We are leaving Rome on Sat. April 1st to spend 2 nights in Siena. We were going to originally rent a car in Rome and drive. However, we are now considering the train. Should we buy our tickets now, or will it be easier and cheaper to wait until we are there (and have the hotel help us). Also, is it easy to get a rental car in Siena (that we will eventually return in Pisa)

I can't say much about the train, but if you pick up a car at the airport, it's a very easy and rather scenic three and a half hour drive to Siena along the coastal route. My guess is that it's also much easier to get the car in Rome than in Siena, but if you rent from Hertz, make sure you have Gold status (otherwise, at least in summer, the lines are dreadful).

april04,
You can go Rome to Siena by bus http://www.sena.it/index_e.htm or by train http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html Either way takes about three hours. Hertz, Avis, and Eurocar have offices in Siena, there is also a local agency but I've never used it. See autoeurope http://www.autoeurope.com/ for car rentals.
Train tickets can wait until your in Rome. Travel agencies are numerous and easy to use and charge little or nothing for train tickets.

There are also easy-to-use kiosks in the Rome Termini station that you can use to buy your ticket. They take cash or credit cards and can be used in English.

We used them with no problem at all on our first trip to Italy.

Hi A,

I suggest that you take the bus, it's direct. You would have to change trains.

You could take the train to Chiusi (no changes), pick up your car there, and drive to Siena.

I like the idea of taking the train to Chiusi and picking the car up there. We are going to be doing this route in April and it sounds good. A question: there are two Autoeurope pick-up points in Chiusi. Does anyone know which might be closest to the train station?

Hi S,

Enter the addresses at www.mappy.com.

Alternatively, call Autoeurope.

Thanks, I did e-mail Autoeurope.
My husband really likes this idea of not driving in Rome - we did it in July when we drove to our hotel and then returned the car to the airport and it was not a lot of fun, not horrible, just not fun.