Best Day Trips from Florence (Ranked, with How to Get There)

By the Klemio team · Updated June 5, 2026

Florence sits in the middle of Tuscany with a fast rail line running north, so you can be in a walled hill town or a different city before lunch. These are the day trips actually worth the round trip, ranked.

Florence makes a good base because the trade winds of Italian rail and bus all pass through it. Santa Maria Novella station and the bus terminal right next to it put most of Tuscany within two hours, and the high-speed line drops Bologna into reach in well under an hour. The catch is that the best stuff (Siena, San Gimignano, the Chianti hills) is on roads, not the fast rail line, so a 50 mile trip can still eat 90 minutes each way.

A few honest notes before you pick. Public transport to the smaller hill towns often means a bus, sometimes with a change, and weekend schedules thin out fast, so check return times the night before. Anything involving a wine tasting is better done by tour or hired driver than rental car, because someone has to stay sober. And do not try to stack three towns into one day. Pick one, maybe two if they share a train line, and let it breathe.

1. 1

   Siena

   About 80 minutes each way by express bus, roughly 35 miles south

   Siena is the single best day trip from Florence if you only do one. The Piazza del Campo is the great shell-shaped square in Italy, the striped cathedral is up there with anything in Florence itself, and the whole medieval center is walkable and largely car-free. It feels like a real city that people live in, not a film set. If you can time it to the Palio horse race in early July or mid August the square goes electric, though it also gets jammed and hotel prices spike, so most people come on a normal day and are perfectly happy.

   Getting there: Take the 131R rapida bus from the terminal next to Santa Maria Novella station. It drops you at Piazza Gramsci, a flat 10-minute walk into the center, for about 8 euros each way. Skip the train: it needs a change and the station sits below the old town with an escalator climb. Tickets are not time-locked, so you can come back whenever.

   Best for: First-timers and anyone who wants one substantial, easy day out

   

2. 2

   San Gimignano

   Just under 2 hours each way by bus with one change, roughly 35 miles southwest

   The town of fourteen surviving medieval towers, a stone skyline that looks faintly absurd from a distance and then turns genuinely impressive once you are inside the walls. It is small, so a few hours covers it: climb the Torre Grossa for the view, walk the two main streets, and get gelato from one of the award-winning shops on the main square. The honest tradeoff is daytrip crowds, which can clog the lanes by midday. Come early and the place is yours for a while.

   Getting there: From the bus terminal by Santa Maria Novella, take the 131 toward Poggibonsi (about 50 minutes), then switch to bus 130 for the final 25 minutes up to San Gimignano. The change is simple and the wait is usually around 15 minutes. Budget about 8 euros each way and check the return schedule, especially on Sundays.

   Best for: Photographers and anyone who loves a compact, atmospheric hill town

   

3. 3

   The Chianti wine country (Greve and Castellina)

   About 30 to 45 minutes to the first vineyards, roughly 20 to 30 miles south

   The classic rolling Tuscany of cypress rows and stone farmhouses sits right between Florence and Siena along the SR222, the Chiantigiana road. You go for the wine and the drive: cellar tours, tastings of Chianti Classico, and lunch with a view over the vines. Greve has a relaxed triangular market square and Castellina has an old covered medieval walkway. It is the least about sightseeing and the most about slowing down, which is the point.

   Getting there: Easiest is a small-group or private tour with pickup near Santa Maria Novella, since that solves the designated-driver problem and the awkward bus timing. On your own, SITA buses run roughly hourly to Greve but thin out in the evening and on weekends, and they will not get you between the scattered wineries. A rental car works only if a non-drinker takes the wheel.

   Best for: Wine lovers and couples who want scenery over a checklist

   

4. 4

   Lucca

   About 1 hour 20 minutes each way by direct regional train, roughly 45 miles west

   Lucca is the calm, lived-in walled city that locals quietly prefer. Its Renaissance ramparts are wide enough to walk or cycle the full loop on top, with gardens and tree-lined paths the whole way around. Inside, there is the oval Piazza dell'Anfiteatro built on a Roman amphitheater, a couple of fine churches, and good food without the tour-bus mob. It is flatter and gentler than the hill towns, which makes it easy on tired legs.

