DownUnder

Take the train to Naples and then ferry to Sorrento. Trenitalia.com is the site to use for train info in Italy. Bus is the best way to get to Siena from Florence. San Gim. is an easy drive from Siena if you have a car.
This is another useful site.http://www.sorrento-online.com/english/orari.htm
Florence is a walking city so if you are staying in Florence ( a good idea) you don't need a car in fact it is very difficult to park anywhere. Stay near the Duomo by all means, but Hotel Davanzatti is another recommendation. I have stayed there but check Trip Advisor.http://www.hoteldavanzati.it/ This is a helpful site if you wanted to go from Siena to San. Gim. by bus http://www.sangimignano.net/tourist-...-timetable.php but if you are staying 2 ks. out you definitely need a car.

hazel1

You could take the train from Siena to Sorrento, but it's not direct, nor cheap. The train from Siena goes to Florence first, then you connect to a train to Naples. The fare is 78 euro pp 2nd class and it takes about 5 hours. In Naples you have to switch to the Circumvesuviana train to get to Sorrento. I couldn't verify the fare, however - something squirrely was going on with the website. I think it's about 10 euro. That train ride is another hour.

hazel1

I don't recommend taking the ferry from Naples - while it's a nice way to get there if you're already staying in Naples, it's much more convenient to just get on the Circumvesuviana once you've arrived at Napoli Centrale (the main station) as opposed to having to get a bus or taxi from the train station to the docks, then ferry to Sorrento, then another cab or bus up to town (Sorrento is up on a cliff above the waterfront docks).

Frankly, I think I'd prefer driving - 5-1/2 hours from San Gimignano to Sorrento and 75 euro for gas and tolls, according to Via Michelin.

bobthenavigator

Exactly--that is why I said to drive to Sorrento if you already have the car. It will be faster and may be less $$$.

In Florence look at:
Il Villino B&B
Hotel Casci
Hotel Silla

uhoh_busted

Do not worry about driving in Tuscany. (You are already smartly not trying to drive into Florence as that IS a challenge.) But driving from Siena to San Gim is a piece of cake. Driving from there to Sorrento is also amazingly easy!

GypsyGurl

Since we are getting eurail passes for this trip, would we be able to use those for the train ride from Siena to Sorrento? We are using the passes to visit Switzerland while we are in Northern Italy (the beginning of our trip, not this part of it.) The only reason I am hesitant to drive from Siena to Sorrento is because I am an epileptic. My husband can drive but he is just dead set against it because he is a HORRIBLE driver so I would be the one driving which is a little scary for me. However, I want to see all the beauty of these places and show them to my daughter so if you all think it makes more sense to keep the car and I can get there safely then I will do so.
Thank you again!
GG

StCirq

Have you already bought rail passes? I'm just guessing that that is a bad idea, too (did your travel agent recommend that?). Have you priced the pass against point-to-point tickets? If you haven't bought the passes yet, I highly recommend you do the price research.

GypsyGurl

Thanks uhoh and others...it looks like we will take the trip from Siena to Sorrento by car, hit some rest stops along the way and I am thinking about packing a picnic lunch to eat somewhere along the way, maybe some tree lined hillside or vineyard, am I being too romantic?
GG

GypsyGurl

No St. cirq, we have not bought the passes yet. Actually my husband is the one who suggested the passes. He used them when he spent three months backpacking in Europe-a milliion years ago (he was 18.) Now I am going for the first time with our daughter and realizing very quickly that when he traveled 35 years ago, things were alot different!!
So you are recommending point to point tickets instead of passes. I will check into that, and thank you, it might save us a bunch of money!
GG

uhoh_busted

You aren't being "too romantic" about stopping for picnic as you drive across Tuscany. It is one of the nice things you can to. We stopped and picked up sandwiches at deli/bakery and drinks as well. OR we've gotten treats at markets, or even grocery stores. It adds to your experience seeing how the locals shop. There are more similarities than differences, and it makes it all feel more accessible. Having a car lets you set your own schedule. And the distances really are not that great. We've done a 3 week road trip in Italy, a month long road trip through parts of Spain and France, another month in SW France, and we're planning a month in Italy this coming September. Sometimes there are "no-brainer" choices about taking a train or a cheap flight from point to point instead -- but if you are traveling through countryside rather than urban areas, a car is wonderful.

GypsyGurl

Thanks uh-oh, we will definitely take advantage of the local markets on the way to Sorrento.
Also, than you StCirq, you saved us a bundle of money. I printed out the Rick Steves worksheet, had my daughter figure out the routes and prices, had her tack on a couple extra days of travel, just in case we decide to explore another town. You saved us over eight hundred dollars, if not more!! ((virtual hug))
Thanks again to everyone for all the help and for calming me down.
GG

rineurope

GypsyGurl, if you're going to drive, make sure you get an IDP from the AAA office in your town before leaving the States. They're good for a year - see this for more info: http://tinyurl.com/Italy-IDP

Sometimes when you rent from smaller vendors they have a limited supply of cars and - even though you "reserved" an automatic transmission - there have been occasions where folks had to adapt. Might want to have a back-up plan just in case (or go practice in a manual which is at least 1/2 the cost!) You will enjoy driving in Tuscany.

