would take upwards of 3 hours. In the remaining 6 hours, you want to explore 2 towns, presumably have lunch, perhaps detour to other sights like a winery and La Foce. Every town stop also includes a search for parking and a short walk into and out of the town center. You may travel differently, but this feels rushed to me.
I don't know where you'd rent a motorcycle for a day, but I suspect it wouldn't be possible in a small town like Chiusi. You'd have to research that. Personally, I wouldn't rent a Vespa in this plan.
Jul 14th, 2018, 11:28 AM
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Will you be anywhere before and after Florence? If so, it might make more sense to travel through southern Tuscany along the way.
Although renting a car and driving yourself provides the opportunity to cover as much of the area as possible, having a car also brings issues that involve time, money and logistics. Are you sure a private driver is more expensive than renting, insuring and fueling a car for a single day? And if you do rent a car, can you fit all of your sightseeing plans within the hours that the car rental office is open? The rental offices in Chiusi, for example, likely open at 9:00a and close at 6:30p. You would have to catch a train from Florence at 6:40a to be there by 9:00a. It takes some time to rent the car (especially if there is a line), and the drive Chiusi-Montepulciano-Pienza-Chiusi would take upwards of 3 hours. In the remaining 6 hours, you want to explore 2 towns, presumably have lunch, perhaps detour to other sights like a winery and La Foce. Every town stop also includes a search for parking and a short walk into and out of the town center. You may travel differently, but this feels rushed to me.
I don't know where you'd rent a motorcycle for a day, but I suspect it wouldn't be possible in a small town like Chiusi. You'd have to research that. Personally, I wouldn't rent a Vespa in this plan.
Although renting a car and driving yourself provides the opportunity to cover as much of the area as possible, having a car also brings issues that involve time, money and logistics. Are you sure a private driver is more expensive than renting, insuring and fueling a car for a single day? And if you do rent a car, can you fit all of your sightseeing plans within the hours that the car rental office is open? The rental offices in Chiusi, for example, likely open at 9:00a and close at 6:30p. You would have to catch a train from Florence at 6:40a to be there by 9:00a. It takes some time to rent the car (especially if there is a line), and the drive Chiusi-Montepulciano-Pienza-Chiusi would take upwards of 3 hours. In the remaining 6 hours, you want to explore 2 towns, presumably have lunch, perhaps detour to other sights like a winery and La Foce. Every town stop also includes a search for parking and a short walk into and out of the town center. You may travel differently, but this feels rushed to me.
I don't know where you'd rent a motorcycle for a day, but I suspect it wouldn't be possible in a small town like Chiusi. You'd have to research that. Personally, I wouldn't rent a Vespa in this plan.
Jul 14th, 2018, 05:45 PM
#7
Bus service in Tuscany is (very generally speaking) timed to convenience students and commuting workers, not tourists. A quick look at the timetables for the bus service between the Chiusi train station and Montepulciano confirms the bus isn't an option for the OP. The earliest direct bus to Montepulciano that doesn't involve a long connection somewhere leaves Chiusi at 12:30p and takes more than an hour. The last direct bus back to Chiusi is at 1:45p. Substituting Siena for Chiusi doesn't improve the timing enough to make it worth considering.
Tiemme SpA
oftravelsandtales, contact Luca at Hills and Roads. Here's a link:
index
Tiemme SpA
oftravelsandtales, contact Luca at Hills and Roads. Here's a link:
index
Jul 14th, 2018, 05:54 PM
#8
The cost of full-day Val d'Orcia tours seem very reasonable to me.... Do check reviews....
https://www.ciaoflorence.it/en/tour-detail/112
https://italyxp.com/en/tuscany/excur...enza-val-orcia
https://happytovisit.com/Florence/Va...our-t4582-c205
https://www.ciaoflorence.it/en/tour-detail/112
https://italyxp.com/en/tuscany/excur...enza-val-orcia
https://happytovisit.com/Florence/Va...our-t4582-c205
Jul 15th, 2018, 12:11 AM
#9
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Thanks everybody for your responses. Based on your advise, i am changing my plans - will take a bus from Florence to Siena and hire a car from Siena to drive down till Pienza and Montepulciano. Back to Florence from Siena on a bus same day. I hope that is more do-able.
Jul 15th, 2018, 03:42 AM
#10
"the places we want to visit - Pienza and Montepulciano, and if possible the La Foce."
I am glad that you are not giving up on your idea to visit Val d'Orcia. I spent 6 nights in a agriturismo next to Pienza. It was lovely and we hope to repeat it one day. Have you read "War in Val d'Orcia" from Iris Origo? She lived in La Foce with her husband. During the Second World War, she consistently sheltered refugee children and assisted many escaped Allied prisoners of war and partisans, in defiance of Italy's fascist regime and Nazi occupation forces.
Any chance you can remodified your itinerary to include one night in Pienza or Monetpulciano?
I am glad that you are not giving up on your idea to visit Val d'Orcia. I spent 6 nights in a agriturismo next to Pienza. It was lovely and we hope to repeat it one day. Have you read "War in Val d'Orcia" from Iris Origo? She lived in La Foce with her husband. During the Second World War, she consistently sheltered refugee children and assisted many escaped Allied prisoners of war and partisans, in defiance of Italy's fascist regime and Nazi occupation forces.
Any chance you can remodified your itinerary to include one night in Pienza or Monetpulciano?
Last edited by ToujoursVoyager; Jul 15th, 2018 at 03:44 AM.
