Florence Plus Tuscany in 6 Days on a Budget
6 Days: Florence as a Base, Plus the First Day a Car Actually Helps
This plan uses Florence as a sleeping base for five day trips: Siena, Pisa, San Gimignano and Lucca by train and bus, then Chianti by rental car on day 6, the first day in this family where a car earns its cost. It extends the 5 day version with that one car day; the 7 day version adds a second car day into Val d’Orcia.
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.
- A rental car for day 6: check availability and rates on DiscoverCars . Book before you land; peak-season Tuscany rentals tighten up weeks out.
- A Chianti winery tasting, if you want one built into the day: reserve directly with the estate or through a regional wine-tour operator, since good ones fill up weeks ahead in peak season.
- A hotel within walking distance of Firenze Santa Maria Novella: compare rates on Booking.com .
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 |
| 4 | San Gimignano | 1.5-2h door to door |
| 5 | Lucca | 1-1.5h by train |
| 6 | Chianti, car day | 40min-1h15 by car |
Day 1: Arrive and get oriented near the station
Land at Florence airport, or at Firenze Santa Maria Novella (SMN) itself if arriving by train. SMN is the station every train-based day trip below starts from, so use today to find your bearings around it: locate the regional departure platforms, pick up tram or bus tickets from a tabaccheria (or check fares on Autolinee Toscane ) if needed, and settle into a place to sleep within easy walking distance. Keep sightseeing light today; the deep in-city plan lives in our full Florence guide . An early night sets up tomorrow’s departure.
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 connects 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 lunch from a Florence market, or budget for a Sienese trattoria and its coperto, a legal per-person cover charge of 1 to 5 euros. Catch a train back before the evening service thins out.
Day 3: Pisa, in half a day
Pisa runs 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 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.
Day 4: San Gimignano, the slow connection
San Gimignano has no station of its own, so budget more time than money: a regional train to Poggibonsi (about 1 hour, roughly 7.90 euros) then bus 130 (20 to 30 minutes), or the combined ticket for about 6.80 euros one way (13.60 euros return) covering the whole route. Plan on 1.5 to 2 hours door to door. The medieval towers take only a few hours to see on foot, which makes the transfer the real cost of this day.
Day 5: Lucca, the relaxed one
Lucca runs about 10 euros one way and 1 to 1.5 hours by train, with frequent departures. Its Renaissance-era walls are intact and walkable, or rentable by bike for the full loop around the old town. This is the gentlest day on the itinerary by design, at a slower pace than Siena or Pisa.
Day 6: Chianti, the day the rental car earns its cost
This is the first day on this itinerary that genuinely needs a car: no useful train or bus network runs through the Chianti wine villages. Pick up the rental you booked above and drive the SR222 Via Chiantigiana past Greve in Chianti (30-40 minutes out) and Castellina in Chianti (20-25 minutes further). A realistic day covers two towns plus one winery tasting; budget 100 to 180 euros for the day between rental, fuel, tolls, tastings and lunch for a small group, and designate a driver who is skipping the pours. Return toward Florence before dark; the SR222 is a two-lane scenic road, not a highway.
Do I need a car for the whole trip, or just this one day?
Just this one day, and possibly a second if you extend to the 7 day version for Val d’Orcia. Siena, Pisa, San Gimignano and Lucca all run on scheduled trains and buses where a car adds ZTL risk and parking cost without saving time. Renting only for the Chianti leg, and returning the car the same evening, keeps the extra cost contained to the one day it actually helps.
How far ahead should I book the Pisa tower ticket?
As soon as your Florence dates are fixed. Opapisa.it opens bookings up to 90 days ahead, and peak summer slots can sell out within hours of release. A booked slot cannot be changed, so settle the rest of that day’s plan first.
Do I need to book the Chianti winery tasting ahead?
Yes, in peak season. Good estates along the Via Chiantigiana fill their tasting slots weeks out between April and October, and a same-day walk-in in July or August often means no tasting at all, just the drive. Off-season (November to March), more estates take same-day requests, but calling ahead still costs nothing and avoids a wasted stop.
Return the rental car the same evening you pick it up: nothing else in this itinerary needs it, and an extra day of parking in central Florence only adds ZTL exposure for no benefit.