Tuscany Tour: Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano + Lunch & Wine Pairing
Description
There’s more to Tuscany than Florence. Leave the city behind and discover three other enchanting Tuscan destinations on this day trip to Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa. Take a guided tour of beautiful Siena, famous for its bareback horse race and the Gothic Siena Cathedral, and taste typical Tuscan food and wine during a 3-course lunch in a local winery or restaurant surrounded by picture-postcard Tuscan landscapes, where vineyards, rolling hills and olive groves will be your travel companions. Then, enjoy free time to explore San Gimignano, a picturesque medieval village, and Pisa, home to the UNESCO-listed Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Tour Options
Itinerary
There is no time to waste when exploring the Tuscan countryside! Meet your tour guide at Piazzale Montelungo Bus Terminal early in the morning. Piazzale Montelungo is located 5-10 minutes walking distance from Santa Maria Novella train station. Hop on the comfortable coach bus, choose your seat, and relax before departing on your journey! The drive to Siena will take about one hour. During the journey, your guide will entertain you with plenty of interesting information about Tuscany, and specifically - Siena! If you have any questions, your guide will be there to assist you.
When you arrive in the medieval gem of Siena, your guide will lead you through the picturesque streets until you reach the main piazza of the city - Piazza del Campo. Here, a professional city guide will meet the group to begin your walking tour. For about an hour, the guide will share fascinating facts about this incredible city (which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and you will visit some of the most famous points of interest. The end of the walking tour will lead you to the Siena Cathedral square. Please note that the Guided Tour in Siena is not included if you select the "Semi Independent Option" or the "Low Cost Option"
During the included walking tour of Siena, your guide will show you an insider's view of Piazza del Campo. Not only is this piazza a popular place for locals to gather, but is is also home to an annual palio horse race, which is an epic competition between the different neighborhoods of Siena! Learn all about the history of the city, and its main square as your guide unfolds the secrets of the city to you and your group in a vivid, storytelling manner. You will spend about thirty minutes learning about Piazza del Campo.
Your guide will lead you to Torre del Mangia, the striking clocktower of Siena. This incredible tower dominates the city's skyline and is the third tallest tower in all of Italy! Connected to the important Palazzo Publicco, your guide will share more information about this unique tower during your tour! Enjoy about fifteen minutes outside of Torre del Mangia.
Your guided tour will conclude in front of one of Siena’s most stunning landmarks: the Siena Cathedral. This magnificent cathedral showcases a variety of artistic styles and features works by numerous renowned Renaissance artists. If you wish, you can purchase a ticket to experience the breathtaking interior, and don’t miss the absolutely striking Piccolomini Library on your way out! Spend about twenty minutes exploring the Cathedral independently. Afterwards, enjoy a leisurely stroll through the city center before rejoining your guide to continue to your next stop.
After an exciting morning of exploration in Siena, it will be time to relax and refuel! We will drive about one hour through the rolling hills of Tuscany until we reach a lovely, family-owned winery in the countryside outside of San Gimignano. The view from the winery will leave you breathless, as you will be surrounded by sunny rolling hills, olive groves and vineyards, of course! Surrounded by the most beautiful Tuscan countryside, you will indulge in a wine pairing of high-level wines accompanied by a delicious three-course meal of a typical Tuscan meat and cheese plate, pasta, and dessert. Then, we will drive about fifteen minutes to arrive in the hilltop beauty of San Gimignano. Please note that "Lunch" is not included if you select the "Low Cost Option"
San Gimignano is visible from close and far, with its unmistakable medieval “skyscrapers.” Sometimes called a medieval Manhattan, there are still thirteen towers intact in this perfectly preserved hilltop town. Your guide will lead you first to a famous panoramic viewpoint, where you can photograph the Tuscan countryside, and then through the ancient doors to the city. You will have an hour to explore the lovely town of San Gimignano as you please.
As you walk through the characteristic alleyways of San Gimignano, you will inevitably make your way to Piazza della Cisterna. This is the main square of the city, and where you can find the Cathedral, Duomo, and lovely architecture! Grab a gelato or coffee and enjoy the lovely views of this perfectly preserved medieval city.
During your free time in San Gimignano, we recommend you visit the historic Cathedral and Duomo. Inside, you can find historic and beautiful frescoes colorfully decorating the walls of the Cathedral. Many tourists skip entering this sacred church, and it is truly a hidden gem in the center of the town.
