best way to get from Naples to Siena

Wow, what a treat. There are two ways. One by train and one by bus. For the train, it's a 5.0-6.0hr. journey. 1-3 train changes.

CLICK HERE to see the mid-day train schedule for 8/15. You could see some packed trains going into Siena. Note that the last train that you will take on each run is an R train. This is the local regionale. You can't sell them out. It's like the subway, you get on and try to find a seat. If none, you stand. The higher train categories like the Eurostar or AV are not like that. You must have seat reservations. The ride in on the R train is 60-100min. Could be fun.

I would suggest getting these tickets in advance. It's already too late to have ticket brokers like Raileurope or Italiarail send them to you in the mail. If the train is full, step up to 1st class. Often times there are seats still available.

A second and usually comfortable and reasonable choice is the bus. You take the train to Rome Termini from Naples and then take the Rome Metro to the Rome Tiburtina train station. www.sena.it has buses that run from Rome Tiburtina to the city wall at Siena. PM me for more instructions if the bus method appeals to you. The bus is almost as fast from Rome as the train.

It's an easy drive. We went from Siena to Naples in about 4 hours. Almost all Autostrada with very little traffic. We found that the car rental was about a break even deal (even with gas at $9 a gallon) with the train, with much fewer hassles. The train station is not near the town in Siena. We used autoeurope. Have fun at the Palio!

Unfortunately, I don't think that you will get within 10 miles of Siena with a rental car within days of the Palio taking place. I suggest that a train or bus will work much better.