Florence Plus Tuscany in 3 Days on a Budget
3 Days: Florence as a Base, Two Day Trips by Train
This plan uses Florence as a sleeping base and spends two of your three days out in Tuscany by train, not car: one full day in Siena, one half day in Pisa. It is the cheapest version of this itinerary in this family; see the 4 day , 5 day , 6 day and 7 day versions if you have longer and want to add San Gimignano, Lucca or a car day into Chianti.
Book these before you go
- Pisa tower ticket on opapisa.it : the only source that will not mark up the 20 euro face price, and peak-season slots sell out within hours. Book the moment your dates are firm.
- A hotel within walking distance of Firenze Santa Maria Novella: compare rates on Booking.com . Every day trip below starts from that station.
- A combined Siena and San Gimignano day tour, if you would rather skip managing two separate train tickets: check availability on GetYourGuide .
The route at a glance
| Day | Focus | Distance/time from SMN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive and get oriented | - |
| 2 | Siena, full day | 1h20-1h30 by train |
| 3 | Pisa, half day | about 1h by train |
Day 1: Arrive and get oriented near the station
Land at Florence airport, or at Firenze Santa Maria Novella (SMN) itself if you are arriving by train from elsewhere in Italy. SMN is the station every day trip in this itinerary starts from, so use today to find your bearings around it: locate the platform area for regional departures, and pick up a stock of tram or bus tickets from a tabaccheria (or check fares directly on Autolinee Toscane ) if you will need one, and settle into a place to sleep within easy walking distance. Keep sightseeing light today and save the deep in-city plan, the Duomo, the Uffizi, the Accademia, for our full Florence guide on a day you are not trying to catch an early train tomorrow. An early night sets up the early departure below.
Day 2: Siena, the strongest single day trip
Catch a mid-morning regional train to Siena: about 10 euros one way, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes despite the short 50km distance, since no high speed line runs between the two cities. Spend the day at Piazza del Campo (free), the striped Duomo exterior (free), and, if you want the view, a separate paid ticket up the Torre del Mangia. Pack a lunch from a Florence market before you leave, or budget for a Sienese trattoria and its coperto, a legal per-person cover charge of 1 to 5 euros that is easy to miss until the bill lands. Catch a train back before the evening service thins out.
Day 3: Pisa, in half a day
Pisa is the shortest trip on this itinerary: about 1 hour by regional train, 8 to 13.50 euros depending on the service. The Leaning Tower sits inside Piazza dei Miracoli with the cathedral and baptistery; book the official tower ticket on opapisa.it (see above) up to 90 days ahead, since peak-season slots sell out within hours, and note that kids under 8 cannot climb at all. Photograph the tower and the piazza, decide for yourself whether the climb is worth the queue, and be back in Florence by mid afternoon with time to pack.
Do any of these day trips need a rental car?
No, not on this shorter version. Siena and Pisa both run on frequent regional trains with no useful reason to drive: parking is scarce, both towns restrict center access, and a car adds cost without saving time. A rental only earns its keep on the Chianti and Val d’Orcia legs that show up in the longer versions of this itinerary .
How far ahead should I book the Pisa tower ticket?
As soon as your Florence dates are fixed, ideally weeks out and up to the 90-day booking window opapisa.it allows. Peak summer slots can sell out within hours of release, and once a slot is booked it is tied to that specific time. Walking up without a ticket in July or August often means standing in a line instead of climbing anything.
Can Siena and Pisa really both fit in 3 days?
Yes, but only because each is a single-purpose day: Siena for the town itself, Pisa for the tower and piazza and nothing more. Trying to add a third stop, San Gimignano or Lucca, on top of either of these turns a comfortable day into a rushed one. If a third town matters more than downtime, add a day and follow the 4 day version instead.
Buy your regional train tickets the morning of, not days ahead: Trenitalia’s regional fares do not carry an advance-purchase discount, so there is nothing to gain by locking in a departure time before you know how the previous day went.