Seeing Tuscany by train
 

We are trying to arrange a trip to Cinque Terre and Tuscany in mid June. Up to now there are 6 people interested in going . We will fly from Dublin to Pisa .we hope to spend 5 days walking in Cinque Terre and then go to Tuscany for another 5 days . We are hoping to travel by train . I would be grateful for any advice on where to stay in Tuscany.

Five days in CT seems a bit much to me, and Tuscany isn't really well viewed by trains. Buses if you want to avoid driving, but the "real" Tuscany is very much best seen by car.

Whether train is the relevant mode of transport depends on how you defined Tuscany. For example, Pisa, Lucca, and Florence are well connected by trains. Siena is "accessible" enough by train, but is more convenient by bus. San Gimignano and Siena are connected to other places by frequent buses, while Montalcino, Pienza, and Montepulciano are connected with so so frequencies to other places by buses. Other quaint towns, unless they are on main bus routes, are difficult to visit even with buses. With that many people, you need at least two cars. One car that can carry that many people with luggage is very expensive to rent and is difficult to turn around in unfamiliar towns while dodging dreaded ZTL fines. You might even consider about hiring a van with a driver for that many people to visit hard to reach places.

Thanks for your prompt response and advice . While in Cinque Terre we hope to walk 3 days and relax 2 days. with regard to Tuscany One of my friends is now looking at staying in Bagni Di Lucca . I do not think any of us want to drive in Italy so we are aware we are limited to where we can stay. Hopefully we can go on day trips from there.

For people who want to visit Tuscany, relying on public transportation, either Florence or Siena is a good base. They're connected by both train and many buses to other towns in Tuscany. The many iconic hill towns of Tuscany have almost no train connections, but there are buses from both Florence and Siena to smaller towns. Arranging an itinerary can be challenging, though, because the buses are used mainly by students, commuters, and the elderly, who want to go into one of the centers early in the morning, and return to the to the small town in the afternoon or evening, which is the reverse of what the normal tourist wants to do. However, it's certainly possible to visit such towns as Montalcino, Pienza, and Montepulciano from Siena; or to visit San Gimignano or some of the towns in the Chianti area from Florence.

Bagni di Lucca is not really a good base for someone without a car. There is train service to the town, but the station may not be near where you're staying. There are not many trains per day, and to go almost anywhere, you'd need to change trains in Lucca. Lucca itself is a lovely small city, and a better base than Bagni di Lucca, but not as convenient as Florence or Siena, because it's well to the west of the region. However, from Lucca you could possibily visit the Alpi Apuane region, a mountainous area of Tuscany, north of Lucca. This is a very scenic but little-known area, well outside the classic tour-of-Tuscany circuit. I've never been there, but I know that there are trains from Lucca to that area.

Arezzo is another Tuscan city that no one has mentioned, but is well connected by train to Florence. Arezza is a good base for visiting some of the towns of Umbria as well as Tuscany. It's got direct trains to both Assisi and Orvieto, two of the more popular towns in Umbria.

You might actually consider visiting Umbria rather than Tuscany. Perugia is an excellent base for visit by train and bus to various places in Umbria. This area is not as inundated with tourists as Tuscany is, and there are some absolute gems to visit there. Spello, for example, may be one of the prettiest towns in Italy.

No matter where you stay, you have to make sure that your lodging has convenient access to public transportation. Many times a group the size of yours wants to rent a villa, but there are almost no villas that are near train stations, and bus service in rural areas is very spotty. (I know from experience that this is the case also in Ireland, and probably everywhere in the world.) You should reflect on how much fun it would be to spend five days with no car in a tiny hamlet near where you live.

I agree with others that five days in the Cinque Terre sounds like a bit much to me. You can't imagine how overcrowded these towns are at that time of year, although it's true that a good portion of the crowds is day trippers, so the evenings are a bit calmer. The hiking is fine if you take the higher trails, which require a good deal of climbing and good hiking shoes. On the higher trails, you won't find nearly as many tourists, either. The lower trails are mostly closed because of landslides at the moment, and have been mostly closed for several years now. When they're open, they tend to be be shoulder to shoulder with tourists. If you don't like crowds and towns that are mostly composed of restaurants and souvenir shops, you might want to consider some other, lesser-known part of the Ligurian coast.

Thank you bvlenci for all the information I do appreciate it . I will let you know where we decide to go .

We have now decided to stay in Lucca could anyone recommend a hotel in city centre thats not expencive

We've been in Tuscany and Umbria by train only; good luck with your travels! I can't recall the name of the place we stayed in Lucca, but try to get reservations at Buca di San Antonio for dinner.

I hope you do get to Perugia and Orvieto while you are there. It's worth cutting two days off CT to do so. However, I do get it that you want to do some "slow travel" and not just the sight-seeing. Have a good trip!

We enjoyed Palazzo Alexander. Also look at a BnB, La Romea.