10+ Best Day Trips from Florence, Italy

Last Updated on 22nd August 2024 by Sophie Nadeau

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Firenze draws visitors from far and wide for its amazing architecture, history, and foodie scene. Read on if you want to learn about the best things you can do near the Renaissance capital of Italy or to dream about taking these spectacular day trips from Florence.

If you’re planning to spend more than one day in Florence, you may as well consider visiting other areas around the city. Whether it is the charming Tuscany countryside, ancient medieval towns, or iconic Italian markets, its somewhat central location makes it an amazing departing point to pick among dozens of delightful day trips from Florence.

Thanks to how romantic it is, if you’re thinking of honeymooning in Italy, then Florence is a good starting point. For even more inspiration, be sure to check out our suggestions for spending one week in Tuscany and how to spend 3 days in Florence.

Day trips in the Tuscany region

Staying in the same region where Florence is also located offers you the advantage of taking short day trips to make the most of your days out. Sometimes and with a little bit of extra organisation, it might be even possible to visit two or even three different places in just one day. These are some of the top day trips from Florence that you can take within the Tuscany region.

Wine tasting near Florence: Day trip to Chianti 

Just a few kilometres from the centre of Florence, it is possible to make the foodie in you extremely happy by visiting one of the most important wine regions in the world, Tuscany.

Only a short drive from town (about 35 kilometres), you can visit the area of Chianti where locals have produced, for centuries, some of the most famous Italian wines.

Over here, other than exploring the lush hills, you can check out dozens of wineries and farms, discover local traditional dishes, amazing charcuterie and cheese, and sample some delicious red wines that are a characteristic landmark of the Italian gastronomy. 

The best way to visit Chianti from Florence is by car (or by taxi if you’re not keen on driving), this kind of transport is much more efficient than traveling by bus or train as the region does not have top public transportation and you would be wasting precious time waiting for bus or train connections, especially if you’d like to visit more than one winery during your day out… And who wouldn’t?

A good alternative would be an organised tour that includes visits to more than just one winery in a day, allowing you to also learn about the wine-making process and the local food traditions. Discover more about taking a tour here.

Pisa

A must-do day trip from Florence is a visit to Pisa with its remarkable leaning tower. An iconic construction that has transformed this small university town into one of the most visited places in the whole country.

This day trip is quite easy to organise and do on your own, although several good organised trips take you there and also offer a guided experience with tons of historical references and hundreds of things you can learn such as this one. However, if you’re on a budget or prefer to explore your destinations on your own, just get yourself a train ticket and reach Pisa main train station. 

The city is about 95 kilometers from Florence, so it is always better to choose a fast train. The trip can last from 45 minutes to 1.45 hours and the price of the ticket ranges from €5 to €14).

Once in Pisa, you’ll find that the town is easy to navigate on foot. From Pisa train station, you can walk along the main commercial road in town and quickly reach the impressive Leaning Tower.

This unique building is located in the area known as Piazza dei Miracoli (Miracles’ Square), just steps from the Cathedral and the Baptistry of Pisa. The leaning tower is nothing but the bell tower of the Pisa Cathedral.

These three religious buildings are a perfect example of Pisan Romanesque architecture and the whole complex dates from 1090. All main points of interest in town can be seen over the course of just a few hours, making it a top candidate for a Florence day trip.

Pisa Wines

Not everything is about the tower when in Pisa, in fact, the area also hosts some amazing wineries producing exquisite labels. To beat the crowds and make the most of your day, you can easily visit the tower very early in the morning.

After, head to the city centre for a walk and a cup of espresso, or spend the rest of the afternoon tasting local wines and food with an organised tour like this one that combines a thorough visit to Pisa’s Cathedral, the Leaning Tower and a special local lunch with plenty of Pisa wine, all on the same day.

Siena

Still in the Tuscany region, Siena is a gorgeous old town near Florence with UNESCO World Heritage listed sites. This perfect example of Medieval architecture is easy to visit in a day.

Siena is only 50 kilometers from Florence and travelers can get there by train (the trip is 90 minutes and the ticket €15) as well as by bus (the journey lasts 75 minutes and the ticket is about €10).

In case you’re wondering what to see in Siena, the first thing on the list should be the cathedral or Duomo di Siena, a magnificent medieval church with the colors of Siena (black and white) built back in the 1260s with an impressive dome and a bell tower that is even older than the church (1215).

San Gimignano

A perfect destination for those interested in the Italian Middle Ages, San Gimignano is the most famous Medieval town in the country as well as an important UNESCO World Heritage Site that you shouldn’t miss.

The best way to get to San Gimignano is by bus (lines 131 and 130 from Florence’s main bus station). The city is about 55 kilometers from Florence but train connections are not frequent, so joining an organised tour like this one can be an excellent idea to make the most of your time.

The distinctive city stands atop a soft hill and is home to some incredible ancient and high tower houses that locals have dubbed the Medieval Skyscrapers of Italy. Featuring a suggestive skyline, the town hosts dozens of incredible churches and Gothic chapels open to the public.

And it should not come as a surprise to discover that, being located in Tuscany, San Gimignano is also a perfect gastronomic destination for those interested in Tuscan wines. 

One of the best-known wines in Italy, Vernaccia di San Gimignano comes from an ancient grape that has strived in the area for hundreds of years. If wine is your thing, add Montalcino to your itinerary.

This small town, perched on a hill overlooks the fantastic vineyards of Brunello and is home to the renowned Brunello of Montalcino, rated among the finest Italian DOCG wines. 

