This article is part of the Complete Guide to Photography in Tuscany
Italy has a comprehensive transport network with great trains and frequent buses, even in rural areas. Tuscany is one of the few photography destinations where you can have a rewarding experience using only public transport, although having your own vehicle will give you more flexibility and options.
The best way to explore Tuscany depends on your preferred type of photography. For street photography, architecture and exploring historic buildings, you may be able to get around by public transport. For landscape photography and rural scenes, renting a car will help you reach remote locations at unusual times of day. The rural bus network is surprisingly good, but many of the best landscape photography spots are a long hike from the nearest community.
This article covers options for getting around Tuscany for photography.
Driving in Tuscany
Using a car to explore Tuscany will give you the most flexibility over where you visit and ensure you can get on location for sunrise (or leave after sunset) almost anywhere you go. While a car can be inconvenient in some major cities, rural photography spots are difficult to visit in peak light unless you can reach them independently.
Renting a Car
Renting a car in Italy is inexpensive and simple, and there are choices between international car rental chains and smaller local agencies at airports and major towns. The price of rental cars varies between locations, and this should be a factor in planning your journey as you might find a cheaper rental car offsets a more expensive flight.
Car rental companies commonly provide basic insurance with a very high excess, sometimes up to several thousand euros. Insurance upgrades with the rental car company can double the price and are a common hidden cost of planning your journey.
In many countries, you can get separate excess insurance with a dedicated provider, which means you pay the excess if you damage the vehicle, but can later claim that payment back from your excess insurance. Getting basic insurance from a rental car agency and separate insurance for the excess can make renting a car far more affordable. You should read the terms carefully to ensure your rental car is properly insured, but I have used this method for a long time and made successful claims on my excess insurance.
You may need an International Driver’s Licence to rent a car in Italy, depending on where your driver’s licence was issued. Commonly, International Driver’s Licenses are required when the alphabet used on your licence does not match the alphabet of the country you are visiting, but check with your local government and rental car agency for the exact policy.
Roads and Parking
Italy has large multi-lane highways between major cities and smaller roads in rural areas of Tuscany, and most popular photography locations are a short walk from well-maintained paved roads. However, there are gravel tracks in the rural parts of Tuscany, and roads leading to agriturismos (a popular type of accommodation) are often not paved.
You do not need a large car to tackle the gravel roads of Tuscany, but some of the best places for landscape photography are among rural farms, so be prepared for some driving on rough tracks. Before you set out, confirm that your rental car provider covers unpaved roads in their insurance.
Larger towns and cities have parking areas around the periphery, but parking can be expensive and driving in the centre of historic cities is often restricted. It’s easier in rural locations, and most places have free or cheap facilities where you can leave your car and walk into the village. For many landscape photography locations, parking is alongside roads and in small areas where you can pull in.
Public Transport in Tuscany
Italian cities are well-connected by train and bus, and you can reach some of rural Tuscany using a combination of rail, local buses and hiking. However, transport timetables get more limited in rural areas, and public transport is unlikely to help you reach the best landscape photography locations in the best light.
However, a car can be a burden in the city. Siena, Florence and other Tuscan cities have historic districts with narrow streets, and most locations strictly limit the vehicles that can access the centre. That means finding parking some way from the centre, potentially for a high fee.
If you prefer street and architecture photography, you can explore most of Tuscany using trains and buses. For landscape photography, you’ll need a car. However, a blended approach might work best, using public transport between Pisa, Florence, Siena and other major towns, and a rental car to explore further into the countryside.
Photography Tours of Tuscany
Tuscany is a great photography destination, and you can arrange tours with either local guides or one of the international photographers arriving with groups at all times of year. Most tours focus on the small area of Val d’Orcia, where there are several famous locations that most photographers hope to capture. Tours often run in spring or autumn when the landscape is at its best.
Tours commonly last around a week and visit similar locations, but some will focus more on exploration and unusual spots, taking you into new parts of the landscape and away from busier locations. To choose a tour, check the style of photography, the amount of tuition, and the itinerary to ensure the guide is a good fit. The best tours will blend popular locations with some time for exploration.
Travelling independently is usually cheaper than joining a tour because you aren’t paying for the guide, but the difference can be very small, and you lose the benefit of photograph tuition and local knowledge to get to the best spots at the right time. If you have time, I recommend combining a tour with independent exploration, starting with a guide to get a sense of Tuscany and determine which locations you’d like to revisit on your own.
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