Visiting Florence in April 2013

C

cdubose

New member
Hi,
My name is Christine. This will be my first European trip. I have done a cruise once before. I usually travel within the states. I will be traveling with my 16 year old daughter. We will be staying at a hotel in Scandicci. We will mainly in Florence. We will be there for about 9 to 10 days. We won't be renting a car. I am looking for some advice on what to do, see, visit and eat. I know that's pretty broad. I would also like to go out of Florence but can this be done without a car? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks is advance for your replys!
 
welcome to our forum!

Ciao Christine and welcome to our forum!

How exciting to be planning your first trip to Europe!

Are you planning to see other parts of Italy or Europe as well?
While it is true that geographic wise Europe is small (especially in comparison to the States), things to see and do are very concentrated. There is so much history here and art, so my first recommendation is to not try to see too fit in too much into your vacation.

Are your 9-10 days total vacation time or just the time you're planning to spend in Tuscany? If you're flying in into Rome, I'd recommend spending at least 2 days there too, either at the start or end of your trip. From there you can take the train to Florence and from Florence get to Scandicci, still by bus or even tram.

You can definitely get by without renting a car if you're in Scandicci city - catch the bus into Florence to spend several days exploring the city and then to the SMN train station for your day trips. From SMN you can take the train to Pisa and to Lucca, just for starters. It is easier to visit Siena by bus so I'd recommend at least a whole day there. You can also take the bus to San Gimignano. You can also catch the train to Arezzo.
This week long itinerary here does assume you have a car to get around - http://www.discovertuscany.com/itineraries-in-tuscany/one-week-in-tuscany.html
since you do need one to see Chianti and the Val d'Orcia regions better, but the other places can be seen with train. Cortona too.... just continue on after Arezzo to Cortona, there is a bus that takes you from the station up to the top of the hilltop town.
And you can get to Greve in Chianti by bus from the SMN train station, to at least get into the wine region and maybe visit a winery and do tastings! Read this other forum for details: http://www.discovertuscany.com/forum/moving-around-tuscany/205-getting-around-chianti.html

Feel free to post any other questions you might have, I know it can be overwhelming the first time - we're happy to help sort things out and offer suggestions! :)
 
First Time in Florence!

Hello, I am visiting Italy first time. I will be on conference for 5 days in Milan and then I will have 3 free days.

I decided to visit Florence in this 3 days, from April 27 to April 30. What also can I see nearby the Florence? any interesting city or sightseeing. Or it would be better to have these whole 3 days in Florence?
 
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