How to See Tuscany in 5 Days Without a Car

Traveled in May 2015

It’s hard to pick a favorite region in Italy, but Tuscany is definitely at the top of my list. Yes, it gets busy with tour groups during the day, but in the evenings it feels like a completely different place – just you, quiet cobblestone streets, and centuries-old buildings. Many people rent a car to escape the crowds and visit smaller hill towns in Tuscany, but the hack to experiencing cities like Siena and Florence without the crowds is simply staying overnight there. If it’s your first time in Italy and you’d rather skip the stress of driving in a foreign country, this itinerary is for you.

5 Days in Tuscany Itinerary

When to Go

I prefer visiting Italy in the Spring or the Fall for the weather. April, May, September, and October tend to be sunny without the intense heat. However, those are also the most popular times and can be more crowded. We did this Tuscany in 5 days itinerary in May and the weather was beautiful and sunny without being too hot.

I’ve visited Italy in the middle of summer and sightseeing in those temperatures is pretty unbearable, especially in the south of Italy. Winter is low season, so prices are more affordable. But there is more chance of rainy weather.

How to Get There

The main international airports in Italy are in Rome-Fiumicino (airport code FCO) and Milan Malpensa (airport code MXP). For visiting Tuscany, I would fly into Rome because the connections are easier.

From Rome, you can take a direct bus to Siena or a direct train to Florence.

Booking tip: certain flight searches like Kayak, Skyscanner, or Google flights allow you to set price trackers that will alert you when the price of your flight changes. I never book a flight without tracking prices first because there is no better feeling than snagging a good deal! And if you book your flights with a travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire card, the card usually includes some travel insurance protections (like lost luggage reimbursements, trip delay reimbursements, or trip cancellation insurance) to save you the cost of buying extra travel insurance. Use my contact form if you’re looking for a credit card referral with bonus sign up points!

Bonus Booking tip: sign your kiddo up for frequent flyer accounts with airlines to start earning airline miles for them! Most airline miles do not expire for minors so your kiddo will thank you later.

Where to Stay

Siena

We stayed on a side street a couple minutes walk away from Il Campo, and it was the perfect location slightly away from the tourist crowds but close enough to walk to everything. Many of the accommodations are in restored buildings. Small hotels and B&Bs usually only have a couple rooms, some of which have shared bathrooms or bathrooms outside the room, so book early for the rooms with ensuites.

• B&B Il Corso ($$$) – great location just one block away from Il Campo, reasonable price for the location, rooms are in a renovated historic building so some can be cozy.
• AmiRooms Affittacamere ($$$$) – great location just one block away from Il Campo, renovated and spacious rooms.
• B&B Le Aquile ($$$) – located between Il Campo and Duomo, with a variety of room types, including a triple room and a cheaper room option with an external bathroom.
• Hotel Palazzetto Rosso ($$$$) – larger boutique hotel in a renovated historic house with quirky modern rooms, has offsite parking nearby for a fee.

Florence

We stayed just around the corner from the Piazza della Signoria and loved the location. It was close enough to all the sights so that we could walk everywhere, but tucked away in a quiet alley.

• Casa Thiele alla Signoria ($$$) – renovated rooms in a historic building, one block away from Piazza della Signoria but with great soundproofing. No elevator, requires walking up 3 flights of stairs.
• Hotel Renaissance ($$) – boutique hotel with basic rooms but good rates for the area, just a block away from Piazza della Signoria. Some rooms have a Turkish Bath in the bathroom.
• Casa Uffizi Tower House Boutique Hotel ($$) – cozy rooms in a historic building with an excellent location right next to Uffizi Gallery. No front desk and no elevator, rooms are up a long flight of stairs.

How to Get Around

Although renting a car is a popular way to visit Tuscany so you can see more of the hill towns, the thought of driving in Italy was a bit overwhelming for us. We did this trip completely through public transportation on Italy’s well-connected bus and train lines. Italy’s Trenitalia train lines connect all of the major cities with quick and frequent trains. Buses and trains are easy to book online ahead of time. I always prefer booking ahead when possible for my peace of mind – the train and bus stations in Italy are chaotic enough without having to wait at the ticket windows. Trenitalia also has an app where you can purchase tickets and keep them organized in one place.

