10 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO TUSCANY

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This selection of tips for traveling to Tuscany It aims to help you organize your trip through one of the most beautiful and visited regions of Italy.
Located in the central area of Italy and with Florence as the capital, this region is famous for its cities, landscapes as well as a great historical legacy, which you can enjoy in each of its cities, and of course, an exceptional gastronomy that will put the Perfect icing on the trip.

Based on the experience of our trip to Tuscany and the several times we have visited Florence, during the last one we wrote this guide to Florence in 3 days, we want to leave you this selection of 10 essential tips for traveling to Tuscany. We start!

1. What is the best time?

Although we could say that any time is good for a trip to Tuscany, if we take into account the time and volume of tourists, we would opt for certain months, to try to enjoy it to the fullest.

High season (July and August): these are the busiest months to visit Tuscany. We, whenever possible, would try to avoid these months since in addition, prices soar.
Mid season (April-June / September-October): spring and autumn are the best times to travel to Tuscany as there is not usually so much tourism, prices are more adjusted and weather is usually benign.
Low season (from November to March): during these months the weather is usually more unstable but the prices are lower, so it can also be a good option if you don't mind not ensuring the good weather.

Remember that if you are going to travel in high season it is very important to book flights, accommodation and rental car in time, to have more options and also find more adjusted prices.

2. Entry requirements

If you are a Spanish or European Union (EU) citizen, you only need your ID or passport to travel to Tuscany.
If you are from Switzerland or the US, you will not need a tourist visa for stays of less than 90 days. If you have another nationality, we recommend you check the embassy page to be clear about the requirements for entering Tuscany.

It is also very important to carry the European Health Card so that in case you have any medical problem, you can be treated without any payment.
In addition to this, we always recommend traveling with better travel insurance to Europe so that you have the best medical assistance in addition to for example repatriation if necessary.

We always travel insured with Mondo, with whom we carry a totally adequate insurance to the needs that we will have on the trip. Hiring your insurance here with Mondo, just for being a Street Travelers reader, you have a 5% discount.

3. Security

Traveling to Tuscany is totally safe so it is not necessary to take special measures. In spite of that, as we always recommend, it is necessary to travel with common sense and avoid leaving valuables in sight in the car, leaving cameras or mobile phones unattended, especially in crowded areas or moving through areas that you do not know at night In big cities. In this case, if you want to go out at night, it is preferable to ask at the hotel if there is any area not recommended.

In addition to this, it is highly recommended to upload all important documentation, such as ID, passport or travel insurance, to the cloud, before a trip to Tuscany.
With this, in case of loss or theft, you will advance the procedures and they will be much easier.

Tips for traveling to Tuscany

4. How to start the trip to Tuscany?

The most important thing when traveling to Tuscany is to be clear about what you want to visit since depending on this, you will have to organize a trip of more or less days. If you are only going to visit some of the most important towns, forgetting about the big cities, with 4-5 days you can make a very interesting tour.
In case you want to include cities like Florence or Pisa, you should extend the trip at least 3 days, to organize the trip in a week or so.

Once you have clear days, the next point is to buy the flight. We recommend you fly to Pisa or Florence and make the query in this flight search engine, where you will find the best options at the best prices.
The next point is the rental car, which we highly recommend if you want to make a route through some of the essential places to see in Tuscany.
For this we recommend you check this rental car search engine, where you will find the best prices and also, you can take out premium insurance, which is a full-risk insurance, at a much tighter price than if you hired it with the company itself .
With this already booked, the next point you should pay special attention to is accommodation, especially if you travel in high season. For this we recommend you check this hotel search engine, where you will also get the best prices.

And last but not least, we recommend you check what tours or excursions you want to do in Tuscany to be able to book them and make sure you don't run out of seats.

