Best things to do in Tuscany, area by area

Home › Tuscany › Best things to do in Tuscany

Tuscany is a region you visit for Renaissance art in the cities, walled hill towns, and the farmland and vineyards between them. Four days cover the main cities by train; seven to ten days let you add the countryside south of Siena, which needs a car.

At a glance

• How long: four days for the cities, a week or more with the countryside. See how many days to spend in Tuscany.
• By train: Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Arezzo and Siena are on the Trenitalia regional network.
• By bus: Autolinee Toscane runs the regional buses and accepts contactless cards. On interurban lines you tap when you get on and again when you get off.
• Book ahead: the Uffizi, the Accademia, the Leaning Tower, the Piero della Francesca frescoes in Arezzo, and summer ferries to Elba if you take a car.
• Main guide: the Tuscany travel guide.

Which ones need a car

The numbers are the priority order for a first visit.

Priority	What	Car needed?
1	Uffizi Gallery, Florence	No
2	Cathedral square and Brunelleschi's dome, Florence	No
3	Siena: Piazza del Campo and the cathedral	No
4	Val d'Orcia: Pienza, Montalcino, Bagno Vignoni	Yes
5	Pisa: Piazza dei Miracoli and the Leaning Tower	No
6	San Gimignano	No, but slow by bus
7	Lucca and its walls	No
8	Accademia Gallery, Florence	No
9	The Chianti road and a winery visit	Yes, or a tour
10	Montepulciano	Yes
11	Arezzo: Piero della Francesca frescoes	No
12	Cortona	No
13	Volterra	Yes
14	Saturnia hot springs	Yes
15	Maremma Regional Park	Yes
16	Elba	Ferry; a car helps on the island

Florence: no car, and do not bring one

The center is a limited traffic zone (ZTL) and the three sights below are a walk from Santa Maria Novella station. If you rent a car for the countryside, collect it on the day you leave the city. The city has its own list of things to do.

1. Uffizi Gallery

The main collection of Italian Renaissance painting, with Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael in one building. Allow two to three hours. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15 to 18:30 and closed on Mondays. As of November 2026 the official site lists the regular ticket at €25 if you buy it on the day and €29 if you buy it in advance. Book a timed slot from spring to autumn.

2. Cathedral square and Brunelleschi's dome

The cathedral, Giotto's bell tower, the baptistery and the Opera del Duomo museum stand on one square. The climb inside the dome is narrow and all stairs. Allow half a day for the whole complex. The Opera del Duomo sells three passes named Brunelleschi, Giotto and Ghiberti. Check on the official ticket site what each pass covers and its current price. See whether the dome climb is worth it.

8. Accademia Gallery

A small museum that most people visit for one work, Michelangelo's David. One hour is enough. It is open from 8:15 to 18:50 and closed on Mondays. The regular ticket is €16 on the official site, plus a €4 fee if you reserve. It ranks eighth because the visit is short and the queue without a reservation is not. See how to see the David without the queue.

Siena and San Gimignano: bus or train

3. Siena: Piazza del Campo and the cathedral complex

Siena kept its medieval layout: a shell-shaped main square, brick streets and a striped marble cathedral. Give it a full day. The square is free. For the cathedral, baptistery, crypt and museum, the OPA SI Pass is valid for three consecutive days. In 2026 it cost €14, or €16 in the weeks when the inlaid marble floor is uncovered: 27 June to 31 July, and again from 18 August into the autumn. The Porta del Cielo ticket adds the walk under the roof; it cost €21 and runs from 1 March to 6 January. See the Siena cathedral guide and how to reach Siena by bus or train.

6. San Gimignano

A small walled town known for its medieval tower-houses. UNESCO records that there were probably 72 of them and that 14 survive. Two to three hours are enough and nothing needs booking. There is no railway station in town: the nearest is Poggibonsi-San Gimignano, with a connecting bus, which is why the trip is slow without a car. Between late morning and mid afternoon the main street fills with coach groups, so arrive early or stay for the evening. See the San Gimignano guide.

