My husband, 10 yr old son, and I are making our first trip to Italy in March, and will be going to Florence and Siena for one week.<BR>*Please recommend hotels in the $200 - 350 range.<BR>*Would you recommend driving or taking a train to Siena?<BR>*What activities would you recommend for a 10 yr old?<BR>Thank you.<BR>DHB

There are probably others who can answer your questions more skillfully than I, but I'll take a stab:<BR><BR>Florence:<BR><BR>Il Guelfo Bianco - - I haven't stayed there personally, but it gets favorable comments here (but not mentioned in Rants'n'Raves), from www.karenbrown.com and in National Geographic Traveler.<BR><BR>and here's a quote from someone named Vic here on this forum that might be particularly relevant to the three of you:<BR><BR>"We specified a triple -- a monstrous room. What impressed us most was the host. He was great. He even changed our train tickets on his way to work. We received an night cap on the house each night. I don't remember what we paid, but I believe that a double cost about $150 per night."<BR><BR>The most consistently high rating on Fodors Rants'n'Raves is Beacci Tornabuoni.<BR><BR>For Siena, Antica Torre gets mixed reviews but is high on my "must-stay-there" (some day) list. See various opinions on Rants'n'Raves, a positive rating from Karen Brown, and thumbs up from www.timeout.com - - it's below your price range actually, but I think you would need two rooms (a "whole floor").<BR><BR>There are actually only a small number of hotels withIN the walls of siena proper.<BR><BR>Which leads to an answer to your other question: car or train? While I have never done this personally, the answer most often given by happy day trippers is bus - - which DOES take into the city - - as opposed to the train, which leaves you wil a goodly uphill walk. And Siena is not friendly to drive to, though I guess it can be done (I tried it, and actually turned back).<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR><BR>

We took the bus from Florence to Siena in October. I had wanted to drive but my wife is a little car-phobic in Europe, and I'm glad that we didn't try it. I've driven in Avignon and other small towns, but Siena would have been impossible for me.

Hello Dorothy,<BR><BR>Yes, - bus is the way to go. It takes 75 mins.<BR>For timetables seeBR>www.sienaweb.it/territorio/trasporti/rapida.htm<BR><BR>Steve

We took the bus to Siena as well, but in early June. The windows didn't open and the driver wouldn't turn on the air conditioner--everyone was really miserable, yelling at the driver, etc. Thank goodness Siena was wonderful--not crowded yet so we could wander through the streets. Then we made sure the bus for the return was a local with open windows. I don't know if this is a common problem.<BR><BR>For the 10-year-old, you could research the palio races in Siena and explore the neighborhoods to identify their symbols. You can get souveniers with each of the symbols. We happened upon a Sunday afternoon parade of the colors from the neighborhoods promoting the upcoming event later that summer. It was great.

Hi Dorothy we have been in Florence in december, then we have moved to Rome and Venice.We planned through an italian organizer we found on the web.Their e-mail is [email protected]

Hello. I was just in Florence and Siena at the end of November beginning of December. I traveled sola and took the bus which was a breeze. It is 75 minutes through beautiful countryside. The bus station in Florence is across the street from the train station and you are dropped off at the foot of the old city in Siena. I stayed at the Plaza Lucchesi in Florence and it was lovely. The rooms are spacious and very clean and the breakfast was filling. If possible request a room overlooking the Arno and the Michelangelo park.<BR><BR>Have a great trip. Glenna

We spent four nights in Florence and four nights in Siena in November. We took the bus from Florence to Siena and back, and it worked fine for us. However, if you want to take a taxi from the bus to your hotel in Siena, you will need to find the closest taxi stand. There are no taxis at the bus stop. There is a taxi stand in the "square" next to McDonalds, which is about two blocks from where the bus stops. We loved our hotel in Florence - The Mona Lisa, and were also pleased with Pensione Palazzo Ravizza in Siena. The restaurant in this hotel is great. Can't help with the 10 year old. We took a day trip to Lucca and also one to San Gimignano by bus. It was an easy trip, and we loved both towns. Have a great trip.

