How Many Days to Spend in Tuscany + Itinerary (From a Local)
Are you traveling to Italy & wondering how many days to spend in Tuscany?
If so, then you have come to the right place! Louisa from Eating Around Italy is the perfect person to answer this question for you.
She has lived in Tuscany for 10+ years and has been around the Tuscan block. She has made plenty of mistakes along the way, but is sharing her best tips for visiting Tuscany!
In this article, you will have local tips and advice to guide you through your next stay in the beautiful countryside, highlighting everything you need to know including how many days you to spend in Tuscany, where to go, stay, and what to do along the way!
How Many Days to Spend in Tuscany
If this is your first time in Italy, you are probably trying to decide how many days to spend in Tuscany. To really enjoy Tuscany, its landscape, art, architecture, culture, and food, you need at least a full five days. Anything less and you will be overwhelmed and married to a tight schedule.
Florence alone needs three full days and even at that, you are missing so much! Although Florence is a small city, it’s densely packed with museums, art, architecture, history, and activities. In fact, the actual city of Florence is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, just in itself, speaking to its importance!
One could easily spend a whole month in Tuscany and not see it all but with a few tips and tricks, you can tick some of the best and more beloved boxes without feeling like you missed out.
My best advice when traveling to Tuscany is to take your time and not rush through it, otherwise, you will forget half of it when you see it at light speed. Tuscany is so culturally rich that things tend to blend in and melt together.
If you don’t give yourself time to slow down and enjoy the dolce vita, then your whole time in Tuscany will get mumbled up and you might end up even mixing up the most famous sites with other grand monuments in cities such as Rome.
Apart from Tuscany, consider three days in Venice, three days in Rome, and a day trip to Pompeii (2 hours by train from Rome). At this point, you have hit the major destinations in Italy yet not overwhelmed yourself with sightseeing and overstimulation.
How to Get Around Tuscany
To get the most out of your Tuscany holiday, it’s best to rent a car. While you are in Florence you can certainly rely on walking, biking, or public transport.
However, the moment you leave the city center, it’s really best to be independent of timetables, trains, and multiple bus changes.
Florence Travel Tip: Florence is quite small, best navigated on foot, although very densely packed with cultural sights and activities.
Some of the best locations in Tuscany are hidden away and only reachable by car. Others can be visited by a bus or train but involve long rides and many stops.
✅ Avoid the hassle and book your car rental ahead of time for the lowest rate by clicking here!
Five Day Tuscany Itinerary
Most travelers coming to Italy have a hard time scheduling their trip because it’s such a rich country from about any way you slice it. If it was actually doable, I would always suggest “the more time the better when it comes to Tuscany” but for most of us, it’s simply not possible.
We all know that Italy is also so much more than Tuscany. There is Rome, Venice, Milan, Turin, and Sicily, just to name the most popular destinations that you should slowly but surely see as well.
TIP: If you are on your first Italian vacation, I highly suggest not hitting all of these at once, but slowing down a bit and dedicating the time each place deserves, only visiting two or at most, three places at a time.
By deciding where else you want to travel in Italy, you can determine how many days in Tuscany are enough. If you allow five days in Tuscany, this leaves another week or so of time to visit other top destinations with the same leisure.
Italy is well connected by the interrail and car rentals are easy to pre-book online, including different pick up and drop-off locations.
✅ Check rates & availability on Trainline for an easy and budget friendly way to book your train tickets.
Day One: Florence
Florence is a transportation hub, you can fly into Peretola airport in Florence or take either a taxi or tram to the city center from the main train station, Santa Maria Novella. Spend the first afternoon on a self-guided walking tour, taking in some of the city’s largest monuments on foot.
Walk from Piazza del Duomo to Piazza della Repubblica and then swing over to Piazza della Signoria (home to Palazzo Vecchio and The Uffizi).
Make your way across the famous Ponte Vecchio and up over to Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset. Be sure to eat plenty of gelato and coffee along the way to keep spirits up!
End your day in Piazza Santo Spirito. Start with cocktails at one of the many bars and finish your evening at any of the delicious restaurants nearby (always reserve a table in advance).
