Finding where to stay in Tuscany is not always easy because the decision depends on many factors such as the route you want to do, the places you want to visit and even the days of the trip. It is for this reason that we wanted to publish this post, breaking down the best options especially, assessing them depending on the different types of trips that can be made and what are the best places to sleep in Tuscany.
Based on several trips we have made to this region of Italy, during which we published the guide to Tuscany in 4 days and Florence in 2 days, among many others, we leave you a selection of places to stay in Tuscany and the best areas and hotels. Let’s get started!
Places to stay in Tuscany
As we said before, there are many accommodation options in this area of Italy but also many areas in which to do it. Among all these we are going to focus on the most famous and also the most common, taking into account that most travelers travel through Tuscany in 4-7 days and include a visit to Florence, Pisa and Siena in addition to several of the villages included among the must-see places in Tuscany.
1. Florence, one of the best places to stay in Tuscany
Known for its historic center, which on many occasions has been compared to an open-air museum, Florence is one of the cities you can not miss on your route and can also serve as a gateway or exit to the route.
If your visit to the city is part of a broader trip through Tuscany, we recommend a minimum stay of one day, although it is best to stay two days and one night, in order to see the most important places in the city and enjoy them with a little calm.
In this case, the best option where to stay in Tuscany and in this case in Florence would be in the historic center to be close to everything and not lose much time in displacements.
Also in this area you will have a wide range of accommodation and restaurants, which we are sure, will make you enter in the best way in this route through Tuscany.
The price of accommodation in the historic center of Florence is usually 100-120 euros per night.
2. Pisa, the best option if your flight departs from or arrives to this city
There are many travelers who take Pisa as a gateway to make a route through Tuscany, as this is where several low cost airlines operate. Taking this into account that the city deserves a visit of at least one day to see the must-see places in Pisa, the city of the Leaning Toweris another of the best options where to stay in Tuscany.
In this case and as in Florence, we recommend you to opt for the most central area to stay or near the central station of the city, to avoid wasting a lot of time in travel, although we can say that most tourist attractions in Pisa are very close to each other.
The price of accommodation in the historic center of Pisa is usually 75 euros per night.
3. Siena, another of the best places to sleep in Tuscany
Siena is undoubtedly another of the places to visit in Tuscany as well as being the city chosen by many as a base for touring the region. Much quieter than its neighbor Florence, except for the days when the celebration of the Palio takes place, an ancient festival declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this city has an incredible cultural heritage, which we recommend you not to miss.
Although one day is enough to visit its most important places such as Piazza del Campo, the impressive Torre de Mangia or the Duomo, among many others, we recommend you to stay a couple of days to enjoy this city with more tranquility, which is another of the best areas to stay in Tuscany.
The price of accommodation in the historic center of Siena is usually 80 euros per night.
4. Volterra, Lucca, San Gimignano or Montepulciano, the medieval villages of Tuscany
To be honest, we would not know which of these towns to choose as the best place to stay in Tuscany. All of them have something special or something that makes them stand out from the rest, so we believe that the best decision will be the one that best fits your route being any of them good options where to stay in Tuscany. In addition to all this, in all of them you can taste the incredible and exquisite cuisine of the region, which we assure you, is something you will not forget.
- Volterra: located on the top of a hill, this small medieval town stands out for its environment and for its wonderful historic center in which the Palazzo dei Priori and the Cathedral of the Assumption stand out. For more information you can consult this post on places to see in Volterra.
- Lucca: known as the city of “the 100 towers and the 100 churches”, this small jewel of Tuscany retains its medieval character despite the passage of time, which you can enjoy as soon as you cross its 15th century walls and step into the Amphitheater Square, with its curious oval shape, which makes it a unique place in the country for having inside it an ancient Roman amphitheater from the 1st century. For more information you can consult this list of places to see in Lucca.
- San Gimignano: known as “The City of a Thousand Towers” or the “Manhattan of the Middle Ages”, San Gimignano is one of the most beautiful towns in Italy, which highlights the cobbled streets of its historic center and its location on top of a hill, where the 14 towers that still remain of the 72 that existed in medieval times stand out.
- Montepulciano: located on the top of a hill, surrounded by olive groves and vineyards, this small village is famous for its wines and for its architecture among which stand out ancient Renaissance residences of nobles of the fourteenth and fifteenth century.The price of accommodation in these villages of Tuscany is usually 80 euros per night.
5. Chianti, one of the most charming places in Italy
Located between Florence and Siena, this valley is known for producing some of the most renowned wines in the country and for having in its villages some of the best restaurants in Italy where you can taste the exquisite Tuscan cuisine.
In addition to this, the scenery here is spectacular and Chianti is another of the perfect places to sleep in Tuscany.
Among the most outstanding villages are Impruneta, Greve in Chianti, Montefiorale, Panzano in Chianti, Radda in Chianti or Castellina in Chianti.
The price of accommodation in Chianti is usually 70 euros per night although there are accommodations for all budgets.
6. Orcia Valley, another place to look for a hotel in Tuscany
Located in the area south of Siena bordering Umbria, the Orcia Valley or Val d’Orcia, is another of the places you can not miss in Tuscany, not only for its postcard villages, but also for having in its landscapes some of the most famous postcards of Tuscany.
In addition to this and as it usually happens throughout the country and especially in this region, here you can also enjoy a magnificent cuisine in which pecorino, mushrooms and truffles, oil, honey, sausages and Montalcino wine stand out.
And of course, depending on the route you have planned, this is also one of the best places to stay in Tuscany.
The price of accommodation in Val d’Orcia is usually 100 euros per night.
Tips for finding cheap accommodation in Tuscany
Here are some tips to make your search for places to stay in Tuscany as easy and quick as possible.
- In our experience, we would recommend you to make a route through the region staying in different locations to enjoy more than one location and get to know some of the most beautiful villages of Tuscany, where at sunset, they are amazing.
- Another recommendation to get to know the area is to rent a car in Tuscany as this is the best way to have total freedom of movement and schedules and also to be able to move around to find where to stay in Tuscany.
- Remember that to avoid paying commissions and to always have the current exchange rate we recommend you to use the Revolut card and the N26 card, which are the ones we use, are free of charge and will save you a lot of money.
