Siena Day Trip from Florence: Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa in One Day

Stop by Stop

You meet at Villa Costanza tram and bus terminal, or at Via dell'Oriuolo if you booked the small-group option. The coach leaves for Siena, where you get 1 hour of free time around the Piazza del Campo, the square that hosts the Palio horse race, with the exterior of Siena Cathedral on Piazza del Duomo. On the Traditional and Full Options versions a local guide walks the group through the city in English, and the Full Options version includes the Cathedral entrance with that guide.

Next comes the Chianti winery, where the lunch options sit down for 85 minutes of Tuscan dishes and local wines. San Gimignano follows with 75 minutes of free time among the medieval towers of the UNESCO World Heritage town. Pisa is the last stop, and the listing gives it 1.5 hours: free time on the Piazza dei Miracoli to see the Baptistery, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the Leaning Tower from the square, then the coach back to Florence. The operator notes the itinerary can change but all scheduled stops are visited, and opening times may change during special events.

How the Options Differ

The listing sells four versions. The Low Cost Tour is transportation and nothing else, so bring lunch money and explore Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa on your own. The Basic Tour adds a GT coach, a multilingual tour leader, the Tuscan lunch, the Chianti wine tasting and self-guided time in Pisa and San Gimignano. The Traditional Tour keeps all of that and adds a guided tour of Siena with a local guide in English. The Full Options Tour adds the entrance ticket to Siena Cathedral with an authorized guide in English. The guided Siena visit is available only in English on every version, and wine tastings take place in English with your tour leader translating when needed.

Two things are never in the price on any option: hotel pickup and tips, and a child seat costs extra if you request one in advance. The Leaning Tower climb is not offered on this trip. If the tower matters to you, the Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa with Lunch day by Walkabout sells a With Leaning Tower Tickets option, and Pisa First, then San Gimignano and Siena by Sightseeing Experience has tower tickets as an add-on with 40 minutes in the tower.

Check the Limits Before You Book

The Leaning Tower climb is not part of any option here, so if standing on top of the tower is the point of your day, book Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa with Lunch by Walkabout, which sells a With Leaning Tower Tickets option, or Pisa First, then San Gimignano and Siena, which puts Pisa at the start of the day.

The trip is not suitable for wheelchair users or people with mobility impairments, and the listing warns of a moderate amount of walking and stairs, in Siena and San Gimignano. Villa Costanza is also outside the historic center, which travelers mention as a drawback. If you want to start closer to your hotel, look at the private options such as the Private Pisa and Lucca Day Trip with hotel pickup.

The 1 hour in Siena, 85 minute lunch and 75 minutes in San Gimignano add up to a fast day, and some travelers on the listing found the stops rushed. If you want Siena at a slower pace, go on your own by train or bus and save Pisa for another day, using the Florence to Pisa tours guides to plan it. Dress matters too: Siena Cathedral is a place of worship, so dress appropriately. And this is a 12 to 12.5 hour coach day. If a full day in a coach seat sounds too much, the Half-Day Pisa Tour by Coach does Pisa alone in 6 hours.

The Tower, the Cathedral and the Square

The Leaning Tower ticket costs €20 with no reduced rate, and it is a timed ticket: you pick a slot when you buy, the ticket is valid only on that date and time, and late arrivals are refused without a refund. Arrive 15 minutes before your time. Children who have not turned 8 by the end of the year cannot climb, visitors under 18 must be with an adult and may be asked for ID, and the climb is 251 steps on an uneven and slippery floor for a visit of about 30 minutes. If a slot is sold out online, try a later time or the on-site ticket offices, and you can change the time, not the date, up to 2 hours before.

Bags go through a rule of their own. Hand bags and backpacks must be left in the free cloakroom before the climb, though small bags up to 20x30x38 cm are accepted. The Cathedral itself is free with any monument ticket, children under 11 enter free with an adult, and shoulders and knees must be covered because it is a place of worship. The square holds four monuments in total: the Cathedral, the Baptistery begun in 1152, the Camposanto begun in 1277, and the tower, whose foundations were laid in 1173. The whole Piazza del Duomo joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.

Hours shift with the season. From 13 Nov to 20 Dec the tower, Baptistery, Camposanto and museums open 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and the Cathedral 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, while from 17 June to 31 August the Camposanto and the tower stay open until 10:00 pm. Cathedral and Baptistery hours can change on Sundays and religious holidays. With 1.5 hours in Pisa on this tour, use the free time to walk the square and take the photo. Wear comfortable shoes for the grassy edges of the square, bring water in summer because the Piazza has little shade, and carry a layer for the coach.