One week in Tuscany and Florence itinerary (with or without a car)

One of the requests I get most often is to create a one week itinerary in Tuscany and Florence. Many travelers rent a car and go on a road trip, while others prefer not to drive in a foreign country, and get around on public transport. So I created this itinerary so that it can be done both with and without a car. In both cases it will be a beautiful trip to Italy!

I worked hard on this itinerary so that it is very flexible and suitable for all types of travellers, from backpackers with a limited budget to those who want a more comfortable and fancy trip.

My name is Claudia, I am a licensed local tour guide in Florence, with over 10 years of experience. Learn more about me and my private tours in Florence!

One week Tuscany and Florence road trip

If you want to do a 7 days road trip in Tuscany and Florence with a rental car, first of all read my tips for car rental in Florence!

I always recommend using Booking.com to find the right car at the best price, comparing the offers of the main car rental companies.

Following this itinerary, you will only need a car from the 4th day. During the first 3 days in Florence you won’t need a car, you will be able to move easily on foot and by public transport. Then you can rent the car on the fourth day to leave the city, saving a lot of money on car rental.

7 days in Tuscany and Florence without a car

The same itinerary can be easily done even without a car! In this case I suggest you base yourself in Florence for the entire week. To reach and visit other cities such as Pisa, Lucca and Siena you can use the trains, which in Italy are fast, very frequent and reach almost every part of the country, except the small villages.

If, on the other hand, you feel like changing, you can still decide to spend one night in a hotel in Pisa, and one or two nights in a hotel in Siena.

Even without a car, you’ll still be able to visit the small traditional villages of Tuscany, even if they don’t have a train station. The best way to do that is taking a day trip tour from Florence, with transportation included. The tour company will take care of everything: transport, meals, guided tours and other activities such as wine and food tasting.

One week Florence and Tuscany itinerary

Here is my 7 days itinerary in Tuscany and Florence!

Day 1-3 – visiting Florence

A lifetime is not enough to visit the whole city. But if you want to have a complete and satisfying experience in Florence my tip is spending here at least 3 whole days. You’ll have time enough to visit the main museums and cultural sites, and some free time to enjoy a walk in the medieval alleys, some shopping and some great food in a traditional trattoria.

Among the many museums the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia Gallery (where Michelangelo’s David is displayed) are the unmissable ones. You shouldn’t miss to visit the Cathedral and some of the great medieval and Renaissance churches, like Santa Maria Novella or Santa Croce. For a stunning sunset with a view of the entire city climb up to Piazzale Michelangelo (bus 12 or 13, or a steep but quick walk).

To start planning this first part of the trip read:

• What to see in 3 days in Florence
• Florence travel planner

As i said before, you won’t need a car for your days in Florence. So that first part of the itinerary is the same, both if you’re driving or not.

Day 4 – Siena

Siena is a small but fascinating city, packed with artistic and architectonical treasures. One day is probably not enough to see everything, but you can still have a great experience. You’ll have enough time to visit the wonderful Duomo of Siena, built to compite with the Duomo of Florence, to walk around Piazza del Campo, and of course, to get lost in the streets and in time.

• Don’t forget to book the tickets for the Duomo of Siena or a guided tour that includes the Duomo.

If you are doing a road trip: I recommend you to rent your car in the early morning in Florence, then head towards Siena and spend  the day visiting the city.

• Find a hotel with parking in Siena (you’ll spend 2 nights there)

If you don’t have a car: you can easily reach Siena from Florence by train, it’s a one-hour journey, and there is at least one train every hour connecting the two cities. In case you will use Florence as a base for the whole week, at the end of the day, after visiting Siena, you will return to Florence by train to spend the night. But you can also decide to spend two nights in Siena: in this case, on the morning of the fourth day you will leave by train with your luggage, check into a hotel in the center of Siena, and you won’t have to go back to Florence.

For a fuss-free journey you can also consider taking a private transfer with a driver from Florence to Siena. It’s a great option if you have a lot of luggage.