   Getting there: Direct regional trains run from Santa Maria Novella to Lucca around 40 times a day, roughly 1 hour 20 minutes, from about 9 euros. The online regional ticket is good on any same-route regional train within 4 hours, so you are not locked to one departure. Rent a bike at the station to ride the walls.

   Best for: Repeat visitors and travelers who want charm without the crowds

   

5. 5

   Pisa

   About 50 minutes to 1 hour each way by train, roughly 50 miles west

   Be honest with yourself about Pisa. The Leaning Tower and the cathedral on the Piazza dei Miracoli are genuinely impressive, the lawn is one of the prettiest squares in Italy, and you should see it once. But the rest of the visit is a short walk and a gauntlet of souvenir stalls, so two or three hours is plenty. The smart move is to pair it with Lucca, which sits 30 minutes up the line, and make a full day of two towns.

   Getting there: Frequent direct trains from Santa Maria Novella to Pisa Centrale take roughly an hour; from the station it is about a 20-minute walk or a short bus to the tower. To combine with Lucca, take the direct Pisa to Lucca regional train (about 30 minutes, runs often). Buy a timed-entry tower ticket ahead if you want to climb.

   Best for: First-timers ticking off the Tower, ideally paired with Lucca

   

6. 6

   Bologna

   About 35 minutes each way by high-speed train, roughly 65 miles north

   This is the underrated pick. The fast train makes Bologna closer in time than half the hill towns, and it is a serious food city: fresh tagliatelle al ragu, tortellini, mortadella, and market stalls in the old quarter behind Piazza Maggiore. Add miles of porticoed arcades that keep you dry and shaded, the two leaning medieval towers, and a big student energy that Florence's tourist core lacks. You eat well and walk a real city.

   Getting there: Take a Frecciarossa or Italo high-speed train from Santa Maria Novella to Bologna Centrale, about 35 minutes, with dozens of departures a day and fares often from around 10 to 20 euros if you book a bit ahead. Bologna Centrale is a short walk or bus from Piazza Maggiore.

   Best for: Food-focused travelers and anyone who wants a different city, not another Tuscan town

   

7. 7

   Cinque Terre

   About 2.5 to 3 hours each way via La Spezia, roughly 80 miles northwest

   The five painted fishing villages stacked above the Ligurian sea are spectacular, and the cliffside trails between them are the kind of thing people remember for years. The reason it ranks lower is purely logistics: it is a long haul each way and a genuinely full, tiring day from Florence. If you go, keep your ambitions small, hit two or three villages, and accept that the trains and trails get packed in summer. Worth it, but go in early or shoulder season if you can.

   Getting there: Take a regional or intercity train from Santa Maria Novella to La Spezia Centrale (roughly 2 to 2.5 hours, some connections faster, about 15 euros). At La Spezia buy a Cinque Terre Card and hop the local line that links all five villages, with trains every hour or so and rides of 15 to 30 minutes total. Start very early.

   Best for: Active travelers happy to trade a long commute for big coastal scenery

   

8. 8

   Fiesole

   About 20 to 25 minutes each way by city bus, roughly 5 miles northeast

   When you want a half-day escape without a real commute, Fiesole is the answer. It is a small hilltop town directly above Florence with the best long view back over the city and the Arno valley, plus a genuine Roman theater and Etruscan ruins you can walk through. Climb to the San Francesco monastery for the top viewpoint. It is low effort, cheap, and a good afternoon when you have already done the big sights or the heat in town is too much.

   Getting there: Take Autolinee Toscane bus 7 (the Libertà to Fiesole line) from the Piazza San Marco area; it runs about every 20 minutes, takes 20 to 25 minutes, and drops you in Fiesole's main square for roughly 2 euros each way on a normal city ticket. No planning required.

   Best for: A relaxed half day, families, and anyone wanting the view without a long trip

   

Thumbnail photos by Zairon (CC BY 4.0), Chensiyuan (CC BY-SA 4.0), giulio nepi (CC BY 2.0), Arne Müseler (CC BY-SA 3.0 de), Arne Müseler (CC BY-SA 3.0 de), Fabio Ciminelli (CC BY-SA 4.0), Bruno Rijsman (CC BY-SA 2.0), Hagai Agmon-Snir حچاي اچمون-سنير חגי אגמון-שניר (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

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