The ranking is our own: the order reflects how much each place is worth to someone visiting Tuscany for the first time, how much time it takes and how easy it is to reach from Florence. The ticket listed is the one that really matters in each place, with the price published by the body that runs it.
The top 10 places to visit in Tuscany at a glance
| # | Place | Key ticket | Official price | From Florence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florence | Uffizi Gallery | €25 on the day, €29 in advance | — |
| 2 | Siena | OPA SI PASS (Duomo complex) | €14, €16 with the floor uncovered | express bus about 75 min |
| 3 | Pisa | Leaning Tower + Duomo | €20 | train from 51 min, €9.80 |
| 4 | San Gimignano | San Gimignano Pass | €15 | bus, or train + bus, 1 h 30–2 h |
| 5 | Val d'Orcia | none: the scenery is free, Sant'Antimo is free | €0 | car almost 2 h |
| 6 | Chianti | winery tasting, for example Antinori | €50 | bus about 1 h to Greve |
| 7 | Lucca | Torre Guinigi | €8 | direct train 1 h 20, €8.90 |
| 8 | Montepulciano | tower of the Palazzo Comunale | €5 | train to Chiusi + bus, or car |
| 9 | Cortona | Museo Diocesano (Fra Angelico) | about €6 | train to Camucia + bus |
| 10 | Volterra | Volterra Card, 72 hours | €23 | bus with a change at Colle, about 2 h |
1. Florence
Why it comes first. No other Tuscan city packs so much into so little space: the Uffizi, the David, Brunelleschi's dome, Palazzo Vecchio. It is also the rail hub for the rest of the region.
Ticket. At the Uffizi a full-price ticket costs €25 bought on the day of the visit and €29 bought in advance, in your name; from 16:00 there is an afternoon ticket, €16 on the day and €20 in advance. For the dome you need the Brunelleschi Pass at €30, because there is no ticket for the dome alone.
Time. Two full days at the very least, three if you also want Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens.
Getting there. This is your starting point. From Pisa airport the combined train and PisaMover ticket costs €16.30. See Florence.
2. Siena
Why. Piazza del Campo, the Duomo with its inlaid marble floor, the Piccolomini Library frescoed by Pinturicchio, Duccio's Maestà. The centre has been a UNESCO site since 1995, and in the evening, once the groups have left, it empties out.
Ticket. The Opera della Metropolitana's OPA SI PASS costs €14, or €16 in the weeks when the floor is uncovered: normally from late June to late July and from mid or late August into autumn. It is valid for three days. The roofs have a separate ticket at €21, pass included. The Torre del Mangia (€10) can only be bought on the day.
Time. A full day; better still, stay one night.
Getting there. Autolinee Toscane's 131R express bus takes about 75 minutes and arrives in Piazza Gramsci, 10–15 minutes' walk from the Campo. The departure stop in Florence has been moved temporarily: check it beforehand. The regional train costs €10.80 and takes 1 h 27–1 h 35 if direct, up to about 1 h 50 with a change at Empoli, but the station is about 2 km below the city. See Siena.
3. Pisa
Why. In the Piazza dei Miracoli the Duomo, the Baptistery, the Camposanto and the Tower stand on the same lawn, a UNESCO site since 1987. The Baptistery is the largest in Italy, and the Camposanto holds Buffalmacco's Triumph of Death.
Ticket. The Tower and the Duomo cost €20 on the Opera della Primaziale's site, with a fixed time. Children must turn 8 within the year of the visit, and under-18s can only climb with an adult. On the official site you can change the time up to 2 hours beforehand; on Tiqets the same ticket starts from €25 and is non-refundable.
Time. Half a day.
Getting there. The regional train from Santa Maria Novella costs €9.80: the fastest take 51–60 minutes, and there are two or three departures an hour. If your train stops at Pisa San Rossore, get off there: it is the station closest to the square. See Pisa.
4. San Gimignano
Why. Its skyline of medieval towers above the Valdelsa is the most recognisable in Tuscany. About 14 towers survive. Inside the Collegiata, frescoed from end to end, is the Chapel of Santa Fina with frescoes by Ghirlandaio. The centre has been a UNESCO site since 1990.
Ticket. The San Gimignano Pass costs €15 (€12 from 6 to 17), plus a €1 booking fee, is valid for three days and covers the Collegiata, the Torre Grossa and the Musei Civici. Be wary of the lower prices you see online: they are out of date.
Time. Half a day; it pairs well with Siena or Volterra.
Getting there. There is no railway station. You go to Poggibonsi, by train from Florence in just over an hour or on the Siena bus, and from there take bus 130 or 133 to San Gimignano, 20–25 minutes. In total it takes 1 h 30–2 h. By car the cheapest car park is P1 Giubileo, at most €7 a day. See San Gimignano.
5. Val d'Orcia
Why. This is the postcard Tuscan landscape, a UNESCO site since 2004: rolling wheat fields, rows of cypresses, the Vitaleta chapel, Pienza, Montalcino, San Quirico and the thermal pool in the square at Bagno Vignoni, where bathing is forbidden.
Ticket. None is required: the scenery is free. The abbey of Sant'Antimo, near Montalcino, is free to enter; the abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, in the nearby Crete, is normally free too.
