From Rolling Vineyards to Italy's Most Elegant Lakes
Whether you're celebrating a honeymoon, anniversary, or simply your love for each other, Tuscany & the Italian Lakes provides the perfect backdrop for romance. Imagine sunset dinners, intimate experiences, and moments designed to bring you closer together. This is the escape you've been dreaming of.
Discover the wonders of Tuscany & the Italian Lakes, a captivating destination that offers unique experiences, rich culture, and memorable adventures. Whether you're seeking relaxation, adventure, or cultural immersion, Tuscany & the Italian Lakes promises to exceed your expectations with its warm hospitality and stunning scenery.
9 nights in Tuscany & the Italian Lakes — day by day, fact-checked
Land at Florence Airport, transfer the short distance to your Florence base, and settle into the Tuscan capital at your own pace depending on when you touch down.
Florence Airport sits about 8 km from the centre, so your private transfer is short. Check your arrival time and treat the first afternoon or evening lightly. Register your biometrics at the EES booth, allow border time, then let the city set the pace. Keep any museum plans for a full day.
Florence Airport (FLR / Amerigo Vespucci) is about 8 km from the city centre; your private transfer covers this leg, so you never need a taxi rank or a car.
On first Schengen entry you may be asked to give fingerprints and a photo at an EES booth; allow extra time at the border and expect this at FLR.
Daylight is long in high summer: sunset in Florence is around 20:46 on 25 July, shrinking to roughly 19:26 by mid-September and 18:56 by 1 October.
Carry some euro cash from the off. Cards work almost everywhere, but ferry kiosks and small rural vendors later in the trip may want notes and coins.
Do not take a car from the ranks with a tout. Use only officially licensed taxis with a taxi sign on the roof and a company name and number on the side — your transfer removes the need entirely.
For an early-morning arrival you gain most of the day; for a late-night one, plan only check-in and rest, and save sightseeing for Day 2.
Its own site states it opens every day with continuous service from 12:00 to 23:00, which bridges the mid-afternoon kitchen-close gap on an odd-hours arrival day.
A full day in Florence built around a timed museum slot, the cathedral square and the Oltrarno, with the afternoon shaped by whether you booked the Uffizi or the Duomo climb.
Book a morning Uffizi slot before you fly; peak-season mornings sell out. The gallery runs Tuesday to Sunday, 8.15am to 6.30pm, closed Mondays. Same-day tickets cost less than advance ones, but a pre-booked timed slot removes the queue gamble. This is world-class, not a trap — just book ahead.
The Uffizi opens Tuesday to Sunday, 8.15am to 6.30pm, with the ticket office closing at 5.30pm; it is closed on Mondays, 1 January and 25 December.
Standard Uffizi entry is €25 same-day or €29 in advance; from 1 January 2026 a €16 ticket applies for entry from 4pm onwards.
Book official timed tickets at tickets.uffizi.it or via the call centre on 800 615 615; a pre-booked slot secures entry when peak mornings sell out.
If you would rather pay less than pre-book, the €16 afternoon ticket for entry from 4pm is a genuine saving on a quieter part of the day.
Do not plan the Uffizi or the Accademia for a Monday — Florence's state museums are ordinarily closed that day and you will find the doors shut.
The David has been the centrepiece since 1873; as a Florence state museum it is also closed Mondays, and timed morning slots sell out weeks ahead in peak season, so book it or the Uffizi, not both back-to-back.
The cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is open for worship 7.30am to 7.00pm and the interior is free. Climbing Brunelleschi's Dome is a separate timed reservation that sells out and means 463 steps with no lift — book it first or drop it. Then cross the river to the Oltrarno.
Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore) is open for worship 7.30am to 7.00pm daily; the interior is free with no ticket.
To climb Brunelleschi's Dome, the Bell Tower or see the Baptistery you buy a combined pass on the official site (Brunelleschi Pass €30, Giotto Pass €20, Ghiberti Pass €15).
Dress modestly for the cathedral, with shoulders and knees covered — a widely enforced customary rule for Florence's Duomo.
