If you’re traveling to Italy from another country, you might be hesitant to rent a car for a variety of reasons. You might not feel comfortable driving in another country or you might have concerns about the cost or having the proper license. Either way, you can have an exciting and fulfilling vacation in Tuscany without a car when you come to Italy thanks to a well-established public transportation network.
Related Posts:
If you’re wondering which city or town to select as your base for exploring Tuscany, here is a list of five.
Florence
Florence is one of Italy’s most popular locations and when you visit you’ll see why. The city is the cultural capital in Italy and it is one of the few Tuscan towns where you should make a point of staying for several days to get the most out of the experience. You can spend those days touring Florence’s Duomo, admiring the art at the Uffizi Gallery, and shopping for local produce or goods at the San Lorenzo Market.
While in Florence, you will easily be able to explore the area by foot or by public transit. The city has a well-connected bus system called the CAP (Cooperativa Autotrasporti Pratesi) which has been serving the city since 1945. You can buy tickets in 90 minute increments. Be sure to buy your bus pass before getting on the bus as the driver won’t have change and tickets purchased on the bus cost more. There are also many sightseeing bus tours that you can book when you’re in Florence.
If you want to explore the larger area around Florence, you can do that by catching a train or bus from the Santa Maria Novella train station. This major railway system is one of the busiest in Italy and can help you get to nearby cities and towns in Tuscany as well as to other areas beyond.
Tuscany Without a Car Travel Guide & Planning Resources to Florence:
With this guide, now you can find the best flights, train tickets, buses, or if you change your mind during your trip and want to rent a car for your trip to Florence you can do all that with the links provided.
Not sure where to stay in Florence? Check some of our favorite hotels below:
Need more ideas to add to your Florence trip? Find top attractions & things to do in Florence in addition to what is already mentioned here.
San Gimignano
If you want to explore a picturesque Tuscan town but aren’t looking for a trip that includes a long and complicated itinerary, San Gimignano may be the perfect place for your next vacation. The town is small and easily walkable so you can explore on foot without much trouble. The Torre Grossa is one of the most beautiful sights to see here – this 13th century tower stands nearly 54 meters tall and if you spend the time climbing to the top you’ll be rewarded with memorable views of the town and the surrounding countryside. You can also tour the rest of this lovely town and see sights like the Santa Maria Assunta, a Romanesque church with stunning art and frescos.
If you are hoping to explore the surrounding area it may be more of a challenge than it would be if you were basing yourself at one of the other places on this list. That said, it’s possible to do so. There is a bus available from San Gimignano to Poggibonsi that you can take, and from there you will be able to catch a train or bus to other cities and towns.
Tuscany Without a Car Travel Guide & Planning Resources to San Gimignano:
With this guide, now you can find the best flights, train tickets, buses, or if you change your mind during your trip and want to rent a car for your trip to San Gimignano you can do all that with the links provided.
Not sure where to stay in San Gimignano? Check some of our favorite hotels below:
Need more ideas to add to your Tuscany without a car trip to San Gimignano? Find top attractions & things to do in San Gimignano in addition to what is already mentioned here.
Lucca
Lucca is arguably one of Tuscany’s most beautiful and intimate towns. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery while remaining close to the sea and the main city. Lucca’s main city is a walled city that has been beautifully preserved. You can walk through the city and along the walls to get a sense of what Lucca was like in the past.
Lucca is a town that is easily accessible by foot or by bike. In fact, it’s common for locals to travel this way. There are also a series of small buses available to take you around the historic area easily. The Pisa Galileo Galilei International Airport is just a 20-minute train ride away from Lucca – the station is just outside the town’s historic walls.
Tuscany Without a Car Travel Guide & Planning Resources to Lucca:
With this guide, now you can find the best flights, train tickets, buses, or if you change your mind during your trip and want to rent a car for your trip to Lucca you can do all that with the links provided.
Not sure where to stay in Lucca? Check some of our favorite hotels below:
Need more ideas to add to your Tuscany without a car trip? Find top attractions & things to do in Lucca in addition to what is already mentioned here.
Volterra
Volterra is a small medieval town in the beautiful Tuscany region, rich in history and culture. The historic Teatro Romano is one of the major highlights of Volterra that you can easily access by foot or by bus, depending on which hotel you choose to stay at. Archaeologists have excavated the ruins of this theater in recent decades, and it is thought that it was built in 1 AD. It’s remarkably well preserved for such an old structure. It is, in fact, one of Italy’s best-preserved ancient theaters. The beautiful Duomo Santa Maria Assunta, which was first consecrated in 1120, is also worth a visit.
You can utilize the bus system to get around Volterra as well as to reach other cities that are nearby. It’s also possible to walk but it definitely offers more of a challenge as it takes at least half a day to hike to nearby towns like San Gimignano. But if you are one of the people who are coming to Tuscany to hike and explore the area on foot, Volterra would be a perfect base for you.
