patti3

It's years since I went to Florence, and some 5 years since I went to Pienza and I'd love to go again to Pienza, especially as my husband hasn't been to the latter . We will be staying in Florence for 5 nights mid November. I've been trying to find info on line on public transport but apart from horrendously expensive private tours I cant find anything.
Any ideas, anyone? Please?

kybourbon

Are you talking about a day trip or overnight? A bus seems to require 2 changes and not many time options.

kybourbon

http://www.sienamobilita.it/EN/orari.html

bobthenavigator

Bus to Siena then see above.

macanimals

I really do think the best option is to rent a car for the day. Reserve it from here, pick it up in the morning early and it will give you a full day of freedom to explore. This is especially true if you know you want to go directly to Pienza which can be visited in 2-4 hours easily leaving you adequate time to go to and from. Make certain you get directions leaving the city and returning to avoid the ZTL zones--limited traffic zones. This assumes driving is an option but the hassle of public transportation--finding the access, timetables, changes and limited availability would deter me. Good luck. Paul

GAC

I beg to differ. I you're planning on one overnight in Pienza, you can take the bus in both directions (one connection in Siena), and have exactly 24 hours in Pienza (26 hours during the summer schedule).

stepsbeyond

I agree with GAC. Car pick up out of Florence and parking in Pienza has to be factored in, plus the burden on the driver and returning the car within office hours (or else finding yet more parking). It's not that daunting to plan a bus trip in Italy. But I do advise that once you get to Italy, ask your hotel or the tourist office to confirm that the day you plan to take the bus is not a holiday, and that you can rely on the bus schedule you have been using.

tcreath

Driving in Italy certainly isn't that difficult though. I too would suggest just renting a car, especially if its only a day trip. The surrounding area is also gorgeous and with a car you can make stops along the way. We never had any problems dropping off a car after-hours if necessary.

Tracy

kybourbon

GAC - Siena Mobilita, which is the web bus hub for the area, says it takes 3 buses (travel time 172-197 minutes depending on connections chosen). It does not list any two bus connections. It would be possible for to take the train from Florence to Siena and catch a bus from the Siena train station. That would only be two connections, but there are only two times per day (1:13 and 5:48 pm - 74 minutes) when you can get a bus from the Siena train station to Pienza that doesn't require another change.

>>>>stepsbeyond - I agree with GAC. Car pick up out of Florence and parking in Pienza has to be factored in, plus the burden on the driver and returning the car within office hours (or else finding yet more parking).<<<

I'm not sure why you think parking in Pienza needs to be factored in. Parking is not a problem in Pienza like in some hill towns.

>>It's not that daunting to plan a bus trip in Italy.<<<

While it might not be daunting, this bus trip will take 3 hours one way. Even selecting the earliest bus connections, you would not arrive Pienza until 2:27 with the last return buses to Florence departing at 2:28. That would allow you an entire minute in Pienza.

The only solutions are rent a car, book a tour or spend a night in Pienza.

GAC

You can travel from Florence to Siena either by train or by the faster bus.

From Siena to Pienza, there are TRA.IN. buses from the Siena train station at 13:10, 13:30 (school bus, avoid), 14:10, 16:45 and 17:45, which arrive in Pienza after 75 minutes.

One could go from Florence to Siena in the morning, spend a couple of hours there, then proceed to Pienza in the early to mid-afternoon. It's most certainly doable by public transportation, but not as a daytrip!!! I don't think that I implied the possibility of a daytrip in my original posting.

The hassles of public transportation and the somewhat limited schedules need to be weighed against the expense of renting a car and the fact that some people might prefer not to drive when on vacation. In any event, the driver clearly does not get to enjoy the scenery. The rental would certainly be more time-efficient, and would enable to do the outing as a day trip. But if someone were already contemplating an overnight stay in Piena, the bus option is well worth considering.

patti3

Thank you all very much for the above info, 1 will mull over the possibilities.
We've already booked our hotel in Florence for 5 nights (before travelling on to Lucca for a couple more)so an overnight isn't really on this time round, this trip was a very last minute thought. We certainly will contemplate staying outside of Florence next time and hiring a car to amble around discovering all sorts of places. I'd stayed in a hamlet some years ago with a group of friends and we had a minibus to get around and though we all had a say in where we went we didnt see enough of the smaller places, apart from Pienza which was wonderful. I've always wanted to go back.
One place I went to a few years ago when I was with a painting group was St Anna in Camprena a very atmospheric place and was the abandoned convent/monastery(?) setting for The English Patient. Absolutely heavenly.
I think a lot will depend on the weather as to whether we get to Pienza or not this time round and perhaps, given the time factor, more daylight hours would be useful. If I'd given it more thought before I booked the Florence hotel I could have easily spared Pienza a night.
Thanks again!

macanimals

"I beg to differ"-- "the driver clearly does not get to enjoy the scenery"-??!? I've been driving all over Italy over the last 10 years and always wonder what this means. I don't drive with my eyes closed, I pull over when we want to gaze at any vista and have complete control of when and where to stop. It is usually an interesting experience both visually and mentally. It allows us a chance to linger, feed ourselves as necessary, shop at will and use all those mid day dead times to move on. And I for one find driving through italian countryside roads pleasant--and I'm 60+ yrs old.

This poster has not stated they intend to stay overnight or if driving is an impossibility. I agree that public transport is always an option but Florence to Pienza is not an easy one. Given the start point and the destination, I stand by my suggestion of a rental car.

GAC

Driving in southern Tuscany is much less stressful than driving around Florence or any of the other large cities/towns in the northern part of the Region. Parking is also much easier. Driving is much more time-efficient when visiting the more rural areas south of Florence and into the Provinces of Siena and Grosseto. Driving also allows one to visit the more remote sites which are extremely difficult or impossible to access by public transportation. Pienza is not one of such sites. The bus service between Siena and Pienza is not great, but it does exist (apart from Sundays), and is a useful option for anyone unwilling, unable or simply reluctant to drive. Macanimals is evidently a tourist who has done a great deal of travelling in this area by car and we are grateful for his willingness to share his positive experiences. His story is a useful reminder that a car rental can be very rewarding in this part of Tuscany.

Nevertheless, going back to the public transportation option, one could very easily combine Siena and Pienza as an overnighter (in Pienza) out of Florence, or as a one-way journey between Florence and Chiusi/Orvieto/Rome using the bus/train combination. Travellers should be mindful of this fact, and not believe that these places can't be seen except with a rental.

kybourbon

The OP was inquiring about a day trip, not an overnight, and it's just not feasible by bus. Yes, you can reach all of these places by bus, but not on a convenient schedule. Many of these smaller towns only have a couple of buses per day that pass through. You end up hanging out in bus stations for a couple of hours between buses which is not a fun way to spend a vacation. Few small bus stations have luggage storage so it's not like you can visit the towns if you have a few hours to kill because you don't have anywhere to store your luggage.