Itinerary for 7 friends :)

[karthiks]

Hey,

first of all, great forum.

We are a group of 7 friends who are living in Lausanne. We are planning a trip to Tuscany during the Easter break. We are starting on 6th morning from Lausanne and have to be back there on 9th evening. We have rented a car in Lausanne itself.

Beyond that, we are completely lost. No idea what to do, where to go, how to go? Florence is on the cards. Sienna seems to be a good choice too. We want to mix good food, good wines and fun stays with friends.

Please do give us some advice

Thank you.

 

[Sara]

Dear Karthiks,
Thank your for your appreciation we are trying to make our forum as useful as possible!

Considering that you only have 2 full days in Tuscany and you’re 7 friends traveling together, I’ll suggest staying in Florence - both because it is the liveliest city in the region as well as being a great place from which to explore the area.
As you are in Tuscany it won’t be difficult to find good food and wines. In Florence, there are a lot of lovely places where you can enjoy a happy hour or where you can taste really typical Tuscan food.
As you’ll have a car, you can also set off to discover other beautiful Tuscan areas close to the city: Mugello to the north , Casentino to the east or Chianti to the south.
Siena is a very gorgeous place to visit but a little bit far from Florence, you should have more time to get there to enjoy it fully.
Have a look here to find ideal accommodation for your whole group in Florence, there's something to suit everybody's fancy: Florence Accomodation

Let me know if I can add other tips to help you to plan your unforgettable holiday in Tuscany!

 

[Lourdes]

Florence is a good base!

Ciao Karthiks,

I'll also second the suggestion of basing yourselves in Florence. Will you be in Florence on the actual day of Easter? I ask because that's an important day for Florence with its "Scoppio del Carro" - read more about it here:
Main Events in Florence:Annual Events, Fairs, Exhibitions in Florence
Scoppio del Carro:Explosion of the Cart in Florence for Easter 2009-Discover Tuscany’s Blog

You could spend a full day in Florence, even if it isn't on Easter, and then the second day in Siena - take the Chiantigiana road through Chianti on your way down or up from Siena, that way you get to see the Tuscan countryside.

On the day you head back to Lausanne, you could first head west to Pisa, visit the main square with its Leaning Tower before heading north on the A12 up toward Genova, Milan and the border. You'll have fit quite a bit in in those 2-3 days you have

 

[karthiks]

@Sara Thank you Two more people have joined in and now we are trying to find accommodation for 9 people This is gonna be an awesome trip

@Lourdes Thank you That cart looks lovely. I hope we are in Florence or around there so that we can come back to see the cart.

 

[Lourdes]

maybe a villa might be ideal?

Wonderful to have a larger group of friends traveling together! Have you found a place to stay already? With 9 people, you might want to think about an entire villa. Here are a few suggestions for ones near Florence, such as Villa Dogana or Villa Piaggia or Villa La Medicea (this one is the closest to Florence, the first is north of Florence, the other south of Florence - giving you various options )

 

[karthiks]

Re: maybe a villa might be ideal?

Wonderful to have a larger group of friends traveling together! Have you found a place to stay already? With 9 people, you might want to think about an entire villa. Here are a few suggestions for ones near Florence, such as Villa Dogana or Villa Piaggia or Villa La Medicea (this one is the closest to Florence, the first is north of Florence, the other south of Florence - giving you various options )

I have sent a few enquiries to the villas. Most of them prefer to rent by the week I think. But hopefully we can find something soon.

 

[Lourdes]

stays of less than a week in low season, Easter....

You're right that many request stays of a whole week, certainly for the high season.... but many also allows for shorter stays in the low season or for the major holidays outside of this high season, so Easter might be doable (if they're still available)