Tuscany without a car
Buongiorno,
This is a frequent question: how can we visit Tuscany without a car?
And I would imagine that one who is asking these questions is aware that public transport in rural areas is not flexible or frequent, especially the further you get away from the major hubs.
And if you not aware, then this is a quick warning: Though it is entirely possible to visit Tuscany using public transport (buses & trains) there are several restrictions of which include the isolation of smaller, off the beaten towns, the time schedules that are reduced to "one bus there and one bus back" and the limited hours (smaller towns: buses usually run between school hours, 7am till 3pm or there abouts).
Having said this, note that the larger towns
are connected via public transport and if you plan well, you can visit almost all of the towns on your list with little to no problems.
The first thing you will want to carefully consider is where to base yourself for the best access to public transport, this article has a few insider pointers:
https://www.discovertuscany.com/tuscany-accommodation/where-to-stay-without-a-car.html
Here are a few articles that will help you with the towns you mentioned:
SIENA
https://www.discovertuscany.com/siena/tourist-info/getting-to-siena-without-a-car.html
https://www.discovertuscany.com/siena/what-to-do/day-trips-from-siena.html
SAN GIMIGNANO (you will find Volterra in here)
https://www.discovertuscany.com/san-gimignano/how-to-reach-san-gimignano.html
https://www.discovertuscany.com/san-gimignano/day-trips-from-san-gimignano.html
LUCCA (wasn't on your list - but definitely worth the day trip! if you combine it with Pisa)
https://www.discovertuscany.com/lucca/easy-one-day-itineraries-around-lucca.html
Chianti -- everyone loves to visit Chianti, and for some strange reason Tuscany has not found a way to make visiting it with public transport easy and tourist friendly. There are many
really good organized tours that will do this, offering you flexibility, great wine tasting and some really beautiful photo opportunities. Or you could read this article for some ideas on a DIY tour:
https://www.chianti.com/wine-tasting/chianti-wine-tasting-without-a-car.html
There are several quality organized tours that you can participate in which take all the stress of reading time schedules off the froeign timetables and provide unique and interesting opportunities.
Here are a few articles which may help you with the guided tour selection:
https://www.discovertuscany.com/tuscany-tours/tuscany-one-day-tour-siena-san-gimignano-chianti.html
https://www.discovertuscany.com/tuscany-car-rental/tuscany-wine-and-drive.html
https://www.discovertuscany.com/tuscany-by-bike/bike-in-florence-and-tuscany-tours.html
https://www.discovertuscany.com/tuscany-tours/fall-autumn-tours-tuscany.html
Buon Viaggio,
Donna Denise