Best Day Trips from Florence by Train and Car
Updated: 2 days ago
Updated October 2026
From Piazzale Michelangelo you can watch the hills roll toward the Tuscan towns I love most. Most are an easy train or bus ride from Santa Maria Novella, which is why I use Florence as my base.
This is my day trip hub. It covers Siena, Lucca, Pisa, San Gimignano, Chianti and Fiesole, with how to get there and how long to stay. Arriving soon? My Florence airport to city center guide explains the tram, buses and trains.
Quick picks
Easiest by train: Lucca and Pisa.
Best by bus: Siena.
Best by car: Chianti and San Gimignano.
Half day, no planning: Fiesole.
Siena
Siena is Gothic where Florence is Renaissance. The shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, the striped cathedral and the steep lanes deserve a full day. The black and white nave stopped me in my tracks.
Getting there: regional trains from Santa Maria Novella take roughly an hour and a half. The direct express bus is often the better choice because it drops you closer to the center. Check current timetables on the day.
Lucca
Lucca is flat, calm and surrounded by intact Renaissance walls you can walk or cycle on top of. It is my pick for a relaxed day with lunch and a bike ride.
Getting there: direct regional trains, about an hour and 20 minutes.
Pisa
Pisa is more than the Leaning Tower. The whole Field of Miracles, with the cathedral and baptistery, is beautiful. Pair it with Lucca on the same train line for a full day, or give it a half day.
Getting there: direct regional trains, about an hour.
San Gimignano
The town of medieval towers, best early in the morning or after the tour buses leave. Try the local white wine, Vernaccia.
Getting there: train to Poggibonsi-San Gimignano, then a local bus up the hill. Allow about an hour and a half to two hours each way. A car makes it simpler, especially combined with Chianti.
Chianti
Chianti is about the drive itself: cypress lines, wine estates and small villages like Greve, Panzano and Castellina. Book winery visits ahead and choose a designated driver, or join a guided tour.
Driving tip: never drive into central Florence to pick up or return a car without understanding the restricted traffic zone. My guide to driving, parking and the ZTL in Florence explains it.
Fiesole
Fiesole sits on the hill just above Florence, with a Roman theatre and a view of the whole city. City bus 7 runs up from Florence. It is ideal for a morning or a sunset.
Make it a food day
Many travelers combine a countryside day with a hands-on lesson. My guide to cooking classes in Florence covers half-day and longer classes. Cyclists will also enjoy reading about the Tour de France 2024 Grand Depart in Florence, which raced out through these same hills.
Where to stay
If you want countryside calm with the city close, consider staying up the hill. See where to stay near Fiesole.
More towns worth a day
Arezzo: about an hour by train, with Piero della Francesca's frescoes in San Francesco and a beautiful sloping piazza. The monthly antiques fair takes place on the first weekend.
Pistoia: under an hour by train, a calm, real Tuscan town with a lovely cathedral square and a fresh food market.
Prato: half an hour by train, with Filippo Lippi's frescoes in the cathedral and the textile museum.
Montepulciano and Pienza: best by car, combined in one long day through the Val d'Orcia.
Volterra: Etruscan walls and alabaster workshops, best by car.
How I plan a day trip
Leave early, on a train before 9:00 if you can. Decide your one must-see before you go and book it if it needs a ticket. Eat lunch at a trattoria away from the main square.
Leave time to wander, because the joy of Tuscan towns is in the side streets. Come back to Florence for dinner. For the train, buy regional tickets at the station or in the Trenitalia app, and validate paper tickets before boarding.
When a guide helps
For Chianti wineries, the Val d'Orcia and San Gimignano, a private driver or guide saves a lot of logistics and means nobody has to drive after a tasting. My best tours guide covers the options.
Staying in the countryside
If day trips are the heart of your trip, flip it around: stay in the countryside and make day trips into Florence. A villa in Chianti or near Siena puts you in the middle of Tuscany, with a pool, vineyard views and dinners on the terrace. Browse Exclusive Villa Collection for villas across Tuscany.
Seasons for day trips
Spring brings wildflowers and green hills. Autumn is harvest season, with grape picking in September and olive oil in November. Summer is hot in the hill towns at midday, so start early.
Arezzo
Arezzo, about an hour by train from Florence, is one of Tuscany's most rewarding and least crowded cities. Its great treasure is Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle of the Legend of the True Cross in the Basilica of San Francesco, one of the masterpieces of the early Renaissance; visits are timed, so book ahead.
The sloping Piazza Grande, lined with medieval towers and Vasari's loggia, hosts a big antiques fair on the first weekend of each month and the Giostra del Saracino, a jousting tournament, in June and September. Arezzo is also the home town of Petrarch and of Vasari, whose house you can visit.
Volterra
Perched high on a ridge between Florence and the sea, Volterra is an Etruscan city with walls, a Roman theater and a medieval center. It is famous for alabaster, carved in workshops all over town.
The Guarnacci Etruscan Museum holds the slender bronze statue known as the Ombra della Sera, the evening shadow. Volterra is best reached by car, about an hour and a half from Florence, and combines well with San Gimignano.
Montepulciano and Pienza
In southern Tuscany, Montepulciano is a hill town of Renaissance palaces and wine cellars carved into the rock, home of Vino Nobile. Pienza, nearby, was rebuilt in the 15th century by Pope Pius II as an ideal Renaissance town and is famous for pecorino cheese.
The drive through the Val d'Orcia between them, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of cypress lined roads and rolling hills, is one of the most beautiful in Italy. It is a long day from Florence, about two hours each way, so I often stay a night.
Prato
Only 20 minutes by train, Prato is Tuscany's second largest city and a textile center. It has a cathedral with Filippo Lippi's frescoes and Donatello's outdoor pulpit, the Textile Museum and the Pecci contemporary art center. Prato is also the home of cantucci, the almond biscuits.
Train or car?
Siena, Lucca, Pisa, Arezzo and Prato are easy by train or bus. Hill towns like San Gimignano, Volterra, Montepulciano and Pienza, and the Chianti wineries, are much easier by car or with a driver. Remember the ZTL rules when you leave Florence.
My favorite way to see the countryside
Rather than racing from town to town, I pick one place, arrive early, have a long lunch and leave time for a walk outside the walls.
FAQ
Do I need a car for day trips from Florence?
No for Siena, Lucca, Pisa and Fiesole. A car helps for Chianti and small hill towns.
Can I do two towns in one day?
Pisa and Lucca pair well by train. San Gimignano and a Chianti village pair well by car.
Should I book trains ahead?
Regional trains do not need advance booking. Validate paper tickets before you board.
What is the best day trip from Florence?
Siena for art and history, Lucca for a relaxed day, Chianti for wine.
Can I visit Pisa and Lucca in one day?
Yes. They are on the same train line, about half an hour apart.
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About the author
I'm Jason GaNung, and I write every guide on Florence Life. I have spent extensive time in Florence over many trips, and I have stayed in many of the hotels and villas I cover, so my picks come from my own stays, not press releases. More about me.
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