Tuscany is the easiest region in Italy to love and the hardest to plan.
The postcard Tuscany, all cypress roads and hill towns, is spread across an area bigger than Connecticut. The trains stop at the cities. The best views of Tuscany start where the tracks end.
This list of things to do in Tuscany is built for a first trip planned from the US, and it comes with one rule: every entry says what you can do in Tuscany without a car and what you can't. We grouped the 25 picks by area, so you can see what fits one stay, and we've marked what's just closed for the season or about to close. Prices, hours and rules come from official sites, ticketing pages and tourism boards, checked in October 2026. For the bigger picture of where to base yourself and how many days to give it, start with our Tuscany travel guide.
Updated October 2026 with current ticket prices, winter opening hours and this autumn's harvest dates.
The short answer to what to do in Tuscany on a first trip: climb the Leaning Tower in Pisa, walk Lucca's walls, sit in Siena's Piazza del Campo, taste Chianti and Brunello, drive the Val d'Orcia and soak at Saturnia. The rest of this page tells you how, and when.
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Short on Time? The Tuscany Bookings to Make First
If you lock in only four things before you fly to Tuscany, make it these. They're the ones that run out of slots or punish a walk-up.
- Leaning Tower tickets. Entry is by fixed time slot, and late arrivals are turned away with no refund. A timed-entry tower and cathedral ticket is rated 4.4 from more than 3,100 reviews on GetYourGuide.
- A wine day that someone else drives. The Tuscany wine tour with two wineries and San Gimignano leaves from Florence and is rated 4.8 from 666 reviews.
- Your countryside base. Agriturismo Il Macchione outside Pienza scores 9.3 on Booking.com, and Piazza Paradiso in Siena's old town scores 8.7.
- A rental car, if you're doing the Val d'Orcia or Chianti yourself. Compare cars on DiscoverCars once your flights are fixed.
Things to Do in Florence, Pisa and Lucca
This is the car-free corner of Tuscany. Trains link all three cities, so it's where most first-timers start in Tuscany and where you can do the most without renting anything.
1. Spend a Day in Florence
Florence is the capital of Tuscany and, for most people, base camp. It has the densest rail links, the most tours and the highest concentration of museums in the region. We'd keep it to a single focused day in a Tuscany trip and give the rest of your time to the Tuscan countryside. Our full list of things to do in Florence covers the city properly.
Three bookings matter here. The Uffizi costs €25 on the day and €29 if you book ahead for a set date, and since 1 January 2026 there's a €16 afternoon ticket for entry from 4 p.m. It's closed on Mondays.
The Accademia, home of Michelangelo's David, is €20 and open Tuesday to Sunday, 8:15 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. The Duomo is free to enter, but the dome needs a timed reservation, and the Brunelleschi Pass that covers the dome, bell tower and baptistery is about €30.
Tip: Reports of short dome and bell tower maintenance closures in November are unconfirmed on the official calendar, so check before you build a day around the climb.
2. Climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa
It leans. You'll know that. What surprises people is the system around it: the tower is entered at a fixed time, bags go in a cloakroom, and late arrivals are refused without a refund.
The climb is 251 steps and about 30 minutes. The ticket for tower plus cathedral runs about €20, or about €27 for everything on the square. Tickets go on sale 90 days ahead on the official site, opapisa.it.
Through November the monuments are open every day, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (the tower to 7 p.m. only until 1 November), with last entry 30 minutes before closing.
We'd skip the souvenir stalls and walk on to Pisa's old center. If you'd rather not fight the official site, this timed-entry ticket for the tower and cathedral is on sale at all times. Our Leaning Tower of Pisa guide has the details and our Pisa travel guide covers the rest of the town.
Without a car: a regional train from Florence takes about 50 to 60 minutes and costs roughly €10 one way. Check times on Omio.
