Florence Day Trips: Siena, Pisa, Lucca by Train
A regional train ticket out of Santa Maria Novella costs less than a museum audio guide, and it buys an entire day away from the Duomo queues. Florence sits at the center of a rail network that makes half of Tuscany a same-day trip, so the real planning question isn’t whether to leave the city but which direction.
Pisa is the shortest hop: 50 to 60 minutes on a regional train, roughly 9 to 10 EUR each way. Almost everyone goes for one reason, the Leaning Tower on Piazza dei Miracoli, and one reason is enough. The climb is 251 steps and requires a pre-booked timed slot, about 20 EUR, sold out fast in summer. Budget three to four hours total including the walk from the station; there is little reason to stay longer unless the Camposanto Monumentale interests you specifically.
Siena takes about 75 minutes by direct bus or closer to 90 by regional train, and rewards a full day rather than a quick look. The shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, home to the Palio horse race, and the striped Gothic Duomo justify the longer trip. Go on a weekday if possible; the Campo gets packed with tour groups by late morning.
Lucca is 75 minutes by regional train and, category for category, the best value on this list. The city walls are still intact, 4 kilometers of them, wide enough to walk or rent a bike and ride the full loop for a few euros. The oval Piazza dell’Anfiteatro traces the footprint of the old Roman amphitheater underneath it. Bring your own bike lock if you’re fussy; rental shops near the walls are plentiful and cheap.
San Gimignano needs the most effort: train to Poggibonsi, then local bus 130, about 90 minutes total. Fourteen medieval stone towers still stand from a skyline that once had far more, which is why locals call it the medieval Manhattan. Stop at Gelateria Dondoli on the main piazza; it has repeatedly placed at world gelato championships, and a cone here is the actual point of the detour, not an afterthought.
Chianti is different from the rest: no useful direct train, so it means a rental car or a small-group tour along the SR222 (Via Chiantigiana) through Greve in Chianti and Castellina in Chianti. If you do rent, park outside the centre and never drive back into it: Florence’s historic core is a camera-enforced ZTL, and each camera you pass without a permit triggers a fine of 80 to 335 EUR. Skip it if you don’t have a car or aren’t willing to book a driver; the towns aren’t served well enough by public transit to do it cheaply.
Verdict: Pisa is worth exactly one photo and a couple of hours, nothing more, so don’t build a whole day around it. Lucca deserves the whole day you’d otherwise waste doing that. If you only have one day to spare, take it.
One concrete tip: buy Trenitalia regional tickets from the machines or app, and if you get a paper ticket, validate it in the small green or white machine on the platform before boarding. An unvalidated ticket is treated as a fare violation even if you paid, and conductors do check.
For more on getting around once you’re back in the city, see the Florence overview .