The Dome climb is a timed reservation that sells out weeks ahead in peak season, needs photo ID and means 463 steps with no lift; book it first or skip it, don't gamble on the day.
Don't sit down to eat on the cathedral or monument steps — the FCDO notes that eating and drinking next to main churches and monuments, and sitting on monument steps, can be fined.
The city's 1874 iron-and-glass food market is a legitimate place to try Florentine street food, including lampredotto with a glass of Chianti Classico. Eat at the market, not on the nearby Duomo steps, where eating can be fined.
A communal-table, lunch-only Florentine institution serving market-driven Tuscan food. It is cash-only with no reservations and queues form, so arrive early.
Your included Chianti wine-tasting day in the Classico wine country between Florence and Siena, delivered by private transfer so you never touch a car in the vineyards.
Chianti Classico is the DOCG region between Florence and Siena, its four core communes Castellina, Gaiole, Greve and Radda, symbol the Black Rooster. Your tasting is set here and reached by private transfer — the estates are rural and you don't drive. Book the tasting directly with the winery or operator; Italy has no single dominant platform.
Chianti Classico is the DOCG zone between Florence and Siena; its four wholly-included communes are Castellina, Gaiole, Greve and Radda in Chianti. Your private transfer covers the rural roads.
Book the wine tasting directly with the winery or operator — Italy does not run on one dominant booking platform, so a direct reservation is the reliable route.
Carry some cash. Small rural Chianti vendors and roadside producers may not take cards as smoothly as the cities do.
Keep the receipt from any wine you buy to bring home — Italian shops are legally obliged to issue one, and it covers you for customs and returns.
Don't imagine self-driving between cellars 'to taste more freely' — the whole point of the package transfer is that you can taste and be driven; renting a car here adds ZTL and parking risk you never need to carry.
Its guided tour with tasting and lunch is confirmed on the winery's own site and the official Chianti Classico consortium: a tour of the gardens and historic cellars, a tasting of four organic wines plus Vinsanto, and a full Tuscan lunch, about three hours.
A Slow Food-certified Tuscan kitchen sourcing from small producers, on Greve's main square so no car is needed to reach lunch.
A day trip south to the walled city of Siena and the towers of San Gimignano, done by guided small-group transport — the honest, efficient way for a non-driver to combine both.
Siena Cathedral opens 10.00am to 7.00pm from April to October. From 27 June to 31 July and again from 18 August, its inlaid marble floor is uncovered — a real bonus if your day falls inside those windows, largely covered outside them. The walled centre is car-free, so you arrive on foot.
Siena Cathedral is open 10.00am to 7.00pm from 1 April to 31 October (Sundays and holidays 1.30pm to 6.00pm), with shorter winter hours.
The famous marble floor is uncovered only during set windows in 2026 — 27 June to 31 July, 18 August to 30 October, and 1 to 15 November — when the Cathedral runs full-price €10 rather than €7.
Dress modestly for the Cathedral, shoulders and knees covered — a widely enforced customary rule for Siena's Duomo.
The bundled OPA SI Pass covers the whole cathedral complex — Crypt, Museum, Baptistery and Facciatone — so if you want more than the nave, it beats separate tickets.
Don't plan a relaxed Siena wander on 2 July or 16 August. The Palio fills Piazza del Campo to capacity and police seal the entrances; expect crowds, rail pressure and premium pricing, and note it is a documented animal-welfare concern, not a family attraction.
Florencetown's 8.5-hour small-group tour is the honest efficient way for a non-driver to combine Siena and San Gimignano: minibus transport, an English-speaking guide for the Siena walk, a tasting, a Tuscan meal and free time in San Gimignano.
A proper sit-down Tuscan osteria in the walled centre — pappa al pomodoro, spaghetti alle vongole — reachable on foot with no car access needed.
A lighter Florence day to fill the gaps — the Oltrarno, a market lunch and the Renaissance streets — with the pace set by whatever you did not fit in earlier.
Use this day to catch what the timed slots crowded out — the artisan Oltrarno, the riverside, a market lunch. Cross the river on foot. Watch the Italian meal rhythm: kitchens close mid-afternoon and dinner starts from about 7.30pm, so plan lunch before the shutter comes down.