Italy Travel Tips

• Pickpockets: pickpockets in Italy can spot a tourist a mile away. We never felt unsafe like someone would mug us, but because of the crowds pickpockets can be very successful. We actually used hidden belt wallets for our passports and extra cash in Italy. And I always kept my purse and backpack in front of me.
• Buy tickets ahead of time: Italy is definitely not a hidden gem. There are hordes of tourists and lines everywhere. We bought tickets early online whenever we could to reserve a time slot. Because we only had a couple days in each city, we did not want to waste time standing in lines.
• Dress modestly for churches: even in hot weather, there is a dress code for visiting most churches. Usually no bare shoulders and no shorts are allowed, so dress accordingly.
• Tipping & service charges: some restaurants charge a “coperto,” or cover charge which basically covers the cost of bread, linens, and cutlery. It is required even if you don’t eat the bread. Tipping is not required, but some restaurants may include a “servizio,” or a 10-15% service charge. You don’t need to tip additionally on top of this. Otherwise, tipping isn’t expected (and definitely isn’t as generous as in the US). Usually just rounding up the bill by a couple euro is fine. Credit card receipts don’t provide a tip line here, so you would have to pay the tip in cash or let the server know to enter a different amount including the tip before paying.
• Travel adapters: Italy’s plugs use 2 round prongs, so you will need a travel adapter for electronics.
• Credit card pins: in the US, we are used to having a PIN for debit cards, but we often don’t need one for credit cards. However, you may rarely need a PIN for your credit card as well when traveling abroad. I learned the hard way that there is no immediate way to get your credit card PIN when you’re traveling. The bank usually needs to send it to you through snail mail, so request it before your trip.

Show Me the Money

Italy is part of the European Union, so the currency used is the Euro. Credit cards were widely accepted, so we mostly relied on our no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card. We use the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and American Express Gold card. Always choose to pay in the local currency rather than USD for a better exchange rate. We did withdraw a small amount of Euros after we arrived just in case, but we didn’t really need it. If withdrawing any cash, look for ATMS run by the local banks and always choose to withdraw the amount in Euros rather than USD for a better exchange rate.

Saving tip: to avoid ATM fees (from the foreign bank and your bank), look for a checking account that offers ATM fee reimbursements. I can personally recommend the Schwab investors checking account and the Betterment checking account for this purpose.

How to Stay Connected

Because we took this trip before e-sims were commonly used, we bought tourist prepaid sim cards for our cell phones during this trip. Orange and Vodaphone are two popular cell phone companies in Europe and sell prepaid tourist sim cards that can be used throughout Europe.

However, now we always use e-sims from Airalo.

If you have an unlocked phone, then you can either purchase a prepaid sim card or you can use an e-sim. The e-sim is the cheapest way to get international cell phone data. We had a great experience using Airalo to purchase an e-sim on our trip to Canada, Switzerland, and Japan and it worked seamlessly. The downside is that you only have data and no phone service when using Airalo e-sims, so it’s a good option if you don’t anticipate needing to make phone calls.

• The Airalo website has great tutorials and I also watched this Youtube video for more installation tips. We usually start the installation process at home to load the e-sim into our phones, and then once we land at our destination we turn off our US e-sim and turn on the international e-sim.

Airalo offers local e-sims for specific countries or regional e-sims for all of Europe. For this trip to Italy, you could either buy an Italy e-sim, or get the regional Europe e-sim if traveling to other European countries.

• Get an Italy Airalo e-sim here and use my referral code ATEASP4988 for $3 off

5 Days in Tuscany Itinerary at a Glance

Day	Activity	Sleep In
1	Travel to Siena Duomo	Siena
2	Siena City Hall Walk around Siena	Siena
3	Day trip to San Gemignano	Siena
4	Travel to Florence Accademia Mercato Centrale Duomo	Florence
5	Uffizi Palazzo Vecchio	Florence

Day 1: Arrive in Siena

The most direct way to travel from Rome to Siena is by bus. The bus from Rome to Siena takes 3 hours and departs from Tiburtina station (which is on the Metro line B).

After the hustle and bustle of Rome, we really welcomed the calmer and slower pace of Siena. Many tour groups hit Siena as a day trip, so the little town is very crowded during the day. Staying overnight was so worth it because the whole vibe of the town changes in the evening when the crowds leave.

Siena Duomo & Duomo Museum

Siena’s cathedral is one of the main sights because of its ornate exterior and all the art inside. Plus, the Duomo Museum has one of the best viewpoints over Siena.

Day 2: Wander Around Siena

One of the best things to do in Siena is just to wander around the lanes and explore, or sit in Il Campo and people watch. When we visited, one of the neighborhoods was having a celebration. So the streets were decorated with green duck flags, there were tables set up in the streets for neighborhood parties, and parades of flag throwers practicing and marching down the streets. It was completely unexpected and perfectly exciting! Besides going up the City Tower, the majority of what we did this day was following the parade, browsing the stores, and sitting in Il Campo.

