It also works as a hub. Trains reach Pisa, Lucca and Bologna in under an hour, Siena is about 75 minutes by bus, and Florence sits neatly between Rome and the north on any rail trip through Italy.
Book the big sights ahead
Reserve timed entry for the Uffizi, the Accademia and the Duomo dome climb, turning up without a slot means long queues, especially May to September.
Three ways we’d do it
Rail journey · 7–10 days
Tuscany Without a Car
Florence, Lucca, Pisa and Siena, all reachable by train and bus.
Florence → Tuscany
Road trip · 7–12 days
Tuscan Food & Wine
Florence to the vineyards of Chianti and the Val d’Orcia.
Florence → Tuscany
Rail journey · 12–16 days
Italy Without Flying
Milan → Florence → Rome → Naples, all by fast train.
Milan → Florence → Rome → Naples