Time. A day by car, better two with a night in the valley.
Getting there. By car Bagno Vignoni is just under two hours from Florence. By public transport you go via Siena and then on buses 112 and 114, which have few services, many only on school days. For a single day an organised trip is the better choice: Tiqets starts from €82.80 and GetYourGuide from €92, for 11–12 hours. See Val d'Orcia.
6. Chianti
Why. The hills between Florence and Siena, with the castles, parish churches and vineyards of Chianti Classico, about 70,000 hectares. The villages are small: the point of the visit is the road itself, the SR222 Chiantigiana, and a winery.
Ticket. Here the ticket is the tasting, which must be booked at the larger estates. An official example: Antinori's Tinaia Tour at Antinori nel Chianti Classico, in Bargino, costs €50 for an hour and a half with three wines and is non-refundable.
Time. A day.
Getting there. Bus 365 runs from Florence to Greve in about an hour. If you are driving, note that the alcohol limit is zero for drivers under 21 and in the first three years after passing the test. That is why many people choose a tour with a driver: from Florence these start from €38.25 on GetYourGuide and from €45 on Tiqets. See Chianti and wine tours.
7. Lucca
Why. It is the most relaxed of the art cities to explore: the walls, built between the 16th and 17th centuries and still intact, have become a tree-lined ring of 4.2 km where people stroll and cycle, with no cars. Inside are Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and the Duomo with the tomb of Ilaria del Carretto.
Ticket. The Torre Guinigi, with holm oaks growing on top, costs €8, as does the Torre delle Ore. If you want to see several things, the Lucca Visit Card at €29 is valid for three days and covers both towers, the national museums, Casa Puccini and the Cathedral museum with the archaeological complex; the Duomo itself has a separate ticket.
Time. Half a day; a full day if you add a bike ride on the walls.
Getting there. The direct regional train from Florence takes about an hour and 20 minutes and costs €8.90. From Pisa it takes half an hour, so the two cities fit well into the same day. See Lucca.
8. Montepulciano
Why. It is a small town on top of a hill, with Piazza Grande, its palazzi and the cellars dug beneath the houses, where you can taste Vino Nobile. It lies in the Valdichiana, outside the Val d'Orcia UNESCO site, but it is almost always visited together with it.
Ticket. The tower of the Palazzo Comunale is open from April to early November and costs €5 (free under 10). From the top you can see the Valdichiana, the lakes and Monte Amiata. For a tasting in the historic cellars, the Contucci Experience costs €40 and must be booked at least 15 days ahead.
Time. Half a day.
Getting there. By car is the simplest option. By train you go to Chiusi-Chianciano Terme, €15.90 and 1 h 33–1 h 48 on the fast regional train, and continue by bus: check the connection before you set off. See Val d'Orcia.
9. Cortona
Why. A hilltop town of Etruscan origin, with steep streets and views over the Valdichiana. The Museo Diocesano has Fra Angelico's Annunciation; the MAEC, in Palazzo Casali, has the Etruscan finds.
Ticket. The Museo Diocesano costs about €6 with an audio guide. Check prices and opening times before you go: the sources disagree, especially in winter.
Time. Half a day; a full day with Arezzo.
Getting there. Regional train to Camucia-Cortona, €12.40 and from 1 h 10 to 1 h 50, then a bus up to the town, about 5 km uphill. With the combined train and bus ticket to Cortona centre you spend €14.10. See Arezzo and Cortona.
10. Volterra
Why. An Etruscan city, later Roman and medieval, on top of a hill scarred by the landslides of the Balze. It has the Museo Guarnacci with hundreds of cinerary urns and the Ombra della Sera, the Roman theatre, the Porta all'Arco gate and the alabaster workshops.
Ticket. The Volterra Card costs €23, is valid for 72 hours and covers the museums, Palazzo dei Priori, the Roman theatre and the acropolis. A single ticket costs €10 per site, so the card pays off from the third entry.
Time. Half a day; a full day with all the museums.
Getting there. There is no direct bus from Florence. You go to Colle di Val d'Elsa, and from there line 770 climbs to Volterra in 46 minutes, with four services a day on weekdays and just one on Sundays: in total it takes about two hours. By car you take the Florence–Siena road, exit Colle Val d'Elsa Nord, and park outside the walls. See Volterra and Elba.
Just outside the top 10
- Pitigliano, on its tufa cliff, with the Jewish quarter. See borghi.
- The Cascate del Mulino at Saturnia, thermal water at about 37 °C, free and open day and night. See Maremma and Saturnia.
- Elba, about an hour by ferry from Piombino.
- Monteriggioni, the ring of walls mentioned by Dante.
- Arezzo, with Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle.
The Cinque Terre appear in many Tuscany rankings, but they are in Liguria. We cover them as a day trip from Florence on the page about the Cinque Terre.
Three must-see places in one day: the classic trip
Day trips from Florence almost always combine Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa, in about twelve hours. It is the quickest way to see numbers 2, 3 and 4 without a car, but you get only a few hours in each town, and in Pisa there is often time for the square but not for a relaxed climb up the Tower. Partner prices change often, and we check them regularly. Other combinations are on the page about day trips and in the full list of things to do in Tuscany.