Seeing Tuscany countryside
 

If I'm staying in Florence or Siena, what is the best way to see the Tuscany countryside if we don't want to rent a car.

I read that some parts of this area aren't very scenic. What area is?

Thanks

To see Tuscany well you really need to rent a car. Driving in Tuscany is very easy, like driving in the Ohio countryside. Access to many of the hill towns is virtually impossible unless you want to drive or take a bus. Trains access to many of the towns is poor or nil.
We find the area around Montalcino to be especially scenic.

You want to see south Of Siena---Pienza, Montalcino et al. You have 2 choices to see it well---rent a car or hire a driver at about 300 to 350E per day. If you stay in Florence you can easily bus to Siena and Lucca. Good luck !

South of Siena is beautiful. If you prefer no car, you can visit Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino from Siena by bus. You will not be able to stop where you please, but you can get some great views once you arrive in the towns and from the bus.

You will need to research the bus schedules and start early.

Connie

Why don't you want to rent a car? It really is the best way to ENJOY the Tuscan countryside and small towns.

This is my first time to Europe so I guess I feel a little uneasy about taking that on.

We did choose to do this on our own instead of a tour but I'm just trying to get a handle on the trains at this point.

I'm going to look into it. I thought I read somewhere you had to rent for three days. Is that correct?

Thanks everyone for your responses. It really helps to know what area to focus on.

Sssuming you did't mean you wanted to rent a train (!), I am guessing you meant a hotel? there is no problem with renting by the night unless you are thinking of an apt or villa. They generally need a longer reservation.

BTW, we have spent quite a bit of time living in Italy over the years and you can manage quite nicely without a car, if you are a good planner and learn the local bus system which is quite easy. If you have time before you go, learn a little Italian.

Connie driving in Tuscany is not as bad as you fear. the roads are generally good although probably narrower than what you may be used to nad they tend to be a bit curvy as well. If you plan your route and pay attention to signs you should be fine in the countryside. Maps are good and routes generally have directional signs to the next town well marked.

We have always driven when we need to but even so I don't like go for the bigger city like Rome or even Florence.

In fact, Connie, I would say DO NOT drive into Florence or Rome, and try not to go into the historic center of Tuscan towns, but park outside and walk or taxi in. Otherwise, driving in the countryside is not such a big deal. You should get a guidebook that tells you what the traffic signs mean, though.

Charnee

You all are really boosting my confidence!

About how much per day could I expect to pay for a small car?

go to the autoeurope site - I find that by phoning the "800" number that they will beat the posted web-site rates.

I've never been interested or willing to rent a car either myself (traveling solo) so I plan trips around where I can get by train.

For Tuscany possibly looking into which towns would be easiest to reach by bus. You won't see the entire "countryside" but you could get a taste of the region without the stress of driving yourself.

Connie

By renting a car you are actually avoiding the problem of encountering the crowds - the back roads of Tuscany are incredibly beautiful and even in July/August are quiet. After seven visits in 10 years I would totally back up the previous advice avoid the cities - the Italians can be intolerant to drivers who are unsure of their directions. We found that we can only find the memories of a lifetime by taking a punt at a small road that is not on the map and ending up in a dream location with a picnic lunch.

The only areas that aren't really scenic is the Arno valley between Pisa and Florence and the Valley between Pisa and Poggibonsi - the rest is picture post card.

>>I've never been interested or willing to rent a car either myself ......... but you could get a taste of the region without the stress of driving yourself.<<

How are you certain it's stressful if you hve never done it?? Perhaps traveling solo and not having a navigator would make it a little more difficult - but the OP said "WE don't want to rent a car"

Often when we drive along the mostly-dirt roads running south of San Quirico to Montepulciano, we rarely even encounter another car.

Connie - try it once, stick to the small (non freeway) roads, and if you are "stressed out" - immediatly return the car. I would take a train to Chiusi, rent a car there, then head west to Montepulciano, and drive the not-too-bad & very scenic road through Montepulciano, Pienza, and then to San Quirico (stay at a hotel there http://www.palazzodelcapitano.com/index_eng.htm ).

When you get your courage up, visit Sant Antimo Abbey and take along a picnic lunch with you & listen to the Gregorian chants.

I've posted a detailed driving itinerary for this region several times. If you are interested, post here again & I'll re-post it.

Stu Dudley

Hi Connie,

I would highly encourage you to rent a car! I've driven in the Italian countryside twice and the French countryside once. It's really very easy.

My second time driving in Italy was solo - no problem, very enjoyable. Love those roundabouts, signs are easy, Tuscan and Umbrian roads are lovely!

When I drove in France, I had never been there before - don't speak French at all - picked up a car in Chartres and drove solo around the Loire Valley for 4 days.

To me, trying to get bus schedules, tickets, making sure to be at the stop on time, never knowing if the bus will be on time, etc. - now that's stress!

Go for it - buon viaggio!

Tuscany without a car - there's some helpful info here: http://www.chianti.info/chianti_without_car.htm In essence, you lose a lot of time with the buses unless you really plan well (which can be done) and don't have the freedom to stop wherever you want. On the other hand, bus-riding sure is relaxing. If you do rent a car, don't drive it into the historical centre of Florence. They now have cameras rather than traffic police (who didn't fine tourists) and the computers are fining everyone who drives in the centre without a permit.

We rented a car in Siena and it was pretty painless to get the car and then park at night (our hotel had free parking). We did have to take a taxi to the car rental agency.

Our rental was a three day minimum, but we returned it after two. It was still less expensive to do it that way.

We drove south of Siena and then north, finally to Florence. We were just there in October and the roads were almost empty. Once or twice my husband pulled off to the side to let someone go by, but we never felt uneasy.

The only thing different from the States is that the signs tell you the direction for the towns and not the route numbers. It was always fun guessing which town would be on the sign! We did have a few of ... "Oh - you should have gone the other way." It actually became a joke by the end of our trip.

We're glad we did it. It was a great way to see the Tuscan countryside and many of the small hill towns.