bams1954

Will be staying for 2 nights at the Grand Hotel Continental in early October...they have a garage for 2.00 euro/hour....
does anyone have a web-site or info re: cost/map of the public lots?
Debating on cost vs. convenienc. Driving in from Chianti - been advised by hotel concierge to enter at Porta San Marco in Siena

LindaandErik

Siena is a walled city. Nobody drives in it except people with special permits. Take the hotel lot. You'll need the car outside, in the country, but you don't need or want to drive inside the city walls.

bams1954

we're picking up the car in Florence when we depart...so we can visit Chianti and then a little of Southern Tuscany the next day - or I would have taken the train or bus...really want to stay in Siena...early a.m. and evenings will be nice.
Hotel has a lot - we can drive to the hotel with the directions I've been provided.
It seems the public lots are almost as expensive as what the hotels is charging.

LindaandErik

My memory is a bit foggy on this, but it seems when we stayed in Siena, we actually got into the city gates with our car (out hotel was close to city gates), parked on the street and then moved our car to a public lot on the periphery of the city. It wasn't 2 euros an hour either...it was cheaper. Sorry...I didn't see that you were paying an hourly price at your hotel. That looks pretty steep.

I do think there is a car rental, if not in Siena, close to it. Why don't dispense with the car for your stay in Siena and pick it up for your trip the outlying villages. If it were me, I would not want to stay in Siena for more than 1 or 2 nights, and after a few days, I'd get a little claustrophobic; walled cities tend to be small. The hotels and accomodations aren't nearly as nice as what you can find outside the city (the restaurants in Siena are fabulous, though). You can even drive in to eat...park at the periphery and walk to restaurants.

LindaandErik

Whoops...overlooked where you are staying in Siena..looks super! For people on more moderate budgets, the villas outside are probably a better buy.

siena_us

You can also park for free in the area of San Prospero which is near the Fortezza. Just make sure not to park in a place where they have street cleaning or in the blue lines. You could arrange with the hotel to figure out a way to get your bags in as well. The parking area is a 5 minute walk to the hotel.