Italian sit-down kitchens close mid-afternoon and dinner runs from about 7.30pm; plan a proper lunch before mid-afternoon rather than expecting continuous service everywhere.
Tipping is not compulsory and there are no fixed rules; around 10% is customary when you are satisfied, and a cover charge may already appear on the bill.
A place with genuinely continuous service, like Oltrarno Ristorante Toscano's stated 12:00–23:00, is worth knowing for a late or drawn-out lunch on a slow day.
Don't cross the road wherever it's convenient near the crossings — the FCDO warns you can be fined for crossing within 100 metres of a pedestrian crossing without using it, and drivers do not always stop.
Its site states continuous service every day from 12:00 to 23:00, so it covers the mid-afternoon gap when most kitchens close — handy on an unstructured day.
The 1874 food market is a legitimate spot for Florentine street food like lampredotto with a glass of Chianti Classico. Eat inside the market, not on nearby monument steps where eating can be fined.
The one long inter-region leg, ~250 km north: high-speed Frecciarossa to Milan, a regional train onward, then a Navigazione Laghi ferry to Bellagio, which has no rail station.
Your two bases sit about 250 km apart, so this transfer day is built in. The Frecciarossa runs Firenze S.M.N. to Milano Centrale in roughly two hours; a regional train then reaches Como or Varenna, and a ferry carries you the last leg to Bellagio, which has no station. All of it is covered by the package.
The route is Frecciarossa high-speed rail from Firenze S.M.N. to Milano Centrale (about 250 km, roughly two hours), then a regional train to Como or Varenna, then a Navigazione Laghi ferry to Bellagio.
Bellagio has no rail station, so the final leg is always by boat; Lake Como ferries concentrate in daylight, so aim to clear Milan with time to catch a daytime crossing.
Check operator updates on the morning you travel — transport strikes are often called at short notice, and this is the one day where a rail or ferry disruption cascades across the whole leg.
Don't treat this as a driving day 'to see more on the way'. The package supplies rail and ferry precisely so you never need a car, and Bellagio can't be reached by road-then-rail anyway — the boat is the only way in.
The Frecciarossa journey time is aggregator-sourced and approximate; check live times on Trenitalia when your travel date is fixed.
The official public operator delivers the final leg into Bellagio. Its summer 2026 timetable is valid 1 July to 4 October and serves the main lakeside towns; routes may be suspended in bad weather or strong waves.
Your first full Lake Como day on foot in Bellagio, with the lakeside Villa Melzi gardens reachable straight off the ferry — no car needed anywhere on the lake.
Bellagio is walkable and car-free enough that the ferry, not a road, defines your day. The Giardini di Villa Melzi open daily 10.00am to 7.00pm with no reservation, straight off the boat. Sunset at the lake is around 19:35 on 15 September. Ferries thin after dark, so keep lake legs before dusk.
Giardini di Villa Melzi are open daily 10.00am to 7.00pm (last admission 6.30pm) for the 2026 season, with no reservation needed; the ticket includes the garden, chapel and museum.
Villa Melzi gardens cost €10 single at the door, €14 for a two-day-plus ticket, and are free for children up to 11.
Sunset at Lake Como near Bellagio is around 19:35 on 15 September. Ferry services concentrate in daylight, so plan any cruise or crossing before dusk.
Villa Melzi sits right on the ferry network, so you can reach it straight off the boat with no car and no transfer — a genuine walkable half-day.
Don't cool off by paddling in a public fountain or hauling pebbles off the shoreline — entering or bathing in public fountains is an offence, and removing pebbles from the shore is illegal and fineable.
A walkable Bellagio half-day right off the boat, open daily with no reservation, the ticket covering garden, chapel and museum.
An Italian kitchen with Sardinian influences offering à la carte or three tasting menus, including a vegetarian option, with a current 2026 menu confirming it is trading.
Your included Lake Como cruise day, hopping the mid-lake ferries to the great lakeside villas and gardens at Tremezzo and Lenno, all reached by boat.