After exploring the historic beauty of San Gimignano, it will be time to depart for a great symbol of Italy - Pisa! We will drive for about an hour, as your guide shares interesting information about the city an its monuments.
Upon arrival, your guide will lead you straight to the famous Square of Miracles. At first sight, it is truly breathtaking - the white marble buildings glow in contrast to the perfect, green lawns. You will have about an hour to explore the Cathedral, Baptistry, Monumental Cemetery, and of course The Leaning Tower, a worldwide symbol of Italian heritage! Be sure to have your camera ready... Pisa is a known for its fun photos in front of the Leaning Tower!
During your free time and if there is no queue, you can climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa to admire the incredible views of the Square of Miracles from above. The panoramic views of Pisa are truly breathtaking: from the monuments below, to the city surrounding the square, the Arno River, and the countryside in the distance... Views from the top of the tower are fascinating!
Discover the unique Romanesque architecture of the striking Pisa Cathedral! Beautifully decorated with gold accents and bright colors inside, this Cathedral is a mesmerizing place to finish your time in Pisa!
After departing from Pisa, it will take about an hour to return to Piazzale Montelungo in Florence. Enjoy your wonderful memories of a full day in the historical and artistic gems of the Tuscan Countryside as you sit back, relax, and enjoy the air conditioned coach bus
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Kindly note that the Semi Independent option does not include the local guide in Siena
- Please note that the given order of the visits may change
- LOW SEASON (From November, 1st to March, 24th): English and Spanish languages are always available. In order to confirm the excursion in French, Italian or Portuguese a minimum of 4 pax is required
- HIGH SEASON (From March 25th to October 31st): English and Spanish languages are always available. Other languages are confirmed as follows: FRENCH: Wednesday, Saturday - min 2 pax PORTUGUESE: Tuesday - min 2 pax ITALIAN: Sunday - min 2 pax
- With prior notice, we can accommodate Vegetarian and Gluten free customers for lunch
- If you select Chinese, Korean, or Japanese, the historical explanations and tour commentary will be provided exclusively via audio guide (via App) in your chosen language. You will not be left alone: a professional Tour Leader will accompany the group throughout the trip. The Tour Leader will manage the group and provide logistics, meeting point details, and emergency assistance in English, while the cultural insights will be delivered via the app in your language.
- May be operated by a multilingual guide
Reviews(6,957)
The guide was very knowledgeable and very kind! She spoke to each group personally and was always checking in to make sure we were okay! She shared so much information about the history of Italy. We would recommend this tour!
The guide was very knowledgeable and very kind! She spoke to each group personally and was always checking in to make sure we were okay! She shared so much information about the history of Italy. We would recommend this tour!
The experience was really good. I liked the beautiful scenes of Tuscany nature, the wine tasting and lunch in the vineyard, and the reslly good guide through the Siena town, which I learned a lot about it.
This was a great experience if you want to see all the main essential places in Tuscany. Our tour guide Roberto was so efficient in keeping the tour on schedule and getting the busy moving to the next location seamlessly, ensuring we can maximize our time at each spot. The driver (Elvis) was a smooth driver keeping the trip very enjoyable. Our favorite spot was definitely getting most in the streets of San Gimignano. The winery was amazing and it was great to experience a full meal that was produced from Farm to plate right onsite. Great experience thank you Roberto and Elvis!
Brilliant tour well worth it. Tour guide Roberto and driver Elvis, brilliant. Made us feel safe during tour and informed. 💯 well organised and timed. Thank you
Took this day trip. The tour is very well organized, very punctual and covers the three places very well. Special shout-out to our guides and drivers, John, Lucia and Luca. They explained everything very nicely onboard as well as while roaming around and then also gave us free time to explore. The lunch experience at Chianti is also good. They made us taste 2 sparkling wines, 2 red wines and a sweet wine with traditional Italian biscuits at the end. The lunch also had two courses starting with a plate of bread, bruschetta,meats, cheese and polenta followed by penne Bolognese.
Was a nice experience. Guidance is professional. A relaxed and experienced guide. Thanks.
it was a great experience, although very hot it was still fun to see the tower of Pisa and the Cathedrals. overall 8/10 experience.
Excellent tour. Lucy and her team did a marvelous job. The bus was very comfortable and the lunch &wine tasting was also very good. Would recommend 100%.
It was great and amaizing experience 🥰🥰