3. Walk or Cycle Lucca's Walls
Lucca's walls are the reason to go. The top is a wide, car-free path ringed with trees, and you can walk it for nothing or rent a bike in town. There's no ticket and no queue, which is rare in this region.
Add the Torre Guinigi, the tower with trees growing on top. Through 31 January it opens 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at weekends, and booking is recommended on weekdays and mandatory on weekends and holidays. The tower runs about €8 on the latest price we found, a 2024 figure, so confirm it. Our Lucca travel guide covers the town.
Without a car: the train from Florence takes roughly 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes and costs around €9. Check Florence to Lucca trains on Omio.
4. Ride a 4x4 into the Carrara Marble Quarries
This is the most unusual pick on the list, and it's cheap.
The standard 4x4 tour of the working quarries runs 50 minutes and costs €15 per adult, starting from the Fantiscritti car park. A longer Carrara city and marble tour takes three to four hours and costs €65 per adult with a minimum of two. Reservations are only required for groups of 20 or more.
The catch is transport.
There's no direct public bus to the quarries, so most visitors take a taxi of roughly 15 minutes from Carrara-Avenza station (about €20 to €25) or join a tour. The operator doesn't list a season, and a recent travel article says tours generally run year-round except in heavy rain, so confirm before you go. We don't link this one, because the operator sells direct.
Things to Do in Siena, Chianti and the Hill Towns
Siena is the best car-free base in the hills of Tuscany. Everything else in this section, from the wine roads to the towers of San Gimignano, is easier with wheels or a guide.
5. Stand in Siena's Piazza del Campo
The Campo is Siena's living room: a sloping, shell-shaped brick square where the whole city eats lunch on the ground.
It costs nothing and it's worth an hour of doing nothing. The climb up the Torre del Mangia is the paid extra, about €10, with limited timed entries, so go early. In winter expect roughly 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. opening. We found the ticket price on three secondary sources, so check it against the Musei Civici di Siena page.
Our Siena travel guide covers the city, and things to do in Siena goes deeper. If you want a guide for the day, the Siena, San Gimignano and Monteriggioni tour from Florence is rated 4.6 from nearly 4,000 reviews, though it's the crowded way to do it.
Without a car: about 1.5 hours by regional train from Florence (sometimes with a change at Empoli), or by the faster 131R express bus into the center. Check times on Omio and see our Florence to Siena page.
6. See Siena's Cathedral With the Floor Uncovered
Siena's Duomo is covered in black and white stripes, and its floor is inlaid with marble scenes that are normally hidden by boards. In 2026 the floor is uncovered from 27 June to 31 July and again from 18 August to 15 November. While it is, the cathedral ticket costs more and the OPA SI Pass is about €16.
That pass covers the cathedral, the Piccolomini Library with its Pinturicchio frescoes, the museum, the crypt, the baptistery and the Facciatone panorama.
The Porta del Cielo rooftop route is an add-on, and it's open from 1 March to 6 January.
From 1 November the cathedral opens 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with last entry 30 minutes before. Holidays start at 1:30 p.m. We'd go before 15 November if you can; it's the best thing to do in Siena, and in Tuscany, this month.
7. Watch the Palio (or Skip It)
The Palio is run on 2 July and 16 August, traditionally.
In 2026 the August race was postponed twice for rain and finally ran on 18 August, with Nicchio winning. Plan for that: if you only have one date, you may see a trial run instead of the race.
The central infield is free, but you arrive hours early and can't leave.
Paid seats run from tens to hundreds of euros through agencies and hotels. If crowds put you off, skip the race and visit Siena on a normal day. Our Palio di Siena guide has the full story. We haven't found 2027 dates yet.
8. Drive the Chianti Roads and Taste Chianti Classico
The Chianti Classico DOCG, marked by a black rooster seal, comes from the hills between Florence and Siena.
The Chianti landscape is vineyards, olive terraces and small stone villages you drive between. It works best in Tuscany with a car and a designated driver, or with someone else doing the driving.
