Siena as a hub
 

We're going back to Italy for the 2nd time this September. We stayed in Florence the first time (2001) and visited Verona and loved the whole vacation. We haven't had a vacation since (we are not "seasoned" travelers)Our objective is of course the wonderful food and wine, shopping and a laid back type vacation with daily excursions to surrounding cities. Flying in to Florence, what is the norm? Rent a car at the airport? Taxi to Siena (is there such a thing?). We will need a car once we're in Siena to sight see. Opinions or advise. Thanks

Seems to me it would be easiest to rent the car at the airport. Won't you be returning there at trip's end?

There's the SITA bus to Siena, but I think you would have to travel into Florence to take it.

Renting the car is the best option. A taxi to Siena would be cost prohibitive, unless you have money to burn. Since you need the car once you get to Siena, I think renting and returning it to the Florence airport is the best way to go.

I have played with costs for getting a car "later" (rather than upon airport arrival) in an upcoming trip that will mostly be in Tuscany, and when I add all the transfers and trains/buses, not only is it more convenient to rent the car upon airport arrival, it is even cheaper. Including fuel.

Not to say that the previous suggestions are not valid, but you do have the choice of taking the 20-minute bus ride into Florence. It leaves every 30 min from 06:00 to 20:30, costs 4 Euros, and stops outside Santa Maria Novella main train station.

The train to Siena takes anywhere from 1:10 hr to 1:49 hr, there's at least one train an hour, sometimes more - check www.trenitalia.it. Cost: Euros 5.60.

If you're tired on arrival, it might be wiser to let yourself be transported, then pick up the car in Siena when you're ready. That might not be for a day or two since you'll want to explore Siena itself on foot for a while, and maybe even take a coach ride to nearby towns like San Gimignano etc. before you need the car to hit your very own targets.

Parking in Siena can only happen outside the city walls, so the fewer days you have to worry about the car, the better. Leave nothing in it, ever!

Good luck

WK

>>We will need a car once we're in Siena to sight see.<<

My suggestion is to stay at an agriturismo just outside Siena for your "daily excursions to surrounding cities" - why stay IN Siena with the car?

One of the pleasurable aspects of this beautiful town is that it's pedestrian friendly and relatively free of vehicles (unlike Florence).

Thanks for your replies. How long is the car ride, let's say, from the Florence airport to Siena? Oh! and by the way. It's because of this site and you folks, we had such a wonderful time on our first trip to Italy.

It's a bit over an hour. Then you have to figure out how to get into town with your stuff since you can't drive right in. The idea of staying nearby is a good one!

WK

We were in Siena last May for a week without a car and I was happy not to have one. The bus between Florence and Siena is simple (easier than the train) and it would have been a pain to have to navigate the streets of Siena with a car...walking was easy. And we were able to do some wonderful day trips without a car. However, others would disagree, but this worked out great for us. And I think Siena is a terrific place for a hub.

We always rent a car in Florence and take off south down SR 222, the Chianti Road. It is a fantastic drive and you can stop at any one of several nice towns for lunch on your way to Siena.
We have rented from AutoEurope at the airport and also downtown Florence. You didn't say where you'd be flying out of so I don't know if you'll drop it back in Florence or go on to Rome or what.
It's about 45 miles from Florence to Siena and will take about 1.5 hours on the Chianti Road without stopping for lunch. It is such a beautiful drive that you'll want to stop and take several pictures along the way. Castellina is a nice little town to stop in for lunch as is Greve.
Having a car in Tuscany is very nice because you can visit whatever hill towns you want, when you want. Most of the towns do not have good rail service, so the car makes it nice. Just make sure you have a good road map of Tuscany.
I'd schedule a wine tasting at a couple of wineries for fun also. We had one at Altesino Winery, about 15 minutes outside of Montalcino that was really terrific. You can visit Cortona, Montepulciano, San Gimignano, Volterra, wherever you would like. You will have a ball!
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I agree having a car in Tuscany makes it easy to get around. The cost of rental cars in Italy isn't really terrible. We got lucky and were upgraded in May to a diesel car so the price of fuel wasn't so bad.
There is a hotel that I have read about on trip advisor called Palazzo Ravizza which, I guess, is on the edge of Siena and has free parking. You might read the reviews - everyone loves it!

We also drove from Florence to Siena along the Chianti Road. It was really lovely. I highly recommend it.
Think about whether or not you want to be inside a city or in the countryside for you base. Like other posters suggested, there are many options for places to stay just outside of Siena. If you're planning to travel around Tuscany a lot, you might enjoy basing yourself outside the city.

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I've learned alot. Please hang in there with me. I'll have questions over the next few months. The planning is almost as exciting as the trip.

We recently spent several days using Siena as a base as you are contemplating and thought it was perfect. We rented a car but stayed IN Siena at Palazzo Ravizza, a wonderful small hotel which provides free parking within the town walls.

We enjoyed the freedom of being able to randomly take roads that appeared interesting and to stop at any interesting vista. While a bus can get you to a specific destination as easily as a car perhaps, much of the pleasure in traveling through the countryside are the unanticipated sights that you just happen upon. You're much more likely to be able to find and enjoy those if you have the freedom and control you get from driving yourself.

We rented our car in Rome, so I can't help with your other questions.