alerke

Hello, my family of four will be traveling to Italy at the end of April and will be there for 12 days. We will start in Venice, then travel to Florence, then to Siena and finally to Rome. I have read that renting a car is not a very good idea due to restrictions in the cities and towns plus the costs. It seems taking the train will be easier. It seems the major trains run from city-to-city but was wondering if anyone has taken a local train from Florence to Siena and then a train from Siena to Rome? We thought about renting a car near Siena so we can see some of the countryside but worry about venturing into towns and violating ZTL's. Thank you in advance for any help that anyone can give.

nytraveler

If you want to use a car to visit some of the smaller hill towns you need to understand that many don't allow cars at all - but have parking lots outside the walls and you have to walk form there into the towns. It very much depends on which towns you want to visit. And Siena is one of the towns that has a pedestrian only center.

If you plan on this for 3 or 4 days it can make sense to rent a car. But if it's only one day renting a car can be very expensive - and it might be cheaper to hire a car/driver.

(We have toured some of the Tuscan hill towns twice by car while staying in Florence - but once was before the ZTLs and th eother time our central hotel had a garage and got us a ztl pass - but very few hotels - usuallt very expensive - have this facility).

bvlenci

I assume you'll be staying in Siena at least one night. Otherwise, you'd have no place to leave the luggage if you take the train. There's no luggage deposit at the Siena train station.

The station in Siena is a bit out of town, below the wall. Recently they've installed an elevator (or escalator, I don't remember which) that will take you up to the center of the city. There are also buses and taxis that will take you into the center, but some people prefer to take the bus rather than the train from Florence to Siena, because the bus stops in the center of town. In Florence, the bus terminal is right by the train station.

To get to Rome from Siena by train, you have to change trains somewhere. The easiest way with heavy luggage would be to return to Florence and take the fast train from there, because in Florence there are no stairs to contend with.

If you want to drive around the countryside, a car would be a valid option for the part of your trip between Florence and Rome. I would pick up the car somewhere outside of Florence, maybe at the Florence airport. In Siena, I'd recommend getting a hotel outside the city wall. There are various parking spaces below the wall where you can leave the car when you visit the town, and take an elevator up to the town. When going on to Rome, you could leave the car at Chiusi or Orvieto station and take the train to Rome from there. There would be no change of train from these stations.

Make sure you understand the rules of limited traffic zones (ZTL) in Italy. Nearly every town and city has a central zone (usually inside the city wall) where no cars are permitted except those of residents and emergency vehicles.

A hotel inside the ZTL can give you a permit to enter the zone to drop off your luggage, and pick it up when you leave, but there is no permit that would let you drive in and out multiple times, and you would be allowed to drive only on a specific route that your hotel will communicate to you. The risk of accidentally straying off your route is often great, and will usually result in a large fine that will follow you home, plus a fee (charged to your credit card) from the rental agency for their assistance in helping the police find you. I would just avoid altogether driving inside towns or cities. In small towns, you can park outside the walls and walk in. Larger cities often have parking areas with shuttle buses.

You need an IDP (international driver's permit) to drive in Italy unless you have an EU-format license. You can get these at AAA in the US, or the equivalent in other countries. This AND your regular license have to be carried together.

Automatic shift cars cost more than those with manual transmission, and are not available at all locations.

bvlenci

Some afterthoughts:

Here is the page for finding bus schedule between Florence and Siena, and between Siena and Rome:

https://boa.busbookingline.it/web/eu...cncqj0&start=1

The bus to Rome stops in the center of Siena, and in Rome stops at Tiburtina bus station, which is a bit far from the center. A taxi would cost at least 15 euros.

The car rental agencies at Chiusi and Orvieto are small agencies, with limited hours. I believe they're both closed on Sundays, and they may also close for a few hours in the middle of the day.

bvlenci

.... and here is the page for train schedules:

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...005817f90aRCRD

sandralist

If I am understanding you correctly, this is a 12 day trip. If you want to spend time in Siena, then it is either best done as a day trip from Florence by bus or spending a night or more in Siena on your way to Rome. If you want to spend nights in Siena, take the bus from Florence to Siena (and then take the bus from Siena to Rome).

I personally would not rent a car for a trip like this. if you want to see the countryside, consider hiring a driver for a half day tour, or perhaps one who would drive you from Florence to Siena via a scenic route through the Chianti, or one who take you from Siena to the Chiusi train station via the scenic route, so you could take the train from Chiusi to Rome. But private drivers are not cheap, especially since 4 people with luggage need a larger car. There are also group tours into the countryside if that has any appeal.

kybourbon

From Florence to Siena you take the SITA bus which drops you at the historic center (the train station is not at the center and requires transport -taxi/bus- to reach the center). Tickets are about 8€ one way (departs from bus hub by the train station). Make sure you take the rapid bus that doesn't stop in Poggibonsi (faster than the train). The ticket office in Siena (underground from where the bus drops) used to have luggage storage, but you would need to check that to see if they still do.

From Siena, you take the SENA bus to Rome (about 20€). No changes required like the train and takes the same amount of time. About 10 departures daily. This is the official website for SENA.

http://www.sena.it/Home/78-1-en.html

Holly_uncasdewar

I recently took a train to Siena, planning on taking the escalators to the top/centro area. After about 8-10 "flights" on the escalator, it stopped at or near Pza. Saracini, with no more escalators, closer to the stazzione than to the centro. Ended up having a tabacci owner call me a cab to get the rest of the way up. If somebody could tell me what I missed, it would be really helpful.

kybourbon

Holly - You should have come out at Porta Camollia (old gate to the city). You would turn left when you come out of the escalator. From Porta Camollia, it's probably a 15 minute walk to Piazza del Campo. Inside the old gate to the city (Porta Camollia). Via dei Camollia turns into Via Montanini. At about that point, Piazza Gramsci is a block over. Via Montanini then turns into Via Banchi di Sopra and ends right before the Piazza del Campo area.

Holly_uncasdewar

I had it marked on my map where it was supposed to come out. But after 8-10 flights on the escalator, it just ended. In a small glass encased room at street level near Pza. Saracini, about a mile or so downhill from the top. There were no more escalators going up from there. There was nothing but a door to go out to street level. ???