Renting a car for the day is a good idea but dropping it in Florence and avoid the traffic limited zone is very challenging. Artviva has a tour of Siena and san Gimignano which gets good reviews on this forum - …artviva.com/italytravel_best_tours_tour/tus…

Another nice place for a day trip is Lucca, which you can combine with a jaunt to Pisa if you wish. Ravenna, Parma etc are a bit too far away - for Ravenna you'd definitely need a car.

We took a one day bus tour that took us to both San Gimignano and Siena. I don't remember the name of the bus tour but it departed from the train station. It was more economical than taking a tour in a van. This doesn't give you a lot of time in both places but you do get a flavor of both.

Same thing for a tour of Pisa and Lucca.

I am thinking the same, taking a side trip to Siena and SG from Firenze. Read somewhere of CAF tours, is that OK?

It has to be taken into account that CAF tour for the wellknown destinations such as Siena and San Gimignano are crowded. That's the downside of their price, which is low compared to the price of a private guide. If you are willing to give up San Gimignano or have another half day to do it separately, you can always consider public transportation, SITA busses to both, which will give you your own pace and a still lower price. You should, though, bring a good guide book or two and peruse it in advance.

Hi all, thank you so much for your replies. I looked at the artviva tours and I found several amazing tours like the Uffizi tour or the Chianti castle tour that I would like to buy before buying the Siena tour which is pretty expensive,

Can someone with local advise tell me if this is possible? Looking a the SITA bus times, (please check the link below), Can we take the 830am bus from Firenze to Poggibonsi, go to San Gimignano for a few hours and take the 1:30 bus from Poggibonsi to Siena? We would return on the 8:30pm bus to Firenze.

sitabus.it/sita-toscana/Firenze-Siena07.pdf

It sounds pretty easy, however I know that these type of ideas can turn into nightmares if you dont ask and dont know the local advise.

By the way the easiest transportation from Poggibonsi to San G is bus or taxi?

Thanks,

Maribel

It is definitely doable, but a bit rushed. SITA busses are quite comfortable and reliable. And they are the main means of transportation between Siena and San Gimignano. Which doesn't mean you can't take a taxi in a pinch, but it would be expensive. Just check opening times of everything you wish to see in Siena, so as not to miss things.

Anon

You say that CAF Tours are crowded.

Does this mean that people stand on the bus or share seats? Have you ever taken one of their tours? Please explain.

Scarpenter - what a droll question. The tours use big busses full to capacity. Fifty people in the Libreria Piccolomini, as you know well, is a crowd.

thk