Call to book01904 734 939
Tour Search
#Favourites

Wonders of Tuscany

Save
9 days From £1,449 £1,299 per person
3.7 stars(27 reviews)
Gallery
Map

Experience an authentic taste of Tuscany, from Florence to Siena, staying in the spa resort of Montecatini Terme.

Save up to £150pp

Save up to £150pp on selected European holidays, when you book by 2nd April 2024.

View terms and conditions

Mobility Rating 2

2024 Tour code: 24TYS

About the tour

Staying in the lovely spa town of Montecatini Terme, an ideal base for exploring, enjoy a holiday that captures the essence of Tuscany - from the Renaissance city of Florence to medieval Siena. Take in iconic sights, historic cities, and timeless landscapes which feature rolling hills of olive groves, cypresses and vineyards.

Unforgettable Experiences

Explore Florence on a guided walking tour
Explore Florence on a guided walking tour
Discovering the great art of this Renaissance city, fabulous food markets, palazzo gardens, and the Arno river.
See the highlights of Pisa
See the highlights of Pisa
Its iconic Leaning Tower and ornate cathedral, in the Field of Miracles, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Explore the beautiful medieval city of Lucca
Explore the beautiful medieval city of Lucca
This walled city has a fabulous Roman piazza, and many medieval churches. Walk through the historic streets or along the preserved walls, for views across the terracotta rooftops.
Take a guided tour of fabulous Siena
Take a guided tour of fabulous Siena
Tuscany’s second largest city has UNESCO World Heritage status, thanks to its perfectly preserved centre.

What’s included

Itinerary

Day 1 – London to Turin in Italy

You meet your Tour Manager and fellow travellers at London St Pancras where you join the Eurostar service to Paris. Changing trains in the French capital, you continue to Chambéry. After a short break, you board a comfortable coach for a beautiful journey through the Alps. With stops enroute to absorb the incredible views of towering, alpine peaks, you arrive in Turin where you spend the night after your first dinner together as a group.

Some departures dates will have a different itinerary on this day due to Italian engineering works - click here to see affected dates

Includes
  • Dinner
Day 2 - A morning in cultural Turin, to Montecatini Terme

After breakfast there's time to explore Turin. Surrounded by the Italian alps, the city's wide boulevards and grand public squares are lined with enticing cafés and bars. Around midday, we continue to Florence by rail. From here, we transfer to Montecatini Terme for six nights. Our hotel is in the modern, lower part of the town, close to the railway station and to the hot springs. On the hill above us is the medieval Old Town of Montecatini Alto. We dine this evening at our hotel.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3 - Exploring Montecatini Terme at leisure

Today you have a free day to get to know Montecatini Terme. The town is renowned for its thermal springs and the 18th-century Terme Tettuccio is well worth a visit, not only to enjoy the spa but also to see its marble-lined pools, fountains and Art Nouveau tiles. The spa is open from 7.30am to 8pm and entrance is around 6 Euros.

From April to October, the Montecatini Opera Festival takes place in different places around the city, including the spa complex. You could also visit Montecatini Alto today, using the funicular railway which runs late into the evening and has great views over the valley. The Old Town has a central piazza, surrounded by ancient buildings, pretty pavement cafés and a charming church. This is a lovely spot to relax with a drink and soak up the atmosphere. There are several eating places to choose from, near our central hotel and up in the Old Town.

Includes
  • Breakfast
Day 4 - A day discovering Florence, the ‘Jewel of the Renaissance’

Today is a highlight of our tour, as we travel by rail to the Renaissance city of Florence. We're met by a local guide who introduces us to the city, showing us the striking Duomo, the medieval centre, and the Palazzo Vecchio. Our tour ends at the Ponte Vecchio, the famous 14th-century bridge, filled with jewellery shops.

From here, your afternoon is free to enjoy at your own pace. You might be inspired to climb the 414 steps of Giotto's Campanile, for stunning views across the rooftops. Or maybe wander through one of Florence's galleries, churches and Medici palaces. Please note, if you plan to visit the Uffizi gallery it's best to book ahead to avoid the queue.

Another option is to cross the river to the wonderful Boboli gardens, a peaceful green space with fantastic views of Florence. Or visit the city's largest market, Mercato di San Lorenzo, with stalls selling fresh products, local crafts, indoor and outdoor dining areas, and a Chianti wine booth. We return to Montecatini Terme by train with time to relax and refresh before dinner at our hotel.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5 - Discovering Lucca from its city walls, and exploring Pisa

This morning we set out by rail to the medieval walled-city of Lucca, where you have a free morning to look around. Lucca is enjoyable to explore on foot but to make the most of your time there maybe pick up a map at the Tourist Information Centre. The maze-like centre has a Duomo, beautiful frescoed churches, striking piazzas - including the amazing Piazza Anfiteatro, once a Roman amphitheatre. You could also walk along the wide path of the preserved walls to see the city from above. Lucca has a botanical garden, art galleries, and a lovely tucked-away garden at Palazzo Pfanner (entrance to the garden is around 4 Euros).

