Day trips from Florence: tickets, prices, hours and Tuscany day trip

Planning day trips from Florence or a Tuscany day trip means making one decision first: go on your own (train or bus plus local tickets) or join an organised coach tour from Florence. Key numbers: Siena by bus 131R in about 1 h 15; Pisa by regional train for €9.80 in about 1 h; the Leaning Tower €20; Siena’s OPA SI Pass €14 / €16; the San Gimignano Pass €15; Tiqets tours from €49 (Cinque Terre) to €64–105 (Pisa + Siena + San Gimignano), and Siena + San Gimignano from €60 / €75.

Day trips from Florence: organised tours, prices and times

Tiqets starting prices (they vary by date):

On GetYourGuide, similar Siena/San Gimignano and Pisa/Siena/San Gimignano trips start at about €49, and the three-city tour has a large number of reviews. Coaches typically leave between 7:00 and 9:00 from meeting points near Santa Maria Novella or along the river, returning in the evening. Cancellation is often free up to 24 h before (check the listing).

What is usually not included in the base price: the OPA SI Pass, the Pisa Tower, the San Gimignano Pass, lunch (unless stated) and tips. Read the “included” list line by line.

Tuscany day trips on your own: Siena, Pisa, San Gimignano

Siena by bus 131R

Buses leave from Florence bus station (Via Santa Caterina da Siena, next to Santa Maria Novella). The 131R express uses the dual carriageway and takes about 1 h 15 (around 77 minutes); the ordinary 131 stops at Poggibonsi and Colle di Val d’Elsa and takes longer. Autolinee Toscane does not publish a fixed fare for the route; its fares go by distance, from €2.20 in the shortest band up to €10.90 in the longest for express buses. Use the Autolinee Toscane fare calculator the day before. By train it is about 1 h 30 direct or 1 h 45–2 h 15 with a change at Empoli; from Siena station you need the escalators or a bus to reach the centre.

OPA SI Pass: €14 full, €16 when the Cathedral floor is uncovered (dates published by the Opera); reduced €3 for ages 7–11; free under 7; valid 3 days. With the Porta del Cielo roof walk: €21.

Pisa: train + Tower

The regional train from Santa Maria Novella to Pisa Centrale takes about 1 h at a fixed €9.80. Validate paper tickets before boarding and complete the journey within 4 hours; digital tickets are valid for 4 hours from the departure of the train you chose. Travelling without a valid ticket in Tuscany costs €60, €120 or €360 depending on how quickly you pay, or a €5 surcharge if you tell the conductor you boarded without a ticket.

Leaning Tower: official price €20 (opapisa.it), Cathedral included; no reduced fare (only disabled visitors and a companion enter free); no children under 8; 251 steps, about 30 minutes; timed slots; free cloakroom for bags. The other monuments without the Tower cost €11, or €8 for a single monument. Tiqets resells Tower + Cathedral from €25 — always compare with the official price.

San Gimignano

Take bus 131 to Poggibonsi (or the Florence–Poggibonsi train), then bus 130, about 20–25 minutes. Allow 1 h 30–2 h in total. Civic Museums + Torre Grossa: €10 full / €8 reduced. The San Gimignano Pass (Civic Museums + Duomo + Sacred Art Museum) costs €15 / €12 reduced for ages 6–17 and is valid for 3 days (Tiqets resells it at €18.50). Duomo only: €5 / €3.

Lucca

The direct regional train takes about 1 h 20 and costs €8.90 — an excellent do-it-yourself trip if you prefer city walls and a flat centre to Pisa. Lucca is not part of the usual three-city tours; it is sold as a separate, pricier tour when paired with Pisa.

Cinque Terre and Val d’Orcia

Florence → La Spezia Centrale takes about 2 h 15–2 h 30 by regional train (€15.90), then the Cinque Terre Express. The one-day adult Cinque Terre Train Card costs €22 / €29.50 / €35 depending on the season. An organised Tuscany day trip from €49 avoids the changes but makes for a long day (about 13 h). The DIY version is doable but fragile: tight connections at La Spezia, summer queues and occasionally closed trails. For the Val d’Orcia (Pienza, Montepulciano, Montalcino) without a car, you need a tour (Tiqets from €159) or buses from Siena with several changes.

On your own or on a tour?

Example for two adults visiting Pisa on their own: 2 × €9.80 + 2 × €20 = €59.60 for the outbound train and the Tower, before lunch (add the return train). A Pisa tour from €59 per person covers transport but does not necessarily include the Tower, so compare what is included.

Sample itineraries: one, two or three destinations

Pisa only (on your own). Regional train in the morning, Tower slot already bought on opapisa.it, lunch near the square, back in the afternoon. You get 4–5 hours in town after travel.

Siena + San Gimignano (tour from €60–75). The coach saves you the 131/130 bus changes that would take half a day on your own. You usually get 1–2 hours in each town — enough for Piazza del Campo and a walk among the towers, not for long museum visits. If you want the OPA SI Pass and the Facciatone, give Siena a day of its own.

Pisa + Siena + San Gimignano (€64–105). A very full day: lots of road, little time in museums. Good as a photographic taster, not for depth. Check whether lunch and wine are included — that is what explains the price range.

Cinque Terre (from €49). The tour takes care of logistics, but it is still a 12–13 hour day: bring snacks, water and shoes with grip.

Timing and luggage

Be at the coach meeting point 15 minutes early. Returns are in the evening, so do not book a fixed dinner in Florence at 19:30. In summer, three towns in one day means a lot of time on the coach and little in each square: choose two destinations, not three, if you want to go inside monuments. Motorway rest stops do not count as sightseeing time.

Store suitcases near Santa Maria Novella (luggage storage, KiPoint from €6) before pick-up. The Pisa Tower and the cathedrals apply strict rules on backpacks.

Bring ID (needed for the Tower and some passes), closed shoes, a light jacket for the air-conditioned coach and a power bank. Leave in Florence your suitcase, your tickets for the next day’s museums and any hope of “seeing everything”.

Arriving from another city? See trains to Florence (Rome, Milan, Venice, Bologna) first. For a day in the city instead, see city tours and things to do.

Strikes, weather and plan B

If a train strike cancels your Pisa trip, switch to the 131R bus to Siena or a Chianti wine tour if one is still available. In heavy rain the Pisa Tower and Siena’s Facciatone are less enjoyable, but the historic centres remain worth visiting. Check Trenitalia and Autolinee Toscane notices the evening before. If you have already paid for a non-refundable tour within 24 hours of departure, your only plan B is to rethink the day in Florence (city tours, museums).

Checklist before you book

1. How many towns in one day? (Two at most if you want museums.)
2. Are entry tickets included, or do you buy them on site (OPA SI Pass, Pisa Tower, San Gimignano Pass)?
3. Do departure and return times fit your hotel and any evening train?
4. Is there free cancellation up to 24 h?
5. How does it compare with train/bus plus official tickets?

If a listing online shows different inclusions from those described here, let us know at travel@alltours.florence.it and we will update the comparison.

In short: day trips from Florence

Organised day trips from Florence at €49–105 make sense for Siena + San Gimignano + Pisa and for the Cinque Terre. A do-it-yourself Tuscany day trip wins for Pisa (€9.80 train + €20 Tower) and for Siena (bus 131R in about 1 h 15 + OPA SI Pass €14/€16). The San Gimignano Pass costs €15. Compare tickets, prices and times above, then choose between going it alone and the coach. We are an independent guide: if you book through our Tiqets or GetYourGuide links we may earn a commission; the price you pay does not change.