Shar61

Hi, We are planning a trip to the Tuscany area with our children and grandkids. There will be nine of us in total. We would like to stay near Siena as I understand one can get trains to various places...Florence, Rome etc. Is it possible to stay in that area without renting a car (we would need two with the amount of people)? And how, other than renting a car, would we be able to see other sights in Tuscany such as Lucca and Chianti? Is this possible? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Sharon

Big_Red

Trenitalia.com is one of your better wesites for understanding how to get to places without a car (they will also show bus connections in some instances). Also, most good roadmaps will show the train tracks as well as roads. Railfaneurope.com has a map showing the major train tracks as well.

For an indulgence, you could hire two cars and drivers for a day. I believe prices range from 250 to 400 euro per car and driver, but often the drivers are experienced, animated tour guides as well and they know the best places for lunch. (You might also price a minibus).

So you can do it without a car. One caution, Chianti is a region and it is hard to tour a region from a train. You could possibly go to the towns: Radda in Chianti or Greve in Chianti.

jgg

Seeing Tuscany is best done by car, whether you rent a car or hire a driver as Big Red suggested. Siena's train station is not located near the city center, It is about 2 miles outside of the city, so you would need to take a taxi to get there and back. In addition, I do not believe there is a direct train from Siena to Rome, so you would have to train to Florence and then Rome. The easiest way to get between Siena and Florence is the bus.

If you want to explore Tuscany, I would strongly suggest renting two cars. That way you also would have the flexibility of not always having to do everything together. One group could get an early start while the ones who want to linger can explore at their convenience. Getting nine people to agree at all times might be difficult.

Big_Red

I have not been to Siena, but I have heard that the walk from the train station to the town is a consideration (tough with luggage). Alternately, I have also heard that buses drive right up the hill and into the center of town. For that reason, bussing from Florence to Siena is often recommended.

Dayle

Hi Sharon,

I would highly recommend a couple of cars for this trip! If you are thinking of renting a villa "near Siena" you will definitely need them.

You can train from Siena to Rome, but you would be taking a slower train and even changing once, probably in Orvieto.

bobthenavigator

Yes, you will want cars to see Tuscany. The train to Rome change in Chiusi which is also a good place to rent cars. You can get to Florence and Lucca just fine by train--it is the 18 other small places that you cannot.

ira

Hi Shar,

If you don't want to rent cars, I suggest that you stay in Florence and visit Siena, Rome, Lucca and other towns or cities in which you are interested by train.

Siena is not a rail hub. Florence is.

See www.trenitalia.com from train schedules, prices and tickets.

See www.mappy.com for maps of the region.

Shar61

Thank you all for your replies. I have one more question. What are someof the other small places in Tuscany that would be nice to see? WE have a year to plan this trip so I want to know all I can. Thanks again.
Sharon

NeoPatrick

While I've always been a big fan of having a car in Tuscany and have done so a number of times. Two summers ago with a week booked in Montepulciano we actually cancelled our car after a major accident a couple weeks before in Wales. We just didn't want to drive. I will say we had a great time with a car -- even though we were in much more "transporatation deprived" Montepulciano. First of all, let me say that trains are not often the best mode of public transportation in Tuscany. Busses are often much, much better. They will run from town center to town center and take you to many places where the trains simply don't go.

In the last couple of days I've been thinking that maybe next summer we will spend a week in Tuscany, and I'm actually thinking of making it IN Siena, as there are busses to nearly anywhere we might want to go. With a partner who is no longer driving and with me who has never driven a standard shift and doesn't even like to drive, I'm thinking we could be very happy hopping around Tuscany from Siena by public transporation.

And while ira's comment about Florence being a rail hub, but Siena isn't makes some sense, the bottom line is that trains may not take you where you want to go anyhow -- Cortona, Montepulciano, and Pienza come immediately to mind. But busses will take you to all of them from Siena -- and deliver you to the town, not to a distant train station.

And what other places to visit in Tuscany? Those last three I mentioned above come specifically to mind. San Gimignano is another (also not easy to get to from Florence by public transporation, but easier from Siena).

NeoPatrick

Note to self-- "please edit before posting".

In the first paragraph above I meant that we had a great time WITHOUT a car in Montepulciano. Not WITH a car.

bobthenavigator

Sharon, Since you have time, buy the book TOP 10 TUSCANY by Reid Bramblett for a good overview of places to see in Tuscany. Most are not on rail lines.

travelgirl2

You can rent a 9-passenger van.

We did this in Tuscany (picking the van up at Rome's Fuimicino airport) this past summer, and it wasn't as much trouble to drive as I thought it would be. I was afraid it would be to-o-o big, but it really wasn't.

Everyone had to come and go together, but that wasn't a problem for our group. The 9th seat is between the driver and front passenger, so it's a little cozy (we had 8 people).

Henry

Shar61,
To find small towns in Tuscany check out some of the many trip reports. Here is one to get you started http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34494897 or e-mail me and I will send you some day trips in Tuscany.

Henry

annhig

As usual, Ira get in before me. Florence would make the best hub, IMO, but Siena comes a close 2nd. Which airport would you fly into?

Shar61

One more quick question...If we were to rent a car...what are the roads like going to the smaller villages in Tuscany. I am a bit nervous about driving and the onus would be on my son-in-law driving the nine of us around.
Thanks to all of you for your great informative replies.
Sharon

jgg

The roads are in good condition. I wouldn't worry too much about it. You will want a good map (we used the Touring Club Italiano Map (1:225,000) and found it very good. You can get a GPS system with your rental car now and I would suggest that you consider that. It really does help.

Shar61

How is the traffic?

bobthenavigator

The roads are fine--think Vermont.

jgg

The traffic is fine in the towns in Tuscany. Even parking outside of Siena is not a big problem. I would avoid driving in Florence or Rome, but most other places are fine. Most small cities and towns do not let you drive in the centro storico (city center), so you usually park just outside of the main part of town.