Tuscany runs from the Medici palaces of Florence to the sandy beaches and pine forests of the Maremma Park. Start with the frescoed halls of Siena’s Palazzo Pubblico, then give a day to San Gimignano, a UNESCO World Heritage town since 1990. Palazzo Pitti in Florence, with its five museums, makes a good third stop, and the coastal parks are there for a day outdoors.
At a glance
- Top sights to see first: Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, San Gimignano, Palazzo Pitti in Florence
- Main access: Siena bus station, Piazza Gramsci, a short walk from the Museo Civico
- Suggested length of visit: 3 days for a 165-mile (265 km) itinerary
- Best time of day: early morning for the Maremma walk to San Rabano (5 hours)
- Warmest months: July and August, with Florence highs of 90°F (32°C)
What are the best things to do in Tuscany?
The Palazzo Pubblico and Museo Civico in Siena
The Allegory of Good and Bad Government is in the Palazzo Pubblico. Ambrogio Lorenzetti painted it between 1338 and 1339, and it has questioned those who govern for almost seven centuries. Visitors can also see the Hall of Nine.
The Museo Civico ticket costs €10, or €11 with a reservation. The Torre del Mangia ticket costs €10 and can’t be reserved, so buy it at the Palazzo Pubblico ticket office on the day. The museum sits inside the restricted traffic zone and can’t be reached directly by car. The railway station is about 1 mile (2 km) away, and the bus station is in Piazza Gramsci. A free audioguide app is available in English and four other languages.
San Gimignano
San Gimignano has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1990. Its Civic Museums are three: the Town Hall with the Picture Gallery and Great Tower, the Church of San Lorenzo in Ponte, and the Complesso Museale di Santa Chiara.
The combined ticket for all the Civic Museums costs €10, or €8 reduced, and is valid three consecutive days. The San Gimignano Pass costs €15, or €12 for children from 6 to 17, plus a €1 presale fee, and is also valid three days. It can’t be purchased from January 11 to February 28, 2027. The Duomo is €5 on its own, or €7 with the Museum of Sacred Art. With three days of validity, there’s no need to rush the museums in one afternoon.
Palazzo Pitti
Palazzo Pitti houses five museums. The Habsburg-Lorraine lived there from 1737, and the Savoy from 1865. The Boboli Gardens are among the 12 Medici villas declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
A single ticket costs €16 on the day and €19 in advance. The Pitti and Boboli ticket costs €22 on the day and €25 in advance.
The Bacci Chapel in Arezzo
Piero della Francesca finished its frescoes in 1466. The church itself was rebuilt between 1318 and 1377.
Visitors enter in small groups of 25 people every 30 minutes. The ticket costs €6, or €3 reduced, plus a compulsory €2 booking fee. A cumulative ticket with other museums costs €10 and is valid 2 days.
Villa medicea della Petraia
The villa stands on the slopes of Monte Morello with a view of Florence, and has flowering terraces. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2013.
The full ticket costs €8, or €2 reduced, and the guided tour is included. A cumulative ticket for Petraia and the Castello gardens costs €10 and lasts 12 months. The ticket for all four Medici villas costs €16, also valid 12 months.
Lucca
Lucca’s main attractions include the Walls, the Cathedral of San Martino, Piazza Anfiteatro, Piazza San Michele, the Guinigi Tower, the Torre delle Ore and the Botanical Garden. In summer you can cycle through the hills and countryside around the city.
The Lucca Visit Card is a cumulative ticket for the city’s main cultural sites. One card covers Palazzo Mansi, Villa Guinigi, the Puccini birthplace museum, the Guinigi Tower and the Torre delle Ore, among others. You can buy it at participating museums, at the tourist information offices or online.
The Val d’Orcia
The Val d’Orcia is a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of ancient fortresses, historic roads, spas and volcanoes. Its tourist area comprises five municipalities: Castiglione d’Orcia, Montalcino, Pienza, Radicofani and San Quirico d’Orcia.
Routes of varying difficulty for walking and cycling connect villages, monuments and nature reserves. They’re all in the official Val d’Orcia Outdoor app. The Eroica route runs 125 miles (200 km) of gravel roads through the Chianti hills, the Val d’Orcia and the Crete Senesi.
When is the best time to visit Tuscany for sightseeing?
Florence runs from highs of 52°F (11°C) in January to 90°F (32°C) in July and August, and July is the driest of the year at under an inch of rain. May brings highs near 76°F (24°C) and flower festivals in the villages. October and November bring the most rain, with 10 rainy days in an average November.
Beaches and outdoor things to do in Tuscany
The Maremma Park overlooks the sea and is surrounded by sandy beaches, cliffs, marshes and pine forests. You can explore it on foot, by bike or on horseback. Fetovaia Beach is on the island of Elba, one of the seven islands of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park.
The Maremma walking route to San Rabano takes 5 hours and covers 6 miles (9.6 km), so start in the morning and carry water. In the coastal parks you can also trek, canoe and snorkel in the protected seabeds. Inland, the Via degli Dei for Beginners takes two days and covers 17 miles (27 km), and the Via dei Corbezzoli in Cennina takes 4 hours and a half over 8 miles (13 km).
The Tuscan Naturalistic Itinerary links regional nature reserves in four routes: hills, coasts, Apennines and rivers.
Day trips from Tuscany
The 3-day itinerary covers 165 miles (265 km). Another takes 6 days and 224 miles (360 km) through the Val di Chiana and the Maremma. The Maremma walk to San Rabano is the one that fits a single day.
- Val di Chiana and Maremma: 6 days · 224 miles (360 km) · for a longer trip
- San Rabano walk: 5 hours · 6 miles (9.6 km) on foot · for a day in the Maremma Park
Things to do in Tuscany at night
50 Giorni di Cinema in Florence runs until December 10. The Mugello truffle market takes place November 21 and 22 in the historic center of Borgo San Lorenzo, and the Festival of Olio Nuovo in San Leolino on November 29 celebrates new olive oil with tastings. The Valdambra events program in Bucine runs until November 30.
Things to do in Tuscany with kids
Elba has a Butterfly Sanctuary. Pinocchio Park is in Collodi.
The San Gimignano Pass costs €12 for children from 6 to 17.
Sources
- ncei.noaa.gov (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/wmo-climate-normals), checked 2026-10-30
- visittuscany.com (https://www.visittuscany.com//en/ideas/top-things-to-do-in-tuscany-in-spring/), checked 2026-10-30
- museocivico.comune.siena.it (https://museocivico.comune.siena.it/organizza-la-tua-visita), checked 2026-10-30
- visittuscany.com (https://www.visittuscany.com/en/ideas/sea-and-wilderness-nature-parks-along-the-tuscan-coast/), checked 2026-10-30
- open-meteo.com (https://open-meteo.com/en/docs/historical-weather-api), checked 2026-10-30
- cultura.gov.it (https://cultura.gov.it/luogo/villa-medicea-della-petraia?page=4), checked 2026-10-30
- uffizi.it (https://www.uffizi.it/palazzo-pitti?lan=spanish), checked 2026-10-30
- www301.regione.toscana.it (http://www301.regione.toscana.it/bancadati/sistemacultura/SchedaMuseoRwd.xml?IDMUSEO=8127), checked 2026-10-30