Tuscany Cycling: Pisa to Florence

Overview

An introduction to cultural Tuscany. Experience classic Tuscany - its great cities and glorious countryside - on this self-guided cycling holiday from Pisa to Florence. Enjoy leisurely rides that leave plenty of time for exploring out of the saddle and for relaxing at your handpicked accommodation - a delightful mix of historic city hotels and a family-run agriturismo set amid its own olive groves and vineyards. Many of Tuscany's most celebrated sights can be savoured on this trip, from Pisa's Leaning Tower to the renowned Ponte Vecchio and Uffizi gallery of Florence. But there are lesser-known highlights, too: the chance to stay in fairy-tale Lucca, a beautiful walled city beneath the Apuan Alps; as well as in the unspoiled medieval town of Vinci, named for its famous son, Leonardo. The landscapes that connect these destinations also promise their own rewards, with your carefully chosen routes leading past ancient aqueducts, beside expansive wetlands, and to remarkable Renaissance villas. The cycling takes place mostly on cypress-lined lanes, easy cycle paths, and peaceful minor roads. However, expect more traffic when entering and leaving cities. The chance to ride on Lucca's historic ramparts is a real highlight! Gentle pedalling. Relaxed routes away from Tuscany's hillier terrain. Cultural icons. Discover Pisa's Leaning Tower and the splendour of Florence. Wealth of beauty. Cypress-lined avenues and shimmering olive groves. Inspiring accommodation. From four-star comfort to an authentic rural hideaway. Travel made easy. Superb access via Pisa. 7 nights, 1 dinner, 7 breakfasts, high-quality bicycle, luggage transported, route notes, GPS navigation. Easy-to-moderate cycling featuring undulating routes with more frequent short ascents, and a mix of shorter and longer days. Terrain: Cycle paths, country roads, bustling towns & cities. Average carbon footprint: 100kg CO₂e per person, excluding travel. Three 4-star hotels; one agriturismo. Breakfast every day, 1 dinner. Prices are based on push bikes as detailed in the FAQs; e-bikes can be requested as an upgrade. Price from £1,886pp. Travel options: We can arrange rail travel from London, or flights and connecting transfers (or simply the latter). Start: Any day. Season: 01 April 2026 - 31 October 2026. Circular route from Pisa: 32.5km. Your introduction to the beautiful Tuscan countryside leads you east from Pisa towards the peak of Monte Serra. En route you'll pass the monumental Certosa di Calci, formerly one of Italy's largest Carthusian monasteries and now home to a fascinating natural history museum. There's also time today to explore Pisa on our self-guided city walking tour. Take in churches and palazzi, delicious restaurants, and some striking street art - including the final work by US artist, Keith Haring. Of course, the tour also visits the famous Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) - the breathtaking space that is home to Pisa's cathedral, baptistery, and dramatic Leaning Tower. Pisa to Lucca: 32.5km. There's plenty to admire as you cross from Pisa's fertile plains to the Serchio Valley before entering gorgeous walled Lucca via a nature-rich cycle path. You'll pedal beside an ancient aqueduct, stop by the Tuscan spa village of San Giuliano Terme, and even cycle along Lucca's incredible medieval ramparts to reach your next two-night base in the centre of the city, the welcoming Hotel Ilaria. Circular route from Lucca: 19km. Stately Renaissance villas punctuate the first stretch of today's ride from Lucca. The finest of these is Villa Reale di Marlia, where Elisa Bonaparte - sister to Napoleon - once lived, and whose splendid gardens we highly recommend visiting. There's much to see back in Lucca, too - either by bike or on foot. We provide a city walking trail to guide you between the picturesque piazze, cobbled streets, and wealth of medieval and Renaissance art and architecture. Don't miss Casa di Puccini, birthplace of composer Giacomo Puccini, nor atmospheric Piazza Anfiteatro with its sweep of pavement cafés. Lucca to Vinci: 47.5km. Leaving Lucca, you cycle east to Vinci to stay one night in the delightfully rural surrounds of Agriturismo Il Piastrino. Before you reach Leonardo's birthplace, however, there's some classic Tuscan scenery to soak in, from rolling vine-clad hills to olive groves that shimmer in the breeze. Today's route also skirts the edge of Fucecchio Nature Reserve, Italy's largest wetland and a paradise for birdwatchers. Vinci to Florence: 36km. Take time to stroll Vinci's unspoiled medieval streets and to visit its excellent Leonardo Museum before cycling south to meet the River Arno at Empoli. Here, you board a local train for Signa*, from where a final riverside ride will bring you into the very heart of historic Florence. This is also where you'll find your final accommodation, the stylish Hotel Cellai. (*Or remain on the train all the way to Florence.) Explore Florence. Set the bikes aside today to tour one of Europe's most dazzling cities on foot. The real joy of exploring Florence is that you're constantly stumbling across magnificent architecture and first-rate galleries, but with our city trail in hand you can be sure you won't miss any hidden gems. From the famous Uffizi gallery to the historic Ponte Vecchio, and from skyline views to mouthwatering gelato, you're in for a real treat in Florence. Your carefully selected accommodation includes three high-quality city hotels - each located centrally - and an authentic Tuscan agriturismo that produces its own wines and olive oil. Quietly located within walking distance of both Pisa's famous tower and main railway station, Hotel Bologna offers elegant accommodation in a former palazzo. Its spacious bedrooms are traditional in style, while the included breakfast buffet can be enjoyed in either the hotel's frescoed interior or outdoors on the cypress-shaded terrace. Meal arrangements: breakfast only. Stay within Lucca's historic city walls at the wonderfully welcoming Hotel Ilaria. This well-appointed hotel was created from the former stable block of Villa Bottini - a 16th-century villa once owned by Napoleon's sister - and is flanked by its beautiful gardens. There's a cosy lounge to relax in, an airy dining space where your delicious breakfasts are served, and an outdoor hot tub from which you can take in the views. Meal arrangements: breakfast only. Located in the heart of historic Lucca, just a few steps from Piazza Anfiteatro, this 18th century hotel offers great access to nearby cultural gems. Nestled within the well-preserved Renaissance walls that encircle the historic city centre, the hotel offers traditional and elegant décor, as well as a buffet breakfast with pastries, cereals and fresh fruit. Guests can also enjoy a lounge area to relax. Meal arrangements: breakfast only. Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, and with views out onto the Tuscan hills, this family-run farm near Vinci is a true rural haven. Here, the warm welcome and generous hosting are complemented by traditional, comfortable accommodation, as well as fragrant gardens with outdoor pool. A real highlight is the included dinner, during which you'll have the chance to sample the agriturismo's very own red and white wines. Meal arrangements: dinner & breakfast. If the fabulous rooftop views over Florence aren't enough to bring you to Hotel Cellai, then its city centre location and beautiful interiors surely will be. Occupying a former 19th-century palazzo, this classical hotel has been sympathetically restored to combine original antiques and artwork with contemporary touches - in both the reception rooms and bedrooms. And once you step beyond its smart façade, Florence's many iconic sights are just a stroll away. Meal arrangements: breakfast only. The Villa Royal, an elegant 18th-century residence, is just a 15-minute walk from the Duomo and offers an ideal location for exploring Florence. Once home to noble families until 1956, it now serves as a stylish hotel. Unique among city hotels, it features outdoor spaces, including an outdoor pool and charming garden, perfect for relaxation. The hotel also offers an extensive buffet breakfast. Meal arrangements: breakfast only. Prices are in £ sterling (GBP). Currency converter available. NB: this should be used as a guide only. Fluctuations in exchange rates could result in significant variation by the time you come to pay. Cycle price: 7 Nights: 01 April 2026 - 31 October 2026. Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above. Price subject to change due to customisable nature of holidays and accommodation availability. Single supplements are applicable. Includes accommodation, meals, bike hire, luggage transfers and any other services integral to the holiday as described, plus cycling notes, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below. Electric bikes available: pricing confirmed at time of booking. We can arrange rail travel from London, or flights and connecting transfers (or simply the latter). Recommended airports: Pisa or Florence. Flight options from UK airports listed. Travelling from outside the UK: recommend flying via Milan or Rome. We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans. You have two options: 1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel. 2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Our cycle supplier will provide you with a hybrid bike with 27 gears; rear pannier; puncture repair kit (with spare inner tube); odometer; bottle holder; and a lock. Electric bikes are available as an upgrade (see price panel), subject to availability, and must be requested at the time of booking. While we would always recommend that you take your own well-fitting helmet, they can be hired locally for a small fee. Please let us know at the time of booking if you would like to hire a helmet. Yes, we will provide GPX tracks for this holiday prior to departure so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. (We also provide our tried-and-tested route notes). We'll send you route notes 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from hotel to hotel, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. On mornings when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation so that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs. You are responsible for damage to or loss of the rental bike while it is hired to you. Always be careful to lock it up, ideally to an immovable object, and remove all easy-to-steal accessories whenever you leave it unattended. We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we'll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we'll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). Absolutely! We are experts in tailored rail travel. Making use of sleeper trains or stopovers in cities along the route, we can get you from London to virtually anywhere in mainland Europe. We can even make arrangements to Mallorca, Sicily and Norway with a combination of ferries and rail. Please contact us to discuss your plans. We can't book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that's appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it's the first time you've booked with us. The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people). Once you've decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party's details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can't secure the accommodation for the holiday you've requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we'll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you're making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice. Yes, it's something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn't seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill. Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you're covered for medical emergencies - including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday - and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports. When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs. It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you're a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Italy, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you'll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate. Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires). The principal official language is Italian, though some regions have a second official language, such as South Tyrol, where German is widely spoken. The currency is the Euro. Italian time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1. For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens. If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.

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Accommodation & Services

Accommodation

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What's Included