Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano, Chianti & Monteriggioni Small-Group Tuscany Day Trip

A day trip starting above Florence, overlooking the beautiful city in a small group and a comfortable coach. The towns visited along the way were beautiful; Siena, San Gimingano were very picturesque and full of lovely shops and architecture. The wine tour included with the trip was wonderful, with a good lunch and a fantastic selection of local wines, that were readily available for purchase and shipping. The vineyard hosts were very knowledgeable and fun to listen to on the tour and happily shared their expertise. *WARNING However, skip the offer of the second wine tasting. The wines were delicious and the place was beautiful, but after the first, nobody was hungry or wanting to go through a whole second sampling of wines. And the worst part was there was a SURPRISE undisclosed additional charge of $25 per person, for truly, nothing. And because of the time spent there, we missed out on valuable time at the tower of Pisa. We just barely made it to the tower to snap a few pics before we had to leave. I would've liked to see the church and other attractions at Pisa, but we had no time.

Points of interest were good but driver did not speak. No guide information at all. I would at least expect some highlights.

Ducci you was a great guy. It was a great day with very interesting spots,the meal at the winery was wonderful. He went out of his way to help us.

This was a fantastic experience; if you are staying in Firenze and have a spare day to see some of the Tuscan countryside and all it has to offer, then do not hesitate! You will have a very enjoyable, convenient, varied and full 12 hours to see a sampling of Tuscany that will leave you feeling more than satisfied. Firstly, if you are familiar with travelling in Italy, you will know that although they have a good public transportation system, unless you have a rental car getting 'out and about' outside of the major cities can be a confusing and (worst of all) time-consuming pain.Secondly - this is NOT a fully-guided tour; our driver Simone was very friendly, spoke perfect English and certainly provided us local history, information and tips before we arrived at each destination - however after you arrive at each of your stops, you are left to your own devices to explore outside of the (lunch) food and wine tasting which is fully supervised.Here is what to expect: if your hotel is located in downtown Firenze, you will be picked up at 8.00am - otherwise you will meet at a central location downtown and then the trip officially begins at 8.30am. First stop is Monteriggioni, an old fort town with some spectacular views and you get 30-45 minutes to wander around (more than enough). Next is Siena, a beautiful old town with a gorgeous cathedral at it's center - you have a full two hours to wander and see the sights, beware the time goes quickly! Next it's off to lunch in San Gimignano, starting with a tour of the vineyard and cellars followed by four (delicious) courses and four (equally delicious) wine pairings... by this time you will have worked up a hearty appetite! Last stop is Pisa to see the leaning Tower, with about an hour to wander around (again, plenty of time). Then you are taken back to your hotel in time for dinner, around 8-8.30pm. This was a fantastic way to spend a Saturday and trust me - worth every penny, no way you would be able to do this by yourself in such an efficient and enjoyable manner. We had a total of 5 people in our minivan (a new Mercedes, air-conditioned and very comfortable) and we all had an absolute BLAST! Do yourselves a favor, book this trip - and don't forget to ask for Simone if at all possible! Also, please remember to tip your Driver (suggest at least 20 Euros / person) - Simone went above and beyond for us and I am sure you will be very well taken care of!

Small group made for a very personalized experience. I had my children with me and they were wonderfully accommodated. It was great.

Excellent tour. Great taste of Tuscany. The small group is perfect and the minivan can go places the big buses can't. We took our children 6 and 8 and they enjoyed it too. We asked for plain pasta at lunch and everyone was happy to adapt the meal to the kids. A little more information from the driver about the stops would be the only extra we would have liked. Overall, I would recommend this trip.

Amazing tour, was worried that each site would be rushed but only Sienna was too much. Just enter the basilica as the museum will take too much time. Our guides name escapes me but he was incredible, very knowledgeable about the places and history of area and visited sites

One of the most amazing tours that I had ever went. Highly recommended. The driver was very professional and nice. He ensured that we had the best experience instead of rushing us. The lunch was local and traditional. I miss all the places so much. We had a small tour with another couple so it felt like a private tour. Pisa tower has a long queue but the driver can help you to time it so you go at the end of the day. Also try to go on a weekday instead of a weekend. If not, you might have enough time to go up to Pisa tower.

The winery visit was fantastic and the towns we stopped at were very interesting. Unfortunately we had a driver and not a guide. We were all left on our own to figure out what to do in each town. For a couple of bucks, the tour could provide maps of the towns and a skip he line ticket for the Duomo

Honestly a highlight of our Italy trip. Don't quite understand some of the negative reviews. Sergio, our driver, was very friendly, talkative and gave nice background for all stops. Each stop was perfect time. We were group of 4 with a 5 and 7 year old. Nice large lunch and wine. Recommend!