We'd rather give you a tour than a price we couldn't verify: the Tuscany wine tour with two wineries and San Gimignano covers two estates and a hill town in one day. For the wider picture, our Tuscany tours page compares the options and Italian wine regions explains the labels.
Without a car: tour only, realistically. Rural buses are infrequent, and a tour solves the drink-driving problem too.
9. Stay Late in San Gimignano
San Gimignano is a hill town of stone towers, and it's mobbed from late morning.
One ticket for the museums, about €9, covers the Palazzo Comunale, Pinacoteca, Torre Grossa and the archaeological museum, and it's valid for two days. From 1 October to 31 March the museums run roughly 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and they're closed on 25 December. The details come from an undated official-looking brochure, so confirm them.
The best advice is to sleep here.
Hotel La Collegiata, an adults-only hotel outside the walls, scores 9.0 on Booking.com. Our San Gimignano guide has more. If you're coming by day, the San Gimignano and Volterra tour from Florence is rated 4.8 from 60 reviews.
Without a car: a train or bus to Poggibonsi, then a local bus. Allow a long half-day each way.
10. Walk Monteriggioni's Walls
Monteriggioni is the quick stop on the road between Florence and Siena.
It's a circle of walls and towers around a village you can cross in two minutes. Only the south walkway is open at the moment, at around €4, and the official page publishes hours only to 1 November. We'd stop for photos and a coffee, and not make it a destination. The Siena tour above includes it.
11. Skip the Day-Trippers in Volterra
Volterra sits on a high ridge farther west than most day trips go, and that distance keeps the crowds smaller.
It has Etruscan walls, a Roman theatre and a long tradition of alabaster. The town's Volterragusto food festival runs until 1 November 2026.
A multi-day Volterra Card covers the main museums and sites.
We found two different prices (€16 and €23) on different pages, so check the current price with the tourist office. There's no train station in town, so plan on a bus or a car in Tuscany's west.
Things to Do in the Val d'Orcia and Southern Tuscany
This is the Tuscany of the postcards, and it's mostly a car-and-slow-lunch part of Tuscany. A Val d'Orcia base gets you to everything below within a short drive.
12. Drive the Val d'Orcia
The Val d'Orcia was added to the UNESCO list in 2004, and the reason is on the roads of southern Tuscany.
The cypress-lined lanes near San Quirico d'Orcia, the stone farmhouses and the bare green and gold hills are what people photograph. It's a landscape, not a sight, so there's nothing to book and nothing to queue for.
That's the catch: you need time and, in practice, a car.
If you only have a day and no wheels, the Val d'Orcia tour with lunch and Brunello from Florence is rated 4.4 from 384 reviews. Better still, sleep here. Agriturismo Il Macchione, on the road out of Pienza, scores 9.3 on Booking.com. Our Val d'Orcia guide covers the villages.
13. Eat Pecorino in Pienza
Pienza is small enough to walk end to end in twenty minutes, and it's where Tuscany's best-known sheep cheese shops are.
The Palazzo Piccolomini is the only paid sight, around €7. It opens 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closes on Tuesdays. The official hours page says it's also closed 16 to 30 November and from 7 January to 14 February, but the page is undated, so confirm before you plan around it.
We'd spend the money on lunch. Buy a wedge of pecorino from a shop and eat it on the walls overlooking the valley.
14. Taste Brunello in Montalcino
Brunello di Montalcino is one of Tuscany's DOCG wines, and the town is built around selling it to visitors in Tuscany.
Tastings are the point, and the wine shops will pour for you. The abbey of Sant'Antimo, in the valley below, is the better surprise. It's open daily: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in October, then 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from 1 November to 31 March, with Sundays and holidays starting at 11 a.m. after Mass. The official page doesn't list a ticket price, so don't assume it's free.
Without a car, the Brunello di Montalcino wine tour from Siena is rated 4.9 from 454 reviews.
15. Climb Montepulciano's Main Street
Montepulciano is a ridge town with one long main street that climbs from the gate to the main square.
