Cycling the Chianti Wine Route from Florence to Siena

Level 3/5 if you hire an e-bike. Stages averaging 30 to 55 km. The route is undulating with some steep ascents and descents. Participants are expected to be in good physical condition and to have previously cycled for several days in a row.

If you do not hire an e-bike, the difficulty level for this trip is 4/5.

This depends on the option you choose:

• No luggage transport: you can secure your bag to your bike’s luggage rack using cable ties. Hired bikes are supplied with a pannier in which you can store your belongings. You should still bring a small rucksack; this will allow you to carry your belongings easily when visiting places along the route.

• With luggage transport: You only need to carry a small bag with your essentials for the day and your packed lunch. The transport service includes one piece of luggage plus one piece of hand luggage per person: if you wish to transport more, please let us know at the time of booking (subject to a supplement).

Bookings available for groups of 2 or more people.

5 days / 4 nights.

We provide you with a digital travel pack which includes: access to our smartphone guide app, a list of your accommodation, any vouchers you may need, and all the information required to ensure your stay runs smoothly.

Accommodation

Accommodation in 3* and 4* hotels, in twin rooms with en-suite facilities and air conditioning.
Some hotels have a swimming pool.
Single rooms can be booked (at an additional cost and subject to availability).

Meals

Breakfasts are included. For lunch: you can eat on the way at an inn or a traditional restaurant.

Please let us know at the time of booking of any food allergies or special dietary requirements; we will do our best to adapt your meals accordingly.

Start

Day 1, in the afternoon at your hotel in Florence.

End

Day 5, after breakfast at your hotel in Siena.

Bike hire

Bike hire runs from Day 2 (around 9.30 am) to Day 4 (around 5.30 pm).

We offer a range of different bike models:

27-speed Shimano Alivio. Men’s/women’s models.
Aluminium frame – 28'' wheels
V-brakes on the handlebars

E-bike or E-MTB depending on size and availability.

WINORA or similar e-bike
25kg, 28'' wheels, 8-speed Shimano Acera,
Bosch motor and battery

HAIBIKE or similar E-MTB
25kg, 29'' wheels, 9-speed Shimano Alivio,
Bosch motor and battery

Each bike comes with:

• a helmet
• a bike lock
• a repair kit
• a side pannier
• a smartphone mount (one per 2 people)

Florence can be reached from Florence Airport, Bologna (100 km) and Pisa (80 km):

Florence – Firenze Amerigo Vespucci (FLR)
Bus

• From Florence Airport to Florence railway station: the Ataf-Sita bus runs every 30 minutes from 05:30 to 00:30 to Florence Santa Maria Novella (approx. 20 mins, €6)

Bologna – Bologna Guglielmo Marconi (BLQ)
Bus + train from Bologna

• From the airport to Bologna Centrale railway station: Marconi Express train, departing every 7 minutes (€12.80) https://www.marconiexpress.it/
• From Bologna Centrale station to Florence: direct high-speed train (approx. 40 minutes, from €30)

Pisa Galileo Galilei (PSA)
Bus + train

• From Pisa Airport to Pisa railway station: the PisaMover Bus service runs every 5 minutes. A ticket costs around €6.50. You can buy your ticket at the information desk in the terminal or from one of the ticket machines at the coach station. There is also a bus operated by the railway company that connects the airport to the city centre
• From Pisa railway station to Florence railway station: direct train (around 1 hour, approx. €9 per ticket).

Parking your car
You can park your car in Florence, either at your hotel (for a fee) or in a secure car park (€15–30 per day).

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the leading association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips – on foot, by bike or on snow – to invite everyone to discover the world in a different way: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

As members of the board of directors since 2018, we actively contribute to driving the sector’s practices towards greater purpose. In practical terms, we ensure:

• Transparency in our practices and pricing
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Environmental conservation on every one of our trips

We also share the values of the Traveller’s Ethical Charter (in French), which encourages everyone to adopt simple actions to protect the places they visit and foster meaningful encounters.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has been recognised as a Travelife Partner, an international label that certifies our responsible practices in terms of the environment, ethics and sustainable management, both within our company and with our partners, as well as in the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a rigorous international certification scheme, attests to our concrete actions in support of responsible tourism. We are actively pursuing our progress towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in line with our sustainable development policy

Responsible Tourism

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the leading association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips – on foot, by bike or on snow – to invite everyone to discover the world in a different way: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

As members of the board of directors since 2018, we actively contribute to driving the sector’s practices towards greater purpose. In practical terms, we ensure:

• Transparency in our practices and pricing
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Environmental conservation on each of our trips

We also share the values of the Traveller’s Ethical Charter (in French), which encourages everyone to take simple steps to protect the places they visit and foster meaningful encounters.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has been recognised as a Travelife Partner, an international label that certifies our responsible practices in terms of the environment, ethics and sustainable management, both within our company and with our partners, as well as in the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a rigorous international certification scheme, attests to our concrete actions in support of responsible tourism. We are actively working towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in line with our sustainability policy

For cycling

• A helmet (one may be provided, but it is preferable to bring your own)

• Cycling shorts or tights, depending on the season
• Cycling gloves
• Sunglasses (to protect against the sun, wind and midges)
• A windbreaker
• T-shirts or cycling jerseys
• A water bottle

NB: Technical synthetic clothing performs very well. New merino wool garments have also come onto the market; they are high-performance and comfortable to wear, and have the advantage of not retaining the smell of sweat. As a general rule, avoid cotton, as it cools you down when wet.