Pisa and Lucca: direct regional trains

5. Piazza dei Miracoli and the Leaning Tower

The tower, cathedral, baptistery and Camposanto cemetery share one lawn, reached on foot or by city bus from Pisa Centrale station. Two hours are enough for the square; add an hour if you climb the tower. Tower tickets are for a set time and limited in number, so book before you travel in high season. In 2026 children born in 2019 or later are not admitted to the tower, and older children need a paying adult with them. The monuments are open every day. Check ticket prices on the Opera della Primaziale Pisana site. More in the Piazza dei Miracoli guide.

7. Lucca and its walls

Lucca is a flat, quiet town enclosed by a complete ring of Renaissance walls. The circuit is about 4.2 km, has 11 bastions and six gates, and has been a public promenade since the 1820s. Walking or cycling the top takes one to two hours and needs no ticket or booking. Add two hours for the streets inside and the Guinigi Tower. Lucca pairs well with Pisa on the same day because a regional train links the two. See the Lucca guide.

Val d'Orcia and Montepulciano: car

4. Val d'Orcia: Pienza, Montalcino and Bagno Vignoni

This is the countryside on the postcards: clay hills, cypress-lined farm roads and small fortified towns. UNESCO listed it in 2004. Give it one full day by car. In Pienza, the main square was rebuilt from 1459 for Pope Pius II by the architect Bernardo Rossellino and is a separate World Heritage Site. Montalcino is the town of Brunello wine. In Bagno Vignoni the village square is a thermal pool; the water comes out at about 49°C, and bathing in the pool is not allowed. Only winery visits need booking. Public transport is thin: read how to reach the Val d'Orcia before planning it without a car. See also the Pienza guide.

10. Montepulciano

A long, steep hill town east of the Val d'Orcia. The walk from the lower gate, Porta al Prato, climbs to Piazza Grande, with the town hall and the cathedral. Below the walls stands the church of San Biagio, designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Elder. Allow three hours, more with a cellar visit: the local red, Vino Nobile, is made with at least 70% Sangiovese. Book cellar tours only. The nearest main-line station is Chiusi-Chianciano Terme, so a car is the practical choice. See the Montepulciano guide.

Chianti: car or organized tour

9. The Chianti road and a winery visit

Chianti is the wine area between the regional capital and Siena. The road through it is called the Chiantigiana and passes Greve, with its triangular arcaded square, Panzano and Castellina. The black rooster on Chianti Classico bottles comes from the coat of arms of the Lega del Chianti, founded in 1384. Allow a full day with two stops and one tasting. Wineries expect a reservation. Someone has to drive and not drink, which is the reason to consider a tour. See the Chianti wine route and whether a wine tour is worth the money. With time for one rural area only, compare Val d'Orcia and Chianti.

Arezzo and Cortona: train on the Rome line

11. Piero della Francesca in Arezzo

The Bacci Chapel in the Basilica of San Francesco holds the Legend of the True Cross, a fresco cycle Piero della Francesca finished in 1466. Entry is by reservation in 30-minute slots, with no more than 25 visitors at a time. The ticket is €6, reduced €3, plus a €2 reservation fee. Arezzo is a stop on the main railway line towards Rome, and the basilica is in the old town, a walk from the station. See the Arezzo guide.

12. Cortona

A hill town on the border with Umbria, with about two kilometers of Etruscan walls from the fifth century BC. Two museums justify the trip: the MAEC, with Etruscan bronzes and the Tabula Cortonensis, and the Diocesan Museum with Fra Angelico's Annunciation. Allow half a day; no booking is needed. Camucia-Cortona station is in the valley below the town. See the Cortona guide.

