Visiting Tuscany: How to Plan Your Trip

Why visit Tuscany

Tuscany packs three kinds of Italy trip into one compact region. First, the art cities: Florence, cradle of the Renaissance; medieval Siena; Pisa and its Square of Miracles; walled Lucca. Second, the countryside: Chianti's vineyards between Florence and Siena, the bare clay hills of the Crete Senesi, and the farmhouses and cypresses of Val d'Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Third, the hill towns, from San Gimignano to Montepulciano, Pienza and Volterra. To decide which ones fit your route, use our map of the best villages in Tuscany, organized by area.

The coast is often overlooked: Versilia's beach towns in the north, the wilder Maremma in the south, and the island of Elba off Piombino. It's an easy way to add a few beach days to an art-heavy itinerary.

Best time to visit Tuscany

• Spring (April–June): green countryside, long days, and crowds that are still manageable outside Italian holiday weekends.
• Summer (July–August): hot inland, very busy in Florence, Pisa and San Gimignano. Prime time for the coast and for Siena's Palio horse race, held on July 2 and August 16.
• Fall (September–October): grape harvest, softer light and gradually thinning crowds. Often the best overall choice.
• Winter: Florence and Siena stay lively and quieter, but many coastal and countryside lodgings close or cut back.

How many days do you need?

3 to 4 days covers Florence plus one day trip (Siena, Pisa or Lucca). With a week, add Siena, Chianti and Val d'Orcia, switching bases once. With 10 to 14 days, you can combine art cities, countryside, hill towns and a few days on the coast or Elba. Two or three well-chosen bases beat changing hotels every night.

Getting there and getting around

Flying in from the US

Tuscany has two airports: Pisa (Galileo Galilei), the busiest for European flights, and Florence (Peretola), linked to downtown by tram. Most travelers from the US connect through a European hub, or fly into Rome or Milan and take the high-speed train: Frecciarossa and Italo trains reach Florence Santa Maria Novella in about 1.5 hours from Rome and under 2 hours from Milan.

Entry rules: with a US passport you can stay in the Schengen area visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The EU's Entry/Exit System records your fingerprints and photo at the border. ETIAS travel authorization is not yet in operation; check the official EU ETIAS page for the launch date before you book.

Trains and buses

Trains work well between cities: Florence to Pisa takes about an hour on a Regionale Veloce, and Lucca is on a direct line from Florence. For Siena, the express bus from Florence is often more convenient than the train. Small villages are poorly served, especially on Sundays and holidays.

Renting a car

For Chianti, Val d'Orcia or the Maremma, a rental car gives you the most freedom. Two warnings: ZTLs (limited traffic zones) cover the historic centers of Florence, Siena, Lucca and many hill towns, rental cars generally don't have permits, and violations are caught by camera. Park outside the walls. Speed limits are 50 km/h (31 mph) in towns, sometimes 30 km/h (19 mph), 70 km/h (43 mph) on secondary roads, 110 km/h (68 mph) on expressways and 130 km/h (81 mph) on highways, according to Visit Tuscany's official driving guide.

Budget: what to plan for

Tuscany isn't cheap in high season, especially Florence. A few verified benchmarks:

• Florence tourist tax: in force since February 2025, up to €8 per person per night in 5-star hotels and €6 in short-term rentals, capped at 7 nights; children up to age 12 are exempt. Other towns set their own rates.
• Museums: a full-price Uffizi ticket costs €25 in high season; book ahead to lock in your time slot.
• Transportation: regional trains are inexpensive; drivers should budget for highway tolls (A1, A11, A12), gas and paid parking outside town gates.

To save money, stay at an agriturismo (farm stay) or in a mid-size town such as Lucca, Arezzo or Siena rather than central Florence, and travel in April–May or October.

Where to stay in Tuscany: main areas

A classic one-week combo: three nights in Florence, then four nights at a farm stay between Chianti and Val d'Orcia. Our detailed guides below cover each area and town in depth.

Frequently asked questions