jc

I read from this website and other sources: don't drive in Florence, it's too crowded.<BR><BR>I'll be staying at the Belettini Hotel in Florence, and want to rent a car for a day trip to Siena. Even though I am not driving around Florence I will still be driving through Florence when I'm leaving town and coming back. Should I abandon the idea and take the bus or train?<BR><BR>Any advice would be much appreciated.<BR><BR>

Marj

A car is managable for a day trip.

Alice Twain

From Florence to Siena you will likely travel on the Firenze.siena superstrada. It is an autotrada-like road, fast and that can have traffic, but with no particular problems. My suggestion is to leave from Florence at 10 am and return to Florence around 9 pm, when traffic slows down. not a particularly difficult drive. It will take you approx 1 hour.

Marilyn

Since you don't want to drive in Florence and you won't want to drive in Siena, why bother with the car? You will just have to pay to park it in Siena in one of the carparks away from the town center. Furthermore, the drive between Florence and Siena is not particularly picturesque. I'd say take the train or bus. <BR><BR>If you were going to use the car to visit some of the lovely towns around this part of Tuscany, then I would say car is the best possible way to travel. But just for Siena, no.

Rex

I agree with Marilyn. To get from downtown Florence, to inside Siena, you might cut your travel time in half if you take the bus. And your cost will be considerably less than half.<BR><BR>

Ann

The drive is easy. You pick up a car out of the center so it's not bad. Like the previous poster said, if you're not stopping at other villages, the best bet is the bus. It runs every hour. The train station is a little out of the way. You have to take a bus from the station to the center of Siena. The bus picks you up near Santa Maria Novella station and drops you off at the center of Siena. It's less than an hour. Personally, if you're making the trip, there are a lot of little towns to stop in on the way if you take the car.

Alec

The autostrada (toll-free) section of the journey presents no problems. But in order to get to the autostrada, you have to drive through the southern suburbs of Florence, with numerous one-way streets and often heavy traffic at peal periods. It's not particularly difficult, but you and your passenger have to heep a sharp eye on signs. When you come off the autostrada at the other end, you have the problem of finding somewhere to park. If you are early enough there's usually room at the stadia. Else you have to try one of the access roads leading out of the city. Driving within the walls is restricted to locals and those with confirmed reservation at central hotels. As someone else has said, if all you want to do is to visit Siena for the day, a bus will be much simpler and hasstle-free. A car only makes sense if you want to stop at other places en route, or drive on backstreets of Chianti which is highly recommended.

jj

If you just want to get to Siena, take the train. However, the drive on Rt 222 &quot;Chianti Way&quot; is spectacular. It is a must-do IMHO. A drive to Greve in Chianti to Castellina in Chianti was one of my favorite parts of my vacation.

jc

Thanks for all the advices.<BR><BR>I may just change my mind - instead of driving directly to Siena, take the rt 222 &quot;Chianti Way&quot; as recommended by jj, and stop at some small towns along the way; arrive in Siena in mid afternoon rather than spending the whole day there. Stay for a few hours and return to florence in the evening (before it gets too dark).

Roland

It can be hard to get a car for just one day, many places require a three day rental. I suggest you check before you go. I agree with jj, the drive in the wine country is beautiful. It would be hard to do the drive and see Siena in one day. There will be so many things you will want to stop and see and so many places you will want to stop and eat and so many wines you will want to stop and drink. You getting the picture. Siena takes two days itself. If you do not have the time for more than one day you have to decide on one or the other. If you can't get a one day car rental take the &quot;bus&quot; to Siena. The station is a five minute walk from the Belettini (I hope you have room 52).