Day Trips from Florence: A Chianti Wine Tour and Saturnia Hot Springs

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Florence is one of the best bases in Italy for day trips. The city itself is compact and walkable (we cover that in our guide to where to stay in Florence), but some of our favorite memories came from the days we left it behind and headed out into Tuscany. These are the two day trips from Florence we actually did and loved: a small-group Chianti wine tour, and a morning soak in the Saturnia hot springs.

Neither is a museum-and-monument day. One is about wine, food and rolling vineyards; the other is about warm water and slowing down. Here is exactly how we did each, and how to decide whether you need a car.

Day Trip 1: A Chianti Wine Tour from Florence

This was the highlight. We booked a small-group tour with Grape Tours, who picked us up in a van with a handful of other travelers and a genuinely friendly driver who doubled as our guide. Once you are out of the city, the Tuscan countryside does the rest: cypress-lined roads, stone farmhouses, and vineyards rolling out in every direction.

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We visited two different wineries over the day, and between them we came away actually understanding the region a little. We learned about the Chianti area itself, about Sangiovese (the backbone grape of Chianti), and about the Super Tuscans, the bold, boundary-breaking wines that put this part of Italy on the map. You will spot a black rooster on the Chianti Classico bottles and signs everywhere. That little Gallo Nero is the region’s centuries-old symbol.

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At each winery we went behind the scenes. You see where the grapes ferment in towering steel tanks, then walk the cool cellars where the wine ages in rows of oak barrels, and of course you taste as you go.

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The Best Part: Lunch at Dario Cecchini’s Butcher Shop

The tour made a stop that turned into the most Tuscan meal of our whole trip: Dario Cecchini, the famous Chianti butcher. His shop is a spectacle in itself, part butcher counter, part theater, and lunch is a generous spread of the region’s meats and classic plates. Sitting there, eating our way through Tuscan cuts with a glass of local wine, was the moment the day tipped from great to unforgettable. If you take one day trip from Florence, make it this.

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Day Trip 2: The Saturnia Hot Springs

Our second day trip had a completely different pace. The Saturnia hot springs are natural thermal pools of warm, mineral-rich water, long reputed to be healing, tucked into the southern Tuscan countryside. We drove ourselves rather than taking a tour, and it made for a lovely, slow morning in the water and the sun.

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The single most important tip: go early. We arrived a little after 10am and still found a comfortable spot in the pools, but the springs fill up fast after that. It was mostly locals and Italian families rather than a tourist crowd, which made it feel like a real slice of Tuscan life. If you love the outdoors and the idea of soaking in warm water surrounded by countryside, it is well worth the drive.

• Get there before 10am. The good pool spots go quickly once the day warms up.
• You will want your own car. Saturnia sits out in the countryside, so a rental gives you the freedom to arrive early and leave when you like.
• Bring water shoes and a towel. The natural rock can be slippery and there is little shade.
• The pools are free, but parking is not. The Cascate del Mulino pools are open to everyone with no entry ticket, but the car park charges a small fee (2 euros when we visited), so bring some euro coins.

One more practical tip: Saturnia sits far enough south that it often makes more sense as a stop along a longer drive than as a there-and-back day trip from Florence. It slots in nicely on the way to or from Rome, when you are heading toward Castiglione del Lago or Lago di Bolsena, or simply en route to your next Tuscan home base. That is exactly how we worked it in, folding the springs into a driving day rather than a dedicated round trip.

More Day Trips from Florence Worth Considering

These two were our favorites, but Tuscany is full of towns worth the trip. If you have more time, here are a few more day trips from Florence worth looking into. Getting to most is easiest with your own car, though Italy’s train network is fast and far-reaching, so several (Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Bologna and the Cinque Terre) are easy to reach by rail with no car at all.

• Greve in Chianti: a small, quaint town in the heart of Chianti, with delicious food.
• Pisa and Lucca: Pisa is a fine quick day trip, but Lucca is charming enough to be worth a full night of its own. We will cover both in a dedicated Lucca and Pisa guide soon.
• Siena: Florence’s historic rival city going back centuries. Well worth a day trip, though it can easily justify more than one night on its own.
• Castiglione del Lago: a medieval walled town on the shores of Lake Trasimeno, just over the Umbrian border.
• Montepulciano and the Val d’Orcia: a cluster of postcard hilltop towns in southern Tuscany. Montepulciano is known for its Vino Nobile wine, while nearby Pienza and Montalcino add pecorino cheese and Brunello, all set among the region’s most iconic rolling hills.
• Orvieto: a dramatic clifftop town with a striking striped Gothic cathedral, an easy and scenic stop.
• Bologna: Italy’s food capital, about 35 minutes away by fast train. An easy, car-free day for anyone who loves to eat.
• Cinque Terre: the string of colorful cliffside villages on the Ligurian coast. It makes for a longer day, but it is reachable by train with no car required.

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Do You Need a Car for Day Trips from Florence?

It depends on the trip, and the honest answer is different for each of these two. For the Chianti wine tour, do not drive. A tour means someone else handles the winding country roads while you actually enjoy the tastings, which is the whole point. For Saturnia, a car is the way to go, because it lets you arrive early and set your own schedule out in the countryside.

Inside Florence itself, though, you do not want a car at all. The historic center is made for walking and the limited-traffic zone makes driving a headache. We explain the parking and ZTL lesson we learned the hard way in our guide to where to stay in Florence. The simplest approach: stay car-free in the city, and rent only for the days you actually head out of town.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best day trip from Florence?

For us, a small-group Chianti wine tour. You get two wineries, an easy education on Sangiovese and Super Tuscans, gorgeous vineyard scenery, and, best of all, lunch at Dario Cecchini’s butcher shop. It was the highlight of our time around Florence.

Do you need a car for day trips from Florence?

For a Chianti wine tour, no. Book a tour so you can taste without worrying about driving the country roads. For the Saturnia hot springs, yes, a car lets you arrive early and go at your own pace. In the city itself you do not want a car at all.

Are the Saturnia hot springs worth visiting?

If you love the outdoors, yes. The natural thermal pools are warm, free, and beautiful, and reputed to be healing. Just go early, before 10am, because the good spots fill up quickly and it draws a lot of local families.

Who is Dario Cecchini?

Dario Cecchini is a celebrated Tuscan butcher in the Chianti region. His shop is a destination in its own right, and the lunch there, a generous tasting of the region’s meats and classic dishes, was the most memorable meal of our trip.

How far is Chianti from Florence?

Chianti sits just south of Florence, and a wine tour reaches the vineyards within a comfortable drive. On a small-group tour it is an easy full-day outing, with pickup and drop-off in the city.