hi friendly fodorites -

we have 2 free days in florence to do day trips. in order to be able to fit a (group tour) day trip through the tuscan countryside on bikes, we would like to attempt to visit siena AND pisa on the same day. is it possible? can you suggest the best ways to get there that would allow us to maximize our time? and which order should we visit them? thanks a bunch!

Not feasible.
Siena will take a full day from Florence.

Agree, not feasible. I would choose Siena over Pisa

Sita bus from Florence is the best way to get to Siena as the bus terminal in Siena is more centrally located than the train terminal.

Train from Florence to Pisa is best if you choose that option.

what about taking the bus to siena in the early morning, spend all morning and have lunch in siena...then take train at around 3pm (1.5 hour ride from siena to pisa, i believe) to pisa and spending 2 hours there? according to their website, the leaning tower is open until 830pm.

you could do Pisa and Lucca in the same day, I think.

but you definitely need a whole day for Siena which would be my pick.

the buses to Siena and San Gim go from the bus station which is next door to the main railway station in Florence [Firenze Santa Maria Novella or SMN] on the left as you look at the station. it's down a tiny alleyway but it IS there. you can buy tickets at the office in the bus station.

Travelling time by railway by Siena and Pisa is 1 hour 45 minutes; that is, from the moment the train is Siena leaves to the moment you put your feet on Pisa, provided trains are on time and the connection in Empoli is smooth. The *real time* needed between the Siena Cathedral and the Pisa Cathedral, including real world chores like getting down to the train station in Siena, buying a ticket, waiting for the first train and so on, will be something like 3 hours, possibly a little more.

alifafa just suggested a very doable plan above.
In Pisa if you just want to admire the monuments in "Field of Miracles" then 2 hours will suffice. From Pisa Centrale there are frequent trains to go back to Florence.

The plan to get the train to Pisa from Siena is a good one so long as you don't mind getting back to Florence late.

and it has the advantage that you get to see the campo dei miracoli after all the tour buses and hawkers have gone home; IMO the buildings are even more beautiful lit up at night than they are in the day.

if you want to climb the tower, you can book your slot here:

www.opapisa.it.

>>>what about taking the bus to siena in the early morning, spend all morning and have lunch in siena..<<<

Siena deserves a full day (or several). You have to get transport from Siena to the train station (figure out bus or taxi), catch train (regional trains can run late), change trains, get from from Pisa Centrale to the tower (bus or walk). Everything takes longer than you expect. My last regional train to Siena ran an hour late. The last train from Pisa C to Florence without changes is 10:30.

You CAN do it but you will barely touch Siena in a morning, let alone a day. The question becomes whether you will enjoy rushing around. If it is important to you, then yes, it is feasible and physically possible, just to many here not desirable. Your decision.

Technically you cold do it, but does it really makes sense? What about renting a car and spending a full day in beautyful Siena country side. (Chianti, Monteriggioni, Montalcino...)? I do believe that you would have a much more interesting and relaxing day. To have an idea of what to do and see you may have a lo ok at my travel blog www.delightfullyitaly.com.
Enjoy your stay in Italy!

The first leg, Florence to Siena is better done on buses; the other ones on trains. Basically, it is a day spent mostly on Tuscan regional trains. In spite of being a railfan, I do not think Tuscan trains are so brilliant that I would like to spend the better part of a day on them.

I was tempted to go through the "Best of Tuscany Tour" with WalkAbout. It includes Siena and Pisa as well as San Gigminanio and lunch at a farm. At the end of the day, I decided to go with a private driver and skip Pisa to have more time in the other two towns but I'm sure you can find a driver to do it too.

i looked into the "best of tuscany tour" with walkabout also but i decided not to sign up for it because the group size is huge (56 people) and i would not be doing any of those 4 places justice. a private driver would be ideal but i inquired with sunflower tours (not sure if i have the exact name) but he quoted 440 euros for 2 people for the day just to go to siena & pisa. that is insanely expensive. at that price, i would rather do siena & pisa on my own with the risk of delayed trains and buses.