Book here the best tours and excursions in Tuscany

Volterra, one of the essentials when traveling to Tuscany

5. Route through Tuscany

As we discussed earlier, the most important thing before travel to Tuscany is to know what places you want to visit and how many days you have to be able to organize a route according to the available times.
In case you have 7-10 days we would make a route that includes the main cities such as Pisa, Florence and Siena as well as some of the best known villages in the area that are included among the places to see in Tuscany. Keep in mind that the distance that separates Pisa from Florence is less than 2 hours, so the choice of the airport of entry and exit depends largely on the prices and schedules that best suit your needs, more than of the ideal route.
We will leave you several examples, but you can perfectly modify the cities of entry and exit depending on the flights.

San Gimignano, one of the places you cannot miss when traveling to Tuscany

7 day route in Tuscany:
This route through Tuscany includes the main cities and the most tourist villages of Tuscany.

Florence - 2 days
Lucca and Volterra - 1 day
Pisa - 1 day
San Gimignano and Monterrigioni - 1 day
Siena - 1 day
Montalcino, Abbey of St. Antimo, Bagno Vignoni, Pienza and Montepulciano - 1 day

4 day route in Tuscany:
In case you already know Florence and Pisa, this trip to Tuscany includes only Siena and the best known villages in Tuscany.

Lucca and Volterra - 1 day
San Gimignano and Monterrigioni - 1 day
Siena - 1 day
Montalcino, Abbey of St. Antimo, Bagno Vignoni, Pienza and Montepulciano - 1 day

In case you do not want to rent a car in Tuscany and want to know this incredible area of Italy with a guide in Spanish, a highly recommended option is to book one of the following excursions:

Excursion to Pisa, San Gimignano and Siena
Excursion to San Gimignano, Siena and Chianti
Tour to Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulciano
Excursion to Lucca and Pisa
More excursions and tours in Tuscany here

6. Florence

Florence is, without a doubt, one of the most incredible cities in the world and one of the essential places to see in Italy.
With a unique historical center and hundreds of places to visit, Florence is always a safe bet and one of the places you cannot miss when traveling to Tuscany. Although in one day you could see the most important places, we recommend you to spend at least 2 days to get to know the city with some tranquility and to know the Piazza del Duomo, located in the heart of the city and where the Cathedral, the Campanile and the Battistero, some of the one of the essential places to see in Florence. In addition to this square, the most important in the city, you cannot miss the Piazza della Signoria, with its impressive Pitti Palace,
the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia Gallery, where you will find the most famous sculpture in the world: David by Michelangelo.
Other places you cannot miss are Ponte Vecchio and Piazzale Michelangelo, from where you can see an incredible sunset over the city that is one of the essential things to do in Florence.

We leave you a selection of guides optimized by days so you can meet and enjoy the best of the city:

You can combine these routes by booking one of the best tours and excursions in Florence that will allow you to know the history and curiosities of the capital of Tuscany, among which are:

Free tour of Florence Free! considered as one of the best free tours in Florence.
Offer: Florence + Uffizi + Academy
Guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery
Guided tour of Florence
More tours and excursions in Florence here

You can find much more information about the city in post 10 essential tips for traveling to Florence.

Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo, a must when traveling to Tuscany

7. Pisa

Pisa is another city that you can not miss in your trip to Tuscany. Known to many only for its leaning tower, we can assure you that this city has many more interesting places to see, so whenever you can, we recommend spending a full day to get to know it.
In the Piazza dei Miracoli, in addition to the Leaning Tower and the impressive views from the top, you can not miss the Duomo, the Baptistery and the Monumental Cemetery, all of them considered as some of the essential places to see in Pisa.
Remember that a good option to avoid queues at the entrance of the tower and in the cathedral is to book this ticket in advance.

Once you have enjoyed this area of the city, we recommend you walk to the historic center, passing through the Piazza dei Cavalieri where you can see the impressive Palazzo della Carovana and approach the Borgo Stretto alley, one of the most charming streets in Pisa from where you can continue the walk through the city now along the bank of the river Arno where you can not stop entering the lovely Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina.