Clothing

• A jumper or fleece
• Shorts
• A tracksuit or change of clothes
• A light, long-sleeved cotton shirt
• A pair of trainers for the evening
• A change of clothes and personal toiletries
• Toiletries bag
• A swimming costume
• A mini first-aid kit: personal medication, surgical masks, hand sanitiser, plasters, sterile compresses and bandages, gauze, disinfectant, arnica granules and aspirin, etc. (please note: this is not an exhaustive list; please adapt it to suit your own medical needs).

For the midday picnic

• Your ‘kitchen’ kit: bowl, plastic box or plate, cutlery (spoon, fork, knife)

For sun and rain protection

• Sun cream
• Hat, cap or helmet
• A rain cape or waterproof jacket (e.g. ‘softshell’ or ‘Gore-Tex’) and, if necessary, waterproof trousers

Luggage

• If your bike doesn’t have a pannier, take a small, comfortable 40-litre rucksack with a waist belt to carry your personal belongings and your picnic during the day. If you have a luggage rack, you can secure your rucksack to it using tension straps. Hired bikes come with a pannier where you can store your belongings. You should still bring a small rucksack; this will allow you to carry your belongings easily when you stop for a visit along the way.
• A day bag: a rucksack or travel bag in good condition

You can also find this information in our full article, which will guide you on what to pack in your panniers for your next cycling trip.

Country: Italy
Capital: Rome
Population: 60,600,000

EU citizens, including children, need a valid passport or national identity card to travel to Italy. Check the latest EU travel document guidance and the requirements that apply to your nationality before travelling.

If you are eligible for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), arrange one through the authority in your country of residence before departure. Check the healthcare and travel insurance cover you need for your trip.

Tuscany is a transitional region between the climate of the north and the Mediterranean climate of the Mezzogiorno. The topography of Florence and Siena means that in summer, it can get very, very hot… and torrential rain is also a possibility (particularly in August). The best seasons remain spring (May and June) and autumn, with pleasant temperatures (around 25°C) and beautifully soft, gentle light.
Source: www.routard.com

Italian National Tourist Board
23 Rue de la Paix, 75002 Paris
Tel: 0142660396

French Consulate in Rome
Piazza Farnese, 67
00186 Rome
Tel: +3906686011

Italy: +39

Italy follows Central European Time.

Euro.

Geography of Tuscany

Geography – be it human, economic or electoral – places Tuscany at a pivotal point between the North and the Mezzogiorno. Almost enclosed to the north and east by the Apennine Mountains, and opening out onto the vast plain of Roman Latium, this region is too diverse to form a homogeneous whole.

To the south, near Siena, towards the Abbey of Monte Oliveto, lie the famous Crete Senesi, which date back to a time when the entire region was covered by the sea.

These fertile lands slope gently down towards the Val d’Orcia, where wheat, sunflowers, olive trees and vines are cultivated, before meeting the volcanic region of Mount Amiata.

To the west, the Metalliferous Mountains mark the boundary between the Maremma and Tuscany, beyond the green valleys and forests of the Montagnola and the Val di Merse, lands of timber harvesting and woodworking.

In the centre, between Siena and Florence, the Chianti region is a land not only of vineyards, but also of fruit trees and olive groves. It is the soil, consisting of sandy, stony, clayey and sandy deposits, combined with the microclimates created by the wide variety of plot exposures, that gives this wine—made from over 90 per cent Sangiovese grapes—its richness.

The Arno Valley: the region’s main (if not only) artery, it alone accounts for the bulk of the population in both regions. Crossed from one end to the other by the ‘Autostrada del Sole’ (A1), it is the heart of Tuscan activity.

The River Arno
Just 241 km long, the Arno rises on Mount Falterona (1,385 m) in the Apennines, then loops southwards, passes through Florence and flows westwards via Empoli, Pontedera and Pisa. Finally, it flows down towards the Ligurian Sea, where it empties 10 km north of Livorno. In Florence, this river marks the division between the two banks: the Oltrarno (left bank) and the Lungarno (right bank).

Every year in October and November, the level of the Arno rises inexorably, without causing flooding. However, some observers believe that the risk of another disaster has not been entirely ruled out. Despite the canalisation works undertaken after 1966 and the construction of dykes, Florence is, in their view, still not safe from another destructive flood.

Around 1503–1504, Leonardo da Vinci presented a proposal to the city of Florence to divert the Arno in order to build a kind of canal linking the city of the Medici to the sea. Leonardo’s concern was the same as it is today: to prevent terrible floods!
Source: www.routard.com