Classic Tuscany Short Break

This is a 4-night active hiking adventure in Tuscany: enjoy 3 days of exploring Tuscany on foot, hiking between classic hill-top towns and villages brimming with atmosphere. Explore Volterra, San Gimignano, Colle Val D’ Elsa and Siena by night, with plenty of opportunities to indulge in Chianti wine, organic aged pecorino cheese and home-made pasta.

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way in Scotland, the world renown Tour Du Mont Blanc and Germany's Moselle Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.

Solo Travellers, Families with Teens

The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years

This trip is graded ‘moderate’ overall, as the  terrain is hilly. Most of the route follows gravel and farm tracks and trails, and you will be following minor roads occasionally. You’ll be hiking up to 22km/13.7mi each day. Should you wish to skip a hike between towns then (with prior notice) you can travel in the taxi (luggage transfer). 

We’ve carefully selected our ‘comfort’ properties; charming lodgings of character, small family-run agriturismo, and charming village B&Bs that will make your stay in Tuscany extra memorable. The accommodation we normally use is detailed below and on our website, however are subject to availability and therefore alternatives of an equal standard may be offered. You can add on extra nights in any of the overnight locations on this tour.

Accommodation Upgrade

Alternatively, you can pay a supplement for ‘superior’ properties, which include former convents, monasteries and stylish villas.

Single Rooms & Solo Hikers

This trip is available to solo hikers and a supplement is payable as some of the costs (such as transfers) are not shared. Single rooms are on request and a supplement is payable.

Meals

Tuscany’s tempting food and wine are a highlight of this trip. There are countless fantastic restaurants throughout the region, and on the hikes you’ll come across some real gems in the form of fattoria and agriturismo (farms making olive oil, cheese, pasta, saffron and wine), just begging for you to stop and enjoy their local produce.

In order to keep things flexible, dinners and lunches are not included, as you will be spoiled for choice!

The price of your tour includes breakfast each morning.  Lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Most of your accommodations will be more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival.

The route is not waymarked (except for some sections where you will be hiking on the pilgrimage route the Via Francigena), but navigation is straightforward using the Macs Adventure App which has maps, GPS tracks and daily route information. Simply download the GPS tracks for offline use and follow the route on your smartphone with the assurance that navigation on this tour will be made simple. You will find more information on downloading the app in your Macs Adventure Account. Rest assured that by downloading the route maps in our app, this will continue to work even in areas without any mobile or internet reception.  

This tour is available to start anytime between March and October.

Peak Season Availability

As Tuscany is a very popular destination, we suggest booking as soon as possible to ensure availability for specific dates. Availability in Siena is very challenging around the times of the 'Palio' horse races, which are held annually in early July and then again in mid-August over the course of 4 days each month.

Time of Year

The Spring months offer warm sunshine, fewer crowds, and pleasant hiking conditions. May is when most wildflowers are coming into bloom. The autumn months of September and October are also a favorable time of year, boasting cooler weather and a striking landscape made up of fall colors. July and August are good months to go but can be very hot for walking and therefore aren’t best suited for everyone. You will have to start early to miss the heat of the day and carry a lot of water (additional weight) with you. The towns and villages are very vibrant at any time of year, which makes for a great atmosphere, yet as soon as you get on the hikes its relatively quiet and peaceful.

By Air: We recommend flying to Florence (FLR) or Pisa (PSA) and transferring to their city center railway station to catch the train to Pontedera or Poggibonsi, where an included taxi will transfer you directly to your hotel in Volterra.

If landing at Florence’s Airport (FLR): there’s a tram that departs approx. every 10min that will take you to Florence’s main railway station – the Santa Maria Novella (takes 20min). From here it’s a 45min train ride to Pontedera or 1H15 to Poggibonsi.

If landing at Pisa’s Airport (PSA): there’s a shuttle train that departs regularly to take you to Pisa’s main railway station – the Pisa Central Station (takes 5min). From here it’s a 15min train ride to Pontedera or 1H15 to Poggibonsi.

A taxi transfer from either Poggibonsi or Pontedera train station to Volterra is  included in your trip arrangements. Train timetables are available at Trenitalia; www.trenitalia.com. 

It's easy to travel from Siena by train to the major airports – Florence, Rome or Pisa. Once again it will be necessary to travel from the central stations in these cities back to the airports (see ‘Getting to the Start’ for further information about this). Again, please see Trenitalia’s website for timetable planning.

Approx. total journey times from Siena are:

To Florence 2hr15 - 3hr15

To Rome 2hr15 - 3hr20

To Pisa 2hr00 - 3hr15

Siena Train Station is in the valley below the city center and there are escalators between the two or there are local buses.

To Florence Santa Maria Novella there is usually a direct train that goes via Empoli and takes around 1H30.

To Pisa there is usually a direct train that goes via Empoli and takes around 1H40.

To Roma Termini in Rome it’s normally necessary to change trains in Chiusi-Chianciano Terme.

Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight stay. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg/44lbs per person.