Nestled in central Italy and well-connected as the capital of Tuscany, Florence is arguably one of the best bases for day trips in all of Italy–and as you’ll see, the best day trips from Florence are incredibly diverse!
We’ve been lucky enough to spend months in Florence over the course of 10+ trips to the city, and this guide to the top Florence day trips is a reflection of the day trips that we truly think are worth your time in 2025 and beyond.
(For example, you won’t see Venice listed as an option here–though I do share details in this post on how to pull that day trip off if you’re determined to do it!).
Whether you’re looking for a food-centered trip, a little sun and sea air, a taste of one of Italy’s largest cities, or a classic Tuscan countryside escape, we’ve got a Florence day trip idea here for you.
… And while it’s beyond the scope of this blog post, I will also mention we’ve visited Florence with both a dog and a baby, so feel free to drop us a comment below if you’d like specific advice on one of those situations, too!
Though the bulk of this guide is structured based on the given destination’s distance from Florence, we’ve also included a few memorable countryside experiences toward the bottom and a reliable, tried-and-true option for those looking for a quick decision toward the top.
Here’s where to find the best day trips from Florence, Italy, plus how to get there!
Table of Contents
- How to Reach Your Florence Day Trip Destination
- Quick Decision: An Epic + Easy Day Trip from Florence
- The Best Day Trips From Florence Under an Hour Away
- The Best Florence Day Trip Options Within 2 Hours
- Incredible Day Trips Within 2.5 Hours (Ish) of Florence
- Epic Experiences Outside of Florence
- The Florence Day Trips We Don’t Recommend
- Read More About Visiting Florence + Tuscany
How to Reach Your Florence Day Trip Destination
While there are plenty of Florence day trip guides on the internet, many of them tend to gloss over one of the most important details: how to get there!
The bulk of these day trips from Florence can be completed by train, and the time estimates we’ve used to structure this guide are based on taking the high-speed train, AKA fast train (in other words, not the regional train–more on that below) to and from your destination.
In a few cases, you’ll need to take a car and/or bus to reach the destination, and we’ve noted those where applicable.
If you’d like to rent a car for the day to explore on a mini road trip, we highly recommend it for some spots (though we suggest reading over the tips in our Tuscany road trip guide before grabbing the keys).
We recommend searching for rental cars through Discover Cars, which is an aggregate that will price out multiple companies at once for you so you can compare easily.
Personally, we have no loyalty to any one rental company and have rented with more companies than we can remember in Italy–but we do always choose to purchase the extra insurance!
High-Speed Versus Regional Trains in Italy: What to Expect
In Italy, including in Florence, you’ll find two types of trains: high-speed trains, for which ticket prices are dynamic, and regional trains, for which they’re set.
When taking a high-speed train, you’ll want to book in advance, as prices can change as your day trip gets closer. Naturally, these tickets also tend to be more expensive overall than regional tickets.
Regional trains are cheaper, have fares set by the government (therefore you can simply purchase tickets as you leave for the day), stop more along the route, and are slower.
When traveling to Bologna from Florence, for example, you have the choice between taking the high-speed train (about 40 minutes each way) or the regional train (about 1.5 hours each way) on your day trip.
Therefore, we’ve listed Bologna as a day trip located less than one hour from Florence… but if you don’t book your ticket in advance, you may find that it’s quite expensive to take the fast train at the last minute!
We recommend using Omio to search for high-speed train tickets (it will search tickets and compare prices both for Trenitalia, Italy’s national train company, and Italo, a private company that offers some routes, as well as bus routes).
While some of these day trips from Florence are easy to use the regional trains for and generally don’t require train tickets to be purchased in advance (like Pisa, for example), others (like Rome) require a high-speed train ticket to even be feasible.
If you have your heart set on a particular day trip, we recommend researching exact train times and prices as soon as possible to get a realistic look at what your day will look like.
Shop train tickets and bus routes for your day trips from Florence today!
Quick Decision: An Epic + Easy Day Trip from Florence
Does choosing among a couple of dozen potential day trips from Florence feel a bit overwhelming? Want to make a quick, easy, reliable choice that is bound to be unforgettable?
