To make the most of your Tuscan winery experience, look no further than this post! Studying abroad in Europe taught me several valuable life skills; trip planning and public transportation navigation are two of them. One of my proudest moments was planning a (mostly ;)) successful day trip to a stunning winery in the Toscana. I loved every second of this breathtaking trip, but it really did require a lot of time and effort to plan.
I have documented my experience to provide you with an easy to use guide when planning a Tuscan winery tour! Disclaimer: there are plenty of tour options where you can pay for a service to take you to the wineries. These are great options but can be expensive and time consuming. This guide is for those who want a little more flexibility in the wineries they go to and tour options!
Planning in Advance
Choosing Your Winery and Tour Package
Choosing the winery I wanted to visit was the hardest part, there were so many to choose from! Ultimately, I went with Castello di Verrazzano in Greve. I chose this winery because they were on an easy to access public transportation route, had plenty of affordable tour options, and had a beautiful landscape. Here is a list of other amazing wineries that you can visit!
For the winery I chose, there were multiple tour options ranging from less expensive to more. The cheapest option is around 20 Euro and only includes a wine tasting and tour, while the most expensive option (58 Euro) includes this and a meal from the on site restaurant. If you are going to be relying on public transportation and bus schedules, I would suggest doing a tour with food included. You will be drinking, and never know if the buses will be running late! If you are driving and are flexible with when you can go back to where you’re staying, the simple wine tasting is perfect.
My group ended up doing the wine and food experience, and they provided a filling, fresh, and delicious lunch of meats, cheeses, and other produce from their land. I highly recommend this at Castello di Verazzano! Below is a picture of the lunch provided.
Getting There
This guide is based upon departure from Florence; many tourists stay in Florence because it is the nearest big city to the more rural Tuscan wineries. If you are staying in another large city like Rome or Bologna, you can take an early one hour train ride to Florence. There are two main modes of transportation that I would suggest looking into when planning your day:
Public Transportation (Budget friendly)
In order to get to Castello di Verrazzano from Florence, you need to check the SITA bus schedule. The SITA bus station is across the street from the Florence train stop “Santa Maria Novella” in Piazza di Stazione. A bus ticket is about 4 Euro. To get to this winery, look for the bus going towards Greve in Chianti and get off at the “Greti” stop. This bus stop is right in front of the winery. Although this example is specific to Verrazzano, there are several other wineries near by. Check that your winery has an easily accessible bus stop, many times the website will explain which stop is best. Quick Tip: Make sure your bus driver knows what stop you need to get off at before your journey. This way your bus driver will have you on their radar.
Something else to consider when using public transportation is getting to the entrance from the bus stop. The “rolling hills of Tuscany” are a real thing! For Castello di Verrazzano, they offer a taxi service from the bus stop to the entrance, or you can walk. Make sure to either call ahead or check out their website to see your options!
Car Rental
Another great option is to rent a car in Florence. I personally did not do this, but there are several great rental options in Florence. If you want the freedom of having a flexible schedule, this might be for you! Here is a great resource for renting cars in Florence to see if this is right for your trip.
Sample Itinerary
7:30am: Go to the SITA bus station and buy tickets for the 8:00am bus for Greve in Chianti. Also buy your return ticket for 3:00pm Greve to Florence. Either eat breakfast before or bring snacks for the ride.
8:00am: Get on the 8:00am bus. Make sure you tell the bus driver which stop you need to get off at (Greti for Verrazzano).
9:30am: Arrive at the Greti stop. You can either walk to the Verrazzano entrance (around 30 min) or call the winery ahead of time to see if they can taxi you up. We did this, and I HIGHLY recommend it!
10:00am: Relax and enjoy the view at the winery. They offered us coffee and we took some pictures to pass time.
11:00am-2:00pm: Guided winery tour followed by tasting and lunch. The tasting consisted of 4 types of Chianti Classico, a sweet vermouth wine, antipasto platter with house made balsamic vinegar, and fresh bread.
2:00pm-2:30pm: Take more pictures and buy some souvenirs from the store.
2:30pm-3:00pm: Walk back to the bus stop and be ready for the 3:00pm departure back to Florence.
This itinerary is just an example to show you how you can plan your wine tour in a day. There are several other tour options with different times that may change your plans. Remember, if using public transportation make sure to check the departure times for travelling to and from the winery, as well if the winery is easily accessible from the road!
I hope you found this blog useful for planning a beautiful day in the hills of Tuscany. Check out this section of my blog for more travel tips!