Tuscany Holidays - Compare Prices & Departure Dates

Tuscany (or Toscana in Italian) sits proudly along the Tyrrhenian Sea along the west coast of Italy and encompasses 10 different Provinces. The region is justifiably renowned for being one of the most beautiful areas of Italy with must-see towns such as the capital Florence (Firenze to those native tongues!), Arezzo, Lucca, Fiesole, Pisa and Siena. There’s also a collection of five Tuscan Islands off the mainland to explore.

The first thing many visitors note is the remarkable light that Tuscany bathes in, making the sights of ancient towns and beautiful countryside simpy stunning. Don’t just take our word for it though, the main proponents of the Italian Renaissance movement, from de Vinci to Michelangelo, fell in love with region, thus creating a wealth of artistic heritage.

Indeed, you can’t visit Tuscany without eagerly taking in all the magnificent art museums, galleries, cathedrals and piazzas in every town. Outside of the towns, Tuscan life happens at an altogether slower pace, with hilltop villages and vineyards to explore and wonderful wine and food to taste.

All in all, a fabulous european destination that’s close enough for a weekend break, but has plenty to you keep you entertained for several return visits. The official language in Tuscany is Italian, but millions speak the dialect ‘Lingua Toscana’ and the currency is the Euro. Tuscany is one hour ahead of the UK and UK nationals do not need a visa to visit Tuscany.

The Tuscany area is easy to get to from all over Italy, so you have lots of transport choices from the UK. Many airlines fly in to Milan and Rome airports, which are both about a three hour drive from Florence and Pisa, or go by train as there are good Eurostar Italia fast train connections from the main Italian cities.

However, if you want to fly directly in to Tuscany, the likes of British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2 all fly from various regional UK airports to Pisa International Airport Galileo Galilei (IATA code PSA). The airport is just one kilometre north of the city and offers excellent public transport links into the centre, with a train station at the airport. There are also regular buses from the airport to the centre, as well as taxis and car rental options.

There is also Florence Airport Amerigo Vespucci (IATA code FLR), which is four kilometres outside Florence, but at the time of writing only Italian low cost airline Meridiana flies direct from Florence to the UK. Transport links into the city from the airport aren’t quite as plentiful as at Pisa airport, but there are regular buses, all the usual car hire agencies and taxis. The journey will take around 15 to 30 minutes.

Whether you fly to Pisa, Florence, Milan or Rome airports, the flight time from the London areas will be around two hours, whilst from the Midlands and the North it will be around two and a half hours.

If you’re arriving independently for a weekend break staying in one town, it might be better to take public transport as the main tourist areas such as Florence are easily explored on foot. If you are staying longer and planning on getting out into the Tuscan countryside, hiring a car is definitely a good move.

If you want to make sure you waste no time and see all the sights, booking an escorted tour type holiday might be the answer, in which case your flights and in resort transfers may all be included in the price of the holiday.

Art, music, literature and food – four things that define the Tuscany region of Italy, the true birthplace of the Italian Renaissance movement. In fact, the history of the area goes back a lot further than that with Etruscan, Roman and Medieval influences abound.

Exploring is what a Tuscan holiday is all about and many people find themselves based in and around the heart and capital of the Tuscan region, Florence. Florence is indeed one of the ‘art cities’ along with Siena, Lucca and Pisa, so you will definitely want to spend time there. Florence and Siena, along with the Cathedral square area in Pisa, the centres of San Gimignano, Pienza and the Val d’Orcia are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

In terms of art galleries and museums there are lots to see. ‘Must sees’ include the Galleria dell Accademia (home the Michelangelo’s ‘David’ sculpture), the Uffizi gallery (which includes Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’), the Pitti Palace and Bargello. The cathedrals all over Tuscany draw crowds of visitors, not least for the impressive frescos. Highlights include Florence cathedral with its distinctive terracotta dome which dominates the skyline and the black and white marble cathedral in Siena.

Being Italy, the many piazzas, or town squares, are the hub of city life, so make sure you take time to eat some ice cream and sip a coffee in the piazza della Signoria, or admire that infamous leaning tower in Pisa from the piazza dei miracoli.