Head to Tameró for great homemade pasta and Il Santo Bevitore for classic Italian cuisine with a twist.
Day Two: Florence
Wake up early and visit the Basilica di San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapels (pre booking recommended).
✅ You can reserve your tickets to the Medici Chapel Museum in the Basilica San Lorenzo here.
Head to the nearby Mercato Centrale and San Lorenzo leather market, stocking up on souvenirs and other goodies.
Be sure to go upstairs to their newly renovated top floor and try specialty food items by category. Order separately and eat together with their genius formula, allowing everyone to eat at a different ‘restaurant’ within the same location.
Visit the Uffizi (pre booking required) in the afternoon and have pizza at one of the nearby pizzerias just outside the back entrance of the gallery for an early dinner.
✅ Avoid waiting in long lines and reserve a skip the line ticket to visit the Uffizi Gallery here
After pizza, sit down and enjoy a spritz at one of the many bars and cafes just outside the back entrance near Via dei Neri or Via dei Benci.
Day Three: Florence & Siena
Wake up early and choose to either climb Giotto’s bell tower or climb the Duomo in the early morning at opening 8:15 (pre booking required), being sure also to visit the inside of the baptistry, all located in Piazza del Duomo.
If you are looking for the best tour to climb the Duomo, the top pick is the Skip the Line Florence Duomo & Dome Climb Tour. This small and intimate tour visits the Cathedral, Dome, and Baptistery in Florence. And it has about 400 outstanding reviews – so you can’t go wrong!
“A great experience, our tour guide was knowledgeable and passionate talking about the history both of the church and of Florence in general. Amazing views throughout. Would recommend to anyone visiting Florence” – Michael L. (read more reviews).
✅ Book the Skip the Line Guided Visit to the Cathedral, Dome, and Baptistery here
Pick up your car rental late morning and drive to Siena about an hour away from Florence and park just outside the city walls. Spend the afternoon walking around the small city, visiting the Cathedral and the main Piazza del Campo, famous for the Palio.
Head to your next base-point in Tuscany and have a quiet evening at a nearby restaurant, ask your farm stay for a recommendation.
Or two good restaurants to try are Grotta di Santa Caterina di Bagoga for traditional Tuscan cuisine and Compagnia dei Vinattieri for a delicious dinner in a wine cellar.
Day Four: Montepulciano & Pienza
Spend your day in the Val d’Orcia between Montepulciano and Pienza, spending the morning in one and the afternoon in the other.
Both are very small and each can be done in half a day. Try the famous vino rosso di Montepulciano (red wine) and pecorino cheese from Pienza.
If you are looking for a way to rest your feet and get out of the sun, consider stopping at Cugusi, one of the most famous pecorino cheese producers in the Val d’Orcia, located on the road connecting these two hilltop towns.
The shop will put together a picnic basket with wine, cheese, bread, and cured meats that you can then take to any spot on the guest property to enjoy.
Day Five: Bagno Vignoni
Let the last day in Tuscany be the most relaxing of them all. After all, you should be rewarded for all that good sightseeing you have accomplished!
Head to Bagno Vignoni and indulge in one of the famous spas or opt for the free public thermal baths just behind the main pool in the central square.
Where to Stay in Tuscany
There are so many incredible options for places to stay in Tuscany. There are two recommendations for places to stay in Florence. And for your time in the countryside, you can stay at a restored Tuscan farmhouse in Siena or for a more luxurious stay, a spa in Bagno Vignoni
Antica Torre
⭐ RATING: 9 out of 10 | ✅ BOOK NOW
In Florence, I recommend staying at the Antica Torre for a truly luxurious experience. The location can’t be beat and it even has its own restaurant and bar if you get tired in the evenings and want to turn in early.
✅ Check rates & availability at the Antica Torre here
SoprArno
⭐ RATING: 9.3 out of 10 | ✅ BOOK NOW
For a more unique experience, I highly suggest SoprArno located just on the other side of the river off of Piazza Santo Spirito in via Maggio. This boutique B&B is unlike any other I have stayed at, each room is designed with an individual twist.