City Hall & City Tower

Siena’s City Hall and City Tower are in the center of town at Il Campo. The City Tower is worth going up for fantastic views of Siena and the surrounding area. But be warned that there are 400 steps to climb up! We decided to skip the City Hall Museum, but there is a combo ticket that combines both if you’re interested.

Day 3: Day Trip to San Gemignano

San Gemignano is a delightful Tuscan hill town just an hour and a half bus ride from Siena. Not gonna lie, it’s pretty touristy, and filled with many souvenir shops. But once we got past the main drag, we still found it charming since this was our first Tuscan hill town experience. San Gemignano is known for its towers, which used to be forts for wealthy families.

One of the main “things to do” here is just wander around the town and soak in the charm.

Civic Museum & Tower

You know we love a good bird’s eye view! The one in San Gemignano is in the tower of City Hall. The ticket to the museum includes the tower, and can be purchased on site.

Gelateria Dondoli

I saw the sign “World Champion Gelato” and had to stop for a taste! Gelateria Dondoli has some unique flavors and lived up to its title. Absolutely worth a stop!

Day 4: Travel to Florence

Florence is the main city in Tuscany, home to some of the most famous artworks and most magnificent buildings in the region because of its historical wealth. You don’t need to be an art expert to enjoy the art here, because it’s literally all the famous artworks that everyone has heard of. Nothing is obscure, it’s all the classics that everyone can appreciate.

Plus, there is amazing food in Florence! All of Italy is delicious, but we especially enjoyed the food in Florence. Gelato was on point. I still dream about the juicy bistecca alla fiorentina. Even the prosciutto sandwich from the market was divine.

The bus station in Florence is just down the street from the main train station, Santa Maria Novella. The train station is about a 10-15 minute walk from the Duomo and the center of Florence.

Accademia

One of the main attractions at this museum is Michelangelo’s David, the iconic statue of the Renaissance. It was also fascinating to see how these marble statues come to life, especially in the marble blocks that were left unfinished.

Mercato Centrale

Exploring markets is one of my favorite things to do in a new city. Food souvenirs are my go-to type of souvenirs and local markets are the best place to find them. My dentist’s one recommendation for Florence was to visit the deli stand Perini on the ground floor of Mercato Centrale for a sandwich. When that is the one thing someone recommends you do when visiting a city, you know it will be good.

Duomo Complex

The Duomo Complex is made up of the Duomo, Baptistery, and Campanile. It’s free to enter the cathedral but you do need a ticket for the Campanile and other parts of the complex. This is one of the most popular tourist sites in Florence, so tickets book up fast for the timed-entry slots to climb the dome. I thought it was worth it for the sweeping views of Florence and to see the dome up close! This was the first Renaissance dome and the model for domes everywhere!

Note that there are 463 stairs up to the dome and 414 stairs up to the Campanile. That’s a lot of stairs. And there are no elevators! The stairs get narrower at the top so bottlenecks can form. Make sure to factor in extra time if climbing the Campanile before the timed-entry to the dome to ensure you have enough time coming down. It is also smart to plan for a break between the two climbs. We were trying to be efficient and climbed the two back to back and my legs could feel the burn.

After that stairmaster work out, don’t forget to visit the Baptistery to see the famous bronze doors. The ones on the Baptistery are replicas. The real thing is safely preserved in the Duomo Museum.

Day 5: Uffizi Gallery

Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi Gallery holds an amazing collection of Italian paintings. Basically every Ninja Turtle name artist is represented here. Only 600 people are allowed inside the museum at any one time, so there are long lines to get in, but not a lot of crowds once inside. When I visited Florence on an organized tour, we pretty much spent our entire free time in Florence waiting in the line to enter the Uffizi Gallery, and had to make a beeline for the “Birth of Venus” before we had to meet the tour bus again. This time, we made sure to get a timed-entry reservation to spend more time actually enjoying the art and less time waiting in line.

Palazzo Vecchio

The Palazzo Vecchio is right next to the Uffizi Gallery in Piazza della Signoria. Palazzo Vecchio was the old town hall of the Medici. The courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio is free to enter. We just took a peek around the courtyard rather than paying to see the rest of the museum and climbing the tower.

Ponte Vecchio

The Ponte Vecchio is Florence’s most famous bridge. The bridge itself is lined with shops. We found it more enjoyable to take photos of the bridge from the side of the river more than actually walking through the bridge itself. You can pay to walk along the walkway above the bridge (tickets available on the same website as the one for the Uffizi Gallery).

Gelato

Our goal for this trip was to have (at least) one gelato a day. In Florence, our favorites were Perche No! and Gelateria de’ Neri.

Not ready to leave Italy? Check out our full 2 weeks in Italy itinerary for ideas on how to extend this trip!