Tuscany day trip - which one?
 

My husband and I will be staying in Florence 3 days/3 nights at the end of May. I really would like to get away from Florence and visit one or two of the smaller towns in Tuscany, but we have a very limited time because our itinerary in Florence is pretty much set already. Here's the deal: We arrive in Florence around noon on the first day and we have a reservation for the Accademia later in the afternoon. This will be our main Florence day (no offense to anyone, but I didn't really like Florence the first time I was there, so I think one day is plenty). The 2nd day, we have a reservation for the Uffizi in the morning; afternoon is wide open. The 3rd day, we have reservations for a bike tour to Fiesole and surrounding countryside. <BR> <BR>So.... I am trying to decide where in Tuscany we can go for the afternoon of the 2nd day. We probably won't leave Florence til close to noon (our Uffizi reservation is at 9am). I thought we could take the bus to Siena, look around, then head to San Gimignano for dinner and take a late train from Poggibonsi back to Florence. Is that too ambitious? Taking into account travel time, can anyone give me some good suggestions/advice on what we should do? <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance!

hi, that sounds pretty ambitious to me; i'm afraid you'd spend too much time in transit. i would suggest picking one of the towns and spending the afternoon and evening there. (also maybe getting a car for greater flexibility and so you aren't worried about schedules) <BR> <BR>i prefer siena personally, but i also liked san g and lucca too, for that matter. (oh, and i'm with you; i was underwhelmed by florence, but maybe because it was december and very cold and gray!)

I agree, that seems like a really tight schedule. Siena would be a great town to spend the afternoon & have dinner in. <BR> <BR>If you had dinner in S. Gimignano (a great thing to do, I've got to admit; it's a gorgeous town & by then the day-trippers will have left), how would you get from there to Poggibonsi anyway?

Your best means of transportation between Florence and Siena would be the SITA bus (Autostazione SITA is across the square in front of Sta. Maria Novella train station - Via Sta. Caterina da Siena). If not outdated, you should be able to get the 12:10am bus, arriving in Siena at 1:25pm (earlier bus leaves at 11:10am). <BR><BR>Now, I can't see how you could enjoy a visit to Siena and still hop over to San G. IMO, you should either stick to Siena (my preferred choice) or San G. (also connected to Florence by SITA).<BR><BR>The last express bus from Siena to Florence departs at 8:10pm (weekdays; next to last is at 7:10pm). On saturdays, sundays and holidays the last departure appears to be at 7:10pm.<BR><BR>For the sake of completenes:<BR>a) last train out from Siena is at 9:23pm (arriving at 10:44pm)<BR>b) several buses from Siena to San G. (at least one every hour); travel time about 1:10 hours <BR>b) last train out from Poggiobonsi is at 9:45pm, arriving in Florence at 10:44<BR><BR>Paulo

If you really want to see both cities, I think renting a car for the day is your best alternative. Otherwise, you'll spend too much time waiting for buses. I think you're better off just seeing Siena. Another alternative from Florence are the cities of Prato and Pistoia, a very short train trip away. You could probably fit in both of these cities. Although these cities are nice, Siena is better.