BestOfTuscany.info - vacation rentals by owner in Tuscany
Many tourists come to Tuscany by plane or train and still enjoy their vacation without having to rent a car. But in some cases having a car is necessary.
All the main Tuscan cities are connected by railroads, the train service is managed by Trenitalia. So if you are settled in a city you will not have problems to move and visit other towns.
Things could change if you decide to stay in a farmhouse or villa in a village not connected to the railway system. Having a car will semplify your trips and give you more freedom, but don't give up, you can still explore Tuscany if you don't have a car. Even if some villages are not reached by railroads, they always have a public coach service that connects them to nearby villages and main cities on the same province.
Some places are not well connected by railroad, for example to reach Siena from Florence you have to pass from Empoli, and the senese railway station is down the hill so you will have to walk about 26 minutes or take a Siena Mobilità bus to reach the centre of the town. In that case, it is simpler and faster to get a coach by SITA that will take you straight at the entrance of Siena's centre in one hour and fifteen minutes (take the "Siena rapida" line, not the one that pass by Poggibonsi).
Coming with, or renting, a car is necessary if you plan to move often and quickly to visit many villages, so you are not conditioned by timetable of the means of transport. A car is not advised for reaching major cities (expecially Florence), where vehicular traffic can be a nightmare and finding a car park it is not easy and quite expensive. In the majority of the situations the best and cheaper way to reach Florence is train or bus.
If you are based in a little village or an isolated villa in the countryside, there is the possibility to rent a car or minibus with driver, you could find it affordable expecially if you are a group of 4 people or more. Contact the local Pro Loco office ("pro loco": that's latin, it means a tourist information service managed by the local municipality), they should have a list of the operators.
You could also use train to reach Tuscan cities, the regional rail system is quite efficient and tickets are reasonably priced. Remember to validate tickets before boarding or you'll be fined.
More information about moving by train in Tuscany.
Tuscan towns and villages are connected by many public bus lines. In the Florentine Chianti operates the consortium Autolinee Chianti Valdarno, in Senese Chianti operates Siena Mobilità, the Grosseto area is served by Rama (also look at Rama timetables), for Lucca, Massa and the lucchese coast refer to VaiBus.
All the main Tuscan cities are connected by coach routes to Florence.
Large groups of people can hire a coach or minibus from those companies: