Travel Answers

Hello! We will be staying in an agriturismo near Siena for three nights in June, and we will be travelling there from Rome after having spent four nights in Rome. I'm trying to work out the logistics of what we want to do in my head and I am having troubles. Basically, we will be renting a car to get us to the agriturismo and spend the next two or three days driving all around Tuscany. BUT, I would also like to spend four or five hours exploring Siena's city center while we are there (since parking is apparently a nightmare, it made sense to me to have a time in Siena first, and rent our car after we're done). It seems to be working down to three options:

1) Take the train from Rome to Siena - good because the train station is close to the car rental place. Leave our two backpacks in storage lockers somewhere, bus into town, enjoy Siena, bus back down and take our car and leave.

2) Take the bus to Siena - good because it is less hassle and arrives in the middle of Siena. Don't really know what we would do with our packs all day (unless there are lockers somewhere in the city center), then take a bus down the hill to the car places, rent our car and leave.

3) Rent a car in Rome, drive straight to our agriturismo, then try and find parking and deal with the hassle of actually getting into Siena while already possessing our rental car.

Things to take into consideration are neither of us has ever been to Italy or driven in Europe before -- having our introduction to European driving being a three hour journey out of a huge city is daunting to me, to say the least. It seems like a lot of back and forth to rent the car in Siena (train station to town to train station to rental place, etc..., since from what I've read it's tough walking to Hertz or wherever from the train station due to the busy streets between them) -- but it can't be THAT bad can it? Any advice?

I will be in florence for 3 days in February 2013 and was wondering would you go to Siena on Sunday or is everything closed. .....

We,ve been in Italy now 12 days.. Going to Siena Monday, any good feed back..ps....we left Venice today and because of the rain the streets had 1 1/2 ft. Of water for 3 hours. Not that was an experience getting to train station.......great place

Is Siena a bike friendly town or is it too crowded? Thank you.

Has anyone ever bought tickets to see AC Siena play? I would like to go to a game in April and am having a hard time figuring out how I could buy tickets ahead of time, if they are even available. Any insight would be great! -Matthew

Hey guys, I need a place to stay in Siena from january 1st till january 2nd. So, do you know any hostels or other cheap places there? At january 2nd I'm going to Siena University (Piazza Carlo Rosselli, 27/28), so maybe some place close to that. Thanks!

Where is the best place to rent a car in Siena? We are staying in a B and B near San Francesco Church and know that AutoEurope has an office on Via Simone Martini which doesn't look too far away. Europcar has an office on Viale Europa but I can't find that street on our map. Any ideas?

I am trying to get to Siena from Bellagio. I am traveling with my 84 year old mother and am trying to avoid taking 3 trains to get to Siena. Is there a shuttle or a private service that is reasonable that will take me to Siena. Need help. I will be in Bellagio on the 13 of June. Thanks so much SE

Has anyone stayed in the Convent Guest House in Siena before and what was your experience?

We will spend three nights in Siena with day a trip to Florence and another day trip to San Gimignano/Volterra. We are on a Globus tour which includes some sights but don't want to miss the "must-see or do" sights. Any suggestions?

Hi, I will be in Siena on a language course for a week from the 8th to the 13th. The Palio start their trials on the 12th. I am not sure if I should stay for the final ceremony on the 16th. This mean I would cut my stay in Rome down to only two days...I fly out on the 19th of August. Is it worth staying or will I get a feel for the festival through the trials. Another option is to leave for Rome on the 13th and then come back for the 15th and 16th....but it is a 3 hour trip both ways. Any suggestions Susanne

In the beginning stages of planning a 10 day trip to Italy with 3 other couples and a guide as driver. Have only been to Italy twice for 2 short trips - Rome and Florence and loved it. We are interested in exploring the Tuscany area for a good portion of the trip then coastal north or south for the remainder (early planning). Anyway, the Quintessential Villa (sp?) was mentioned as a good home base in Tuscany = from there Florence, wineries and maybe Lucca. Has anyone ever been there? Thoughts?

