Tuscany
How to Get Around Tuscany
Getting Around
Pisa's Galileo Galilei airport is the region's main international gateway, with the PisaMover shuttle linking it to Pisa Centrale station in about five minutes. Florence's Amerigo Vespucci airport is closer to the city but has a short runway and a narrower route network; a tram line connects it to Florence in around twenty minutes.
Rail works well along one axis and poorly across the rest. Florence Santa Maria Novella sits on the high-speed Milan-Rome line, so Florence to Rome takes about ninety minutes and Florence to Bologna around thirty-five. Regional trains serve Pisa, Lucca, Livorno, and Arezzo perfectly adequately. Siena, however, has no high-speed connection and an awkward regional service -- the direct coach from Florence is usually faster.
A car is effectively required for Chianti, the Val d'Orcia, the Maremma, and the mountain valleys, where public transport is sparse. The A1 motorway runs north-south through the region and the toll-free FI-PI-LI expressway links Florence, Pisa, and Livorno.
The critical caution is the ZTL (zona a traffico limitato) in Florence, Siena, Lucca, Pisa, San Gimignano, and most other historic centres. These are camera-enforced restricted zones; entering one without authorisation generates a fine that typically reaches the driver months later through the rental company, and repeated passes generate repeated fines. Hotels inside a ZTL can usually register a guest's plate, but this must be arranged in advance.
Regional connections
How easily, and at what cost, can you combine the region’s main destinations?
| Route | Best option | One-way time | Travel Smart take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florence and Greve in Chianti | Bus or carmoderate cost | ~35 min by road | Excellent day-trip connection. Florence works well as a base for Greve in Chianti. |
| Florence and Pisa | Traininexpensive | ~50 min–1 hr 20 min typical, not a timetable | Comfortable as a day trip. Florence is a workable base for Pisa. |
| Florence and San Gimignano | Train and local bus, or carinexpensive | ~1 hr by road | Comfortable as a day trip. Florence is a workable base for San Gimignano. |
| Florence and Siena | Businexpensive | ~1 hr 15 min scheduled service | Possible in a day, but it takes most of one. |
| Greve in Chianti and Radda in Chianti | Carmoderate cost | ~30 min by road | Excellent day-trip connection. Greve in Chianti works well as a base for Radda in Chianti. |
| Montalcino and Pienza | Carmoderate cost | ~30 min by road | Excellent day-trip connection. Montalcino works well as a base for Pienza. |
| Montepulciano and Pienza | Carmoderate cost | ~20 min by road | Excellent day-trip connection. Montepulciano works well as a base for Pienza. |
| Pisa and Volterra | Carmoderate cost | ~1 hr 15 min by road | Possible in a day, but it takes most of one. |
| Radda in Chianti and Castellina in Chianti | Carmoderate cost | ~15 min by road | Excellent day-trip connection. Radda in Chianti works well as a base for Castellina in Chianti. |
| Siena and Montalcino | Bus or carmoderate cost | ~1 hr 5 min by road | Comfortable as a day trip. Siena is a workable base for Montalcino. |
| Siena and Montepulciano | Bus or carmoderate cost | ~1 hr by road | Comfortable as a day trip. Siena is a workable base for Montepulciano. |
| Siena and San Gimignano | Train and local bus, or carinexpensive | ~55 min by road | Comfortable as a day trip. Siena is a workable base for San Gimignano. |
| Siena and Volterra | Carmoderate cost | ~1 hr 10 min by road | Comfortable as a day trip. Siena is a workable base for Volterra. |
Cost compares the options for each route rather than quoting a fare: inexpensive means the price is not a factor in planning, moderate cost means a real line in the budget, and the expensive option is one worth weighing against the alternative. Fares change from year to year; the ranking between them does not.