We meet after lunchtime to continue by rail to Pisa, where you can explore at your own pace. There, in an area called the Field of Miracles, you'll find the famous Leaning Tower, a true icon of Italy, and the city's white marble Duomo. There's also time to discover Pisa's lively Old Town, between the Field of Miracles and the Arno river - a medieval area with handsome piazzas, cafés, and shops. At the end of the afternoon we return by rail and have dinner at our hotel.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 - A day to relax in Montecatini Terme, or explore by rail

Your day is spent exploring Montecatini Terme at your own pace. You could choose to visit the town's thermal baths, the natural springs which make Montecatini Terme Italy's largest spa resort. Or maybe relax at the swimming pool at the Pellegrini's 'sister' hotel.

If you haven't already discovered it, you could visit Montecatini Alto, the medieval Old Town. From our central location, you could make the most of the frequent rail service to visit other Tuscan cities or towns. For example, the coastal resort of Viareggio is 50 minutes' away or the buzzing city of Bologna takes two hours to reach by train.

This evening you're also free to find dinner independently at a restaurant of your choice.

Includes
  • Breakfast
Day 7 - Discovering magical Siena

Today we enjoy a coach excursion to ancient Siena, a charming Tuscan city with a fantastic history and beautiful buildings. On arrival, our local guide takes us the church of San Domenico and past the stunning Duomo. We continue to the centre of Siena, where we reach the city's incredible Piazza del Campo - a grand, shell-shaped piazza that's one of Europe's best-preserved medieval squares. Our guide tells us the history of the piazza, where the world-famous Palio horse races are held every July and August - an event that's been celebrated for hundreds of years.

After our guided tour you're free to continue sightseeing at your own pace. With its many pavement cafés, the piazza is the perfect place to enjoy a glass of Chianti or a gelato. Or you might like to try some of Siena's popular cured meats and cheeses - the local favourites are Pecorino cheese and finocchiona, a delicious salami made with fennel. We return by coach to our hotel where we have our last dinner in Montecatini.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8 - Overnight in Saint-Raphaël, Cote d’Azur

This morning we say ciao to Tuscany as we're transferred by coach to Viareggio on the coast. From here we take the train to Ventimiglia, close to the French border, and our scenic rail route follows the coastline most of the way. When we arrive in Ventimiglia we're taken by coach into France, to the attractive resort of Saint-Raphaël on the Côte d'Azur where we spend the night, after a three-course dinner at our hotel.

**Please Note: For certain departures, there will be a change of location to Toulon.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9 - Homeward bound

With a little free time after breakfast, we leave Saint-Raphaël and join our train to Paris. There's time on our rail journey home to look back on our special time in Tuscany, and to exchange goodbyes with our travelling group and new friends. In the French capital we join the Eurostar service, which takes us back to London St Pancras where our journey ends.

Includes
  • Breakfast

Additional information

Departure Information

Some departures dates will have run a different itinerary due to Italian engineering works - click here to see affected dates

Departure times

Provisional departure and return times, where available, can be found together with dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices & Availability' button. We will write to you around 10 weeks before your departure date with the precise meeting times for your tour group.

Mobility information

Due to the nature of our tours they are generally unsuitable for those with restricted mobility. If you’d like to discuss any particular holiday with us in this respect, then please don’t hesitate to call us.

Hotel

Hotel Terme Pellegrini, Montecatini Terme

Hotel Terme Pellegrini, Montecatini Terme

View hotel

Trains

Eurostar
The TGV

Enhance your holiday

Upgrades

Door to door luggage service
Eurostar Upgrade
UK rail connections
London hotels

Reviews

3.7 stars3.7 / 5 · 27 reviews

  1. 5 stars
    (6)
  2. 4 stars
    (12)
  3. 3 stars
    (5)
  4. 2 stars
    (4)
  5. 1 star
    (0)

Robert Edwards

4 stars

Submitted 01 Nov 2023

Excellent tour, interesting places visited with an excellent tour manager. There were a couple of minor issues when coach transfers did not arrive but dealt with efficiently by tour manager. Only downside was the hotel in Montecatino was below average both in terms of food offered and accommodation.

Collected by Trustpilot

Christopher

2 stars

Submitted 12 Sep 2023

A lot of problems…. cancellations and delays which were not managed well. Spent a lot of time waiting for trains and on coaches and consequently very late meals. Many change over stations with no lifts or refreshments provided not an enjoyable experience. Montecatini beautiful enjoyed my time there.

Collected by Trustpilot

Customer

3 stars

Submitted 23 May 2023

It was a lovely holiday but 4 days of travelling on and off trains and coaches and lugging cases onto trains and coaches was too much which did spoil the holiday

Collected by Trustpilot

Nigel

5 stars

Submitted 23 May 2023

Great location, great trips, great people with good food and drink what else can you ask for

Collected by Trustpilot

Heather Davies

3 stars

Submitted 27 Oct 2022

A smaller group size would have made it a more pleasurable experience. 40+ travellers are too many for just one guide.

Collected by Trustpilot

J Honour

4 stars

Submitted 25 Oct 2022

Excellent taster of many interesting sights in Tuscany with Montecatini as a very good base for the holiday.

Collected by Trustpilot

Show 6 more reviews
European Escorted Holidays by Rail 2024

European Escorted Holidays by Rail 2024

The definitive guide to Europe 2024 rail holidays.

Download brochure
Related inspiration from our journey blog