Travel tips to Tuscany

Capital City- Florence
Time Zone- GMT+1
Dialing Code- 39
Voltage- 220 volts AC (50 cycles)
Main languages- Italian, French, German, Slovenian, Albanian
Main religion- Christianity

Business hours

Open hours for stores, offices, and churches: 9:30am to noon or 1pm and again from 3 or 3:30pm to 7:30pm.

Most stores close all day Sunday and many also on Monday. Some shops, especially grocery stores, also close Thursday afternoons. Museums are usually closed on Mondays. Banks open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 1:30pm and 2:30 to 3:30pm or 3 to 4pm.

Money

Currency- Euro
Denomination- Notes come in denominations of 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5
Coins- 2, 1, 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c and 1c.
ATM info- There are numerous ATM throughout the Tuscany region, most of which accept
MasterCard and Visa.
Cash & Travellers Cheques- Travellers cheques and most major credit cards are widely
accepted for payment throughout Tuscany.
Tipping- You are not expected to tip on top of restaurant service charges. However if the
service warrants, you can consider leaving a 10% tip.

Climate in Tuscany

Generally the climate in Tuscany is very mild with small variations between the regions. Summers are hotter in the coast and in the valleys while in the hills, the climate is very continental and rain falls more often. Spring months are April and May while autumn months are October and November. July is the hottest month in Tuscany. In August, most people are on holiday. The best time to visit Tuscany is from April to June and from September to October, when the weather is usually good, the prices are lower and there are fewer tourists.

Getting there

By Air: Competition between the airlines means that you pick up reasonable airfare rates. Many European and international airlines give stiff competition to the national carrier, Alitalia. Italy's main international airport is Leonardo da Vinci airport. There are plenty of flights from Europe that go to regional capitals directly.
By land: If you live in Europe you can come to Tuscany by car, bus or train. Eurolines (www.eurolines.com) is a consortium of European coaches that operates buses across Europe with buses heading directly for Florence. For travelling by train, you can check out the Thomas Cook European Timetable for a complete listing of train schedules.

Getting around

By air: Domestic airlines in Italy include Air One, Alitalia, and Meridiana. There is an airport in Florence. Domestic flights can be booked through any travel agency.
Car & motorcycle: To explore the best of the Tuscan region and get off the beaten track rent a car or a motorbike. Roads are generally good throughout Tuscany and there is an excellent network of freeways, although you do have to pay tolls.to drive on your own, you need a valid license. Car parking can prove to be expensive and stressful so it is always better to rent a car.
Bicycle: Cycling is a national pastime in Tuscany as in the rest of Italy. There are no special road rules but it is best that you equip yourself with helmet and lights. You can take your bike on any trains with a bicycle logo. Those that can be dismantled and stored in a bag can be taken for free on the trains and ferries.
Train: Trainitalia, the partial privatized state train system runs most of the services in Italy. You can also travel in Intercity and Eurostar trains
Bus: As a rule buses are not cheaper than trains but can prove useful in travelling to smaller towns. The bus and train network are usually well-integrated