It's best known for Vino Nobile, which was among the first wines to get Italy's top DOCG label, in 1980. Cellars under the old palaces offer tastings. We didn't verify tower or temple tickets this time, so we're not quoting them.
Our Montepulciano guide has more, and it's one of the places where a base inside the walls, not a drive-in, pays off.
16. Look at Bagno Vignoni (Don't Swim)
The square in Bagno Vignoni is a rectangular pool of thermal water in place of a piazza.
It's one of the most photographed spots in all of Tuscany. The catch: you can't bathe in it. Bathing in the square's basin is not allowed.
The place to actually soak in Tuscany is below the village in the Parco dei Mulini. Check local signs for access before you go, and read our Bagno Vignoni guide first.
17. Soak at Saturnia and Bagni San Filippo
The Cascate del Mulino at Saturnia are a run of milky-blue pools on a stream, and a local listing says they're free and open around the clock. Be aware that's one source, so check for local notices. Facilities nearby are paid, such as showers and lockers at the bar, and the free car park fills fast in high season.
For something more controlled, the Terme di Saturnia Spa Parco Termale starts from €30 and the Club from €90.
The park is open 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. until 1 November, then 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from 2 November to 31 March 2027. Bring your own towel and robe for the park. Bagni San Filippo, on Monte Amiata, has a white limestone stream you can soak in, but local access has been managed or ticketed in recent years, so check before you go.
Without a car, the Saturnia thermal baths day trip from Florence is rated 4.7 from 55 reviews. Our Saturnia hot springs guide covers the logistics.
18. Visit Cortona's Etruscan Museum
Cortona is the Etruscan hill town of eastern Tuscany, and the MAEC museum is its best museum, with a full ticket at €12 (€8 reduced). A combined ticket and the Sodo archaeological area are priced separately on the museum's page. Hours aren't clear on the site, and it mentions summer hours, so check before a winter visit. We'd skip the Girifalco fortress on a winter trip, since the only hours we found suggest summer weekends.
Things to Do on the Tuscan Coast and Islands
The Tuscan coast is the region's off-season gap. Most of it is quieter and cheaper after summer, and the pace is slower than anywhere inland in Tuscany.
19. Take the Ferry to Elba
The hydrofoil from Piombino to Portoferraio takes 40 minutes (the passenger-only service on Toremar's official page).
The conventional ferry takes about an hour or less. A one-way foot-passenger fare is roughly €17 in low season and €22 in high, from one source, so check Toremar. Compare ferry times on Ferryscanner.
In Portoferraio the Palazzina dei Mulini, one of Napoleon's two houses, reopened around 20 June 2026 after restoration.
It costs €5 (cash only). It's closed Tuesdays and runs on odd half-days: Monday and Thursday 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., so confirm before you plan a day trip.
Without a car: a train via Campiglia Marittima, usually with a change, then the ferry from Piombino.
20. Drive Bolgheri's Cypress Avenue
The Viale dei Cipressi runs about 5 kilometers, lined with cypresses, to the village of Bolgheri.
This is the coast's wine country, known for its red blends. Estate visits and tastings generally work by reservation, so book ahead rather than turning up. We haven't verified individual estates' prices or hours for this update.
Without a car: train to Cecina or Donoratico, then a taxi. A car makes the wine route far easier.
21. Walk the Maremma Regional Park
The Parco Regionale della Maremma is the wild Tuscan coast: marsh, forest and beach, with a ticket office at the Alberese Visitor Centre. The only walking prices we found date from an undated list at roughly €6 to €10 per itinerary, so confirm current prices.
The park's November calendar is the better guide.
On 1 November a hard guided hike to the Salto del Cervo costs €15, and on 15 November a guide-only walk to the Baia delle Cannelle, starting from Talamone, costs €15. Both are booked by email, closing 24 hours before. Winter visitor-centre hours weren't published where we looked.