Enter this full Tuscany day trip, which covers a visit to Siena, a wine tasting in the Chianti countryside, and a trip to the beautiful village of San Gimignano, all in one day!
This is a one-stop-shop day trip from Florence and includes a little bit of everything: a smaller city, some delicious local food and wine, and a trip to a gorgeous village with incredible views of the rolling hills of Tuscany, making it an easy choice for those looking for a small taste of several different things that the region has to offer.
With more than 1500 near-perfect reviews on Walks alone, this day trip is a tried-and-true crowd-pleaser from one of our favorite tour companies.
Don’t forget to save room after lunch for some of the best gelato in Italy from Gelateria Dondoli in San Gimignano!
Book your day trip to Siena, San Gimignano, and the Chianti countryside today!
The Best Day Trips From Florence Under an Hour Away
Pisa
Perhaps the most iconic of all these Florence day trips, heading over to the Leaning Tower of Pisa to snap cheesy-but-fun selfies while holding up the tower is on plenty of Tuscany bucket lists.
Truthfully, Pisa is a better half-day trip than full day trip, and for that reason we recommend combining it with Lucca.
… But if you’re the type to savor a destination, you may like to do it as a standalone trip!
Once you finish up at the tower, be sure to spend some time in the rest of the complex visiting the stunning Pisa Cathedral and baptistery!
How to Get to Pisa From Florence
Pisa is an easy regional train ride away from Florence, but if you want to climb the tower, we recommend pre-booking tickets in advance to ensure you get a chance to head to the top.
A guided tour isn’t really necessary here, though if you prefer one, this is a great option.
Booking your Pisa Complex skip-the-line tickets OR your full Pisa day trip now!
Arezzo
For a day trip from Florence that’s less established on the tourist circuit as somewhere like Pisa (though it is far from unknown), head to the beautiful Tuscan city of Arezzo.
Located less than an hour south of Florence by train, Arezzo is easy to reach and easy to enjoy, boasting gorgeous churches, beautiful views over the Tuscan countryside, and plenty to do.
While you’re there, be sure to check out the Medici Fortress, pay a visit to the archaeological museum (complete with the remains of a Roman amphitheater), admire the remarkable frescoes in the Church of San Francesco, and climb to the top of the clock tower at the Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici for some incredible views.
Arezzo is also known for its antiquing, so if you’d like to do a little shopping for antiques during your trip to Tuscany, this is the place to do it!
How to Get to Arezzo From Florence
As another fairly sizable city in Tuscany, Arezzo is among the easiest day trips from Florence.
There are plenty of trains each day, and while you can check the train schedule in advance if you like, there’s no reason to book your tickets ahead of time as long as you’re traveling on a regional train.
Bologna
As the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, Bologna is known primarily for its absolutely phenomenal food.
If your plan for one of your day trips from Florence is simply to eat your heart out, this is one of the best places to do it!
(Our other pick for food would be Parma, which is a bit trickier to get to but is a sublime option if Bologna sounds wonderful but you’re allergic to crowds–just saying!).
The Emilia-Romagna region is the original birthplace of many of the dishes that are synonymous with Italian food abroad, though most people who visit agree that the original versions are far tastier.
Parmigiano-reggiano, traditional balsamic vinegar, mortadella (aka bologna), and tagliatelle al ragu (aka spaghetti bolognese) are just a few of the delicacies worth sampling on a day trip to Bologna.
A day in Bologna is a fantastic excuse to sign up for a food tour like this, and we highly recommend adding one to your day trip itinerary!
In between meals, consider heading to the top of the clock tower (or Asinelli Tower when it eventually reopens) for some amazing views of the city, hunting down Bologna’s hidden canals, visiting the anatomical theatre and library of Archiginnasio, and strolling through Bologna’s markets.
How to Get to Bologna From Florence
Bologna is easily accessed from Florence via train, and you can opt for either the high-speed train to get there faster (about 40 minutes), or save money by taking the regional train (about 1.5 hours each way).
