Best Day Trips from Florence to Siena, Italy

Ahhhh….beautiful Florence!  I first visited as a young teen, & totally missed the point of this stunning city.  My friend & I spent most of our time in the train station, because we couldn’t figure out the darn schedules!!  But when I returned last year as a more seasoned traveler, the difference was staggering: I was blown away by Florence.  In my opinion, it’s even more romantic than Paris.  And it’s worth staying more than a few days..there’s so much to see in Tuscany.  Here, we’ll discuss the best day trips from Florence to Siena ~ & a few other popular Tuscan destinations…

View from the top of Torre del Mangia, the tall tower that sits right on Siena’s main square: famous Piazza del Campo.

Viator is a great company & if you’re looking for guided tours to popular spots like Siena or Cinque Terre ~ their tours can save you about 50% compared to the tour I booked while in Florence.

Map of Florence & Tuscany

Best Day Trips from Florence to Siena

Siena is one of the most popular day trips from Florence, with good reason: it’s just over an hour away, through Tuscany’s idyllic countryside ~ & you can easily add in another destination or two, such as San Gimignano or Monteriggioni (both of which our Ciao Florence tour stopped at).  You’ll want to spend the most time in Siena, which is the largest city besides Florence in the region.  Note that if you’re driving your own car, you’ll need to park outside of Siena’s medieval walls: no cars are allowed in the town center. 

From where we parked, it was about a 20-minute walk into the heart of Siena….

One of my favorite shots from Siena: the Duomo outlined by the silhouette of medieval brick archway…

More views from the top of Torre del Mangia ~ only 400 short, cramped steps to the top!

Piazza del Campo (Siena’s main plaza) & Torre del Mangia, as seen from the ground.

Should You Rent a Car or Take a Tour to Siena?

Should you rent a car, or take a tour from Florence to Siena?  Both are good options, with their own benefits.  Fortunately, Tuscany is one of the better Italian regions to drive: the highway from Florence to Siena is similar to driving in the States, with several lanes that aren’t super narrow (as many streets in Italy are).  The most difficult thing about renting a car here will be driving in Florence itself, which is hectic.  But if you’re dead-set on staying in the countryside for a few days, then look for car rental places on the outskirts of town, to minimize city driving. 

The best thing about renting a car in Florence is that you have freedom to visit more off-the-beaten-path & AMAZING spots like Saturnia Hot Springs: a collection of gorgeous thermal pools that are located about three hours south of Florence, on the way to Rome.  Due to its remote setting, this is one of those places that can really only be reached by renting a car.

This is Saturnia Hot Springs in Tuscany!! And virtually the only way to reach it is by renting a car…

But if you want to visit Siena for just a day, like I did: take a group tour.  Options to book online are: Walks of Italy (recommended by Rick Steves), Ciao Florence (the company I used), & Viator.  I booked Ciao Florence’s day trip to Siena, San Gimignano, & Monteriggioni, which included a wine tasting ~ for 55 Euros.  You’d pay at least that much to rent a car, & this way: you don’t need to worry about parking, directions…or drinking & driving! 

Plus, if you’re a solo traveler, you’ll meet other travelers from all over the world.

The view from hilltop San Gimignano, which was the first stop on our Ciao Florence tour.

We finished our day trip with a wine tasting in Monteriggioni ~ an ideal way to end the day in this idyllic region.

Siena Day Trip Itinerary:

• Leave Florence at 8:45AM; one-hour drive to San Gimignano. 
• Spend about one hour touring San Gimignano on your own. 
• Drive from San Gimignano to Siena, about 30 minutes.  Park outside the city walls & walk into town as a group. 
• We had about 90 minutes to tour Siena on our own when we arrived (I ate lunch on the Plaza & climbed Torre del Mangia).  We met back around 1:30PM, & received a guided tour of the Duomo & Piazza del Campo from a local guide, then walked back to our bus. 
• Around 4PM, a 20-minute drive to Monteriggioni followed by a quick, 25-minute self-tour of the tiny town ~ then a short drive to a nearby winery for a 90-minute wine tasting (with some appetizers). 
• Around 6PM, back to the bus for a one-hour drive back to Florence. 

All in all, an 11-hour day of sight-seeing!

Then it was back to beautiful Florence….

 Other Day Trips from Florence….

Cinque Terre & Pisa are two more popular day trips from Florence.  Pisa is ideal to explore on your own, by simply taking a one-hour train ride (there are 46 trains per day between Pisa & Florence).  As for Cinque Terre, you can do it as a day trip from Florence: but I don’t recommend it.  Why not??  Because the journey takes 2.5 hours one-way, meaning you’ll be on a bus or train for over 5 hours in one day!!  

And if you’re doing any hiking in Cinque Terre (which you absolutely should), you might feel rushed knowing that you have such a long journey back to Florence.  Plus, hiking in large groups has never proven to be particularly fun, in my experience, as ability levels vary greatly & can impact your enjoyment.  Cinque Terre is so breathtaking, I highly recommend spending at least one night there vs. taking a day trip, to fully enjoy the region.

Manarola is one of five picturesque towns along the Cinque Terre coastline.

Best Day Trips from Florence to Siena

One final day trip you can take from Florence is the small hillside town of Fiesole, which overlooks the famed Renaissance city.  Just twenty minutes from Florence, you can reach Fiesole by taxi or bus, & it’s great for a quick afternoon getaway to soak in views galore….

Ciao Bella! 

xoxo Noelia 

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