2026 TUSCANY SPRING TOUR
June 2nd-18th 2026
16 days/ 16 nights
(with 11 days in Tuscany )
INTRODUCTION
Tuscany is famous for its romantic landscapes, history and art and typifies the Italian experience.
Dreamy hilltop villages look down over quintessential Italian landscapes with cypress trees and often Etruscan walls. Throughout the region, there are historic palaces and medieval monasteries, often in a film setting.
SUMMARY ITINERARY
The tour starts with an afternoon Dover to Calais DFDS ferry crossing
Our afternoon ferry from Dover arrives in Calais around 4.00 pm, and it is then just over 50 miles to our chateau hotel near Gosnay.
We then spend the next 4 days driving down to Tuscany.
The following day, our tour starts with two nights in Beaune, the wine centre of Burgundy, followed by one night in Cogne, an Italian ski resort in the Aosta valley. On our 5th night, we arrive in Viano, near Maranello, home of Ferrari.
The next day, we arrive in Tuscany, where we spend 2 nights in Lucca, 3 nights in the Chianti region, 2 nights on the island of Elba and 3 nights in San Quirico d'Orcia, near Pienza/ Montepulciano. On our final day in Tuscany, we drive up to Lake Garda, where we spend the final night of the tour.
On the day that we visit Siena we can also watch the 2026 Mille Miglia cars arrive in the city for lunch
DATES: June 2nd-18th ( 16 days/ 16 nights )
COST PER PERSON: £4,350 based on two people per car, sharing a hotel bedroom
PLEASE NOTE: The above fees are based on £1 sterling =1.15 euros but may be subject to a surcharge at the time of receiving your fees, due to the uncertainty of predicting future sterling to euros conversion rates.
The costs include the following:
- Accommodation in stylish hotels ( 16 nights)
- 3-course dinners each night ( 16 nights)
- Breakfast daily
- Rally plate
- Comprehensive road books with daily itineraries and detailed route notes
- Michelin Atlas of Italy with highlighted route
- Copy of DK's travel guide to Florence and Tuscany
- Services of a CCTI Tour Director throughout the tour
- DFDS daytime car-ferry crossing Dover to Calais return, with VIP lounge access. (There is a £100 reduction/car if you do not need the return DFDS ferry service )
NOT INCLUDED ARE THE FOLLOWING :
- Lunches, snacks, coffees, etc.
- Drinks with dinner, including bottled water, coffee, wine, alcohol, etc.
- Entry to places of interest
- Autoroute tolls
- Ferries to/from Elba
DRAFT TOUR ITINERARY
Day 1 Tuesday 2nd June
Afternoon ferry at 12.55 from Dover to Calais, latest check-in 11.55)
Ferry arrives Calais 15.35
Then drive from Calais to Gosnay ( 52 miles )
Our tour starts with an afternoon DFDS ferry crossing from Dover to Calais.
You will have priority status, so you will be first to board and disembark. Once on the ferry, you have access to the Premium Lounge, where complimentary beverages and snacks are available.
Arriving in Calais, we then drive 52 miles south to our Chateau Hotel, near Gosnay
Dinner is in the hotel's restaurant
Day 2 Wednesday, 3rd June
Gosnay to Beaune, ( 330 miles, including 310 miles on motorways )
( Although our original itinerary included an overnight stop in Epernay, before arriving in Beaune, we have decided to drive directly to Beaune on the motorway and spend 2 nights in Beaune, rather than one. This way, tomorrow we can spend a leisurely day exploring Beaune and its environs.)
We leave Gosnay, take the motorway south
Our morning coffee stop is the medieval town of Laon.
We return to the motorway and head to Beaune
Our hotel for the next 2 nights is less than a mile from the motorway
After drinks in the hotel's bar, dinner will be served in the hotel's restaurant.
Day 3 Thursday, 4th June
Beaune, local excursion ( 15 miles )
Our morning coffee stop is Chateau de Savigny, in Savigny Le Beaune, just a few miles north of Beaune. See their website:
The chateau is home to several museums, including a unique collection of Abarth Sports Cars and Racecars, Classic Motorcycles, and Vintage Fire Engines.
Also, in the chateau grounds are over 100 airplanes.
Our lunch stop is the charming town of Beaune.
We then return to our hotel, where dinner is in the hotel.
Day 4 Friday 5th June
Beaune to Cogne, Italy ( 245 miles, including 175 miles on motorways)
Visiting: Montreux/Martigny/The Grand St. Bernard Pass/ Aosta/Cogne
We take the motorway down to Lac Leman ( Lake Geneva), then continue to Martigny, our lunch stop.
In Martigny, we visit the classic car museum and art gallery in the Fondation Pierre Gianadda. See their website:
We then continue on country roads to the Grand St. Bernard Pass, where we drive up to the summit, our afternoon coffee stop.
Continuing down the pass, we enter Italy and drive down to the Aosta Valley.
Our hotel is in the charming ski resort of Cogne, 12 miles up a mountain in the Aosta Valley.
Dinner is in the hotel
Day 5 Saturday 6th June
Cogne to Viano, near Maranello ( 250 miles, including 220 miles on motorways)
Our route takes us on the motorway via Novara/Milan/Parma, and Modena.
From Modena, it's 13 miles to Maranello, where you can visit the Ferrari Museum and shops.
