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Florence

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Florence Full-Day Tuscany Tour with Siena, Pisa, San Gimignano

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English

What you’ll do

Board your coach in Florence, and travel into the hills of Tuscany where the city of Siena awaits. Opt to take a guided tour of the city with a visit to Siena Cathedral to admire its renowned Gothic architecture. Or, make the most of some free time to set your own pace, and perhaps enjoy a coffee in the sun alongside the locals. From Siena, return to the Tuscan countryside to explore the Chianti wine region. Stretch your legs with a stroll through a vineyard, olive grove and wine cellar, and refuel with a Tuscan winery lunch. As you sit surrounded by the grape vines, meet other visitors to the area and indulge in local treats such as cold cuts of meat, salad, pasta and fresh bread. Even better, a wine tasting takes place at the same time (not included in the tour option without lunch, guests will instead spend more time in San Gimignano)' After lunch, journey onward to San Gimignano with its medieval towers, cobbled streets and squares. Explore the town’s historic center, cool down with a refreshing gelato and wander amid the 14 towers as you learn about their history. Travel from San Gimignano to Pisa: your final stop of the day. Follow your guide to Cathedral Square to discover Pisa Duomo, Pisa Baptistry, the monumental cemetery (aka Camposanto) and, of course, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Return to Florence in the early evening, and finish your Tuscany tour with a drop-off at the start point.

Highlights

Spend a day exploring the Tuscan countryside on a tour from Florence
Take a guided tour through Siena, including entry to the gothic Cathedral
Set your own pace to explore Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa
Upgrade to include a hearty lunch and wine tasting at an organic vineyard in Chianti

Itinerary

We will meet at the front of Santa Maria Novella train station at 7:45am, ready for an 8.00am start. Your guide will be holding a WALKABOUT TOURS sign, right by the taxi stand at Santa Maria Novella train station across from the outside McDonald's. After meeting your expert guide, an air-conditioned coach will whisk you away to the first stop of the day, Siena. The drive to Siena will take about 1 hours 15 minutes. During the journey, your guide will explain the itinerary for the day and entertain you with interesting facts about Siena and Tuscany!!!

Siena is a real medieval gem and in fact one of Tuscany's most famous and beautiful hill top towns. When you arrive you will join a 1 hour guided walking tour with a local city guide through Siena's most beautiful streets and sites, including the entrance to the Cathedral, a treasure chest of artworks. Afterwards, enjoy Siena at your own pace with free time for shopping or relaxing in an open-air cafe.

The first stop on the walking tour of Siena is a bank that has its headquarters in this square - the oldest surviving bank in the world. It's called Monte dei Paschi di Siena and it has been running continuously since 1472. Your guide will explain how Siena's wealth through the centuries came from being on the pilgrim route known as the Via Francigena, a route that led pilgrims between Rome and Northern Europe. Siena prospered as a banking town by lending money and exchanging money for the merchants who were using the pilgrim route as a safe travel route. The Sienese are still wealthy from their banking past and are still famous for their banks today!

Your local guide will then walk through some of the most picturesque back streets of Siena, while telling about something very unique to Siena are the 17 districts which make up the historical centre.The name for these ancient divisions is 'contrade'. Each contrada has its

own symbol, normally that of an animal including a snail, rhino and giraffe amongst others. The sense of identity and belonging to ones 'contrada' is extremely important. They are self-contained little worlds with their own church, where newborns are baptised, and a public fountain where the newborns are baptised a second time! Needless to say there are strong rivalries between these districts, that explodes during the Palio horserace held twice a year in Piazza del Campo.

Piazza del Campo is one of the most beautiful squares you will ever see and it is also the city's gathering place, where the locals meet for a coffee and to chat and of course gossip. The unusual square (actually not a square, it's in the shape of a sea-shell, and sloping!) is the site of the famous Palio horse-race. A 600 year old tradition of Siena. The piazza gets transformed into a racing track twice a year and the contrade, or neighbourhoods of the city battle out for the highest honour possible – winning the palio. You'll hear more about this on the tour, your local guide will set the scene so that you can somehow live for a moment the vibrant atmosphere of this incredible race.

Our walking tour then ends inside the Duomo of Siena – undoubtedly the jewel of the city. If you've seen the interior of Florence's Duomo, it is nowhere near as spectacular as Siena's. The most unique part of this city's cathedral is its floor. It's an artwork on its own, made out of the world's most precious marbles – in fact, it's a combined masterpiece of over 50 images created over 2 centuries by some of Italy's most important artists. Then, enjoy walking through the city center on your own before meeting your guide again to head to your next stop!