Food, Harvest and Hands-On Tuscany
These are the experiences that make a trip to Tuscany more than sights. Some of them are seasonal, and late October to November is the best moment in the year for two of them.
22. Chase White Truffles in November
The 55th National White Truffle Fair in San Miniato runs over three weekends: 14–15, 21–22 and 28–29 November 2026.
Private vehicles are banned during the fair, and a shuttle runs from Via Guerazzi to Piazza Dante. The 40th Crete Senesi truffle fair in San Giovanni d'Asso runs 7–8 and 14–15 November. We couldn't find an entry fee for either.
For a hunt, the San Gimignano truffle hunt with lunch and wine is rated 4.8 from 104 reviews. We'd book a local guide.
23. Follow the Olive Harvest
The first oil of the year is pressed from late October.
Two events show up in two separate listings: an oil show in Reggello and "Il primo olio" in Montisi, both 30 October to 1 November. Other oil festivals run later in November, but those dates came from one listing each, so we're not repeating them. We found no official Tuscan or Chianti "Frantoi Aperti" event; that name is Umbrian.
24. Take a Cooking Class on a Tuscan Farm
A cooking class is the easiest rainy-day plan in the region, and the pizza or pasta class with gelato at a Tuscan farm is rated 4.9 from more than 1,700 reviews. It leaves from Florence, so it also works as a car-free half day.
25. Float Over Tuscany in a Balloon
One Tuscany agency lists a shared flight at about €280 per person, with a season of May to October, about an hour in the air and roughly three hours in total. That's a single agency page, so treat the numbers as a guide. The balloon flight over Tuscany from Florence is rated 4.9 from 482 reviews, but we'd save it for a spring or early-autumn trip. Weather decides, so keep a spare morning.
How Many Days Do You Need in Tuscany?
Five to seven days is enough to cover the main things to do in Tuscany on a first trip, with two bases. Spend three nights in Florence or Siena for the cities and hill towns, and three in the Val d'Orcia for the landscape.
With three days in Tuscany, pick one area.
With ten, add the coast or Lucca. Moving hotels every night is the usual way to wear yourself out. Our Tuscany itinerary lays out the days.
Getting Around Tuscany: With and Without a Car
Trains handle the cities of Tuscany. Cars, or tours, handle the countryside.
| From Florence | Journey | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Pisa | About 50–60 min by regional train | Roughly €10 one way; the tower is walkable from the station |
| Lucca | About 1h10–1h40 by train | Around €9 one way |
| Siena | About 1.5 h by train, or the 131R express bus | Some trains change at Empoli |
| San Gimignano | Train or bus to Poggibonsi, then a local bus | A long half-day each way |
| Val d'Orcia, Chianti, Bolgheri | Tour, or a hire car | Rural buses are infrequent |
If you do hire a car in Tuscany, bring an International Driving Permit, and keep out of the ZTL zones in historic centers, which are camera-enforced. Our driving in Italy guide explains the rules, and our trains in Italy guide covers tickets. Train strikes are frequent in Italy, so check the Ministry of Transport's strike list before you rely on a single day.
What to Do in Tuscany in Winter: What's Open, What's Not
| Place | Winter status |
|---|---|
| Siena Duomo | 10:30–17:30 from 1 Nov; floor uncovered until 15 Nov |
| Terme di Saturnia park | 9:30–17:00 from 2 Nov to 31 Mar 2027 |
| Abbazia di Sant'Antimo | 10:30–17:00, Nov to Mar |
| San Gimignano museums | Roughly 11:00–17:30, Oct to Mar |
| Palazzo Piccolomini, Pienza | Closed 16–30 Nov, and 7 Jan–14 Feb (confirm) |
| Pisa monuments | 9:00–18:00 through November |
Best Time to Visit Tuscany
The best things to do in Tuscany change with the season.
