Booking choice: The half-day two-winery tasting, from $62 per person. Check dates Tour details
You can see Chianti without renting a car. The question is how much of it. The 365 bus reaches Greve and Panzano; from there you walk, take a taxi or join a tour. Most famous estates sit a few kilometres up a hill from the nearest stop.
There is also the other reason not to drive: Italy's limit is 0.5 grams of alcohol per litre of blood, and zero for new drivers. A proper tasting puts most people over it.
The quick answer
Take Autolinee Toscane bus 365 from the Hub Montelungo by Santa Maria Novella to Greve in Chianti: about an hour, frequent on weekdays, six runs each way on Sundays. In Greve, taste at Le Cantine di Greve or the enoteche on Piazza Matteotti, walk up to Montefioralle, or book a winery visit. For two estates in one go without planning, a tour from Florence is simpler and costs from $56 to $62.
Can you visit Chianti without a car?
Yes. The 365 bus gets you to Greve and Panzano, and from there you walk, book a winery with transfers or take a taxi. A tour does it all in one go.
Your options, ranked by effort:
- A tour from Florence: no planning, two wineries, from $56 to $62. See half day or full day.
- Bus plus Greve: about an hour each way, tasting in town, a walk to Montefioralle. Cheap and easy.
- Bus plus a winery visit: book a cellar tour such as the Brogioni winery near Greve, then a taxi for the last stretch.
- Two wheels: an e-bike day; a Vespa tour from Florence works too.
How do you get from Florence to Greve in Chianti by bus?
Autolinee Toscane line 365 from Florence's Hub Montelungo, by Santa Maria Novella station, to Greve Piazza Trento in about an hour.
Facts from the official 365 timetable valid from 5 October 2026:
- Departure: FIRENZE HUB Montelungo (Piazzale Montelungo), five minutes on foot from the station. Some runs also stop at Terminal Vittorio Veneto by the Cascine.
- Journey: 55 to 65 minutes to Greve Piazza Trento via Grassina and Strada in Chianti or via Ferrone; about 10 minutes more to Panzano.
- Weekdays: dozens of runs, many of them short school runs, so check that yours goes all the way to Greve.
- Sundays and holidays: six runs from Florence, at 8:20, 10:00, 12:05, 14:00, 16:10 and 19:00, and six back, the last leaving the Greve area in the late afternoon. Nothing on Christmas, New Year's Day, Easter or 1 May.
- Tickets: extra-urban fares by distance; buy before boarding in the at bus app or at a ticket office. Fares rose on 1 August 2026: see the 2026 bus fares post.
Florence-Siena is a separate trip: Autolinee Toscane's 131R rapid bus takes about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Where can you taste wine in Greve without a tour?
At Le Cantine di Greve, a cellar wine bar with more than 100 wines on self-service taps, at the enoteche around Piazza Matteotti, or at a booked winery visit nearby.
Le Cantine di Greve in Chianti (Galleria delle Cantine 2, by the main square) works on a prepaid card: you load it at the desk and pour tastes from dispensers, from simple Chianti Classico to famous names at a few euros a pour. It is the easiest way to taste twenty producers in an hour without moving.
For a real cellar, the Brogioni family winery in the hills of Greve runs a 1.5-hour tour with a vineyard walk and tasting with snacks, from $57, for up to 12 guests. It has no transport, which makes it a good pair with the bus. Guests report four wines with cheese and salami. In September, the Expo del Chianti Classico fills Piazza Matteotti with about 60 wineries.
Take the 365 to Greve and book the cellar: a family winery tour, vineyard walk and tasting with snacks in 1.5 hours.
Explore the Greve winery tasting Tour detailsCan you walk to wineries from Greve in Chianti?
Some. Montefioralle is about 2 km uphill from Greve's square, and a few estates sit within an hour's walk, but the roads are narrow with no pavement.
The classic walk is up to Montefioralle, a walled hamlet above Greve with a couple of places to eat and drink: about 30 to 40 minutes, steep at the end. Castello di Verrazzano is a few kilometres north of Greve and books tours on its own site. Walking there means a stretch along the SR222, which we would not do.
Take water, walk early in summer, and plan to taxi back from anything further than Montefioralle. Two or three tastings make the uphill bits slower than you think.
Can you take a taxi or private driver around Chianti?
