How to have fun in Tuscany? What activities are worth travelling to this diverse Italian region for?
Sights and history
All of Italy boasts some of the densest concentrations of monuments in the world, and Tuscany is certainly no exception. On the contrary.
World-class historical monuments can be found in every major Tuscan city.
Great cities
In Tuscany, you'll visit at least 4 major world-famous cities packed with sights to keep you entertained for days. We have separate guides for each city.
Small cities for day trips
In addition to the big cities, you'll find interesting sights in dozens of smaller towns that are perfect for day trips or short 1-night stays. We select only the most famous ones, which we describe in the details of the places.
Sights outside the city
However, Tuscany is also full of individual monuments completely outside the cities. These sights in the middle of nature should not be missed.
Discover the medieval villages
Be transported back in time several centuries in the many picturesque villages that can be found literally all over Tuscany.
Villages were historically built on hills and knolls to make them easier to defend, which is why the view from afar is as breathtaking as walking through the narrow streets of their centres.
Check out our picks for the most beautiful villages in Tuscany:
Wine tourism
Tuscany is one of the world's most famous wine growing locations. The undulating landscape and the favourable warm weather with plenty of moisture create ideal conditions for the best wine varieties.
Don't just enjoy the idyllic landscape, visit the best wineries too.
Top 10 Tuscan wineries
Where to go for wine cellar tours and tastings?
Antinori Chianti Classico
One of the oldest wineries, operating since 1385, will guide you through the historic vineyards, but especially through its modern and very spacious cellars.
- Tours from 45 eur
- Official website: antinori.it/en
- 24 km south of Florence
Castello di Ama
This legendary winery in the heart of the Chianti region shows visitors its historic buildings and vineyards dating back to the 12th century, as well as more recent buildings with frequent exhibitions of contemporary art.
- Tours from 90 eur
- Official website: castellodiama.com
- 23 km north of Siena, 55 km south of Florence
Prima Pietra
Remote and very quiet vineyards far from the main tourist destinations transport you to the idyllic setting of the rolling countryside of the Tuscan countryside, which lives its own slow life.
- Tours from 55 eur
- Official website: tenutaprimapietra.com
- 71 km south of Pisa, 90 km west of Siena
Petra Agricola
The winery, linked to the farm and the interestingly architecturally designed main building, lies in a beautiful landscape of wide fields and vineyards just below the wooded hills.
- Tours from 35 eur
- Official website: petrawine.it
- 109 km south of Pisa, 25 km east of the port of Piombino
Poggio Antico
One of the most beautiful wineries is situated in a very remote yet picturesque area on top of the Poggio hill, offering beautiful and calming views of the vineyards of the Montalcino region.
- Tours from 40 eur
- Official website: poggioantico.com
- 106 km west of Perugia, 118 km south of Florence and 47 km south of Siena
Capezzana
A small old winery with the opportunity to visit the historic cellars and taste great wine, this is one of the most accessible and has the cheapest tours.
- Tours from 25 eur
- Official website: capezzana.it
- 26 km west of Florence, 86 km east of Pisa
Badia di Coltibuono
A beautiful winery housed in a former monastery surrounded by deep forests with small and very photogenic vineyards.
- Tours from 27 eur
- Official website: coltibuono.com
- 62 km south of Florence
Rocca di Frassinello
Definitely the most architecturally interesting winery with a huge cellar designed by the architect Renzo Piano, located in the southern part of Tuscany.
- Tours from 35 eur
- Official website: castellare.it
- 77 km south of Siena
Salcheto
A small family-run winery with a great atmosphere and tour ratings located in the southernmost parts of Tuscany and in the beautiful countryside near the town of Montepulciano.
- Tours from 25 eur
- Official website: salcheto.it
- 70 km south of Siena
Castello Verrazzano
Housed in a former castle on the steep slopes of rolling and partly wooded hills, this winery is the perfect place for a half-day trip from Florence.
- Tours from 32 eur
- Official website: verrazzano.com
- 29 km south of Florence
Map of the best wineries
Beaches and swimming
Endless sandy beaches line the entire Tuscan coastline and are ideal for summer holidays.
In Tuscany you'll find huge resorts with dozens of kilometres of flat beaches occupied by private pay sectors (called lida), but also smaller beaches on the photogenic rugged coastline.
Large resorts
Where to head for lively resorts and full-service beaches?
- Viareggio and Pietrasanta - the two neighbouring resorts are the largest in the whole of Tuscany and are not far from Pisa
- Grosseto - long urban beaches, but they turn into a natural beach bordered by forests around the edges
- Tirrenia - the nearest resort to Pisa
Small rugged beaches
Tuscany's coastline is generally rather flat, but there are also very rugged stretches with small, photogenic beaches.
This is particularly true of the Monte Argentario peninsula and the island of Elba, which is also part of Tuscany.
In the footsteps of the Etruscan civilization
The area of present-day Tuscany was the centre of the Etruscans, an ancient ethnic group with a very distinctive culture.
The Etruscan civilisation lasted from the 8th century BC and reached its peak in the 4th century BC. Gradually the Etruscans merged with the expanding Roman Empire.
Archaeological sites of Etruscan cities can still be found in several places today, the most important of which are:
- Populonia on the so-called Etruscan coast between Piombino and Livorno
- Roselle near Grosseto
- Volterra in central Tuscany
Spa and thermal springs
Almost a quarter of all thermal springs in Italy spring up in the Tuscany region.
Where can you find natural spas that are completely free and where can you find large spa towns with luxury hotels?
We will gradually expand the list of spa locations in Tuscany as we visit more places during our travels.
The big spa towns
Among the largest spa complexes not only in Tuscany, but in the whole of Italy, is the town of Montecatini Terme.
Here you will find several luxury spa hotels, beautifully landscaped colonnades and a large number of terminal springs.
Book a hotel in Montecatini Terme
Natural spa
Take a dip in a thermal spring spring springing up in the open countryside and enjoy spectacular views of the beautiful undulating landscape while doing so?
Yes, in Tuscany you are right.
The most famous thermal springs, accessible 24/7 for free, are near the town of Saturnia in the southern part of Tuscany.
Hiking
You'll be hard pressed to find a more diverse landscape in Italy than Tuscany.
Gentle hills and rolling countryside full of vineyards and meadows are interspersed with fertile lowlands along rivers and several high mountain ranges with mountains reaching heights of around 2,000 metres.
And it is especially in the mountain ranges in Tuscany that hundreds of kilometres of well-marked hiking trails cross.
We are gradually preparing detailed guides to all the Tuscan mountains.
Hiking trail maps
Personally, we most often use the website or the downloadable offline map app from mapy.cz.
This site does a great job of showing all the marked hiking trails in Italy and the reliability of these maps is very high.