We are also hoping to visit the Pagani factory
Our hotel is 18 miles away, perched on a hilltop,
Due to limited availability we shall be using an extra hotel in the village
Day 6/1 Sunday 7th June
Viano to Lucca ( 90 miles )
Visiting: Abetone/ Lucca
Leaving Viano, we head south for 35 miles on scenic minor roads to Lama Magogno.
Our lunch stop is Abetone, an Italian ski resort
After lunch, we continue on the S12 for another 38 miles to Lucca, where our hotel for the next two nights is located just 2 miles north of Lucca.
Dinner, tonight is in the hotel
Day 7/2 Monday 8th June
A day exploring Lucca, ( 10 miles )
A Roman colony was founded here almost 2,200 years ago, and Lucca's gridline streets, surrounded by solid ramparts, are a pleasant place to stroll around this beautiful historic city.
Many of the narrow streets between medieval houses and buildings open up into tiny squares (piazzas) with churches.
Lucca's ramparts, its magnificent city walls, are also ideal for strolling with stunning views of the city.
Lucca was founded by the Etruscans (there are traces of a pre-existing Ligurian settlement) and became a Roman colony in 180 BC.
After our visit, we return to our hotel
Dinner, tonight is in a local restaurant
Day 8/3 Tuesday 9th June
Lucca to Volpaia, Chianti, via Volterra and San Gimignano, ( 165 miles, including 50 miles on motorways )
We take the motorway towards Florence, for 50 miles then leave the motorway on a country road for 12 miles south to Greve in Chianti, our morning coffee stop.
We then continue, via Castellna in Chianti, to our lunch stop Volterra.
Our afternoon coffee stop is San Gimignano.
We then drive back, via Castellna in Chianti, to Volpaia near Radda in Chianti, where our hotel, for the next three nights, is located.
Volpaia is a hilltop wine village.
Dinner tonight is in a local restaurant in the village
Day 9/4 Wednesday 10th June
Local excursion to Florence via Siena and train from Siena, ( 55 miles )
We drive to Siena railway station where we park our cars and take the train to Florence.
In the afternoon, we return by train to Siena, then drive back to our hotel in Volpaia.
Dinner tonight is in a local restaurant in the village
Day 10/5 Thursday 11th June
Volapaia, Chianti to Siena, return, ( 55 miles )
With an opportunity to watch the 2026 Mille Miglia cars arriving for lunch in Siena
A day visiting Siena.
As a bonus, the 2026 Mille Miglia arrives in Siena for lunch today so in addition to Siena there is an opportunity to watch the 300 Mille Miglia cars drive through the city
Day 11/6 Friday 12th June
Volpaia, Chianti to Portoferraio, Island of Elba ( 170 miles including 40 miles on dual carriageways )
Visiting: Gaiole in Chianti/Brolio/ Abbey of Monte Oliveto-Maggiore/San Galgano Abbey,/Piombino
Our morning route takes us 10 miles through the Chianti region via Gaiole in Chianti to Madonna in Brolio, our morning coffee stop.
Here you can visit the Castle of Brolio
Our next stop is the Abbey of Monte Oliveto-Maggiore
https://www.monte-oliveto.com/
The Olivetan community traces its foundation to 1313 and the monks still live here.
Our lunch stop is the ruined abbey of San Galgano
After lunch, we continue to the port of Piombino, where we take the 60-minute car ferry to Portoferraio on the island of Elba.
Our hotel is located on the coast, just 6 miles from Portoferraio's ferry port.
Dinner tonight is in one of the hotel's restaurants
Day 12/7 Saturday 13th June
Island of Elba, local excursion, ( 55 miles )
Today, we enjoy an anti-clockwise tour of the island of Elba.
Our morning coffee stop is Marciana Marina.
Our lunch stop is Porto Azzurro
We then return to our hotel.
Dinner tonight is in one of the hotel's restaurants
Day 13/8 Sunday 14th June
Elba to San Quirico D'Orcia near Pienza, ( 105 miles, including 37 miles on motorways )
In the morning, after breakfast, we return to the mainland, via the ferry, to Piombino
After 10 miles, we take the motorway for 37 miles then drive on scenic country roads for 55 miles to Bagno Vignoni.
Just a couple of miles away is San Quirico d' Orcia, near Pienza, where our hotel for the next 3 nights is located
Dinner, tonight is in the hotel's restaurant
Day 14/9 Monday 15th June
Local excursion visiting, Bagni Vignoni and Pienza ( 20 miles )
Our morning coffee stop is Bagno Vigoni just 5 miles away.
Our lunch stop is the wine village of Pienza.
Dinner, tonight is in the hotel's restaurant
Day 15/10 Tuesday 16th June
Local excursion visiting Montepulciano and Cortona ( 70 miles )
We spend the morning visiting the wine village of Multipiciano then drive to Cortona, one of the oldest cities in Tuscany.
Cortona was founded by the Etruscans
We then return to our hotel for our final night in Tuscany
Dinner, tonight is in the hotel's restaurant
Day 16/11 Wednesday 17th June
San Quirico D' Orcia to Desenzano del Garda, Lake Garda ( 225 miles including 197 miles on motorways )
We leave our hotel and drive 25 miles to the motorway.
After a further 20 miles our morning coffee stop is a service station on the motorway.
We continue on the motorway for another 170 miles to Desenzano.
Our hotel in Desenzano del Garda is facing Lake Garda
Dinner, tonight is in the hotel's restaurant
Day 17 Thursday 18th June
Tour ends