Day trip from Florence Chianti
The wine hills between Florence and Siena, where estates are spread along country roads and the market town of Greve is an hour away by bus.
Is Chianti worth a day trip from Florence?
Only with a tour or a car.
Take a tour, or rent a car and name a driver who does not drink. Chianti is a landscape, and the wineries you want sit kilometres apart on roads with no public transport. Bus 365A does reach Greve in about 1 hour, and the triangular square with its wine shops is pleasant for 2 hours, but you will not reach an estate from there on foot. On Sundays only six buses come back. A half-day tour covers two wineries in 5 hours from € 55, tastings included, which is hard to beat once you price a rental car and a taxi home.
The decision sheet
- Travel time
- 58 minbus to Greve only; wineries need a tour or car · one way · Autolinee Toscane, line 365 A timetable
- Transport
- Tour coach or bus 365A
- Self-guided cost
- Not verified yet
- Tour price
- From € 65Civitatis catalogue
- Time needed
- 5–8 hDaytripo editorial
- Closed days
- Not verified yet
- Best time
- Apr-Oct; harvest in Sep and early OctDaytripo editorial
- Verdict
- Only with a tourDaytripo editorial
What to see and do in Chianti
- 01
Winery visits
A walk through the cellar and barrel rooms followed by a seated tasting of three or four wines with oil, bread and cured meats. Each estate takes about an hour and a quarter.
- 02
Piazza Matteotti, Greve
A triangular square ringed by arcades with wine shops, a butcher and cafes under them. An hour covers it. On Saturday mornings a market fills the centre.
- 03
Montefioralle
A walled hamlet on the hill above Greve, about 1.5 km and 25 minutes on foot up a steep road. One ring street of stone houses and a view over the vines.
- 04
The Chiantigiana road
The SR222 between Florence, Greve, Panzano and Castellina, the route every tour and driver follows. Vineyards, olive groves and oak woods alternate for 40 km, with few places to pull over.
Good forWine and foodOld towns and villagesNature and hiking
How to spend the day
With the half-day tour, be at Piazzale Montelungo 15 minutes before departure and expect to be back about 5 hours later, which leaves the rest of the day for Florence. On your own, take the 09:30 bus 365A from the Montelungo hub, in Greve at 10:28. See Piazza Matteotti and taste in the shops, have lunch, and take the 14:35 or 16:00 bus back. The last weekday bus to Florence leaves Greve at 19:00.
Chianti in summer and in winter
Summer
June to AugustJune to August is hot in the vineyards and tastings of red wine sit heavily after lunch, so the morning departure of the tour is the better one. Cellars are cool inside. Grapes are still green until late August. In Greve the arcades give shade, but the bus stop does not, so carry water.
Winter
December to FebruaryFrom December to February the vines are bare and several estates cut their visiting hours, though tours still run daily. Tastings move indoors and new olive oil, pressed in November, is on the table. Greve by bus is a thin outing in winter, with shops closing for lunch and dusk before 17:00. The tour is the better option.
How crowded it gets
Busy- Busiest
- Sep-Oct during harvest, and Saturdays in Greve
- Quietest
- Nov-Mar, and weekdays outside harvest
Chianti never feels packed like Pisa, but estates take limited numbers. In September and early October book the tour or your own tastings a week ahead. The wine fair in Greve on 10-13 September 2026 fills the square and the buses.
How do you get to Chianti from Florence?
Organized tour
- Travel time
- 5 hours door to door
- Frequency
- Daily
- Cost
- From € 55
- Departs from
- Piazzale Montelungo, behind Santa Maria Novella station
The half-day coach visits two estates with tastings of wine and local products. The full-day version from € 65 adds Siena, San Gimignano and Monteriggioni with one winery stop. Either way somebody else drives, which is the whole point in a wine region.
Bus to Greve
- Travel time
- 58 min
- Frequency
- About hourly on weekdays, 6 a day on Sundays
- Departs from
- Firenze Hub Montelungo, behind Santa Maria Novella station
Line 365 A of Autolinee Toscane runs to Greve in Chianti, stop Piazza Trento. It is charged at the extra-urban fare by distance. Buy in the at bus app before boarding, tickets from the driver cost more. It gets you to the town, not to the vineyards.
Car
- Travel time
- About 45 min to Greve
- Departs from
- Rental desks around Borgo Ognissanti
The SR222 Chiantigiana links Florence, Greve, Panzano and Castellina and is the only way to choose your own estates. Book tastings ahead, most wineries do not take walk-ins. Italy's drink-drive limit is low, so the driver should spit or skip.
Practical: clothes, food and money
What to wear
Flat closed shoes for gravel yards and cellar steps. Cellars stay cool all year, so bring a light layer even in July. Skip strong perfume on tasting days. In winter wear a proper coat for the outdoor part of visits.
What to eat
Tastings come with bread, olive oil, pecorino and cured meats such as finocchiona, a fennel salami. That is a snack, not lunch. In Greve eat under the arcades of the square or buy from the butcher's counter. Look for the black rooster seal on Chianti Classico bottles.
What you will spend
On your own, the money goes on tastings, which each estate prices separately, and on a taxi or rental car. The half-day tour from € 55 includes transport and two tastings, and the full-day version from € 65 adds Siena and San Gimignano. Walking around Greve is free.
How to get the most out of the day
- Eat a real breakfast before a morning tour. The first pour often comes before 11:00 and the snacks served with it are small.
- Wineries ship cases abroad. If you plan to buy more than two bottles, ask for the shipping rate before you start carrying glass around.
- On the bus, press the stop button for Piazza Trento in Greve. The return stop is on the opposite side of the same road.
- Shops in Greve close from about 13:00 to 15:30 outside high season. Do your tasting and buying before lunch, then eat.
How long do you need in Chianti?
Plan 5–8 h on site, plus 58 min of travel each way from Florence.