While we do think taking a food tour once you arrive in Bologna is a great use of time, we wouldn’t recommend booking a tour that includes transportation from Florence unless you’ll also be stopping to do something incredible like touring a parmigiano-reggiano factory in the countryside like this!
Book your day trip to the Emilia-Romagna countryside + Bologna today!
Fiesole
Located high above Florence in the Tuscan countryside, Fiesole is unique among these Florence day trips in that it’s only located an hour from Florence… on foot!
That’s right, enjoying an hour’s hike from the city to the village is one of the most popular ways to visit Fiesole from Florence!
Once you’re in Fiesole (and manage to tear your eyes away from the stunning views of Florence below), be sure to visit the local Roman ruins (including an amphitheater), check out the incredible Monastery of San Francesco, the remains of walls left behind by the Etruscans, and of course see Fiesole’s beautiful cathedral.
How to Get to Fiesole From Florence Without Hiking
Not a hiker?
Don’t worry, for those less inclined, you can easily take a quick bus ride up as well, or even ride the hop-on/hop-off bus either one or both ways!
Personally, we visited Fiesole via rental car and combined it with a trip to the Appenine Colossus, a gigantic statue with roots in the 1500s that I had been wanting to see for years!
I can’t necessarily claim the statue is one of the best day trips from Florence, but I will say if you’re going to be driving to Fiesole anyway, it’s nearby and very cool to see in person.
The Best Florence Day Trip Options Within 2 Hours
Siena
As the second-largest city in Tuscany, Siena was once the mighty military rival of Florence.
Today is known for its incredible beauty (especially its Duomo, which is arguably even prettier than Florence’s) and its biannual Palio di Siena horse race.
On a day trip to Siena, don’t miss an opportunity to admire Siena from above (our favorite angle is from the top of the Opera della Metropolitana), to tour the Duomo (if you can fit in the behind-the-scenes rooftop tour, absolutely do), visit the Piazza di Campo.
Siena is a great place for a leisurely and delicious lunch, too! We can heartily recommend Antica Trattoria Papei if you’re looking for a place to eat.
How to Get to Siena From Florence
The easiest way to reach Siena on a day trip from Florence is via train, which takes between 1.5 and 2 hours on a regional line (if you keep an eye on which times the direct trains leave, you’ll trim off some travel time).
While visiting Siena alone on a day trip doesn’t require a tour by any stretch of the imagination, if you’d like to squeeze several stops in, this extremely popular tour of Siena, San Gimignano, and the Chianti countryside is an excellent option!
Lucca
Often combined with Pisa for a two-destinations-in-one-day tour from Florence, Lucca is a laid-back and beautiful Tuscan city that is perfect for walking around and enjoying the ambiance of Tuscany without skipping from one sight to the next.
It’s also one of our favorite cities for simply soaking up the ambiance in Tuscany, and one that we’ll never be done revisiting.
Don’t miss the opportunity to stroll (or bike) along the top of Lucca’s medieval fortified town walls–it’s the only city in Tuscany where you can walk the entire route!
Be sure to also stop by the beautiful oval Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, which began life as a Roman amphitheater, climb the Guinigi Tower, and duck into at least a couple of Lucca’s one hundred (no exaggeration) churches… and you’ll find a mummy on display in more than one of them!
Depending on the timing of your visit, you may also be able to experience a local festival!
How to Get to Lucca From Florence
Lucca is between 1.5 and 2 hours away from Florence via the regional train.
If you’d prefer to take a guided tour, this well-reviewed one will show you the best of Pisa and Lucca in one day!
Verona
In many ways, Florence and Verona have lots in common: they’re both beautiful Italian cities set on rivers, both have a plethora of art and history to explore, and both have delicious cuisines.
In the details, though, they are very different!
The food is different, the architecture is different, the history is different–and yet, both Verona and Florence rank among our favorite cities in Italy.
Come to Verona for a chance to tour a gorgeous Roman arena in the center of town, for stunning views from Castel San Pietro, and to visit the beautiful Piazza delle Erbe.
Perhaps most famously, come to Verona to indulge in a little bit of Romeo and Juliet tourism in the hometown of the legendary star-crossed lovers!
How to Get to Verona From Florence
This is a day trip you’ll want to plan a bit ahead for!