For a pleasant wander head to the Ponte Vecchio area or along the banks of the River Arno. Don’t miss the famous 13 towers encircling Siena and delight at the streets in hilltop San Grimignano, unchanged since Medieval times.

Tuscany is also famed for Chianti wine which you’ll be able to taste at any of the cafe bars and restaurants in the main towns of Florence, Pisa, Siena and so on, but nothing beats actually heading out into the Tuscany hills to visit the vineyards and see just where these amazing wines come from.

Once you leave the hustle and bustle of the major towns and cities behind, you will love the peaceful haven of the countryside. Explore hilltop villages, pass by castles, villas and stop to visit family-run vineyards for a wine tasting. There is plenty to see in the countryside of Tuscany with 120 nature reserves and the National Park Foresta Casentinesi is definitely worth visiting.

If you head north to the Apuan Alps, make sure to visit Carrara, where marble has been quarried since Roman times and which was much used by the Renaissance artists too. A fascinating day trip.

With so much to see inland, many visitors don’t even realise how beautiful the Tuscan coastline is. Versilia and Viareggio are the most famous, with long, sandy beaches whilst other areas are great for diving, water sports or just strolling along and chilling out watching the sunset.

Florence is the consistently in the top 50 of the most visited destinations in the world, so there is always a high demand for accommodation in the Tuscan capital. Prices can be quite high during peak visiting seasons, but if you can visit midweek rather than over the weekend for example, you may be able to find good quality, sensibly priced mid-range accommodation.

Choosing to stay in other towns can be an option, especially if you have more time, with all sorts of accommodation from small family-run hotels to the large International chains.

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle, many visitors choose to rent accommodation in the Tuscan countryside, meaning you can have the best of the both worlds. In recent years Tuscany has seen a growth in the number of properties for rental and it’s possible to find anything from converted barns to grand palazzos and villas with their own pools.

Tuscany is known for leather goods, crystal, terracotta, marble and lace products and you’ll find shops selling these sort of things all over the area.

A little less well known is the fact that many big name Italian brands have factory outlets in Tuscany, so you might be able to pick up goodies from the likes of Gucci, Prada and Armani half price!

Of course, being Italy, you know the food and wine is going to be a sheer delight. Tuscany flaunts its gourmet prowess with fine Chianti wines and a countryside bursting at the seems with olive groves.

Dragging yourself away from the ‘art cities’ to spend time in the countryside is well rewarded with vineyard tours, wine tasting and traditional Tuscan food.

Labelled by media types as ‘slow food’ the emphasis in Tuscany is very much on simplicity with breads, vegetables, cheeses and fruit all locally grown being used in local recipes, as well as high quality olive oil.

The Chiana valley has a reputation for its excellent beef, used in Florentine steak which features on menus everywhere. Another particularity of Tuscany is the white truffle which is used in many dishes and can be found during October/November.

Typical Tuscan food you might try includes : ‘crema di porri’ (leak soup), ‘ribollita’ (vegetable and bread soup), ‘panzanella’ (bread soup), ‘salva fritta’ (fried sage leaves) and ‘valigette’ (beef rolls).

The weather in Tuscany is usually mild, but there are differences between the coastal, valley and inland hilly areas. The coast enjoys dry sunny summers, whereas in the hills it can be rainy. In winter, the temperatures can get really quite cold in the hills too.

The main tourist season in Tuscany is during the summer school holidays of July and August, but the summer season runs from mid-April to the end of September. If you want to miss the busiest (and most expensive) time, head to Tuscany in April to June, or September/October time.

• Culture vultures and art fans
• Food and wine fans
• Anyone who loves to explore
• Anyone looking for a culture and food-packed short break

• Those wanting to just laze on the beach
• Anyone who isn’t bothered about discovering art and history

Choose Tuscany – a site with comprehensive info on Tuscany
Tuscany Tourism – the official Tuscany tourist office website

On the west coast of Italy, the region of Tuscany boasts the perfect holiday recipe. Made up of historic towns, picturesque countryside and stunning beaches, with fine wines, tasty food, sumptuous art and steeped in culture it’s a great region to explore.