May, June, September and October are the sweet spots: warm days, open wineries and fewer people than in July and August. Late October and November add the harvest, truffles and new oil. Winter in Tuscany is quiet and cheaper, but some sights keep short hours. Our best time to visit Tuscany guide goes month by month.
Where to Stay in Tuscany
Choose a base in Tuscany by how you'll move, not by the prettiest photo.
- Siena, without a car: Piazza Paradiso sits on Via Stalloreggi in the old town and scores 8.7 on Booking.com. For a splurge, the Grand Hotel Continental scores 9.1.
- Chianti, with a car: Castello di Spaltenna, a castle resort and spa at Gaiole in Chianti, scores 9.0.
- San Gimignano, for one quiet night: Hotel La Collegiata, adults-only, scores 9.0.
- Val d'Orcia, for the landscape: Agriturismo Il Macchione scores 9.3.
For the full comparison, read our where to stay in Tuscany guide, best hotels in Tuscany and Tuscany villas.
Plan Your Tuscany Trip: Booking Checklist
- Hotels: book your two bases first; see the picks above.
- Car hire: reserve early for summer in Tuscany, and bring your IDP. Compare cars on DiscoverCars.
- Tours and tickets: book the things to do in Tuscany that sell out: the Leaning Tower, the Siena Duomo and any wine day.
- Trains: check Florence to Siena on Omio and see our trains in Italy guide.
- Airport transfer: for late arrivals, pre-book with Welcome Pickups.
- eSIM: set up Yesim before you fly, or compare options in our Italy eSIM guide.
- Travel insurance: cover medical costs and cancellations with Visitors Coverage.
- Entry rules: check our Italy travel requirements page for EES and ETIAS.
Short on time for the coast?
The Cinque Terre day trip from Florence is rated 4.9 from more than 6,300 reviews, but remember the Cinque Terre is in Liguria, not Tuscany (our Cinque Terre travel guide has the detail). Weighing a second region against Tuscany? See Umbria vs Tuscany.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best month to visit Tuscany?
May, June, September and October are the best months: warm days, open wineries and fewer crowds than in July and August. Late October and November add the olive harvest and white truffle season, though some sights move to winter hours from 1 November.
Can you see Tuscany without a car?
Yes, for the cities. Trains connect Florence with Pisa, Lucca and Siena, so you can cover those three without renting. The Val d'Orcia, Chianti and Bolgheri are harder, and a tour or a hire car is the realistic way to reach them, because rural buses are infrequent.
How many days do you need in Tuscany?
Five to seven days covers the main sights on a first trip with two bases: three nights in Florence or Siena for the cities and hill towns, and three in the Val d'Orcia for the landscape. With only three days, pick one area rather than crossing the region.
Is Cinque Terre in Tuscany?
No. The Cinque Terre is in Liguria, on the coast northwest of Tuscany. Day trips run from Florence, but it is a different region and a different kind of trip from the Tuscan countryside, so plan it as an add-on rather than part of your Tuscany days.
What is there to do in Tuscany in winter?
Quieter cities, thermal baths, wine and food. Many sights keep shorter hours after 1 November, such as the Siena Duomo (10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) and the Saturnia thermal park (to 5 p.m. from 2 November). November also brings white truffle fairs and new olive oil.
Is the Leaning Tower of Pisa worth climbing?
Yes, if you book ahead. The climb is 251 steps, entry is by timed slot, and late arrivals are turned away without a refund. A tower and cathedral ticket is about €20, and tickets go on sale 90 days ahead on the official site.
Is Florence in Tuscany?
Yes. Florence is the capital of Tuscany and most first trips start there. We would give it one focused day and spend the rest of your time in Siena, the hill towns and the Val d'Orcia, which show a different side of the region.
When is the Siena cathedral floor uncovered in 2026?
In 2026 the marble floor is uncovered from 27 June to 31 July and again from 18 August to 15 November. Entry costs more while it is, and the OPA SI Pass is about €16. After 15 November the floor is covered again until next year.
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