I am sure we will get a car at some point during our week in Tuscany but don't want to rent it, pay to park it and then be on the train for 3 days. We are taking an apartment in Florence and will do day trips from there. I would imagine it can all be done by train, but are there any towns or areas that it makes sense NOT to take the car? Places you would go either before you rent or after you turn in the car.

With a week, I would spend 3 nites in Florence then get a car and spend the next 4 nites in south Tuscany--you do need a car to see it well.

Bobthenavigator: thanks. You are probably right, but we have taken an apartment for a week. We will have already been traveling (pack and unpack) and wanted a time to settle one place. Given that we are staying the week in Florence do you think there are places we should go by train first then rent the car to poke around other areas?

Hi S,

>...are there any towns or areas that it makes sense NOT to take the car?<

Most of Tuscany, I think.

If you let us know where you would like to go, we could tell you how best to get there.

Thanks for your patience with me! We will base in Florence and know we will want a couple of days there. We want to take the kids to see the places such as Pisa and Siena or other areas that are a "don't miss" on a first trip to the area. (I sitll need to figure out what those are.) Beyond that we are open to ideas. I want to show them some flavor away from the big city, but do not want them stuck in the back seat of a car for hours and hours on end.

Hi S,

Siena is a 1-hr bus ride from Florence. Greve-in-Chianti is 1:20

See http://www.sita-on-line.it/
Click Toscana, click Orari, Click the top line, click bus no. 350 for Siena, 345 for Greve.

Pisa is a 1-hr train ride from Florence. See http://www.trenitalia.com/en/

You can visit Lucca (a very pleasant walled town)on the same daytrip.

You can see San Gimignano by bus from Siena.

Montepulciano is 2 hr by train.

Castellina-in-Chianti is 1:21 by train.

Hope this helps.