You can save even more money on the trains if you have fixed dates of travel... by purchasing a MINI discounted ticket. These MINI's, which started in January 2011, can save you up to 60% on the "faster trains." Look here for more info on MINI tickets: http://tinyurl.com/MINI-fare. They do have limitations.

If you don't buy in advance, you can always get tickets once you're in Italy. The regionale trains (locals) never sell out as they have open seating. And you can buy tickets through the kiosks which are easy to use: http://tinyurl.com/buy-tickets-2011. You can still get MINI discounts through the kiosks if they're not sold out and you buy BEFORE midnight of the day you want to travel. That can maintain your flexibility while still saving some money!

As far as driving in Sorrento, it's great fun - albeit sometimes a little difficult. We;ve been there often by train and car. we do prefer the car but have a rule that the driver IS NOT allowed to look at the scenery. Here's a recap of one of our trip to Sorrento from Rome: http://tinyurl.com/sorrento-trip

As my Italian friends are always telling me, "piano, piano!" As an American who's always had a different pace, from them this means, "Slow down, slow down," and enjoy the pace of life in Italy. So take your time, enjoy your experience and NO WORRIES! Good Luck!

GypsyGurl

rineurope,
Your post was very helpful! After reading it I realized that I have a few months before our trip so why not learn how to drive a manual car? I think that is a great idea! Also, I will look into the links you posted about the tickets they look very promising, giving us flexibility but also saving us some bucks too. I am definitely going to slow down and breathe and try not to worry. (I'm a little on the high maintenance side.)
Thanks for taking the time to give me so much information, I truly appreciate it!
GG

rineurope

Yes, if you drive a manual in Tuscany, you'll be hooked. Whenever my wife and I drive in Tuscany we always argue about WHO gets to drive... Formula 1 drivers could not out-drive my wife through Tuscany. Gearing, braking, heel-and-toe; she's like Michael Schumacher on a roll!

Conversely, when we drive in Sorrento, it's all about WHO has to drive - as both of us want to look at the scenery! And I enjoy driving there but you have to be focused,

GypsyGurl

So thankful for this forum! I firmed things up and now this is the plan that we are comfortable with; pick up a car(through autoeurope) in Siena, drive to inn and use the car to tour countryside. Drive to Sorrento from Siena and drop the car off there. We also will be purchasing our train tickets on a point to point basis.
I feel so much better after all your helpful advice, I am sure I will start another thread about some other topic soon!
Thanks again!

StCirq

Glad I helped you save all that money, GypsyGurl - that's a LOT of picnic money! Speaking of which, not to worry about romanticizing picnics in Europe. I've had literally thousands of them and am always eager for more. There is just nothing better than unwrapping market goodies, spreading them out on a table or blanket, and gazing out over some idyllic European landscape while you feast on delicious, fresh foods. Honestly, it's one of the best things in life.

GypsyGurl

StCirq,
That is exactly what I have pictured in my mind. A bottle of wine, a crispy loaf of bread, a nutty cheese sliced thin. All eaten with a cool breeze whispering through the grass with the ones I love most beside me making memories that will last a lifetime. Perfection! I just can't wait!
With all the money you saved us I will definitely lift a glass in your honor!
GG

Lexma90

On the picnic idea, yes, that's good. But if you're planning on taking the autostrada from Siena to Sorrento, I'm not sure if you'll very easily find beautiful, scenic rest stops (the kind that we have in the U.S.) along the autostrada. I hope others who are more familiar with that route will chime in (we drove that route once, about 15 years ago), but my general experience with autostradas is that it's not so easy to just get off at a random exit (and note, you'll be exiting the toll road, so you'll have to pay as you exit) and find a delightful picnic spot (especially south of Rome, which I kind of remember as being not as scenic). If you're thinking about this, maybe have some tentative plans beforehand of some possible places to exit the autostrada, such as Chiusi or Orvieto, or other places further south that others may suggest. Find a parking lot and a nice piazza to sit in and have your lunch.

Also, one thing that you will find on the autostrada are pretty decent service areas, which you enter without having to exit the autostrada. They have gas, of course, bathrooms and restaurants of some sort. Not necessarily the highest quality, but usually better than a truck stop in the U.S. And maybe they have picnic tables there, too.

If you want to picnic, it might be easier to plan to do it by the side of a road during your explorations in rural Tuscany, or in a town in rural Tuscany. There are pullouts at lots of places along the roads where people stop to take pictures (in fact, I remember a specific one on the road from Siena to San G. that has a fabulous view of San G. in the distance).

And an FYI, completely off-topic, but the legal drinking age in Italy is 16. Your daughter will likely be offered wine at dinner, even if she's only 15, because the restaurant people won't know exactly how old she is. You might want to make a family decision beforehand on how you want to handle that kind of thing.