Tailormade tour Tuscany by train holiday Italy

9 nights /10 days

Tuscany • Eurostar London to Paris return • Train Milan to Florence return

This Italian rail holiday to Tuscany opens a window into this beautiful region that epitomises Italian scenery and culture. Travel to Italy by train from London with overnight stops each way and then explore Tuscany with a hire-car. Your base is in the heart of the Chianti wine region, south of Florence, and you have ample opportunity to relax and explore the Tuscan landscape, Chianti region, the cities of Florence and Siena, and the mediaeval towns of San Gimignano and Arezzo.
Holiday price guide

Available year-round subject to the opening period of the hotels, from £2,740 per person.

Tuscany luxury rail-drive tailor-made touring holiday

Highlights

Overnight train journeys both ways Paris to Milan • Stay in Chianti country • Chianti wine route • Visit Siena • Visit Arezzo • Visit Florence

Day by day

You start your Tuscany to train holiday with the Eurostar from London to Paris, where you change trains and stations to take the TGV to Zurich. You arrive here early evening with time to explore the old town, the Bahnhofstrasse and the banks of the River Limmat. Spend one night in Zurich.

Your train journey takes you south through the Alps and into northern Italy. You change trains in Milan and then it's a journey of just under two hours to Florence. Collect your hire-car and drive to your holiday base in the Tuscan countryside, in the Chianti region and only about 40 kms from Florence but is an ideal location to allow for much exploration of Tuscany.

You are here in Tuscany for six days. Explore at your leisure, combining your stay with time to seek out the cultural treasures and scenery that appeal to you, with relaxation at your hotel, and walks in the nearby vineyards. From your hotel you could travel south along the Chianti wine route, stopping off in the wine villages along the way, for example Greve, Radda and Gaiole. The countryside delights with its mix of fields and orchards, olive groves, vineyards and forested hills. There are villas and gardens to visit, as well as the picturesque, fortified town of San Gimignano and Tuscany’s rival city, Siena.

Drive into Florence and return your hire-car before heading to Santa Maria Novella station and the train to Turin via Milan. Allow yourself time in Turin, the capital of Piemonte and home to Fiat, to explore the grand streets, visit the splendid churches and to seek out a restaurant, of which there are many excellent ones, for dinner.

It is an early start this morning as the direct train to Paris leaves just after 7.30 am. However, with a journey time of under six hours it means an arrival in Paris at lunch-time. Let us know if you want to spend a few hours in Paris before taking the Eurostar from the Gare du Nord and we will allow for this with the Eurostar we book. Alternatively, you could be in London by late afternoon easily.

Special offers for this holiday>

My daughter and I had a fabulous time on our holiday. The hotels were all spectacular in their different ways, the train journeys were exciting and gorgeous scenery and the organisation from the various rail networks was spot on.
Mrs B, June 2022

Holiday price guide From £2,740 per person based on two people sharing a double room including second class rail travel. First class rail supplement from £570 per person.

Holiday Code ITRD05

Tuscany luxury rail-drive tailor-made touring holiday

Special offers for this holiday>

My daughter and I had a fabulous time on our holiday. The hotels were all spectacular in their different ways, the train journeys were exciting and gorgeous scenery and the organisation from the various rail networks was spot on.
Mrs B, June 2022

Holiday price guide From £2,740 per person based on two people sharing a double room including second class rail travel. First class rail supplement from £570 per person.

Holiday Code ITRD05

Our prices include ● Second-class travel on all trains, with standard class on Eurostar (first and standard premier can be booked at a supplement)
● Hire of a Group B car from 2 to day 9
● 1 night’s bed and breakfast in a Standard room at the Hotel Europe or in a Comfort room at the Hotel St Gotthard, Zurich
● 7 nights’ bed and breakfast in a Classic room at Villa le Barone
● 1 night’s bed and breakfast in a Classic room at the Grand Hotel Sitea, Turin
● Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints

Our prices do not include ● Early check-in or late check-out at any hotels (although we can arrange this on request at additional cost)
● Any other services not mentioned above, such as transfers and meals except breakfast at hotels
● Personal holiday insurance. This is essential and cover should be in place from when you book the holiday.
● Local tourist tax, usually between Euros 1 and 3 per person per night, and payable locally to the hotel
● Transfers in Paris

Tuscany luxury rail-drive tailor-made touring holiday

Expressions Holidays includes these hotels in this touring holiday as suggestions, but they can be substituted by others in the same region, if you have a preference to stay elsewhere.
Hotels included in this tour

Special offers

Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.

