Florence travel guide — where to stay, what to do, and where to eat in Florence, Tuscany, Italy.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Siena
Italy's most perfectly preserved medieval city and the ancient rival of Florence. Siena's Piazza del Campo — described as Europe's greatest medieval square — is the centre of civic and social life, host twice yearly to the electrifying Palio horse race (July 2 and August 16). The Sienese Gothic Duomo (Cathedral) rivals Florence's in ambition and surpasses it in interior richness, with a spectacular inlaid marble floor (uncovered August-October only), Pinturicchio's vivid Piccolomini Library frescoes, and the Siena Madonna by Duccio. Siena's distinct Gothic artistic tradition produced Duccio, Simone Martini, and the Lorenzetti brothers, all represented in the Museo Civico's extraordinary collections.
Highlights: Piazza del Campo — the great medieval shell-shaped square, free to enter and sit on · Siena Cathedral (Duomo) with the Piccolomini Library and spectacular inlaid marble floor (uncovered Aug-Oct) · Museo Civico in Palazzo Pubblico — Simone Martini's Maestà and Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Good Government frescoes · Torre del Mangia — the 102m civic tower (503 steps) with panoramic views over Campo and the surrounding hills · Santa Maria della Scala — medieval hospital turned extraordinary art museum with frescoes and Roman archaeological finds
Pisa
Home to one of the world's most famous (and unlikely) architectural ensembles: the Campo dei Miracoli (Piazza dei Miracoli) contains the Baptistery, Cathedral, Camposanto cemetery, and of course the Leaning Tower — a medieval bell tower that began tilting during construction in 1173 due to soft subsoil. The tower leans at approximately 4 degrees and the lean was stabilised (but not corrected) between 1990 and 2001. Climbing the 296 steps to the top (the staircase inside the walls spirals around the tilt) is a dizzying experience. Pisa's Cathedral is also one of Italy's finest Romanesque churches, with Giovanni Pisano's extraordinary pulpit inside.
Highlights: Leaning Tower climb (book months ahead at opapisa.it — strictly limited capacity) · Pisa Cathedral — Romanesque masterpiece with Giovanni Pisano's pulpit (1301-1311) · Baptistery — Italy's largest baptistery with extraordinary acoustics · Camposanto — Gothic cemetery with medieval and Roman sarcophagi and Renaissance frescoes · Museo dell'Opera del Duomo — Pisano sculptures and cathedral treasures
Lucca
Lucca is often described as one of Italy's most perfectly preserved walled cities — and with good reason. Its 4.2km Renaissance walls (built 1504-1645) are wide enough to walk and cycle on top, and the entire circuit offers a remarkable urban experience. Within the walls, the medieval and Renaissance centre is traffic-free and beautifully intact: Romanesque churches, the extraordinary Piazza dell'Anfiteatro (built on the oval of a Roman amphitheatre), and the birthplace of Giacomo Puccini, whose operas (La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly) are celebrated at the Torre del Guinigi and the Puccini Foundation. Lucca is less known internationally than Siena or Pisa but among the most enjoyable Italian cities to spend a day.
Highlights: City walls circuit — 4.2km walkable and cyclable Renaissance fortification; rent a bike at any of the city gates · Piazza dell'Anfiteatro — an extraordinary oval piazza built over the shape of a Roman amphitheatre · San Michele in Foro — Romanesque church on the site of the ancient forum with an elaborate facade of stacked arcades · Puccini's birthplace (Casa di Puccini) — museum in the composer's childhood home · Torre del Guinigi — medieval tower with oak trees growing from the top, a surreal and beautiful Lucca landmark
San Gimignano
The medieval Manhattan of Tuscany: a perfectly preserved hilltop town best known for its extraordinary 14 surviving medieval towers, which once numbered 72 before wars and civic rivalry reduced them. In medieval Italy, tower height was a statement of family wealth and power, and San Gimignano's silhouette of competing towers is one of the most recognisable skylines in Europe. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and deservedly the most visited in Tuscany outside Florence and Siena. Despite the crowds, the old streets within the walls remain atmospheric and genuine. The Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG — Italy's first-ever DOCG wine (1966) — is produced on the surrounding hillsides.
