peterh

We are trying to firm up our final plans through Italy and was wondering if anyone could help us with this. We have been trying roll in a four or five days stay in Tuscany (siena) based on Zeppole previous reccomendataions between Florenec and Rome. Can anyone help with the train option between Florence and Siena and Siena to Rome.

We orginally thought of renting a car in Florence and driving to Siena but would it be easier to take a train (if there is one )and renting a car in Siena ? I get the impression that Siena's seems pretty small and not sure a train runs through it or if you can rent a car there for that matter...

Also, is it better to fly back to the States/Canada from Rome or another city in Italy ? The flights out of Rome all seem to have huge layovers in other cities prior to fly direct to DTW...

Pete

charnees

I don't know about flights into DFW, but we are flying KLM from Rome to Amsterdam with a 2 hour layover and then a non-stop to SFO. There may be other alternatives from other cities in Europe.

Myer

We just got back from 10 days based in Florence.

The train goes almost to Siena and you take a city bus up to the square (starts with Grxxxx). You can also take a bus from Florence directly to the square.

We trained back to Florence as my wife has a motion sickness issue and didn't want to risk it.

We flew Swiss International from MIA to ZRH to FLR and back. Our stop over was less than 2 hours if I remember correctly.

They fly from Rome or Florence to ZR and to cities in the US. Check whick.

Florence airport is good. It's very small and the bus from across the train station goes back and forth every 30 minutes and it takes about 20 minutes for the ride.

Don't know about cars as we trained around.

rs899

Sure, you can train from Florence to Siena and rent a car there. Depending on how long you will stay in Siena, how much it may cost to park, how many people in the car etc would determine the cost tradeoff. My guess is that the train will be better if you are going to spend more than half a day in Siena, as it probably would cost less than $10-$15/head to train there from Florence.

Sue878

We took the bus from Florence to Siena because it took us directly to the square as Myer said above. Then we rented a car in Siena (our hotel had parking).

We went other places, but ended up taking the train back to Florence and staying at a hotel and flying out the next morning. We did go thru Munich and then non-stop to Denver.

krgystn

You can take a bus or train from Florence to Siena; bus is much better from Siena to Rome as the train would have you backtracking

Henry

peterh,
You can take the train http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/
or bus http://www.sitabus.it/sita-toscana/F...0-%20Siena.pdf
from Florence to Siena. Since the train station is about 2km from the center the bus is a better option.
You can take a train or bus http://www.sena.it/index_e.htm
from Siena to Rome. The train requires a change usually in Chiusi.
Siena has a Hertz, Avis, and Europcar.

jabez

Bus, not train, is a much better option from Florence. Anyone who has done it will tell you that.
However, if you want to visit hill towns you need a car. Siena is a real pain with a car.

peterh

Thank you so much everyone. We're planning on spending five days and nights in Siena and wanted to stay at a B&B or country Inn outside of Siena as home base and visit the surrounding towns etc, to see the country side up close. There have been so many wonderful reviews of the INN's in the area and were hoping to find one with an outstanding inhouse restuarant to enjoy the home cooked dinners and local wines when we get back from exploring. Anyone have any first hand experience or recommendations ? They all sound so nice...

With respect to the train/car rental issue. We thought it migh be easier to take the train to Siena and rent a car there opposed to renting car in Florence and having to try and drive through Florence to get to Siena. It might be easier then we think but the train was only $16.00 bucks ahead from Florenece to Siena. Additionally, thought it would be easier to drop of the rental in Siena and train to Rome as we only have three days and nights there before fly out...

How long is the bus ride from Siena ? Anyone Know..,Henry, thanks so much for providing the schedule but it won't allow me to check that far in advance.

Peter

Henry

Peter,
3:05. Just use the same day of the week you plan to travel with next weeks date.

zeppole

peterh,

You write:

"There have been so many wonderful reviews of the INN's in the area and were hoping to find one with an outstanding inhouse restuarant to enjoy the home cooked dinners and local wines when we get back from exploring. Anyone have any first hand experience or recommendations ? They all sound so nice..."

People on Fodor's probably can't give you more current reviews than the ones you can find on Tripadvisor. . Truth is, MOST Tuscan accommodations with dinners and local wines actually ARE really nice and delicious. It's a wonderful food and wine culture in Tuscany, passed down through generations. Pick the one that looks most appealing to you. Most Tuscan farmhouses do not serve lunch. So pack with you -- or ask your hosts -- for outstanding restaurant recommendations for lunch. Tell them which towns you are planning to visit that day.

Also bear in mind that if for some reason you don't like the food and wine at your farmhouse, you are not obliged to eat there every night. Go someplace else for dinner. You are never far from a well-regarded Tuscan restaurant in the scenic area of Tuscany.

peterh

Ok, flights are booked. (flying into Paris and out of Rome)Room's in Paris,Venice, Florenec and Rome are booked, however we had a major dissapointment in that our hearts were set on staying at the Agriturismo Marciano in Siena but there are no rooms at the inn...

We will be leaving Florenec on the 10th and hoping to stay somewhere in the Tuscan hills until the 15th in which we will head to Rome for our last few days.

We were looking specifically for a farm house vineyards where the owners provide evening dinners (20-40 Euro etc)but can't seem to find them anymore. It might be information overload.

So, sorry to ask for more help. Please help with this final portion with idea's and suggestions of five days between leaving Florence 10th and arriving Rome on the 15th of September...

Pete

jabez

"...outside of Siena"
Good idea if you want to wander. We usually break our Tuscan hill town stays in two. We stay in Chianti for 4 or 5 nights and the Val D'orcioa for 3/4.

zeppole

peterh

Here's a link to another thread that offered lots of agriturismi plus dinner suggestions, just south of Siena, all on wineries:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...lease-help.cfm

That should get you started -- and I'l try do dig up a few more.

zeppole

As usual, you need to track down TripAdvisor or other reviews if you can. And I'm sorry, but I've not checked prices for all of these to make sure they were in your budget.

http://www.coltibuono.com/

http://www.laromita.net/code/hotelapartment.html

http://www.agriturismobagnacci.it/in...p?sk=27&lng=en

http://www.laginestra.toscana.it/lingue/EN/home.asp

http://www.borgocasaalvento.com/eng/ristorante.html

http://www.podereterreno.it/poderete...o_inglese.html

This place has a restuarant on site with meals for about 25e

http://www.castellodistarda.it/engli...html?v=azienda

At first glance, this place doesn't look like it serves meals, but it does

http://www.emmeti.it/Welcome/Toscana...anova2.uk.html


Anyway, there are so many places...