If you want to get to know the city better, we recommend you book this guided tour in Spanish that includes the entrance to the leaning tower.

If you want to make this visit for free we recommend you follow the post How to go from Florence to Pisa although if you do not want to complicate yourself and get to know this city with a guide in Spanish, the most comfortable option is to book this bus tour with a guide in Spanish in which They will pick you up at your hotel.

Pisa

8. Siena

On many occasions eclipsed by its neighbors Florence and Pisa, this city is another of the places you can not miss when traveling to Tuscany. With an impressive cultural heritage, Siena is a city that you can meet perfectly on a day and even take it as a base to know some of the most beautiful villages in the area if you do not want to go on a car route and sleep in different places.
In case of traveling in summer and especially if it is between July 2 and August 16, keep in mind that the celebration of the Palio takes place, an old UNESCO World Heritage party that is celebrated in the Piazza del Campo and which usually attracts tourists from all over the world, so it is essential to make accommodation reservations in advance.

In addition to this square, which is one of the essential places to see in Siena, you can not miss the Torre de Mangia, with more than 100 meters high, the Public Palace, the Gaia fountain and the Duomo, which looks impressive built in white and dark green marble, where you can also see the impressive Piccolomini Library.

You can go perfectly to Siena by car or train, although if you want to know more about the city or opt for another more comfortable option, we recommend you book this excursion that includes Pisa and San Gimignano or this one that includes San Gimignano and Chianti region.

Siena, one of the cities to see when traveling to Tuscany

9. Tuscan cuisine

We know that it is impossible to summarize all the Tuscan gastronomy in several lines but we do want to leave you a list of some of its more traditional dishes so that at travel to Tuscany You can try them and have a culinary experience that makes you never forget this amazing place.

Antipasti: hors d'oeuvres that are served at the beginning of the meal and in Tuscany are exquisite. They usually include sausages, bread with pate and pickles.
Pappardelle: 2-3 centimeters wide pasta that is usually served accompanied by meat or different sauces.
Pici: another type of pasta that is like a spaghetti, thicker, but rolled, served with sauce.
Truffle: this is one of the star ingredients of Tuscany. You can find it in countless dishes and cooked in multiple ways.
Pecorino cheese: a variety of typical Tuscan cheese. For us one of the best in the world ...
Bistecca alla florentina: beef that for many is the star dish of this area of Italy.

Pasta al tartufo, a dish that you cannot miss when traveling to Tuscany

10. More tips for traveling to Tuscany

Other of the best tips for traveling to Tuscany They are:

If you rent a car at any Italian office, pay special attention to what you sign, both at the time of collection and at the time of return. This is not always the case, nor can we generalize, but they tried to sneak in extra insurance that we had already rejected several times.
Most of the car parks in La Toscana are blue zone and are not too expensive, so looking for free parking and wasting too much time is not worth it. The cutlery also does not have excessive prices, being in many cases 10 euros a night.
As we always say, it is important to bring GPS online or offline, especially if you are going to drive to be able to orient yourself.
Although in Italy the currency is the euro, we recommend using the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find much more information on this topic in the post The best cards to travel without commissions.
Although it is more advisable to tour Tuscany with a rental car, we recommend using the train if you are going to move around the main cities, since it is a very comfortable and fast option.
In Italy the voltage is 230V, the frequency 50Hz and the plugs are of the type F / L.

Do you want to organize a trip to Tuscany for free?
Get it here:
The best offers of Flights to Tuscany here
The best hotels at the best prices in Tuscany here
Book the best tours and excursions in / from Florence in Spanish here
Book your transfer Airport⇆Florencia here
Rent your car in Italy at the best price here
10 essential places to visit in Tuscany
10 essential places to see in San Gimignano
How to get from Florence to San Gimignano
10 essential places to see in Siena
10 essential places to see in Pisa
10 essential tips for traveling to Italy
10 amazing places to see in Italy
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
Get € 35 for your reservation with AirBnb here