day trips in Tuscany

Anne

New member
I will be staying outside Florence in a villa for one week in September with a group of 9 family members. We want to take several day trips into Tuscany and do some wine tasting and spend 3 days in Florence. The trips we have planned are to Siena/San Gimignano, Pisa/Lucca, and winery tours along the Chianti Road. We are not renting cars but plan to a hire a vehicle with a driver.

It seems that 9 passengers is difficult because the small minivans can only accomodate 8 passengers. We now have the choice of hiring 2 small vehicles (2 minivans or 1 minivan and 1 car) or one larger 12-16 passenger minibus. We would like to be together but I have been told that there are disadvantages to using the larger minibus when travelling to small hill towns. There is a fee plus the minivans cannot go into the center of some towns.

My question is this: How far from the center of the towns that we plan to visit can the bus go? Is it so far that we would spend a larger part of our time walking to the historic parts of town or is it just a few blocks? Which type of transportation would you recommend?

Grazie,

Anne
 
Moving around Tuscany

Ciao Anne and welcome to the forum!
Your tuscan itinerary sounds very interesting to get the best of Tuscany:)

In my opinion the best thing to move around the region for your family would be to hire a larger minibus, so you'll be all together.
Actually, there aren't disadvantages using larger minibuses to travel to small hill towns; the historical centers of many if not most towns in Tuscany are forbidden to traffic, so also to small cars.
Anyway, you should not worry about that, as in every town or village you'll visit, you will always find a parking area very near the city center, usually quickly reachable in 5 or maximum 10 minutes walking. That's true especially for the towns you are going to visit, but in general for all villages in Tuscany.
In case you'd like to receive further suggestions also regarding your itinenary, proper accommodations and winery tours, I'll be waiting for your reply:)

Have a great vacation in Tuscany and enjoy your trip!
 
Moving around by BUS

You can go almost everywhere by bus (and a bit of walking). The only problem is generally the bus schedules. Always check them before you leave! SITA buses leave directly from Florence's central SMN train station and stop in almost every single village but not all do so. For example, catch line 365 from Florence to Greve, Radda, Castellina and Gaiole but pay attention as some buses end in Greve. I recommend you check bus schedules carefully, especially on Sundays and holidays when buses are even fewer, as well as for the return trip - otherwise you might find yourself stranded for the night or walking for hours in the hills of Chianti.
 
Hi Anne -Best to go for two normal vehicles. Any vehicle with more than 8 passenger seats requires a different drivers license or a paid driver for the day which will be so much more expensive than hiring two cars. Try asking for a discount when hiring two vehicles together from the same place: it just might work.:)
 
I think you can hire large mini vans so that you can travel with all your family together and there is no problem hiring large vans. So go for it.
 
Best tour/driver in tuscany!!!

Ok, I can help you with your request..... I am just back from my trip in Italy.......I actually found an amazing tour/driver guide, suggested by a friend of mine. I absolutely recommend him to everyone going to Tuscany and want to have a lifetime experience in Italy; he knows all the best places to visit and the wineries for wine tasting; his English is just perfect (he used to live in the States); his rates are half of the regular tour companies and he drives a luxury car. Cannot get better than this!! (he can also get large Van) Write him at: mytuscanyvacation@gmail.com
ask him about your special request; he always find the best solution for you; he knows a lot of people and the best thing about him, it is that he loves what he does and he is not just about business but he loves people and he try to do the best for his clients.
He can also provide service from the Airport to your Hotel and he is so kind that he will also help you to plan your trip in Italy! Oh, I forgot...he is also an amazing photographer and he took great pictures for my wife and I. Contact him; he is the best! (He is also very knowledgeable and funny!;)).
 
ASK your'e villa host for info

If you don't know which day trips will be good for you you can always ask your Villa host
that is what I did when I was visiting Siena, all the family wanted to go to a one day trip in Tuscany and our host was very knowledgeable about all the day trips and the options we have for a good time

You can always contact a villa owner in Tuscany and ask him
we asked the owner of the villa near sienna we stayed at called San Fabiano.
his name is Philip
he was very nice to help us

Have a nice vacation in Italy
 
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