After the morning exploration of Siena, a 45-minute drive will take you the the next stop: Fattoria Poggio Alloro, an organic family-run wine estate – the highlight of the day! Visit the farm, enjoy an informal wine tasting lesson and a traditional Tuscan lunch with plenty of wine, in the most gorgeous location overlooking stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Take the opportunity to meet fellow travelers while feasting on fresh organic farm food of homemade pasta, cured meats (homemade prosciutto and salami), local cheeses, a real garden salad, and Tuscan biscotti. There is also the opportunity to buy the local products of the winery before heading to San Gimignano.

After lunch, a 15-minute drive will take you to San Gimignano, that is an even smaller, walled Tuscan hill town than Siena - about 6 times smaller - and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. San Gimignano is most famous for its towers of which there were 72 though there are just 14 remaining today. From this the city gets its nickname of the little Manhattan of Tuscany. Your guide will give you a map and point out the best landmarks, so that you can roam independently the picturesque streets and squares of this enchanting hilltop town.

Your guide will lead you to the entrance city gate and that is where the main boulevard starts from, Via San Giovanni. This street will take you to Piazza della Cisterna, the heart of San Gimignano and also the setting for several films. This was the square where festivals and tournaments took place while the Piazza Duomo was the religious and political centre. This is also where the best gelato in the world is – Gelateria della Piazza 'Dondoli'. It's won many awards as the best gelato, you could try it and see what you'll think!

From Piazza della Cisterna, the next piazza along is Piazza del Duomo – the Duomo, also known as the Collegiata, is small but is well worth visiting! The beautiful interior of the cathedral walls is filled with colorful 14th century frescoes in every space available. You could also climb up one of the medieval towers here in this piazza, next to the Duomo (the Torre Grossa) to appreciate the incredible 'BIRD'S EYE' view over San Gimignano.

Another stunning view over the towers of San Gimignano is from La Rocca. It is easily accessible behind the Duomo and It is a peaceful setting with olive trees and the wall surrounding the garden that formed part of the 14th-century fortress Medici of Florence built to protect this town from Siena. if you walk to the back of the garden and climb the steps to the top, the views over San Gimignano's skyline are absolutely breathtaking.

After the visit of San Gimignano, a 1 hour and an half scenic drive through iconic Tuscan countryside will take you to your final stop, Pisa.

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! Upgrade to include skip-the-line entry, if you wish.

During your time in Pisa, you can climb the Leaning Tower to admire the incredible views of the Square of Miracles from above. The views from the top of the Tower are truly breathtaking - from the monuments below, to the city surrounding the square, the Arno River, and the countryside in the distance... and part of the fun is also climbing the stairs inside the Leaning Tower that we will make you feel a bit dizzy at the end! To avoid disappointment, we suggest to upgrade to include the pre-booked tickets since the entrance to climb the Leaning Tower is according to time slots.

After leaving Pisa, it will take about an hour to return to Florence. You will dropped off at the start point with a camera full of pictures, a stomach full of hearty Tuscan food and a host of new friends.

What’s included

Professional guide

Free time to explore the towns at your own pace

In-vehicle air conditioning

Wine tasting

3-course lunch at a wine estate

Detailed maps of all destinations visited

What’s not included

Gratuities

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Food and drinks, unless specified

What’s not included

Gratuities

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Food and drinks, unless specified

Notes

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

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Due to uneven surfaces, we cannot accept anyone with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair

Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required

It is recommended to book any rail travel from Florence after 9pm to allow time for any traffic delays on your return journey

When the Duomo of Siena is closed for religious services, Santa Maria della Scala museum will be visited instead

Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately

Please note: For the Leaning Tower of Pisa children under the age of 8 are not admitted. Children between 8 and 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult and held by the hand at all times while you are in the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Teenagers between 13 and 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult while you are in the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Full Tour option includes the visit to Pisa but not the ticket to climb the Leaning Tower

Full Tour plus Leaning Tower Tickets option also include the tickets to climb on the Leaning Tower in Pisa.

Gallery

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Cancellation policy

A full refund will apply if you cancel more than 24 hours before the activity start time.

No refund is possible if you cancel less than 24 hours before the activity start time.

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Cancellation Policy
Flexible booking and cancellation options.