We are going from Florence to San Gimignano for the day in November.

Any suggestions or opinions on taking the bus from Florence to S.G. ?

Also, looking for a restaurant for lunch (maybe something with a view ?) Thanks

For lunch, try Ostra del Carcere (Via del Castello, 13). The serve delicious, regional Tuscan specialties, like salumi, crostoni, ribollita, and pappa al pomodoro.
Have a great trip!

Not sure about lunch but for the best gelato anywhere (pluripremiata gelateria) try Gelateria di Piazza in the main plaza. Fantastico!

I have never taken the bus to San Gimignano, but be advised that it is a very winding switchback road to get there, so if anybody in your travel party is subject to motion sickness, others have reported traveling by bus was a problem (perhaps especially in the shorter daylight hours of November, when you might end up returning in the dark).

Le Vecchie Mura usually gets high marks for both food and view, but you might want search the Italy message board on the Chowhound website, because San Gimignano eateries are frequently discussed there.

Ristorante Perucà, especially if you are wine lovers. Their wine list is huge, and the food is to die for. Don't know if they are open for lunch, though.
http://www.peruca.eu

My favorite is the Dorando right in the heart of town just off the main square. We have eaten lunch there on 3 or four occasions and always enjoyed ourselves. Try the papradella with duck sauce if it's on the menu. Great wine list, too. Alas, it has no view.
The link is http://www.ristorantedorando.it/

Thanks for all your replys ... keep them coming

Hmmm---switchback roads to San Gim.---I do not recall any---can you be more specific--from what direction?

I agree with the above suggestions for food and I will add the Terrazza at the La Cisterna hotel for great views and risotto con porcini.

bobthenavigator ...I also don't remember switchback roads to S.G. the last time I was there by car. We thought we would take the bus this trip from Florence. I do remember taking a bus tour in Amalfi & yes that was difficult for some people we were with.

Risotto con porcini .... Yummy

I took a bus last month from San G. to Florence and didn't encounter switchbacks. Nothing like the Amalfi area at all. Most of the ride from San G. is on the highway from Poggibonsi to Florence.

There are some restaurants with views just off the main piazza. I didn't eat in any of them as we wandered away from the main areas to eat.

kybourbon ... How long was the trip by bus ? How many buses (2 I think) And do they take

you right up to the town ? Thanks

I had been in Siena before San G. and stayed in San G. Didn't have to change buses at all coming from Siena. When I left San G., I had to change in Poggibonsi. I think we had about a 20 minute wait there, but it would depend on which bus (some take a bit longer than others). If you enter San Gimignano and Firenze on busfox, you can see the times and changes. I'm not sure how far out they show schedules so I would just enter a date in the next week. Choose the bus you want and you can see how long you have to wait at Poggibonsi. You can also train to Poggibonsi and bus the rest of the way (same location).
http://www.busfox.com/timetable/

To see the stops in San G, after you enter your info for Firenze to San G. and select the solution (it's all in Italian), then click on the second box that has a pic of a bus and says Poggibonsi/San G. You will get a pop up window and need to scroll to the bottom of it to see the San G drops offs. Some buses have more drop off points in San G. than others, but yes, it will drop you at one of the old wall entrances.

There is also a bus that goes around San G. I think a day ticket is only a euro, but ask at the TI in the center of town. Small buses run through town and others around the perimeter outside the walls.

kybourbon ... Great info ... Thanks

I based my warning to the OP on this previous Fodor's post:

"Jean on Jan 5, 10 at 8:48pm
My husband doesn't do well on countryside bus rides of more than 10-15 minutes. It took us a few trips to figure this out because he felt worse after he got off the bus than he did during the drive. We blamed it on the food, the water, jet lag, the flu, too much sun, etc., until we decided it had to be the bus ride.

The bus to San Gimignano is on his "never again" list.

For people who don't have this problem, thank your lucky stars and stop telling others what they ought to be able to tolerate."


I don't know why Jean posted that if the bus trip to San Gimignano doesn't take winding roads.