You can reach Verona from Florence by train in 1.5 hours, but you’ll need to book high-speed train tickets in order to do so, and they can get pricey at the last minute.
San Gimignano
Easily one of the most popular day trips from Florence, San Gimignano is known for its soaring towers, beautiful views, prime location in Tuscany (once upon a time, it sat along a Roman trading route, enriching the town), and its delicious gelato.
Popular Gelateria Dondoli is known as some of the best gelato in all of Italy!
Be sure not to miss San Gimignano’s beautiful Duomo or the remarkable Piazza della Cisterna while visiting.
How to Get to San Gimignano From Florence
Though you can’t take a train directly to San Gimignano, you can travel there independently by car or a combination of train and bus (the train goes as far as Poggibonsi and then you’ll need to switch to a bus, you can browse routes here).
The slight trickiness in getting to San Gimignano combined with its small size make it extremely popular on multi-stop guided day trips like this one, too!
Rome
Ah, Rome: I must admit that I’m a bit biased in that I’m hesitant to recommend Rome as a Florence day trip, simply because I love it so much that I have a hard time seeing how one day could be enough.
However, all trips to Italy require hard choices about where to go and where to skip, and if you are hoping to taste the Eternal City but don’t have longer than a day to spend there, it’s absolutely worth going!
With one day in Rome, you can pay a visit to the Colosseum and Palatine Hill, stroll past the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps, briefly visit Vatican City, admire the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, and visit Campo de’ Fiori.
We have a detailed recommended one day in Rome itinerary here, which we’ve tested on family and friends more than once!
How to Get to Rome From Florence
The only realistic way to take a day trip to Rome from Florence is via the high-speed train, which takes 1.5 hours vs more than 3 hours each way on the regional train.
If you have your heart set on this day trip, be sure to reserve your tickets in advance!
Val d’Orcia + Surrounding Villages
The rolling hills and endless fields of the Val d’Orcia are often considered the most beautiful place in Tuscany–and with good reason.
This part of Tuscany is truly a feast for the eyes, and exactly where to come if you are looking for the idyllic Tuscan countryside of movies and postcards.
Unless you’re comfortable very driving in Italy and planning a bit of a mini road trip, this is one Florence day trip option where we fully recommend opting for booking a tour, simply because of the complexity of making multiple stops (with multiple parking situations to navigate) that can’t feasibly be accomplished via public transportation in a single day.
You can combine stunning countryside with adorable Tuscan villages and wine tasting with this epic day trip, which includes visits to the towns of Pienza, Montalcino, and Montepulciano (which happens to be one of my favorite villages in Tuscany).
If you would rather avoid taking a guided tour, you certainly can–but you’ll definitely need to rent a car and plan very carefully to effectively make the trip happen (and have someone willing to forgo the wine and act as your group’s designated driver!).
Volterra
Dating back to the Etruscans and far less crowded than many of these best day trips from Florence, Volterra is a delightful Tuscan hilltop town with a plethora of interesting sites and history.
Pay a visit to the Piazza dei Priori, stroll through remaining Etruscan walls and gates, check out the city’s Roman ruins, and visit the beautiful local cathedral and baptistery.
Twilight fans will recognize Volterra as the seat of power of the Volturi, though if you’re hunting down filming locations, you’re in the wrong place: Montepulciano actually stood in for Volterra in the films.
Volterra is downright gorgeous and, thanks to a combination of being a bit trickier to reach and not as commonly featured on the organized tour circuit, less overwhelmingly crowded than places like, say, San Gimignano.
How to Get to Volterra From Florence
Unlike most of these Florence day trips, Volterra is not reachable directly by train.
Driving is by far the best way to reach Volterra, and it takes about 1.5 hours to get there from Florence.
If you’d rather not drive yourself, you can find an occasional guided tour that stops in Volterra.
Milan
Italy’s fashion capital is located less than 2 hours from Florence by train, making it a simple and fun day trip that will give you a taste of an Italian city that feels very different from Florence.