Day 5 – Chianti: wine tasting and rolling hills

The rolling hills of Chianti are famous all over the world for their beautiful landscape, but also and above all for their great read wines. The Chianti area is split between the provinces of Florence and Siena. You cannot skip some stops to enjoy a glass of red wine and some local cuisine. The most famous villages are Greve (don’t miss Falorni, a wine shop, a butchery and a small delicious restaurant), Radda and Castellina, but the whole area is full of hidden gems: villages, castles, and vineyards where you can enjoy a wine tasting experience or a tour of the cellars.

If you are driving a car: just spend a second night in Siena, and then drive away the morning of the 6th day.

If you don’t have a car: If you’re based in Florence, I recommend booking a full day trip to Chianti from Florence, with wine tasting, transportation and lunch included. At the end of the day you will return to Florence just in time for dinner, and then spend the night there.

You can find the best full day Chianti tours from Florence here:

• Best day trips from Florence
• Best wine tours from Florence

If instead you have decided to spend two nights in Siena, this is the best day trip from Siena to Chianti that you can find.

Day 6th – San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and Volterra

Another full day to roam around the tuscan rolling hills and to discover more medieval villages. Between Siena and Pisa there are so many of those ancient little villages that it’ hard to make a choice, but if this is your frist time in Tuscany you really shouldn’t miss San Gimignano. It’s probably the most famous of them all, thanks to the dozens of stone towers built around the 13th and 14th centuries. Then head to Monteriggioni, an ancient fortified city crowning the top of a hill with it thick walls and ramparts. From a distance Monteriggioni looks like a fairytale castle and walking around its cobblestone roads feels like making a journey through history.

Then drive to the village of Volterra. Founded by the Etruscans and developed through the Middleages, Volterra was famous for its alabaster products. Now is much more well known for Volterra A.D. 1398, one of the biggest and most popular medieval festivals in Europe (it’s usually held on the last 2 weekends of august).

For accommodation you have 2 options:

• Spend the night one of those 3 villages (find an accommodation in San Gimignano, in Monteriggioni or in Volterra).
• Reach Pisa and spend the night there (find a hotel with parking in Pisa).

If you aren’t driving around, you can still visit those 3 villages with a full day trip, starting (and going back) from both Florence and Siena.

• If you are staying in Florence: day trip to San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and Volterra from Florence
• If you are staying in Siena: day trip to San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and Volterra from Siena

Day 7th – Pisa and Lucca

The last day is split between two small but unique cities, only a short distance away from each other: Pisa and Lucca. Pisa can be visited in half a day, leaning tower included, but be prepared to wake up early and take advantage of every single minute because both of the cities are really pretty and packed with beautiful piazzas, chariming churches and museums.

• Get the best of Pisa in 2 hours with a walking tour + tickets to cathedral and leaning tower

Then in the early afternoon go to Lucca to visit it historical center, enjoy some hopping and a great dinner. The ancient walls that are embracing the city are now an elevated public park where you can walk and enjoy the view of Lucca from above.

If you have a car: driving from Pisa to Lucca takes about 30 minutes.

If you don’t drive: in the early morning take a train from Florence (or Siena if you’re stating there) to Pisa and spend the morning visiting the city. Then take a train from Pisa, that will take you to Lucca in less than 30 minutes. Or take a private transfer from Siena to Pisa with a driver.

• In both cases read: how to go from Lucca to Florence

• More info about how to get from Florence to Pisa

Should you visit also Cinque Terre during your week in Tuscany and Florence?

Cinque Terre isn’t part of Tuscany, that area is part of a different region, Liguria. Anyway, Cinque Terre is close enough to Tuscany to make a day trip there possible. If you want your itinerary to be entirely Tuscan, skip the Cinque Terre and focus on the towns and villages of Tuscany.

But if you really want to visit Cinque Terre and its famous fishing villages I understand! It’s a wonderful place, and maybe you won’t have another chance to visit it!. In this case I suggest you replace the sixth day program (San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and Volterra) with a day trip to the Cinque Terre. Attention: day trips to the Cinque Terre only depart from Florence, and not from Siena.

• All my tips for doing a Cinque Terre day trip from Florence

To help you planning your one week itinerary in Florence and Tuscany: