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All About Tuscany Tour
The world is crazy about Tuscany! During the past decade, this beautiful region, close to Florence, has become one of Europe’s top vacation destinations…and it’s easy to understand why. Visitors can combine the culture of Florence with a visit to a breathtaking countryside where they can visit wineries, take cooking classes, go cycling on the area’s gentle slopes, and enjoy the laid-back country life associated with this area. And, happily, exploring the area can be accomplished in a week or less, making it the ideal trip for those with time constraints.
This trip begins in Florence, which will be your base for exploring this magnificent area. The first few days of the excursion includes plenty of time in the city where the Renaissance began. Enjoy a guided full-day private tour that may include such sights as the world-renowned Uffizi Gallery and Accademia Museum, the Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore), the Pitti Palace, the Ponte Vecchio, and Santa Croce. Conclude your stay with free time to explore the city. Dine at some of Italy’s best restaurants and go shopping at the street markets, including the Mercato Centrale or San Lorenzo. If luxury shopping is your aim, there’s plenty of that as well. Head to the “Golden Triangle” – the intersection of Via Tornabuoni, Via della Vigna Nuova and Via Strozzi – for some of the best upscale shopping in the city.
Next, head west towards the towns of Lucca and Pisa. Pisa, of course, is well known for its famous leaning tower, a must-see for anyone visiting the area. But it’s also home to many other notable sights including a number of lovely churches, a royal palace, and several small but excellent museums. On the way back to Florence, you’ll also visit Lucca, famous for its Renaissance-era city walls. Explore the lovely Duomo di San Martino, the ancient Roman amphitheatre, the Ducal Palace, and the Romanesque Church of San Giusto. Enjoy lunch at a local café.
Finally, enjoy excursions to additional Tuscan towns including charming San Gimignano, a small walled medieval hilltown where you can participate in a fun Tuscan cooking class. Also visit Siena, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its medieval cityscape as well as its museums, culinary scene, and twice-yearly Palio medieval horse race; Montalcino, where you can taste marvelous home-grown wines; and Montepulciano, also known for its wonderful wines as well as its local cheese, honey, pork, and lentils.
Tour Overview
6 days featuring Florence, Lucca, Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano, Montalcino and Montepulciano
- Day 1 = Arrive in Florence
- Day 2 = Private full-day guided tour of Florence
- Day 3 = Leisure time in Florence
- Day 4 = Side trip to Lucca and Pisa, evening in Florence
- Day 5 = Side trip to San Gimignano (optional cooking class) Siena, Montalcino, and Montepulciano
- Day 6 = Depart for home
What We Offer
The Complete Package
Travel Insurance
Destination Europe has adopted the policy of always recommending travel insurance to protect your travel investment. Given recent world events, unexpected and unforeseen occurrences, we highly recommend travel insurance to all of our clients. Our insurance provider is Travelex.
Plan My TripAirfare
We can offer round trip international airfare from any city in the United States. Please note that we can only offer published fares and do not have the capabilities to hold specific fares or flights for longer than five days. Also, we do not offer airfare as a single item - it must be included with a travel package.
Plan My TripRail Travel & Passes
Interested in including rail travel in your journey, we offer a wide range of rail passes, transportation cards, night train reservations, premier seat reservations, point-to-point tickets and more. Please contact us at info@destinationeuropeonline.com or fill our Travel Request form and provide the necessary information.
Plan My TripHotels
We work with a large range of hotels and properties all over Europe. Ranging from budget friendly hotels, to first class luxury hotels. We also work with select B&Bs and Inns, rentals, Villas, Castles, and unique style properties (think glamping, tents, ice hotel, etc). With our Virtuoso connections, additional amenities at select hotels are included.
Plan My TripExperiences
The experiences and activities that we build are endless. From private drivers and private guides, to small group experiences. City tours, day trips, boat charters, hot air balloons, food and wine, culinary experiences, hiking & biking, history tours, photography tours, garden and estate tours, and special occasions are just some of what we can offer.
Plan My TripRiver Cruises
Europe offers an array of River Cruise options from the Douro River in Portugal, to Normandy and the South of France along the Seine and Rhone Rivers, to Rhine and Danube Rivers meandering through the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania. We can help you navigate all options best suited for you or group.
Plan My TripWhat our customers say
We wanted to drop you a note to thank you for all your help with our recent vacation to Italy. It was simply a phenomenal trip! You put together a package which was exactly what we asked for ? organized activities coupled with ample free time to explore on our own, and smaller quaint (yet elegant) accommodations.
Anne & Tim
Rochester NH
Our trip to Paris and Provence was even better than we had imagined. Once again we gave you short notice, but you came through for us with flying colors. Everything, transportation, hotel accommodations, day tours were excellent. This was our second trip with you planning all of the details, truly amazing!