Tuscany Region - Public Transportation or Rental Car?
 

Hi,

Planning a trip to Italy next year in April and wanted to find out if there was public transportation that you could utilize to get around Tuscany or would it be more beneficial to rent a car?

Thanks!

It depends on where you want to go from and to in Tuscany.

There are trains and buses that are frequent and convenient to some places and not so much to other places where a car would be more convenient.

Where do plan to base yourself and where would you like to go?

And how many days do you have?

It depends on where you are going. Some Tuscany locations are punitive with a car while other places are maddeningly difficult to connect without a car. No one answer fits all type of visits.

I've taken trains and buses all over Tuscany - Montepulciano, Viterbo, Siena, San Gimignano so if you just want to see some iconic Tuscan hill towns public transit is frequent to many and dirt cheap- no need to book in advance.

but like greg says if you have an extensive wish list some smaller hill towns (every town in Tuscany seems to be a hill town!) then a car is better or if you want to do say a week in Tuscany - driving would be better.

But a few day trips or short stays can easily be done by train and or bus.

I hope to plan a few days around this are (maybe 3 or 4 days). What would be the best place to base myself out of if I were to do public transportation. Since this is my first time, probably going to hit the big places like PalenQ mentioned.

Assuming there is great food and wine in those towns as well?

Good to great wine is easily available in every region of Italy.

"Great food" is a relative term. Traditional Tuscan cooking is country-simple, relying mostly on fresh ingredients. The vast majority of restaurants in Tuscany offer traditional fare. Creativity or Michelin stars are not the norm.

I can't imagine visiting Tuscany without a car. I also can't imagine a limit of 3-4 days. If I had to rely on public transportation, I would make the plan as easy as possible. Getting from train stations and bus stops up to the city center with luggage requires stamina.

Taking a bus from Florence to San Gimignano seems easy to me. When the tourists leave, San Gimignano turns into something magical. The hills around San Gimignano are truly special. The views from the city are spectacular. San Gimignano has a few special restaurants and a famous gelato chef.

I love Siena, and there's easy transport by bus or train from Florence. Siena is a serious hill town. Some of its streets are quite steep. Much like San Gimignano, Siena is fabulous in early morning or late evening. Much to see and do in Siena.

If you based in Florence, there are many day trips possible using only public trans: the already-mentioned San Gimignano and Siena, plus Fiesole and Greve, all by bus. Montecatini Terme, Lucca, Pisa, Certaldo, Arezzo, Cortona, Bologna in Emilia-Romagna, all by train.

If you based in Siena, there is bus service to quite a bit of southern Tuscany, but the timetables are generally geared to students and commuters and aren't very conducive to sightseeing.

If you planned to see Florence in your 3-4 days in the area, you need to figure out how much of your time that will take. Even a single day for Florence leaves you only a couple of days for the countryside. A car would maximize your options, but there's still only so much ground you can cover.

Personally I think that public transport is the most sustainable solution for the environment.

However it is true that renting a car allows more independence and autonomy in the move where you want and when you want, with or without air conditioning, etc ... the choice is very subjective, ambient vs convenience.

Here some tips for traveling in Tuscany by car http://mytravelintuscany.com/tips-fo...uscany-by-car/

Enjoy your trip! :)

If you based in Siena, there is bus service to quite a bit of southern Tuscany, but the timetables are generally geared to students and commuters and aren't very conducive to sightseeing.>

Siena also has train service to places like Pisa and Chiusi (for buses to Montepulciano).

Siena a good hill town base but Florence has like Jean says better transit options by train or bus to many other places - like those in Umbria (?) too - Assisi, Perugia, Cortona - bigger hill cities but very interesting.

I based once in Perugia and did lovely day trips to Todi, Gubbio, Assisi and Cortona.