Milan’s major sights, like its famous Duomo (don’t miss the chance to check out the rooftop–it’s absolutely fabulous), the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Castello Sforzesco, and the La Scala Opera House are all within a comfortable walk of each other, making Milan an excellent place to see over the course of a day.
If you’d like to see The Last Supper, you will absolutely need to plan in advance: if you’re traveling at the last minute, we recommend booking a tour like this if you’d like to see Da Vinci’s famous painting on your trip to Milan.
Here’s our recommended one day Milan itinerary.
How to Get to Milan From Florence
Like Rome, the only realistic way to take a day trip to Milan from Florence is to take the high-speed train, which means you’ll need to book your tickets in advance to get a good deal.
(For example, as I update this post in May 2025, I’m looking at next-day ticket prices from Milan to Florence that are going for $114 each).
Shop train tickets to Milan today!
Orvieto
Easily accessible by train, Orvieto is a dream of a hilltop town in the Italian region of Umbria and one of our favorite day trips from Florence (or from Rome, for that matter).
Offering gorgeous views, a beautiful town center, plenty of interesting things to do, and some unique local foods definitely worth trying (starting with pigeon–yes pigeon–and Orvieto Classico wine), Orvieto packs lots of unique things to see into a small footprint, making it an ideal day trip option.
While you’re in Orvieto, definitely stop by the Duomo (including the fascinating Cappella di San Brizio inside), step inside St. Patrick’s Well, visit the Orvieto underground, tour the Etruscan necropolis, and climb the Torre del Moro for beautiful views over the city.
How to Get to Orvieto From Florence
You can reach Orvieto by regional train in around 1.5 hours with good planning!
However, some routes can take over 3, so we recommend at least familiarizing yourself with the trains you want to arrive and depart on when planning a day trip to Orvieto from Florence.
Also, a quick side note that I can’t help throwing in while we’re discussing the region of Umbria: Perugia, the capital of Umbria (though not particularly nearby), doesn’t quite make this list of the best Florence day trips, but it’s an amazing city and we love it there!
If you find yourself sitting in Florence thinking “Oh my goodness I just want to board a train and get off in a walkable city without crowds”, you should go to Perugia. Here’s what to do there.
Incredible Day Trips Within 2.5 Hours (Ish) of Florence
Assisi
As the birthplace of Saint Francis, one of the patron saints of Italy, Assisi is an enormously popular Florence day trip for Catholic travelers.
Even if you’re not a practicing Catholic, though, the history and beauty of Assisi is sure to draw you in!
No trip to Assisi could be complete without a visit to the UNESCO-recognized St. Francis Basilica, which is easily the top place to visit in Assisi.
Once you wrap up there, be sure to also check out Assisi’s Roman Forum, the Rocca Maggiore fort, the Roman Temple of Minerva located in the center of town, and the Cathedral of San Rufino.
While Assisi is a meaningful and interesting Florence day trip, it’s also a bit long, with most journeys take well over 2 hours each way–so be prepared for a long day!
How to Get to Assisi From Florence
While there are technically some trains that travel between Assisi and Florence in just under 2 hours, realisitically you’ll probably end up with a route that takes between 2.5 and 3 hours in the morning, and the faster ride only when returning home to Florence in the evening.
While these are regional trains, the distance is far enough that which train you take can greatly impact your travel time, so plan ahead if you can.
You will also need to catch a local bus from the Assisi train station to get to the center of town, so be sure to account for that when timing your travels!
Prefer to leave the logistics to someone else?
This well-reviewed Assisi day trip takes care of transportation concerns and also includes a stop in beautiful Cortona, the village of Under the Tuscan Sun fame!
Shop train tickets to Assisi or book your guided day trip today!
Ravenna
If there’s one word synonymous with Ravenna, it’s mosaics.
If you’re the type to be delighted by 1500-year-old Byzantine mosaics adorning elaborate churches, then of all the day trips from Florence on this list, Ravenna is the one for you.
We absolutely adore this city, and consider it underrated as a Florence day trip option!
Ravenna is fairly small, and you can see its major sites in just a few hours, making it an excellent candidate for a day trip (though if you want to see all of the city’s UNESCO mosaics, it’s better to spend at least one night–that’s tough to fit into most traditional first-time-in-Italy itineraries, though).