When we talked about the advantages of taking day trips within the Tuscany region, we also mentioned the possibility of visiting more than one destination in a day, if that is something that attracts your interest, you can check out this tour that combines a stop in the medieval towns of Siena and San Gimignano as well as a wine tasting experience in the Chianti region. I don’t think there is a better way to see the best of Tuscany in a day!

Val D’Orcia

Hardcore food and wine lovers, instead, can have a blast learning about wine and cheese in the area known as Val d’Orcia. Several tours such as this one include both wine tasting in the small towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino as well as interesting insights on local cheese in the region around Pienza, home to the delicious Pecorino Toscano cheese.

Not everybody knows that this lesser-known valley is another Italian UNESCO World Heritage Site that features some incredible rural towns where the economy is still pretty much connected to farming and agriculture. You can get to the valley by bus from Florence central bus station. The trip from Florence takes about 2 hours and prices range from €10 to €12.

Day trips from Florence to nearby regions

As we have already said before, Florence is strategically located almost in the centre of the peninsula, making it simple to just start by setting your alarm clock quite early and then jumping on a train to visit.

After a fairly short ride, other incredible Italian cities, including Rome, Genoa, or Milan, or even getting as far as Venice or Naples. All you need to do is plan a smart schedule and stick to it to visit more places in less time. These are some of the best day trips you can take in the regions closer to Florence.

Rome

The best way to visit Rome on a day trip from Florence is to catch an early train from Santa Maria Novella station. The trip aboard a fast train takes about 90 minutes, compared to the three and a half hours that it would take you to get there with a regional train. 

Once in the capital, the metro, and public bus system is quite an efficient way to move around and visit the most important Roman landmarks, including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the different incredible squares, such as Piazza Navona or Piazza di Spagna.

If Rome seems a bit overwhelming and you don’t know where to start, there are plenty of affordable walking tours of Rome’s gorgeous city center to get a fantastic glimpse of the capital of the country. For more inspiration, be sure to check out our guide on how to spend one day in Rome.

If you’re an independent soul wanting to do everything on your own, then I suggest you check out a city pass with public transport access like this one that will save you tons of time and let you visit the main monuments of Rome and popular landmarks, such as the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum.

Cinque Terre

A popular day trip from Florence, especially in spring and summer, is a visit to the Cinque Terre, the five lands. Easily accessible by train from Florence, these enchanting pastel-coloured towns facing the Ligurian Sea are a perfect day trip if you want to pack a lot in a day (or two) and include a few hours of sunbathing and swimming as well.

Nestled on a narrow stretch of the picturesque coast of Liguria, these coastal villages can be visited hiking along the coast.

As anywhere else in Italy, you will not just find dreamy landscapes, but also interesting gastronomic proposals and magnificent wines produced on the terraced hills of the Cinque Terre.

Although the hike can sound like one adventurous challenge, there is only a limited number of things you can do in just a day, especially if you also want to swim, eat, sunbathe drink some wine, and then eat again!

For that reason, the best way to visit is to travel by local train that connects all settlements with just one ticket. Start by getting first to La Spezia Centrale station from Firenze Campo di Marte train station, in Florence, the ride is about an hour.

Once in La Spezia, you can purchase the ticket that allows you to explore the Cinque Terre which can be valid for one day (24-hour pass) or three. 

Milan

Although it might sound like a far-to-reach destination, the truth is that Milan is only 2 hours from Florence when traveling with the fastest high-speed trains (direct Frecciarossa and Italo). 

Milan is an interesting destination often overlooked which many people simply don’t visit when planning an Italian tour. Not as romantic as Venice, nor as popular as Naples, Milan can be a charming town quite easy to discover in just a day and has plenty of secret spots.

Some of the highlights of Milan include its impressive Gothic Duomo, one of the biggest cathedrals in the world, as well as its dozens of high-end shops and boutiques situated along the exclusive Corso Emmanuelle Avenue, just steps from the magnificent cathedral.

Milan is also home to gorgeous art galleries and museums, such as the Brera Art Gallery or the National Museum of Science and Technology, with impressive sections devoted to the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. Be sure to also check out the Duomo di Milano rooftop terrace.

If exploring Milan is among the things you’d like to do when visiting the country, but you’re still uncertain whether spending two or three days in town is worth the town, rest assured that a day trip from Florence will offer the perfect opportunity to catch a quick look at the city, enough to taste the best of it.

For a more organised day in town, check out a walking tour of the city centre that includes different stops and landmarks along the day like this one.

Bologna

For those who are looking to see one of the best cities that Italy has to offer and are under a time constraint, Bologna is around an hour and a half away from Florence on the train. Much like many other prominent cities on the peninsula, Bologna is a historic university city with a medieval history to match.

The city is pretty small and compact, meaning that you can see most of the monuments on foot over the course of a single day. Some of the top things to do in Bologna include visiting the Basilica di San Petronio and discovering all of the local food on offer.

Ferrara

Best-known for its Renaissance architecture and status as a UNESCO world heritage site, Ferrara is well worth a visit on any venture through the region. Highlights of the city include Renaissance buildings erected by the Este family, as well as the Diamanti Palace.

Constructed by the same wealthy family, this structure is covered in diamond-shaped marble blocks and now houses the National Picture Gallery. Ferrara is just under an hour by train from Bologna, easily making it one of the best day trips from the city.

These are, in my opinion, some of the most valuable day trips from Florence. However, it is always good to keep in mind that the city enjoys a super strategic location making it extremely simple to jump on a train and reach almost anywhere on the peninsula after only an often very short ride. 

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Gabi Ancarola is a journalist and travel writer who has lived over 20 years in Italy, and has been living in Crete for the last five years. She hosts culinary tours, translates and writes for her Crete travel blog The Tiny Book. She’s written for Greek Reporter and published several travel guides about Greece.