Tuscany: largest and most beautiful cities

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In Tuscany you will find great landscapes for hiking as well as cities full of magnificent sights. This article is about the cities of Tuscany. First a small overview of all cities with more than 50.000 inhabitants. Then we will tell you which cities you should visit.

Overview biggest cities Tuscany

Florence is today by far the largest and most important city in Tuscany. This has not always been the case in history. Other cities like Siena or Pisa were just as big, rich and powerful for a long time.

Top-10 cities Tuscany by population

1. Florence 390.000
2. Prato 190.000
3. Livorno 160.000
4. Arezzo 100.000
5. Pisa 90.000
6. Lucca 90.000
7. Pistoia 90.000
8. Grosseto 85.000
9. Massa 70.000
10. Carrara 65.000

Other cities Tuscany with over 50,000 inhabitants

11 Viareggio 62.000
12. Siena 54.000
13. Scandicci 50.000

So there are 13 cities in the large region of Tuscany in Central Italy with over 50,000 inhabitants

You have to visit: The three cities with many sights and tourists are Florence, Pisa and Siena. You should also visit San Gimignano.

Florence is the art capital of the world and, along with Venice and Rome, is one of the three major destinations in Italy. To know Tuscany without having been to Florence is unthinkable. The cathedral of Florence is one of the top 10 churches in the world. Florence could be called the art capital of the world. The Uffizi and the Galleria dell’Accademia are among the top 10 museums in the world. See: List of places of interest Florence

The city of Prato is only 20 km away from Florence. Prato is known for its textiles and textile industry. Some good museums.

Pisa: Although almost everyone comes for the most famous tower in the world, the Leaning Tower is not the only important sight in the city of Pisa near the Mediterranean Sea. This certainly includes the cathedral and some buildings in the old town.

Our tip: It is better to buy important tickets for Florence and Pisa before your trip.

Almost every day, extremely long queues form at some of the great sights of Tuscany. This is true, for example, of the Uffizi and Accademia art museums in Florence. The waiting times are extreme very often at the famous cathedral dome in Florence. Tickets for the Leaning Tower of Pisa are rarely available for the same day. If you don’t want to spend many hours of your holiday in queues, you can buy tickets in advance on the internet.  There is a good website for the tickets:  Click here

Siena: The great historical rival of Florence is no longer so big today, but for many connoisseurs it is the most beautiful city in Tuscany. You should have a look for example at the cathedral of Siena and the old town square Piazza del Campo, in our opinion the most beautiful place of Tuscany. There is a lot going on in Siena during the most famous horse race of Italy, the Palio di Siena on the square Piazza del Campo.

In any case, the small town San Gimignano is also on the list of the most visited and most beautiful cities of Tuscany. The medieval old town, with its famous towers, is one of the most beautiful in Italy. Today the city has only 8,000 inhabitants. San Gimignano is the top destination for day trips in Tuscany.

Other great cities not to be missed

Tuscany is rich in culture and historical sights like hardly any other region in Europe and there are many other very beautiful cities.

After the above four cities of Florence, Pisa, Siena and San Gimignano, Lucca is probably the number 5 most visited city in Tuscany. Lucca has a very beautiful old town including a city wall. Also Arezzo has a worth seeing old town and is therefore visited by many people.

Map with Top 10 Sights Tuscany

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