In addition to its world-famous mosaics, Ravenna is also a very peaceful, leisurely place, perfect for savoring a long lunch (featuring the incredible Emilia-Romagnan food we raved about in the Bologna section) in between sightseeing stops.
Here’s our full guide to exploring the mosaics of Ravenna!
How to Get to Ravenna From Florence
As one of the further afield day trip options we’ve included here, Ravenna is a place that you’ll likely want to plan ahead for.
Well-timed train routes come in at right around 2 hours each way, but some options take far longer.
Most routes will include at least one segment on a high-speed train, making it financially beneficial to plan ahead as well.
Once you arrive, you may want to have a guide with you to show you the best of the mosaics efficiently, too. We loved this tour of the most popular Ravenna mosaics!
Shop train tickets to Ravenna and book your tour of the mosaics today!
Cinque Terre
There’s no doubt that Cinque Terre is one of the most sought-after day trips from Florence!
These delightful Ligurian fishing villages have captured hearts around the world, and it’s no surprise–they’re truly incredibly beautiful.
… But I will say, though I am still opting to include them here because you can enjoy the best of them in a day, they’re not the easiest day trip from Florence and if you’re just looking to enjoy the coast, you should consider a visit to Forte dei Marmi instead (very different vibe, but a lovely town with a big beach).
Traveling from Florence to Cinque Terre and back in a day requires you to time the high-speed trains, spend lots of your day in transition between the villages, and dedicate a huge amount of energy to logistics on what is already a very full day.
We go into detail on that in this blog post, so I won’t repeat myself too much here, but I will say that we absolutely recommend booking an organized day trip to Cinque Terre if you want to accomplish a visit as a day trip from Florence.
Your day will be much simpler for it, and you’ll be able to spend all of your energy focused on gorgeous views and tasty seafood instead of fretting about logistics.
Epic Experiences Outside of Florence
Rather than focus on a specific town or city, these best day trips out of Florence are all about having unforgettable experiences in the Tuscan countryside, including some of our favorite Tuscany travel experiences of all time!
If your idea of the perfect day trip is more about an activity than a destination, you just might find what you’re looking for in this section.
Enjoy a vintage Vespa tour through the countryside.
One of our all-time favorite experiences in Tuscany is taking a day trip to the countryside via Vespa.
There’s truly nothing like the feeling of zipping along country lanes and admiring passing villas, olive orchards, and vineyards from the back of a Vespa.
We adored this tour, which will take you up to San Miniato al Monte for some truly incredible views of Florence before a ride through the countryside.
It was a completely phenomenal experience, and if you’re looking for an idyllic day trip in Tuscany, you can’t go wrong with this one!
Savor a Tuscan cooking class with a side of wine and views.
Want to try your hand at some Tuscan cooking?
Taking a cooking class in Tuscany is one of the most popular things to do when visiting the region, but while there are plenty of classes you can take within Florence, we personally think cooking in a farmhouse in the countryside is far more idyllic!
This cooking class is an all-day affair at a Tuscan farmhouse, includes transportation to and from Florence, and is an excellent way to combine a day outside the city while sampling plenty of delicious food (and learning how to replicate it at home!).
We adored this Tuscan cooking class and can highly recommend it!
Go horseback riding through vineyards and orchards.
Horseback riding in Tuscany is a special experience!
The trails wind through vineyards, past orchards and farmhouses, and along small country lanes, offering a perspective on classic views that most people haven’t experienced during the last century!
Admiring the views of the Tuscan countryside is, of course, one of the more popular things to do on a day trip from Florence, wherever you choose to go, and it’s even more special while on horseback.
You can find more options for horseback riding tours departing from Siena, but there are some offered from Florence as well, including this well-reviewed one that takes you near San Gimignano!
The exact tour we took is no longer offered, but we rode in the same region and absolutely loved the views, the experience, and especially the sweet farm dog that trotted along with us for most of the route.
Even the cloudy day couldn’t keep the experience from being perfect!
Indulge in a classic wine tasting day trip from Florence.