Tuscany Without a Car Travel Guide & Planning Resources to Volterra:
With this guide, now you can find the best flights, train tickets, buses, or if you change your mind during your trip and want to rent a car for your trip to Tuscany you can do all that with the links provided.
Not sure where to stay in Volterra? Check some of our favorite hotels below:
Need more ideas to add to your Tuscany without a car trip? Find top attractions & things to do in Volterra in addition to what is already mentioned here.
Siena
The beautiful city of Siena, Italy is a great place to go if you want to get a glimpse of Medieval Italian architecture and art. You can spend a day strolling through the city center and the historic structures it contains, or explore the Piazza del Campo. Siena, like most Italian cities, has an amazing variety of traditional dishes to try when you visit. Pappardelle con lepre, a type of handmade noodle served with hare, is one of the traditional local dishes.
The best options to get around Siena are by foot, by bike, or by bus. Walking is a great way to see the sights at your own pace and, of course, it’s a free option. If you want to move a bit quicker through the city or venture further out, renting a bike may be a fitting option for you. There are buses that take you within the city or to nearby locations for a low price.
You can also book yourself a spot on a guided tour so you can explore the area without getting a car. For example, you could choose to book a tour to nearby wineries so you can sample Chianti and other Tuscan wines.
Tuscany Without a Car Travel Guide & Planning Resources to Siena:
With this guide, now you can find the best flights, train tickets, buses, or if you change your mind during your trip and want to rent a car for your trip to Tuscany you can do all that with the links provided.
Not sure where to stay in Siena? Check some of our favorite hotels below:
Need more ideas to add to your Tuscany without a car itinerary? Find top attractions & things to do in Siena in addition to what is already mentioned here.
Video Guide: 5 Best Towns to Stay in Tuscany Without a Car
Related Posts
Additional travel resources for planning a trip to Tuscany without a car
To make planning a trip to Tuscany (with or without a car) easier, we included some of our recommended travel resources below. You can search and find the best flights, transportation options, hotels to stay in, tours/activities, and things you can do in each destination during your trip to Tuscany and other European cities.
Flights:
Agoda: Search thousands of destinations around the world & quickly compare prices to find amazing deals on the best flights.
CheapOAir: You can find airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, and vacation packages all on one site!
Kiwi.com: What we like about Kiwi is the fact that they are able to create combinations of flight, train, and bus tickets and offer them in a single itinerary. Also, Kiwi has what they called “Nomad” which helps you find the best way of visiting multiple destinations, saving you time and money.
JetRadar: You can search and compare airfares from 726 airlines and dozens of travel agencies and systems.
Hotels:
Agoda: Agoda is one of the world’s largest online travel accommodation platforms with a network of over 2,000,000 vacation rentals and hotels worldwide.
Hotellook: They have more than 250,000 hotels in 205 countries, working with data from more than 10 online booking systems, such as Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and others.
Transportations:
Airport Transfers: KiwiTaxi, Viator
Train: EuRail, Trainline or RailEurope
Bus: Flixbus: Very affordable (as low as $6) and convenient way to transfer between cities in Europe.
Car Rentals: AutoEurope, EconomyBookings, or GetTransfer (transfers & car rentals with a personal driver)
Bike Rental: BikesBooking (Bikes & scooter rentals)
Transportation Comparison: Omio (search, compare, and book tickets for buses, trains, and flights all in one site)
Tours & Activities:
TakeWalks (WalkofItaly): This is our favorite site for walking tours & day trips.
Tiqets: Great site for entrance tickets. It offers directly bookable, instantly available, and completely mobile tickets for museums, shows, and attractions all over the world.
Musement: They have good activities and tours in Italy and Spain, also many great day trips you can choose from.
GetYourGuide: A large number of tours, excursions, and other travel activities
Viator: The largest one. It has everything from tours, attractions, shore excursions, and private guides in over 2,700 destinations worldwide. It also has many transportations and transfers options and some unique experiences we didn’t find anywhere else.
Planning to visit Tuscany without a car and need help planning?
Want to plan your trip to Tuscany but don’t know where to begin? If you find this type of trip planning to be too complicated to plan on your own, we’re here to help!
At MultiCityTrips, multi-destination travel and complicated itineraries such as a multi-city trip to Tuscany without a car are our specialties. Contact us today to learn more about how one of our experienced travel experts/destination specialists can personalize your multi-city vacations at the best price.
Don’t want to start from scratch and need some trip inspiration? Check out our marketplace for customizable pre-designed packages available right now for many amazing destinations.
To learn more about how our process of trip planning works in detail, please see our “How It Works” page or check out our video on “How to Plan a Multi-City Trip to Europe in 5 Easy Steps” here.
Have questions for us? Schedule a FREE Call with us here or contact one of the travel experts/destination specialists at [email protected], call/text us at (888)223-2316 today.
