Tuscany in November, one day and then four days

[LauraJr]

Hello,

We will be taking a cruise in November. We will be docking in Livorno for a day, Friday and then the following Sunday we will fly from Barcelona to Florence to spend 4 days. My questions are...

Do you have a suggestion for what to do on our one day visit from the cruise?

Where to stay, budget but comfortable and safe, for our four day visit?

We would like to visit Chianti and possibly Siena. Is this too much for 4 days? How would we get to these places? Is it best to stay in Florence or outside of Florence?

In Chianti we were thinking of a food and wine tour or class. Any suggestions?

This is our first visit to Italy. Thanks in advance for your help and any advise!

 

[Cristina]

first Pisa, then Florence, Siena and Chianti

Ciao Laurajr and welcome to our Forum!

Livorno, where your cruise stops, is a very nice place to visit but for your first time in Tuscany you can consider to reach and visit the nearby and famous city of Pisa. In about 15 minutes by train from Livorno train station you' ll be in Pisa, few minutes of walking from the wonderful Piazza dei Miracoli - Square of Miracles and the famous Leaning Tower. You can also climb all the 300 steps to reach the top of the Tower: an incredible experience! Our Discover Tuscany team recently has visited Pisa, here you can find some advices for your visit of the city: a day in Pisa and here you can see many beautiful pictures of Pisa.
Coming back from your day in Pisa, if you still have spare time, you can take a relaxing walk in Livorno and enjoy the enchanting view from the Terrazza Mascagni: a big terrace over the sea.

For the following 4 days, if you're not planning to rent a car, I think an hotel or bed and breakfast in Florence should be a good option for your stay. November is not generally considered as high season, so you can probably find good offers. Have a look at the lodging proposal of Florence Accommodation.com.
You can dedicate to Florence two of the four days, visiting the best sights and museums of the city.

One day in Siena is enough to explore it (you can easily reach Siena from Florence taking a Sita bus near the Florence train station, here the timetable).

For a tour in Chianti you can consider another full day, it depends from the tour you prefer. There are different Chianti tours leaving from Florence. An interesting tour combines a visit to Chianti and San Gimignano (a small beautiful medieval village, famous for its tower-houses ) and includes wine tasting at a local family run winery.
Also the Vinarium offers nice tours in Chianti.

Hope my suggestions are helpful!