A Traveler

We will not be renting a car - relying on train. How's chances of getting a guide to take us from Florence to Sienna for the day (don't want to have to worry about luggage, etc.) and then on to San Gimignano where we'll be staying for two nights. Any tips/suggestions on locating someone who would be a likely source for lining up this escorted tour?

Tom

Why do you think an escort would be helpful? The train is easy to use. Sienna is fairly small and with a good guide book (several cite Sienna and provide maps) you can easily venture thru town.
The connnection to the neighboring town can be made
via train or, if not, by bus. My only guess is that
you'd benefit from someone who could provide significant details about each city. In which case,
possibly a stop at Sienna "I" office will give you
the chance to arrange for a guide for that city alone and not for yoiur entire excursion. In contrast, I think a guide would be extremedly helpful in Venice or Florence for example.

Sally

I don't get it either. A guide just to schlep your luggage around? Why not just leave you luggage for the day at the train station lockers in Sienna when you get there and pick it up later? Like he said Sienna is not a big city and very easy to find your way around. And San Gimignano is a small town so it's a snap to find your way anywhere. We stayed there for 3 nights and really liked the countryside and the towers and walls of the town.

A Traveler

Sorry to have taken so long to respond. I thought of an escort merely in terms of having someone whose company we could enjoy - one who could provide little anecodtes, etc... certainly not purely for toting luggage. Thank you both for 1) suggesting we store luggage for the day in train station, and 2) assuring us that it's a snap to get to San Gimignano where we'll be spending two days. The bags are all packed! I know it's a bit late in the season, but we don't mind chillier weather.

Joyce

I trust by now you are convinced you do not need a guide in Siena. The main things to see are Il Campo and the Duomo, both of which are easily reached on foot. Otherwise, the beauty of Siena is in just walking around and enjoying the buildings and the general layout of the town. You don't say when you are planning to go. We just returned from a month in Italy, were in Siena the middle of the month, and it turned decidedly cold. Was still most enjoyable. My biggest suggestion would be that you trim a day off your proposed stay in Florence and add one to San Gimignano, go to San G. first, get settled in, then take a day trip by bus from there to Siena. They are close and easy bus connections. Whether you do this or not, take the bus, not the train, from Florence. It is faster and cheaper than the train. The buses leave from right next to the train station, they carry luggage underneath, and are far superior to the train, which unloads you quite a way out in Siena. The bus, whether from Siena or San G., leaves you at San Domenico Church, and everything is easy walking from there. Get Rick Steves book on Italy or most any good guide book which gives you a general map of the town. We traveled from Rome to Sorrento to Naples (just overnight) to Siena to Florence to Venice to Modena (wonderful town next to Bologna - Pavarotti's home town) to Rapallo, our very favorite place in Italy - it's right on the Ligurian Coast (Mediterranean) between the Cinque Terre villages and Portofino/Santa Margherita Ligure. Almost froze when we left there yesterday morning, but most of the time it was wonderful. We traveled by train throughout the trip except for the bus between Florence and Siena. However you do it, have a great trip.