We'll be four people traveling to Siena from Milan. We plan on taking the fast train to Florence and then a "rapid" bus to Siena? Thoughts or recommendations? We then will be staying in Siena for a few days and need to get to Rome. Bus to Rome?
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
I would take the train the entire route. I know the bus is a little cheaper but it's also a lot slower.
Donna
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Even though the "rapid" bus takes 1 hr. 15 minutes ... And the regional train (one must get off the fast train from Milan and switch to a regional train to Siena) takes 1 hr. 30 minutes?
Would you still just take the trains?
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16379 posts
Do you plan to stay in Florence at all?
If you plan to stay in Florence AND Siena, it is best to go to Siena first. Then after staying a few days in Siena, come back to Florence and stay a few days there. Lastly you would go to Rome from Florence using a fast train (www.trenitalia.com).
If you do not intend to stay overnight in Florence at all, and want to go to Siena only. Then from Florence you can take either the train or the bus. The bus from Florence is a bit faster than the train actually (75 vs 90 min), because the bus goes straight to Siena through the hills via the freeway, while the train has to go around the hills (i.e. it has to go west to Empoli and then south through the Elsa Valley). The bus also offers the advantage that it drops you in the middle of the city center on top of the hill (Siena is a 'hill' city), while the train cannot go uphill and the station is down at the bottom of the hill a bit of a distance from the historical center (albeit a short taxi/bus ride).
The bus station in Florence is on Via Santa Caterina Da Siena, practically across the piazza from the SMN train station where you get off the train from Milan.
For your trip to Rome, you can either take the train (likely back via Florence) or take the bus directly from Siena to Rome. Although the time of travel is similar, I would think that the bus is probably more convenient from Siena to Roma, because there are no changes to make. Just give the large luggage to the driver (luggage goes under the belly of the bus) and the bus will drop you off at Rome's Tiburtina station (the 2nd largest station). From there take a taxi to your Rome hotel.
Siena-Roma bus information searchable below:
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Thank you for all your help! Another question ... should we buy our tickets for the express train to Florence here in the US before we travel? If so, can we print the tickets?
Can we do the same with the bus rides to Siena and Rome?
Posted by
Firenze, Italy
1803 posts
Twice per day there are "Freccialink" services to Siena, that are minibuses (20 seats) timed to connect with Frecciarossa trains at Florence and working under a single railway ticket and reservation. It is a new service, at present times are not the most convenient ones but have a look when reserving. I am afraid the buses will call at Siena railway station, that is down the hill and a taxi drive from the city center.
Posted by
Chicago
8816 posts
You will save money by getting the tickets Florence/Rome well in advance. It is risky to do this when just landing at FCO and wanting to go onward to Florence but if you plan to be in Florence awhile first you don't have to worry about that. The savings are substantial.
You can't get from Rome to Siena (overstatement but not by much); it is much better to do Siena as a sidetrip from Florence where it is reached in an hour by buses that run a couple of times an hour and then to take the train from Florence to Rome which takes about 90 minutes.