Yes, but book it. There is no taxi rank waiting in Greve; use a licensed NCC driver with a fixed price agreed in advance.
Florence taxis will take you to Chianti on the meter, and the bill climbs quickly over 30 km; ask for a price before you set off and book the return separately. For a whole day, compare that with a ready-made tour: the private tour gives you your own driver, two estates and lunch for $487 per person, but it is non-refundable.
For two people, a group tour costs a fraction of any car with a driver.
Two wineries, a coach and a guide from Piazzale Montelungo, for less than one taxi ride to Greve.
Check dates for the half-day two-winery tastingCan you cycle around Chianti?
Yes, on an e-bike. Chianti is steep, and the SR222 carries real traffic, so a guided route on side roads is the easy way.
The e-bike day starts at Ciao Hangar, Via delle Ruote 35 in Florence, and rides out to the hills around Impruneta, with a winery lunch and two tastings. It is the cheapest tour on this site at $51. Honest note: Impruneta is Chianti Colli Fiorentini, not Classico. Riders must be 14 or older, at least 150 cm tall and pass a short test ride; no refund if you fail it.
Getting out of the city is the tense part. One guest: "Riding the ebikes in the busy city center is not for the faint of heart, but the tour in the countryside is worth the risk."
Pedal-assisted hills, a winery lunch and two tastings, for the lowest price on the site.
Explore the Chianti e-bike tour Tour detailsCan you drive after a wine tasting in Italy?
Barely. The limit is 0.5 g/l of blood alcohol, and zero for drivers with a licence under three years old, under-21s and professional drivers.
Two or three tasting pours can put a light person near the limit; two wineries with three or four pours each will put most people over it. Penalties under the Codice della Strada, tightened by Law 177/2024 from 14 December 2024 (The Local):
| Blood alcohol | Fine | Licence | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 0.5 g/l | Only for new drivers, under-21s, professionals | Points | Zero tolerance for them |
| 0.5 to 0.8 g/l | EUR 573 to 2,170 | Suspended 3 to 6 months | Administrative offence |
| 0.8 to 1.5 g/l | Up to EUR 3,200 | Suspended up to 1 year | Criminal; up to 6 months in jail |
| Over 1.5 g/l | Up to EUR 6,000 | Suspended 1 to 2 years | Criminal; up to 1 year in jail |
Convicted drivers also face an alcolock in their car. Visitors from outside the EU need an International Driving Permit next to their licence (The Local, 2026).
Is a tour simpler than doing Chianti on your own?
For two wineries in one afternoon, yes. Do it yourself for Greve town and one booked cellar; take a tour for the estates in between.
The DIY day: two bus tickets, a Le Cantine card, maybe the Brogioni tour or a taxi to one estate. It works, and it is a lovely slow day, but on Sundays you live by six buses. The tour day: meet at Piazzale Montelungo, the same square the 365 leaves from, ride the Chiantigiana, taste six to eight wines at two estates with food, and nobody drives.
Our take: first visit, take the tour. Second visit, take the bus.
Leave the driving to someone else: two wineries on the Chiantigiana, wine and food included.
Check dates for the half-day two-winery tastingFrequently asked questions
Is there a bus from Florence to Chianti?
Yes. Autolinee Toscane line 365 runs from the Hub Montelungo by Santa Maria Novella to Greve in Chianti and Panzano in about an hour, with six runs each way on Sundays.
Can you get to Chianti by train?
No. There is no railway through the Chianti Classico hills. Trains run from Florence to Siena around the zone, not into it.
Can I walk between wineries in Chianti?
Only short hops. From Greve you can walk to Montefioralle in 30 to 40 minutes; most estates are further, on roads without pavements.
What is the drink-drive limit in Italy?
0.5 g/l of blood alcohol, and zero for drivers with a licence under three years old, under-21s and professional drivers.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Half-Day Chianti Tasting at Two Wineries
- Two winery visits with cellar and vineyard walk
- 3 to 4 wines per winery with local food
- Air-conditioned coach from Piazzale Montelungo
Chianti E-Bike Tour with Lunch & Tastings
Pedal-assisted hills; the guided option adds lunch and two tastings
Greve in Chianti Winery Tour & Tasting
Already in Chianti? A winery tour and tasting on your own wheels
