Florence to Assisi Day Trip

Assisi sits on a hillside above the Umbrian countryside, and the whole town is tied to the lives of Saint Francis and Saint Clare. On a Florence to Assisi day trip, this is the stop people book for.

The guided part of the visit ends at the Basilica of Saint Francis, with frescoes by Giotto, Cimabue, Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti. Having a local guide here matters: the walls are dense with painted stories, and someone who knows them turns a blur of colour into the life of the saint.

After the guide leaves you, the time is yours. The listing suggests the Basilica of Saint Clare, the tomb of Carlo Acutis or simply a seat in a picturesque square. Then the coach takes you down to the plain for Saint Mary of the Angels, where a large church stands over the tiny Porziuncola chapel.

Perugia is the capital of Umbria, and on a Florence to Assisi day trip it comes first. There is no guided walk here: you get time to explore at your own pace. The listing points you to Piazza IV Novembre with the Fontana Maggiore, the cathedral, and the Rocca Paolina, an underground fortress that shows a hidden layer of the city.

Perugia is known for chocolate and hosts one of Europe’s best-known chocolate festivals. The tour offers an optional chocolate tasting at a local shop, with the history of Perugian chocolate and a taste of its best-known pieces. It is an extra, so check what your option includes.

At 11.5 hours, the Florence to Assisi day trip is a little shorter than the Cinque Terre and Pisa trip or the Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa trip, both 12 to 12.5 hours. It costs more than the second: $104 per person against $55 per person, though that cheaper price is the lowest option and may be transport only.

The rating is the honest weak point. 4.3 from 253 reviews is lower than any of the twelve trips on our main list, which run from 4.5 to 4.9. What you get in return is a region the other trips do not reach and a guided visit to the basilica.

Book the Assisi and Perugia tour if Saint Francis, Giotto’s frescoes or Umbria are on your list: at $104 per person, it is the only Florence to Assisi day trip here, and it adds Perugia on top. If you just want a first taste of Italian hill towns, the Siena and San Gimignano trips below cost less and score higher.

Our top pick from Florence is the Cinque Terre and Pisa day trip, at $100 per person for 12 to 12.5 hours, with the train between the villages. To weigh the Florence to Assisi day trip against all twelve trips we track, see our full list of day trips.