Tuscan day trip from Florence
 

I will be in Florence during the very busy season. I have 2 days I can do a day trip to Tuscany. 23 or 24 August. There seems to be many day trips available, and most seem to do Chiati, Siena, San Gimignano. Sometimes Pisa. Is it necessary to prebook these or can I book the day before when I arrive in Florence? And any specific companies you want to recommend or warn against. I am a single traveler, so want to join a small tour rather than hire a car.

Florence is the capital of Tuscany. You'll be in Tuscany.

Pisa unless you want a guide is a very easy train ride from Florence. I think the price is almost €10 one way. You'd also have to buy entrance tickets.

Siena would be a bus ride but also not impossible by yourself.

The other two are more of a challenge by public transit.

How many days do you have in Florence itself? Don't short change Florence unless you really want to see something else.

Pisa or Lucca are easy by train as explained above. (you could do both in a day)

Siena is an easy bus trip

Tours by coach is certainly possible and I'd probably book but I've not done them so advice is limited

I would make life easy for yourself and catch the local bus up to Fiesole. It takes about 20 minutes and is delightful with lovely views, some good restaurants and an interesting Archeological museum.

thank you. All these are good advice. i will have 3 nights in Florence. Should I rather not leave Florence? I would very much like to see the Tuscan small towns and drive through the country. i fell in love with the scenery pictures. I was looking at Fiesole, thanks for that tip.

Three nights means you have only 2 full days in Florence. If you spend one day away from the city, you will probably not have enough time to see even the main sights. Have you made a Florence sightseeing list?

Not sure you’ll want to leave Florence, to be honest. I’ve got almost a week here now (1/2 solo, 1/2 with amore mio) and there’s so much to see! Why not slow down and enjoy the excellent Mercato Centrale, Boboli Gardens, museums and spectacular sunsets?
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Welcome, NuutinDurbs1. If you like art, gardens, history, or David, there is no reason to leave Florence. Every place you mentioned is do-able by bus or train but there's no reason to leave Florence!

Of one just wanted to see a small Medieval Tuscan town, how does the easy trip to Fiesole compare to the longer trip to San Gimignano or Lucca?

I could spend weeks in Florence, but if this is the only chance you will ever have to see any of Tuscany, I'd go for an escorted day trip. We usually hate those but a couple years ago did one with our niece, start/end in Florence and visited Pisa, Siena, and San Gimignano with lunch at a Chianti vineyard. It was a full but enjoyable day. We booked it through Get Your Guide which offers a few variations on this itinerary.

Thank you for everyone's lovely advice. Which I kind of summarise as "stay in Florence". I have decided to not book a day trip, but see how I feel. I could then book something on the last day, see more of Florence or do a day trip by myself by train if I could not get a booking. Florence looks amazing, but I am not much into art (I know!!!). I am planning a morning in the Uffizi, but do not think I want to spend 3 days looking at art. I love the architecture, impressive cathedrals and cobble stone streets.

I think it's a good idea to stay in Florence. But, if you're not into art, why are you spending a half day at the Uffizi? My most recent visit to Florence was the fourth time I was there, and I finally made it to the Uffizi. The things you say you enjoy will easily fill your short time in the city. I would make the Accademia with Michelangelo's David more of a priority than the Uffuzi. Make reservations ahead to skip the line.

What would you put on a 2 day itinerary, if not art?

I might not pick Florence.

Ponte Vecchio

Go up to Piazzale Michelangelo

The cathedral

Shopping at the market if you want. I'm not a big fan of the market but others disagree.

Just wander the city taking in the outdoor sites.

If you're interested in leather, the Leather Market will give you lots of options.

Since you like architecture, see the Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiori. Get a copy of a great book about it, Brunelleschi's Dome, which gives the history. Brunelleschi was a clock maker who designed the dome, and to this day, they don't know how he got it up there.

There are lots of cobblestone streets to walk on. Just walking around Florence is a nice experience.

If you're interested in mosaics, not the same as looking at a lot of art in a museum, the Baptistry, just across from the Duomo, has wonderful 13th Century mosaics covering the entire dome.

Piazza Signoria is like an outdoor museum, great sculpture.
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I agree with Ponte Vecchio, especially if you want to buy gold.

Be sure to go to Aqua al 2 for dinner. Their steak with blueberry sauce (might sound strange) is soooo good!

the gardens

do a boat/canoe tour of the river

Yes it is possible to spend days exploring Florence, but it will be hot so I suggested Fiesole as you might want to escape the heat for half a day and it is a short journey with good views.

On your own you could explore Pistoia to which there are more frequent trains than to Lucca.

Hub and I took a bus to Fiesole in the way back when. From internet:

"Easiest way to get to Fiesole is to take ATAF bus #7 from either the SMN train station or San Marco Square in Florence. Buses run about every 20 minutes and drop you off right in the main square in Fiesole."

There are ruins there; others can provide first-hand or just google.

ps...say "Fee A So ​​​​​​Lay

TD - we did just that when we stayed in Florence with our kids about 15 years ago, and loved it. We caught the bus from the piazza San Marco, as we had just been to the Academia to see David, and spent the rest of the morning in Fiesole exploring the Duomo, the rather odd monastery of San Francesco [complete with Egyptian mummies in the basement museum ] and the Roman amphitheatre, followed by lunch outside the very nice restaurant in the middle of the town ,which was frequented by some workmen too which is normally a sign that somewhere is good. And it was!

If you are not that keen on art and want to avoid the crowded rooms of the Uffizzi, then cross the Ponte Vecchio, walk through Santo Spirito to the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens, You can see some lovely architecture and several different collections (not just paintings) in the Palazzo without it being overwhelming. The Boboli Gardens are wonderful - a lovely oasis in central Florence.

To escape the heat, take one of the footpaths up to Piazzale Michelangelo or there is a bus. You can also reach Forte Belvedere by bus.

Another recommendation for Fiesole. It's a quick and easy bus trip (#7). We found the Etruscan ruins really interesting - and there is more to see. You could see most of it in a couple of hours, half a day.

Thank you everyone for your lovely advice. I was a heavy user of this forum probably 20 years ago when it was hard to get online information. It is great to see that it is still as useful as it was then.