****TRAIN: Venice to Siena?****
 

Hi! We want to travel, in mid Oct., from Venice to Siena by train and pick up a rental car in Siena. Has anyone done this? <BR> <BR>Is there a direct train to do this or must we go to Florence and change trains with a big layover? How many minutes do you think this trip will take? Can you suggest a site to get a timetable as we want an early train out of Venice? <BR> <BR>We originally thought to go into Florence but thought this city deserved more than a one day visit so now Siena is our preferred arrival city to visit Tuscany. <BR> <BR>Any helpful comments are appreciated.

You must change trains in Florence. There's a 2 hour layover. Visit the web site for Rail Europe: www.raileurope.com for fares and schedules. I would get the car at the rail station in Florence and drive.

Sandy--thank you! Just checked my question and saw your quick response. Yes, we thought of taking train to Florence and picking up car there. Do you know how far it is and driving time from Florence to Siena?

Deb, <BR>You also have the option of taking a bus from Florence to Siena. The "rapide" bus is faster than the train. The bus station is near the train station in Florence. <BR>Unless you want to pay significantly more for train tickets buy them in Italy.

Hello Deb, <BR> <BR>Driving time Florence-Siena is 60-75 minutes. The timetable for the 'rapide' bus Mike mentioned is on:- <BR>www.sienaweb.it/territorio/trasporti/rapida.htm <BR>The bus takes 75 mins. <BR> <BR>Steve

The bus to Siena leaves you right in town. The train to Siena leaves you outside the town (and you'll need to take a cab or local bus to your destination).