My daughter and I had a fabulous time on our holiday. The hotels were all spectacular in their different ways, the train journeys were exciting and gorgeous scenery and the organisation from the various rail networks was spot on.
Mrs B, June 2022

Holiday price guide From £2,740 per person based on two people sharing a double room including second class rail travel. First class rail supplement from £570 per person.

Holiday Code ITRD05

Tuscany luxury rail-drive tailor-made touring holiday

Highlights of Tuscany

Famous vineyards producing wines of Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Alabaster is produced in Volterra. Gold and silver are worked in Florence and the Ponte Vecchio is lined with jewellery shops. Marbled paper and stationery is a speciality of Florence. Ceramics and hand-painted majolica from raw terracotta from Impruneta to the glazed pottery of Siena are to be found throughout Tuscany. Lucca has traditionally produced silk and hand-woven fabrics. Leather goods including shoes, handbags and belts are to be found from market stalls to designer shops such as Gucci and Ferragamo. Interesting markets include the Mercato dell' Antiquariato which sells furniture from antiques to bric-a-brac in Arezzo on the first weekend of every month, in Pisa on the second weekend and in Lucca on the third weekend. The 'wild' Maremma is known for its long-horned white cattle and cowboys (butteri) and natural springs including Saturnia.

Cultural highlights of Tuscany

As birthplace of the Renaissance, Tuscany contains a wealth of treasures: Giotto`s Campanile and Brunelleschi`s Dome in Florence, the Tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo in Florence`s Santa Croce, Botticelli`s `Birth of Venus` and `Primavera` and the portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino by Piero della Francesca in the Uffizi, Michelangelo`s `David` in the Accademia, the architecture of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, `The Tuscan Maremma` painting by Giovanni Fattori in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the Piazza del Campo in Siena, `The Legend of the Cross` frescoes by Piero della Francesco in Arezzo, `The Creation` fresco by Bartolo di Fredi in the Collegiata in San Gimignano, Romanesque church of the Collegiata in San Quirico d`Orcia, 14th Century Fortezza of Montalcino, Renaissance masterpiece of the church of Madonna di San Biagio at Montepulciano, the abbey-church of Sant`Antimo, mediaeval Lucignano and the towers of San Gimignano, the Etruscan Museum in Cortona.  

Festivals in Tuscany

Many of Tuscany`s festivals resound with the flamboyance of the Renaissance and keep Tuscans and visitors alike in touch with the region`s rich history. Others are linked to Tuscany`s hearty traditions of eating and drinking. The most famous is Siena`s Palio which takes place on 2 July and 16 August each year. Others include the Sagra del Tordo (Festival of the Thrush) in Montalcino on the last Sunday in October when there is an archery contest and charcoal-grilled thrush are a delicacy. In Florence, Calcio in Costume (a football match played in mediaeval costume) takes place in June. Pisa has the Giocco del Ponte (Game of the Bridge), a mock battle in Renaissance dress also held in June. Viareggio celebrates Carnival on Shrove Tuesday with a huge display of flamboyant floats. In May and August Massa Marittima holds the Falcon Contest.  

Gastronomy in Tuscany

Simple country food is at the heart of Tuscan cooking. Regional dishes include Bruschetta (bread or ciabatta toasted and rubbed with garlic, olive oil and salt), Ribollita (bean, cabbage and bread soup), Pasta with hare or wild boar sauce, Porcini mushroom and truffle dishes, Bistecca all Fiorentina (thick cut of sirloin and fillet beef), Cantucci (almond and honey biscuits) served dipped in Vin Santo, Panforte (chocolate, nut and spice cake). Pecorino cheese made from sheep's milk. Local wines include the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano and the Bianco di Pitigliano. Famous reds include Chanti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Vin Santo made from semi-crushed grapes left for several months is an excellent dessert wine.

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