We are going to be in Sienna for 4-5 days in May. We were thinking about renting a car for a day or two to see the countryside and few of the hill towns. Any recommendation on car rentals in the area? Fun stuff to see out in the countryside? Thanks, Arne

I am planning a trip to Italy in April 2011 and would like to know what the average price is for motorcycle or motor-scooter hire is per day? I am planning to rent motor-scooters/cycles in the cities of Bologna, Siena and Florence. Please advise.

We'll be staying in Siena for at least one week and plan to take day trips within Tuscany. We love taking the bus and trains in Italy, enabling both of us to enjoy the scenery and meeting such friendly and fun people. We're also not fans of being a part of a "herd" and prefer to see and explore at our own pace. When in Rome last year, we purchased a monthly Lazio pass that allowed us unlimited travel on trains, buses, metro and tram through 2 zones. What a bargain! I'm hoping to find something similiar in Tuscany and Umbria. I found the Siena Mobilita site and would like some help in understanding the passes they offer. The first is the Extra Urban Provincial services. For example, they list a 6-day pass up to 60KM for 21 Euro. Does this mean unlimited travel on bus or train anywhere within a 60KM radius from Siena? What's the difference between the Tariffe base and the Autolines Siena-Chiancino? Or do I want the Extra-urban regional services like Autolinea Siena-Firenze, Autolines Siena Arezzo? Or perhaps the Pegaso Pass? Are there similiar alternatives in the Umbria region? We're thinking about visiting Perugia, Arezzo, Gubbio, Assisi. Would any of these be a good base ? Any and all suggestions for towns to visit via bus or train are most welcome!

Planning a one day car trip to Sienna from Florence. Please inform me which is the main autostrada to follow and the adress of a parking near city center. I cannot trust just google maps!

Hi, I'm going to Siena on January 2011. I've read the other responses regarding the weather. I just want to read the confirmation about how humid and rainy it will be. Will it be snowing? then a goose down jacket might not be helpful? I need to know what to take because I will not be able to buy stuff in Siena. Thank you in advance for your information. Monibella.

When I was in Siena more than ten years ago, I bought two beautiful posters, "battenti toscani" and "porte toscane." Owing to my own stupidity in not putting UV-resistant glass on them, the "porte toscane" one has faded badly. I am hoping to replace it. Any ideas? Laura

Hi, I was in Siena this summer and I'm looking for information about the "art wall" of tiles between the escalators from the parking place and the old town. Does anyone have any information about this? Concept? Artists? Etc. Cheers, Tor

All the postings seem to indicate that the Sena bus route works well between Rome and Siena, but I am wondering if their schedule has recently changed. When I try to look at travel on the dates I am interested, their site says that no matches have been found. Does anyone know if this bus has been discontinued and/or if there is an alternate bus?

If I Park at the Siena stadium parking lot, how far a walk is it to Il Campo Square? Are there buses? thnx

Ciao a Tutti! i'm coming to Siena to study italian language & culture course in "Università per Stranieri di Siena". Starting 4th October and i need some help... - i'll be arriving to Rome(Fumicino) around 7.00am On sunday 3rd October, will it be possible to find a BUS from there to Siena? as it will be a weekend? i have already checked some websites with no luck. - my accommodation will be "Casa dello studente" - Via De Nicola 9 , in the city centre, How far is it from the Train station/ Bus stop? - about the weather during the 3 months ( Oct- Dec) i found out that it will be somewhat rainy and cooler at night, Do i need heavy clothes or just some light wears and jacket? and regarding the same issue: i read about "pack light" so no need to bring a lot of clothes, i can get by shopping in Siena?? i wait some useful info, i appreciate and thank you in advance! Grazie x 1000.000 Saluti!

We are planning to go to Sienna for the race on Aug 16th, 2011. It will be a present for my wife, so I am trying to get good seats on the periphery, not just be stuck standing in the center in the crowd for hours. The most inportant question that I have is: how do I buy tickets and know that they are legitimate? Are there tickets issued by one central authority for the building around the plaza? Or do the owners of those buildings do it themselves? Are there trusted middlemen? Which days should we plan on being there? It appears that there are at least 3 preparatory races prior to the main one, plus banquets and parties to go to. Any other advice such as good hotels, restaurants, best contrada, are much appreciated.

