We are arriving in Florence by train, but wanted to rent a car to travel to Siena, stay the night, then travel the remaining way to Rome. The car would then be returned in Rome, prior to our stay. Is it worth the hassle to rent a car for one day to see Tuscany and the hillsides on a tight schedule? Also, what would be the best place to pick up the car in Florence and return it in Rome?
Posted by
Bellevue, WA, USA
81 posts
When I was in Florence I saw the city for 2 days and then rented a car to drive through the Chianti region to Siena. It was BEAUTIFUL! I stayed the night in Siena, saw the city and then drove back to Florence. I then took the train from Florence to Rome. It worked out great for me.
Posted by
Monroe, WA, USA
151 posts
We rented our car at the airport. The taxi ride was short and from what I remember affordable. In fact, we came in a day before our reservation and they found us a car. It was hassle-free. Siena is so wonderful I wouldn't miss it!
Posted by
Newark, DE, USA
74 posts
Molly, On a tight schedule, if you're not planning on spending much time in the hills, I don't think the hassle of a car is worth it. The Florence/Siena and Siena/Rome bus routes are excellent. http://www.sitabus.it/sita-toscana/Firenze-Siena07.pdf
and http://sena.busweb.it/privati/browse/schedelinea.asp?linea=920&txtP=Siena&txtA=Roma , respectively.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
You must be cautious about where you rent the car in Florence. You must have a permit to drive in certain neighborhoods and historic areas. They have computerized cameras to get you and your rental car company will most likely cooperate with authorities in tracking you down.
You can search for traffic tickets on this website. There are a few horror story threads on this subject. I understand that there are signs warning of these special areas but thus far, I haven't come across any maps or information that shows the boudaries of these special areas. Very nasty tickets (high cost) if you get one. Make sure that your rental car agency is not in one of these areas.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
See the following link for a map of Florence's restricted driving zones. http://www.comune.firenze.it/servizi_pubblici/trasporti/mappaztl.htm
Posted by
Hendersonvlle, NC
486 posts
I would agree with Alicia. If you want to rent a car, rent it in Florence and return it there or in Siena and take the train to Rome.
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
Sounds like you want to spend a day visiting hill towns between Siena and Rome. A car would give you many more options than train/bus, but your travel time would be limited by how late you could drop off the car in Rome. Might be less hassle to take the train or bus to Siena and then pick up the car there. Avoids all those traffic ticket concerns people have been discussing. Several recent postings have been discussing pluses/minuses of Termini, Via Veneto and airport rental car locations in Rome.