Prefer to skip the cities and focus solely on delightful Tuscan wine?
You aren’t alone: the most popular day trips from Florence tend to include at least one wine tasting!
This popular Chianti day trip will take you right to two different vineyards, where you will tour their wine cellars, learn a bit about the wine process, and then move right on to tasting the local wines.
It also includes a stop in stunning Monteriggioni, a tiny but incredible Tuscan village that is entirely encircled by medieval walls and 14 towers!
A trip to the Chianti countryside is a quick-and-easy option when looking for day trips from Florence that will offer you a chance to see the Tuscan countryside, enjoy some of the local delicacies, and not have to dedicate too much time away from the city.
Book your Chianti wine tour today!
The Florence Day Trips We Don’t Recommend
I’m hesitant to include this section, because truthfully, whether or not a particular day trip is “worth it” often has a lot more to do with a traveler’s individual goals, dreams, and travel opportunities (for example, will you probably be back in Italy within a few years, or is this a once-in-a-lifetime experience?) than it does logistics.
I can (and do) talk about how transit times, complex public transportation options, budget, and simply seeing places at their most overwhelmed (which usually in the middle of the day, because of day trippers!) can lead to a subpar experience… but do I expect someone who’s wanted to see say, Venice, for decades care a bit if this is their one shot of experiencing it?
Not in the slightest. I wouldn’t care either, and I’ve done far stranger things to visit places I’m determined to see than take an imperfect day trip!
However, for most travelers, here are a few day trips from Florence that we would be hesitant to recommend:
I wouldn’t recommend Venice, because the city suffers mightily from day trip and cruise ship crowds (you may even owe a specific day trip fee if you visit on certain days), and it truly impacts the enjoyability of the city.
I did, however, write an entire guide to how to do it in the best way possible if you’re determined to go!
I wouldn’t recommend anywhere south of Rome because it’s simply too far.
Tivoli, which is close to Rome, is technically possible at 2.5 hours each way on the very fastest trains, but it’s much better accomplished from Rome.
That is especially true for Naples and anything in that area–Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, etc. It’s too far! Cinque Terre isn’t my favorite day trip from Florence to recommend, but it’s a much better option.
I also wouldn’t recommend going to Terme di Saturnia, as it’s a 3-hour drive into a very rural area (while famously Tuscan, it’s actually closer to Rome than Florence!).
Bagno San Filippo and Bagno Vignoni are both closer, and doable if you’re comfortable renting a car and driving yourself.
And finally, I wouldn’t recommend either Lake Como or Lake Garda–they’re too far, and in the case of Lake Garda, technically possible but very logisitically difficult for less payoff than you get in easier places (a trip to Garda is enhanced with a car, but it’s too far to drive–you need the high-speed train to make it possible).
Read More About Visiting Florence + Tuscany
If you found this guide to the most amazing day trips from Florence helpful, we would love to continue to be part of your travel research here at Our Escape Clause!
You can browse our 100+ Italy blog posts here, or check out these guides:
- What to Do in Florence at Night: 13 Fun Ideas
- How to Enjoy 3 Days in Tuscany: Itinerary Ideas With or Without a Car!
- Climbing the Dome vs. Bell Tower in Florence: Which View is Best?
- 21 Practical Tips for Renting a Villa in Tuscany
- The Outsized Charm of Tiny Montefioralle, Italy
Thanks for an interesting read. Just wondering why you excluded Venice from the list as a train takes 2 hours and 5 minutes from Florence?
A few reasons, starting with the fact that if I included all possible day trips from Florence here, this already giant post would be the size of a book, lol.
Another reason is that while I adore Venice, I’m not blind to the fact that it’s a bit controversial with many visitors and that plenty of people leave unsatisfied due to the crowds and hassle of getting in and out of the city (from the train station, it’s still a long walk or crowded waterbus ride to the main sights). I don’t want to recommend something that I think has a high chance of leaving people disappointed with a city as special as Venice, which a day trip that involves 4+ hours on a train is likely to do.
I would never tell someone not to go if that’s what they want or have planned, but it doesn’t make my list of top day trip choices from Florence, either. 🙂