Highlights: The medieval towers — 14 remaining towers create the famous skyline seen for miles · Piazza del Duomo and the Collegiate church frescoes (Ghirlandaio's cycle of the life of Santa Fina in the Santa Fina Chapel) · Museo Civico — with Lippo Memmi's magnificent Maestà (1317) and the Torre Grossa climb · Vernaccia di San Gimignano wine tasting — Italy's first DOCG, a crisp white wine produced on the hillsides · The view from Torre Grossa (the tallest remaining tower) over the rolling Tuscan countryside
Chianti Wine Country
The Chianti Classico wine zone between Florence and Siena is one of the most beautiful agricultural landscapes in the world: a rolling sea of vineyards, olive groves, cypress avenues, stone farmhouses (casali), medieval castles, and hilltop villages that inspired Renaissance painters and continues to draw visitors from around the world. The zone produces Chianti Classico DOCG from Sangiovese grapes, identified by the Gallo Nero (Black Rooster) symbol. Key towns: Greve in Chianti (the Chianti capital and home of Enoteca Falorni), Panzano in Chianti (Dario Cecchini's legendary butcher shop, the best bistecca fiorentina experience in Tuscany), and Radda in Chianti (medieval village).
Highlights: Enoteca Falorni in Greve — self-service wine tasting machines allow sampling of dozens of Chianti Classico wines · Antica Macelleria Cecchini in Panzano — Dario Cecchini's legendary butcher shop; book the Officina della Bistecca lunch · Wine estate visits — Antinori, Rocca delle Macie, Badia a Passignano; book in advance for cellar tastings · SR222 Chiantigiana (Chianti road) — the scenic two-lane road winding through vineyards and hilltop villages · Strade bianche (white gravel roads) — the classic unpaved Chianti back roads beloved by cyclists and photographers · Autumn vendemmia (harvest) in September-October — vineyards turn gold and wine presses are open
Val d'Orcia
The Val d'Orcia is arguably the most beautiful landscape in Italy: a UNESCO World Heritage valley of perfectly composed rolling hills, wheat fields, cypress avenues, oak meadows, and medieval hilltop villages that has appeared in more paintings, postcards, and films than almost any other landscape on earth. This is the backdrop to Ridley Scott's Gladiator, the films of Pier Paolo Pasolini, and the timeless Tuscan imagery of the Italian tourist imagination. The valley towns — Pienza, San Quirico d'Orcia, Montalcino, Bagno Vignoni, Montepulciano — each merit a visit. The Cappella di Vitaleta near Pienza is the most photographed scene in Tuscany.
Highlights: Cappella di Vitaleta near Pienza — the postcard chapel on a cypress-lined ridge at sunrise or sunset · Pienza — the Renaissance 'ideal city' built by Pope Pius II (1459-1464) and Pecorino cheese capital of Tuscany · Bagno Vignoni — extraordinary village built around a thermal piazza (now museum pool); free thermal bathing at Parco dei Mulini below · Montalcino — hilltop fortress town producing Brunello di Montalcino, one of Italy's greatest red wines · Montepulciano — walled hilltop town producing Vino Nobile DOCG; extraordinary views from the fortress terrace · La Foce Garden — private estate gardens open seasonally with cypress avenue views
Cinque Terre
Five centuries-old fishing villages (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso al Mare) clinging to dramatic cliff terraces above the Ligurian Sea, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Park. The villages are connected by the famous Cinque Terre trail (the Via dell'Amore portion between Riomaggiore and Manarola is the most celebrated short walk) and by local trains. The swimming is excellent off Monterosso's beach. While technically in Liguria rather than Tuscany, Cinque Terre is an extremely popular day trip from Florence — just under 2 hours by direct fast train.
Highlights: Via dell'Amore — the clifftop path between Riomaggiore and Manarola with sea views · Vernazza — the most picturesque of the five villages with a natural harbour · Manarola — a painting-perfect village with evening wine drinking on the harbour rocks · Swimming at Monterosso — the only village with a proper sandy beach · Pesto — Liguria invented pesto (basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, olive oil, garlic) and it is extraordinary here
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
Items
Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
- Overview
- Florence's position in the Arno valley makes it an excellent base for day trips throughout Tuscany. Trains connect to Pisa, Lucca, Arezzo, and La Spezia (for Cinque Terre). The Autostazione bus terminal (Piazza Adua, next to SMN) connects to Siena and other hill towns. A rental car is needed for Chianti and Val d'Orcia.
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
The SITA/Autolinee Toscane bus from Florence Autostazione (next to SMN station) to Siena is faster, cheaper, and more direct than any train route to Siena
For Chianti and Val d'Orcia, a rental car is essential — book in advance and confirm ZTL restrictions before driving into any hilltop town centre
The Trenitalia regional train (Regionale) is the best-value option for Pisa, Lucca, and Arezzo — book on the Trenitalia app for best prices
First train to Pisa leaves Florence SMN around 5:45AM; early trains arrive before Leaning Tower crowds build
The Cinque Terre Card (€7.50-18 depending on trails included) covers local trains between the five villages and selected walking paths — buy online at cinque terre.eu