The included cruise runs on the official Navigazione Laghi network, whose summer 2026 timetable is valid to 4 October. The mid-lake ferry links Bellagio, Cadenabbia, Varenna and Menaggio, putting the villa gardens of Tremezzo and Lenno within reach. Buy tickets online, at the dock or onboard, and arrive about 20 minutes early.
The Lake Como cruise runs on the official Navigazione Laghi network; the mid-lake ferry links Bellagio, Cadenabbia, Varenna and Menaggio, so the villa gardens are reached entirely by boat.
Buy ferry tickets online, at dock ticket offices, or onboard where there is no office; arrive about 20 minutes before departure, and expect queues at ticket offices on summer and holiday dates.
Villa Carlotta at Tremezzo is open 10.00am to 7.00pm from 20 March to 18 October 2026 (last ticket 6.00pm), directly on the ferry network.
Villa Carlotta entry is €17.50 adult, €15 for over-65s, €7 for ages 6–18 and €35 for a family of two adults and two children.
Weather can suspend routes on the lake, so check the same-day timetable and the operator's updates before committing to a villa-hopping plan; don't book a tight chain of crossings on a windy day.
Don't promise yourself a specific 'fast' cruise boat in advance — the operator runs ships, a fast service and ferry boats on separate schedules, so check the live same-day timetable rather than assuming a service exists.
A strong ferry-accessible garden-and-museum stop for a non-driver, with published 2026 hours and prices and no car needed to reach it.
A real, currently-operating FAI property confirmed open to the public, feasible for a non-driver by ferry to Lenno.
A flexible final full day on the lake to fill in what the ferry timetable did not allow — a lakeside village, a garden you missed, or a slow last afternoon in Bellagio.
Use the mid-lake ferry to reach whichever village you skipped — Varenna, Menaggio, Cadenabbia — or keep the day loose in Bellagio. The summer timetable holds to 4 October; after that services thin out. Keep crossings in daylight, and check the same-day PDF, as ferry times drive the day, not roads.
Lake Como's summer ferry timetable is valid to 4 October 2026, after which winter services thin out; plan crossings in daylight as services concentrate in daytime.
Carry some cash for ferry kiosks and small vendors; 24/7 ATMs are widespread but a dock office queue is quicker to clear with notes and coins ready.
Buy your ferry ticket onboard where a stop has no dock office — the operator confirms this costs no more than buying at an office, so a small unstaffed pier is not a problem.
Don't buy from unlicensed street traders working the lakeside on souvenirs or 'ferry tickets' — buying from unlicensed traders is illegal and can bring a fine; use the official ticket office or onboard sale.
The mid-lake ferry route reaches the villages you did not fit into the cruise day, all car-free arrivals by boat and set by the timetable rather than the road.
Transfer back from Lake Como toward Milan and onward to your outbound flight, with the last morning shaped by whether you leave early or late.
Count back from your departure and build in the full chain: a Navigazione Laghi ferry off Bellagio, a train toward Milan, then your onward connection. Bellagio has no station, so the boat leg is unavoidable — leave margin for it. Confirm ferry and rail times the night before; strikes are called at short notice.
Count back from your departure across the whole chain: ferry off Bellagio, regional train toward Milan, then your onward leg. Bellagio has no rail station, so the ferry leg cannot be skipped.
Ferries concentrate in daylight hours, so an early departure needs an early boat off the lake; confirm the first suitable sailing on the same-day timetable.
Check operator updates and the Ministry of Transport site the night before you leave — transport strikes are often called at short notice, and on a departure day a missed ferry or train has no slack.
Don't leave the boat leg to the last minute assuming a road option exists — there is no rail into Bellagio, so a late ferry can make you miss the whole onward chain; build the margin in.
For an early-morning departure, plan the ferry and transfer the evening before; for a late-night one, you keep most of the day on the lake before the final transfer.
For any short taxi hop in the transfer chain, use only officially licensed cars with a taxi sign on the roof and a company name and number on the side; avoid touts at stations.
Practical details verified 26 July 2026. Prices and opening hours change — we re-check them monthly, but confirm anything critical before you travel.
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