Going to Italy for hmoon in 3 weeks and staying 4 days in Florence (12 days in Italy). Does this sound like a good idea or a bad idea for one of the days?<BR><BR>Rent a car in Florence one morning and drive to Pisa for the morning (really just want pic of tower) and Siena for lunch/afternoon/evening. It looks like about 1-1.5 hours in between cities.<BR><BR>Can someone suggest routes to take, where to park in Pisa/Siena, where to rent a car, what kind of car you need to rent.<BR><BR>Thanks

You can do it. It's about an hour from Florence to Pisa. Then from Pisa to Siena is 1.5 to 2 hours then from Siena to Florence is about an hour. In Pisa you will see signs for parking. You can stay late in Siena and you'll see signs for parking there, also. You can rent a car from any number of places. Check the internet. If you were renting for a week I would say to go to AutoEurope, but for just one day theres Budget, Avis, Hertz, Europe Car and on and on. Most of the rental agencys are just south of the train station.

Your planned time in Pisa sounds about right; however, I would plan more time, perhaps an overnight, in Sienna. It is a charming town and merits more than a couple of hours. The Catherdral itself could take a couple of hours.<BR>

I think that going to Florence is a wonderful idea! I went to Italy about a year and a half ago and absolutely loved it!!!! We started in Milan and then went to Venice (and several small &quot;islands&quot; nearby), then on to Florence, Siena, San Gimignano (sp?), Orvieto, Rome, Naples, and Pompeii. Out of all those places, Florence, Siena and San Gimignano were by far the best. You should have no problem getting around. We did not rent a car but took a bus ride to Siena from Florence and it cost only $14 (U.S.)! You are in for a wonderful time!

Thanks. What route do you take from Pisa to Siena. Anybody have ideas where we should stop for lunch between Pisa and Siena?

Hi<BR> I have in my notes from this forum:<BR><BR> You can see plenty of the Tuscany region on the train ride from Florence to Pisa (1 hr ride). If you buy a point to point ticket from Florence to Pisa - expect to pay about $4 USD.<BR>You can walk from the train station to the tower in about 30 minutes and see the leaning tower (or else take bus # 1 which you can board just opposite the train station (across the street) – remember to buy your bus tickets (before boarding) from the station newspaper kiosk or bar for about 0.77 Euro. If you walk to the leaning tower, there are signs that have a picture of the tower and an arrow. Just follow the signs and you will end up at the tower (remember how to walk back to the station!). <BR><BR> The train from Pisa to Siena requires a change at Empoli and takes about 2 hr.<BR><BR> You can take the train from Siena back to Florence, but most folks recommend the SITA bus, as the train station is outside town. The SITA bus station is at Piazza Gramsci in Siena.<BR><BR> Look forward to your trip report.<BR> <BR>

Have you considered a day trip to Venice from Florence. It is very doable. You get the early morning Eurostar from Florence - when you come out of the train station you walk down some stairs and there is the grand canal in front of you. What a wonderful experience that is!!! I can assure you. You get on the local boat (vaporetti) and sail the length of the grand canal to St Marks Square. You can wander around there and take in the the beauty of Venice, have lunch and slowly wander back to the train station for a train about 5pm back to Venice. I can assure you it is a wonderful experience - I visited Venice again last year, this time for a week.<BR>Enjoy Italy!!!