Jim_Tardio

You've got the important stuff covered. You can always spend the one night in Siena and pick up your car the next morning...since the rental agencies are closed on your arrival day.

You are correct about the Siena train station...it is a bit out of town, but just a very short taxi ride.

Hope you have a safe & enjoyable time.

Jim_Tardio

I see from your above post that you are already planning to spend the night in Siena. Have you abandoned the cars?

Funny about the flat iron...my wife did the same thing as well as buying a 220v hair dryer.

About your son in Rome...Perhaps a simple taxi ride, or a limo, from the airport to the apartment would save a lot of confusion and some time as well.

excited_confused

We have not booked the car so yes, the idea is abandoned for now but I am keeping that leg of the trip flexible! DH has still not got an IDP so driving may not be an option anyway!
I'm sure my son would love the taxi option but I think he should be able to manage, will let him decide if he wants to do that if he is not comfortable once he gets there. I thought the Trastavere station was walking distance to the apt & was going to give him the GPS but I guess I was wrong, based on opinions above.
BTW, what is the tipping policy at restaurants?

Jim_Tardio

You do not have to tip at restaurants...it is not expected. Look on the menus and you will most likely see a "Coperto" which is a service charge...usually per person.

However, tipping is certainly appreciated. But you don't have to tip on a percentage basis as in the states. For instance, on a 100 euro bill, a 5 euro tip would be fine.

Vttraveler

I am afraid I am going to add a little bit to the confusion here on the subject of the tram from Trastevere station.

I agree with artsbabe that your son should buy a ticket for the tram at the newsstand in the train station. He won't be able to get one on the tram and could be fined if he doesn't have one. He can get a single ticket. I would not invest in a multi-ride or multi-day ticket at this point since he will probably take only the one ride on his first day. There may also be a place to buy tram or bus tickets at the airport but I don't remember where and I am sure there is a newsstand at the Trastevere station.

Now for the contradictory information: he cannot catch the #8 tram right outside the station in the plaza area with taxis, other tram lines, etc. The #8 tram does not stop in this area. Your son has to go through this paved parking area/plaza section to the main street. The stop for the #8 tram will be very slightly to his left on the station side of the road. The route number is marked on a sign.

I think your son will be able to navigate this route with no problem and he would save quite a lot of money by taking the train and tram. (Also I am a big believer in using public transit). A middle ground would be taking the train to Trastevere station and a short taxi ride from there, but really the tram is easy.

One thing I was glad I had packed for our apartment rental was a book of matches (for lighting the gas burners on the stove). There were some in the apartment when we arrived but by the end of the week I needed the ones I had brought.

I hope you all have a great trip!

romana2

I haven't read all the notes on this thread, but it seems that you have given up your idea of renting a car. I entirely agree. Your planned day of travel will also be a hectic travel day. Since the national day (2 June) falls on Tuesday this year, many Italians will take a long weekend holiday and that day the highways will be packed. Book ahead for trains as well.

excited_confused

Thank you both for the information, it is very useful
Vttraveler, so he should be able to find a newsstand within the Trastavere station itself or should I ask him to go outside & look for one? When he buys the ticket, does he have to say where he is getting off or is it just a flat rate?
Basically he has to take local train to Trastavere station(is there a train #?), find a newstand to buy a ticket for the tram at the station, walk across the the main road but not cross it & find the stop slightly to the left which has # 8 written on it & take the tram to Via Arenula. How will he know when Via Arenula is approaching or indicate that he wants to get off there?
I am sorry if all this seems very basic! Approximately how much would the taxi to the apt cost from the station? I was a little wary of this since I have heard some taxi drivers can take you all over town to get you to your destination. The distance on Via Michelin is shown as 3km.
Romana2, thanks for the reminder about the national holiday, I will remember to book my bus tickets to Siena soon after we get there.
Still looking for suggestions on what to do/see in Siena for the afternoon & evening & also any moderately priced ($20 per person) restaurant recommendations there for dinner.
Risab, if you are still checking, is there anything I need to take that was missing in the apt? Thanks all.

Vttraveler

The train to Trastevere is the local train, F1. It leaves from the track opposite the LEonardo Express and is marked Fara Sabina (a stop beyond Trastevere).

http://www.atac.roma.it/index.asp?p=...tpg=9&NUM=FR1A

The newsstand we used is right inside the train station at Trastevere. The single tickets are all one price within Rome.
The tram will turn the corner right after your son gets on and go up Viale Trastevere and across the Ponte (bridge) Garibaldi. Then it continues along Via Arenula as far as Largo Argentina which is a main transportation hub. He will know he is getting close when he crosses the Tiber River.

There is a map of the #8 line on the ATAC website-- go to the home page and type in 8 next to "trova linea" then choose the per Argentina direction and click on "normale." For some reason the final link to the map is not there in the English version of the website.
http://www.atac.roma.it/index.asp?lingua=ITA

I think he would want to take the first stop after crossing the river, but if he misses that and goes to Largo Argentina it is still a short walk. It sounds as though you plan to use GPS to get around. I have always just relied on conventional maps. Maybe it would be good to buy one that your son could use when he arrives and that other family members could use if you split up once you are all together in Rome

The English part of the ATAC website explains the different ticket and pass options. The basic ticket is the BIT--biglietto inegrato a tempo.

I am not sure how much a taxi would cost from the Trastevere station. We just used buses/trams.

excited_confused

Thanks again Vttraveler, I have printed all your directions and I think he should be all set if he follows these. Also checked the train timings etc at the links you provided. Thanks a lot for your help, I feel much better knowing exactly what he has to do & I am sure he will too.

Vttraveler

I think your son should be able to pick up a tourist map at the airport if he doesn't have one before he leaves. Also maybe a bus map. (We arrived on a Sunday morning so things were closed but he will be there on a Friday)

I am sure you will all have a wonderful trip. I will be interested to read your trip report

excited_confused

We leave tomorrow, feels like I have forgotten a million things! Anyway, we have our passports, credit cards with copies, GPS, phones etc. The charger for our GSM phone went to the wrong address so still has not arrived but we do have the 2 Verizon phones which we will activate tomorrow. I will try & post while we are there, I am sure I will have more questions too!! Thanks everyone, I have really enjoyed the planning mainly because of all the help from Fodorites here.