Rex and Joe please explain to me why you turned back or thought the drive to Siena was impossible? My husband and I are planning four days of our vacaion to Italy next year with a car in Tuscany. What do you guys mean about the drive to Siena? Is it only this town or everywhere in Tuscany. Please respond. Thank you Karen

Karen,<BR>I think Rex meant the drive within Siena was tough. I agree most of the streets in smaller Italian towns are very narrow and pedestrian-friendly, not comfortably driven with a car. However, we have the best stories about those wrong turns and the drive across the Duomo plazza. We stayed at the Palazzo Ravizza, a large triple (with our 17 yr old) and a great resturant for that price. It was a simple drive into that hotel and they have a parking lot. The drive from Florence to Siena is an autostrada- not bad at all. You have to ask yourself before you drive in and foreign country, how well do you do it in familiar settings. If you are a nervous wreck in NYC, then I might not want to drive in Italy. My husband (native NY) drives and I navigate, it works well for us. Have a great time.

My comment about "turning back" requires more explanation. It was meant to convey that I personally cannot tell you HOW TO successfully negotiate Siena with a car - - not that it can't be done.<BR><BR>We were staying at a villa about 30 miles east of Siena - - we got a late start after lunch one day; we stopped at some little "fattorie" for wine along the way and quite enjoyed the drive, which took us a good deal longer than we expected. When we got there, it seemed like finding a place to park (outside the walls, most likely, with cars lined up along the side of the road for a mile or two) would leave us very little time to actually see much of Siena. So we turned back, thinking we would get back another time.<BR><BR>Sadly, I have now failed to do so on two more opportunities - - but I actually WILL get to Siena eventually. And from everything I have read - - if I am "day tripping" from Siena, I would consider the bus more user-friendly than the train - - and whether driving or not, I would get an early start to go there.<BR>

In Florence, check out the History of Science museum for a break form art museums.<BR>

Dorothy,<BR>The drive from Florence to Siena is not bad. A little tricky in finding the entrance to the autostrada but once you have done that it is an easy drive,<BR><BR>In September 2000 we stayed at a hotel, which I will not mention or recommend, that was 10 kilometers north of Siena. With no advice or help from the hotel, we drove in to Siena on its market day, a Wednesday, I believe. After an hour of searching for a parking place, we left and drove out in to the lovely Tuscan contryside, to Volterra, etc.<BR><BR>The next day we took a cab in to Siena from the hotel and that is definitely the way to see this very nice city. On that Saturday we witnessed a special Palio (one given because of the millenium). We used cabs each way. Parking is difficult all over Europe but I never experienced a place as difficult to park as Siena, market day or not.<BR><BR>Italy is a children-friendly country. You might try the tourist bureau for suggestions. You are traveling off season and I suspect the possibilities may be few.<BR><BR>Good luck.

Hi Karen...as you know we stayed at CastelBigozzi and went to Siena as a daytrip (on a Sunday). We found a place to park several blocks outside the city walls, but actually could have gotten closer. The key to parking (many of the Tuscan towns have a "centro" which is closed to traffic) is to get as close to the centro to check out closer parking first. We thought we needed to grab a spot as quickly as possible on our visit to Montepulciano. It turned out to be quite a hike (during which we passed many open parking spaces) UPHILL. Knowing we'd be coming downhill on the way back, we considered it a lesson well learned. Monteriggioni is another place -- where the walk isn't nearly as long-- but where there is a lot at the bottom of the hill AND a lot at the top. The one at the top is "guarded" and they charge you a (very small) fee. It is worth it!

I've read that kids like the museum "La Specola" in Florence in the Oltrarno. It's a sort of a wax museum with medical and anatomical models that doctors used to learn from.