Hello Siena experts :-) just booked my flight and school for November, 2 weeks in Siena :-) I'll arrive in Firenze (October 30, Saturday at 5:30 pm) and have already done my transport homework. But some questions are still open resp. I would be happy to get confirmation of what I have researched. 1) Which bus do I take from Peretola to train station SM Novella? How often do they run and how long does it roughly take to the train station/SITA bus? (I am sure my timing should be ok to reach at least the last bus). 2) Is this bus schedule still valid? sitabus.it/sita-toscana/Fire... 3) From Siena bus station (the pdf schedule says Via F. Tozzi, so north-west of Campo) which bus system would I use to move to my homestay. I don't have the exact adress yet, but I was told that it is 5 minutes to walk to Dante Alighieri School, which is on the hill south of Duomo. Is this the most detailed map for busses within Siena ("centre")? sienamobilita.it/mappe/mappa... The others on the site are covering the outskirts and greater region around the town. I am a bit confused that I don't find the bus numbers given on google earth on this Siena map. Thanks in advance Ingrid

We will be spending 5 nights in Siena from Aug.31 to Sep. 5 and then six nights in Lucca Sept. 5 to Sept. 11. We will be taking day trips from both cities. It's my understanding that one must catch the train (outside city walls in Siena) and go back to Florence, catch a connection to Lucca as the best train route. Is it closer to catch a bus from Siena to Lucca or is there one? Since we'll be leaving on a Sunday the 5th I was worried about week end service. I tried to follow the schedule on the sita bus site but didn't do well because I couldn't find English. Is there another site that's better for a novice traveler seeking best routes?

Hello to all - My wife and I will be visiting the Tuscan countryside in early July. We are camping for a few nights in Barberino Val d'Elsa. She loves horses and I would like to take her on a horse riding day trip in Tuscany. We are renting a car and visiting some of the hills towns and beautiful countryside for 2 days, so I don't want an extended horse riding trek, just a a day trip. I was wondering if anyone knew of some around the Barberino Val d'Elsa area? We aren't planning on renting the car for the day we are doing the horse trip, so I would prefer something somewhat closer to the campground (maybe like a 10-15km radius), but we can take bus/train to get there, no problem. Any advice or recommendations will be greatly appreciated. Also, for our 2 days of traveling in the car, if you have some "can't miss - must see" towns, drives, or spots I would love to hear that as well. Thank you so much!! - Ryan

Are there many banks in the town of Siena and what are the opening hours/days? I have tried to find out on a number of information sites but no luck.

I've been checking some websites offering scooter rentals at decent prices in Siena. I can't tell if the scooters have clutches or not? (manual vs automatic transmission). What is the norm? And do I want 50cc or 100cc (2 passengers, going from Siena to Montalcino for the day). I have a valid Canadian driver's licence, and it doesn't show any restrictions other than needing glasses to drive. Will that suffice to rent one of these scooters? Thanks!

Our plans for renting a car in Siena have gone awry. My companion is no longer able to drive a car due to a problem with her eyes, and I don't drive. But, we still want to do a daytrip to Montalcino. The bus system is out--I have perused the schedules to get to Sant'Antimo in the early morning and nothing works for me (I want to shoot some photos in the morning to catch the rays coming in the windows). I am willing to consider a private tour, or private guide. Can I get a recommendation or two for companies/individuals who would be willing to assist us (hopefully not ragingly expensive) operating out of Siena? Thanks!

Hi, I will be going to Siena from Florence by train on 1 May, Labor Day. Are the buses running on that holiday from the train station to city centre? If the buses are not running, do the taxis operate on that day? Lastly, if I'm forced to walk from the train station to il Campo, is it safe to walk? That is, I'll not be walking through dodgy neighborhoods and there are actual pavements to walk, and I'm not forced to dodge traffic on the road. Greatly appreciate any help. Regards, Ivan