✅ Check rates & availability for SoprArno here
Where to Stay Outside of Florence
Outside of Florence, I recommend choosing a farmhouse stay from where you can pivot and visit various locations during the day with the opportunity to sit poolside in your downtime.
The best farmstay I have chosen is at Camporsevoli, a medieval hamlet offering various accommodations with apartments, houses and independent villas.
Most farmstays at an agritourism offer similar formulas with reasonable stays with fully equipped kitchens for cooking and pool access.
If you are looking for something a little more luxurious, use Bagno Vignoni as your base and stay at one of the three spas: The Adler Spa Resort Thermae or Hotel Le Terme, both offer a variety of thermal spa treatments.
How Many Days to Spend in Tuscany FAQ
What Month is Best for Tuscany?
The absolute best month to visit Tuscany is October. This is because the vendemmia or grape harvest has just happened throughout Tuscany so there is plenty of opportunity to visit vineyards and perhaps get a glimpse of the wine making process or at least get a better sense of how wine is actually produced.
The other great thing about October is the olive harvest starts and there is no better experience than tasting fresh olive oil or olio nuovo.
Many agritourisms and farms will actually allow their guests to partake in the olive harvest while a fantoio (where olive oil is produced) may open their doors for demonstrations and tastings.
This is also when the best food festivals or sagre take place, celebrating not only olio nuovo and wine but also regional specialties such as cinghiale (wild boar), porcini mushrooms, truffles and much more!
If you see a brightly colored flyer advertising a food celebration, be sure to snap a picture of it to get the details. These are some of the most authentic Italian experiences you can have as a tourist in Italy.
Lastly, October is considered mid-tourism season and thus, prices usually drop for lodging and other tours and classes that you might be interested in.
Weather in Tuscany in October
For more obvious reasons, Tuscany is much more mild in October than in the summer. The Tuscan rains haven’t really kicked in yet and the days aren’t too short at this point – ideal travel conditions.
During the day you can expect typical mild ‘fall’ weather, be sure to dress in layers, while in the evenings it cools down quite a bit!
Because of this temperature change, it’s also the best time to really enjoy the many thermal baths throughout Tuscany.
In the extreme summer heat, they aren’t very pleasant while in the winter it can be a bit hard to mentally undress and get your act together to take a dip. October, on the other hand, is perfect for this type of activity!
Is 2 days in Tuscany Enough?
Two days in Tuscany is absolutely not enough. This is the absolute minimum amount of time you want in Florence alone, not even counting the rest of the region!
For the better or worse, Florence has so much to do and see that you could spend a whole five days there and not see it all.
Because it was the center of the Renaissance movement starting in the 14th century, the city is literally a whole museum in itself. It was also one of Italy’s old capitals before it was united, making it very important from a historical and political point of view.
Tuscany’s richness and wealth from these standpoints accumulate in Florence but the whole region has plenty of other culturally and historically important cities and towns as well.
It’s hard to talk about Florence without considering Tuscany as a whole because all the cities and towns were in some way or another connected throughout history, creating a closely-knit community within.
And if other cities aren’t on your to-do list, there is endless breathtaking countryside to be enjoyed throughout the entire region, from Tuscany and Valdichiana to Maremma and the Val d’Orcia.
Port cities such as Pisa and Livorno are often overlooked due to travel time restrictions but they are just as fascinating and rich as any other town in Tuscany.
And this, my readers, is simply why you cannot spend just two days in Tuscany. The list of activities, sites, and monuments is endless whether you are looking for land, sea, food, or wine!
In Conclusion: How Many Days to Spend in Tuscany
So how many days to spend in Tuscany? Tuscany deserves at least five days, if not more. Ideally, you should spend at least three days in Florence as it’s so densely packed with art, activities, famous sites and architectural monuments.
Half a day can be spent in Siena, and Pienza and Montepulciano can be seen in one day as they are just 20 minutes apart. And finally, you cannot go to Tuscany without visiting one of their famous thermal baths or pools!
At the end of your trip, you want to remember each of your destinations independently from one another. Leaving five days for Tuscany will allow you to soak in the Tuscan sun and visit everyone’s favorite Florentine city all the while leaving plenty of time to visit other regions as well.