Volterra: car

13. Volterra

Volterra sits high and isolated between Siena and the coast, and sees fewer coach groups than San Gimignano. The sights are Etruscan and Roman: the Guarnacci Etruscan Museum, the Porta all'Arco gate, the Roman theater and the remains of the acropolis. The town is also the center of alabaster carving. Allow half a day. There is no railway station in the town. The Volterra guide has the details.

Maremma and the coast: car, then ferry

14. Saturnia hot springs

The Cascate del Mulino are open-air limestone pools fed by sulphur water at 37.5°C, on the road between Scansano and Manciano in the far south. Access is free all year. Nothing to book. With no entry limit it gets busy at weekends, so go early on a weekday. Allow two hours on site and a long drive each way. Alternatives: thermal baths in Tuscany.

15. Maremma Regional Park

A protected stretch of coast of about 9,000 hectares between Principina a Mare and Talamone, in the municipalities of Grosseto, Magliano in Toscana and Orbetello. You visit on foot, by bike, on horseback or by canoe. Allow a full day, and check access rules on the park's official site first. See Grosseto and the Maremma.

16. Elba

The largest island of the Tuscan archipelago is a beach destination with granite coves and hill villages. All ferries leave from Piombino. Moby, Toremar and Blu Navy sail to Portoferraio in about one hour, and Corsica Sardinia Ferries runs from May to September. Book the ferry ahead in July and August if you bring a car. Elba needs at least two nights; a day trip is mostly travel. See the Elba guide.

What to skip if you are short on time

• With three or four days, do numbers 1 to 3 and choose one of 4, 5 or 6. Do not try all three.
• The tower climb in Pisa. You see the lean better from the lawn than from the stairs.
• The Accademia without a reservation. A copy of the David stands outdoors in Piazza della Signoria.
• San Gimignano and Volterra on the same day by bus. Pick one.
• Saturnia, the Maremma and Elba on a trip of less than a week. They are far from everything else here.

How to group them by day

• Days 1 and 2, on foot: Uffizi, cathedral square and the dome, Accademia.
• Day 3, bus or train: Siena.
• Day 4, train: Pisa in the morning and Lucca in the afternoon.
• Day 5, car: the Chianti road, ending in Siena or San Gimignano.
• Days 6 and 7, car: Val d'Orcia and Montepulciano.
• Extra day by train: Arezzo and Cortona, on the same line.
• Extra days by car: Volterra, then Saturnia and the Maremma, or the ferry to Elba.

A fuller version is the seven-day Tuscany itinerary. For bases, see where to stay in Tuscany. Most of the first eight items also work as day trips from one city base.

What to book ahead

• Uffizi and Accademia: timed tickets.
• The dome climb: check the pass rules on the official ticket site before your dates.
• Leaning Tower: a timed ticket if you want to climb.
• Bacci Chapel in Arezzo: reservation required.
• Winery visits, the rental car in summer, and the Elba ferry if you take a car across.

Questions travelers ask

Keep planning: Where to stay in Tuscany.

Sources

• Gallerie degli Uffizi: opening hours and ticket prices
• Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze: hours and tickets
• Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore: passes and ticket prices
• Opera della Metropolitana di Siena: tickets, hours and floor dates
• Visit Tuscany: the OPA SI Pass
• Opera della Primaziale Pisana: opening times and timed tower tickets, age rules for the tower
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Historic Centre of San Gimignano, Val d'Orcia, Historic Centre of the City of Pienza
• Wikipedia: Val d'Orcia (year of UNESCO listing)
• Wikipedia: Walls of Lucca (length, bastions, gates)
• Visit Arezzo: Bacci Chapel, tickets and reservation
• Visit Tuscany: Basilica of San Francesco in Arezzo
• Visit Tuscany, town pages: Bagno Vignoni, Montepulciano, Cortona, Volterra, Chianti
• Visit Tuscany, Maremma: Cascate del Mulino in Saturnia, Maremma Regional Park
• Visit Tuscany: how to get to the island of Elba
• Autolinee Toscane: contactless payment on regional buses