broy

Can anyone suggest a good town to stay while touring Tuscany and Umbria in winter or would it be better to stay in several towns? If so what towns would you suggest? Thanks so much for any replies.

bobthenavigator

No one location will be adequate for both IMHO.

For Tuscany,I would stay in or near Siena for access to both Chianti and the Val d' Orcia.
For Umbria I like the area around Bevagna and Spello for easy access to most of UMbria. Good luck !

Michael

Perugia is a good hub for Umbria.

bvlenci

Will you have a car, or are you planning to rely on trains and buses?

nytraveler

In winter you will really want to have a car - waiting for rare buses - or even on train platforms in chill and train can get old very fast

Also don;t forget how early it will get dark - so plan on early morning starts.

tuscanlifeedit

I never feel that Perugia is easy to drive in and out of.

bvlenci

With a car, Perugia doesn't have great advantages as a hub. Without a car, it's by far the best. Second best would be Assisi, followed by Spoleto.

In Tuscany, without a car, the best hubs would be either Siena or Florence, depending on which parts of Tuscany you want to visit.

wekewoody

Arezzo could be used as a base to see destinations in both Tuscany and Umbria, but it really depends upon what you want to see and do and you would most likely need a car.

broy

Thank you all for your help. It's greatly appreciated

annw

Agree about Perugia as a hub if you're traveling by train --the station is in the lower town and you take a little cable car, almost a funicular, or a taxi, to the ancient center up the hill. There are parking lots down below and the cable car also stops at those lots. Plus it's a neat town in itself, with a wonderful passagiatta in the evening, good restaurants.

We took day trips from there (i.e., Spello) by train, but as with Tuscany, a car can be more efficient. If memory serves, same deal for Assisi -- train (and most parking?) down below (where St. Francis's original church is) -in Santa Maria degli Angeli, and a short taxi ride, bus, or climb up the hill to the ancient centre. Assisi is packed during the day in high season but lovely in the evening.

Agree Arezzo is another possible hub besides Florence; personally I like to stay outside Florence, in a small town called Impruneta (there are others) to travel around Tuscany.