Staying in Siena and thinking of visiting Assisi for a couple of nights on our way to Rome.
Will have a rental car in Siena, but it does not look as if Auto Europe has an office in Assisi.
So we are thinking of returning the car at the Siena office, and taking a bus from Siena to Assisi.
Good idea, or bad idea?
Originally thought we would take a train, but the train takes over 4 hours.
Where is the bus terminal in Siena? And, can we easily take luggage on the bus?
Very bad idea.
You should keep the car and drive to Assisi. A car is also useful while in Assisi.
AutoEurope is a consolidator not a rental car company. Check for locations of the rental company you plan to use.
.After visiting Assisi by car you could do any of the following:
1. Drive to Rome and return the car in Rome
2. Drive to Foligno (Europcar) or Spoleto (Hertz), return the car, then proceed to Rome by train.
3. Backtrack a little bit to Perugia (any rental company), return the car and proceed by train to Rome.
No. 1 is fastest. That is the option I would choose.
No. 2 is next in speed and convenience if you don’t like the idea of driving the 2+ hours to Rome.
If you already have the car, I would agree that you should keep the car and drive at least to Perugia, return the car, train to Santa Maria degli Angeli then take the bus up to the "hill".
In 2015, we did not have a car. We took the bus from Siena (only one bus to Perugia at about 2pm and it was hard to tell at the Siena bus station which bus was going there-it was embarrassing having to ask almost every bus if they were going there). Once we got to Perugia, it was easy to take the train to Santa Maria degli Angeli an transfer to the local bus and go up the hill to Assisi.
Have a great time. You will love your time in Assisi!
Do you already have a car reserved? Pick up in Siena? If thru AutoEurope- call or email them and they'll make suggestions/adjustments for your return location.
We picked up our car in Florence, Hertz at Sansovino thru AutoEurope.
After our time in Sienna, Montepulciano- we drove to Assisi. Poked along, it was a nice drive. Stayed at Hotel Berti- right across the street from the big parking lot. Easy in and out for our 2 nights there, then drove 40 min to Spoleto in the am- dropped car at Hertz, walked 3 min to train station. Train to Rome. We were there before noon. So easy.
We liked Assisi a lot.
While I agree that you should keep the car and drive, know that long-distance buses generally depart from the Siena train station and there's plenty of room for luggage storage under the bus (only hand luggage with you in the bus). You might want to call Auto Europe to get a better idea of return location options. Another consideration is that a car is essential for visiting many of the interesting towns near Assisi, either as a day trip or on your drive towards Rome.
Wow, thanks for all of the great suggestions and information.
How costly is full-day (overnight) parking in Assisi? I assume we will need to park in a paid lot while staying there.
Should we book a room in Assisi, or in the local surrounding area...any suggestions for accomodations?
Here's what we are thinking of doing.
But looking for suggestions from others who are much more knowledgeable and experieced.
Planning around 30 days in Italy.
Landing in Venice and touring for a few days.
Originally thinking of taking a train to Florence and staying for a few days, then to Monerrosso, then to Siena, Assisi, maybe Orvieto, and lastly to Rome.
We could also go to the region of Veneto after Venice, or elsewhere for a stay, before going to Florence??
Looking for ideas/suggestions. Thanks
I've stayed twice at the beautiful Hotel Ideale in Assisi, which has its own parking lot adjacent to the hotel. The rooms are beautiful, quiet, clean, with lovely staff and great breakfast (in the garden, if the weather is good). The hotel is at the "top" of town, within easy walking distance of most of the old town. Near the basilica, in the parking lot at the "bottom," you can catch an orange bus that will loop around and bring you to within a few feet of the hotel. Ask for a room with a balcony, which looks out over the wide valley. If you stay there, be SURE to get them to give you careful directions to the hotel; the driveway to the property is small and narrow, and easy to miss.
Definitely keep the car and drive to Assisi. Many wonderful places to stop along the way. Parking in Assisi was easy. There are big lots at both ends of the town. I don't remember how much it cost, but, it wasn't so high that I cared. Parking at the hotel is even better.
Assisi is quite nice. A little touristy on the main street. The view from the town is really special. Obviously, the historic importance of the town adds to the experience.
We did this trip a little differently. We stayed at a resort called Le Tre Vasalle in the nearby town of Torgiano. They have a spa, pool, really good restaurant, buffet breakfast, free parking, A/C, etc. Our stay here was a highlight of our trip. We really enjoyed it. Be sure to order something with made with truffles. The town of Torgiano is nothing more than a post office and a police station, however.
Our plan was to take the train from Rome to Foligno (IIRC) and pick up the car. Our flight was delayed and the car rental was closed. Be aware, care rental offices in the small towns evidently keep business hours. We picked up the car the next day in Perugia.
Many years ago I stayed at the Hotel La Rocca, on the eastern side of the old town.
They had private parking. It was a very inexpensive hotel.
It was only a 5 min walk to the Piazza Del Comune. The Basilica, which is at the opposite end of town is less than 15 min walk from the Piazza Del Comune.
Based on your planning, if after Florence you go to the Cinque Terre, then to Siena area, you should rent a car in La Spezia, after your Cinque Terre stay.
Roberto-
Good to have you contributing. Your suggestions were most helpful in planning our first trip in Oct. 2018.
We had given this some thought in the recent past. What are your ideas about renting a car in La Spezia
as opposed to continuing on the train directly to Sienna, where we are staying?
And, can we rent a car in Pisa as opposed to La Spezia...any difference in convenience, office locations, etc.?
Is this drive scenic and worthwhile, or mearly transportation? And how is traffic, etc.?
Looks like there are 2 routes. One towards Prato and down to Siena. Another south along the shore to Cecina and over to Voltera on the way to Siena. Is the shoreline route adviseable?
I had a car for one of my stays in Assisi and parked in the Piazza Matteotti lot near the top of town. Cost was around 10 euro per day and the walk to my hotel in town (Hotel Pallotta) wasn't too long. The only small negative of that garage was that there was a market on the top level one day that limited where you could park. Your hotel can point you to the best parking options for their location, with it sometimes noted on their website.
I would not consider taking the train from Monterosso to Siena. Way too many train changes, and if you have luggage it’s not fun.
La Spezia is the closest city to Monterosso with rental car offices. Both Hertz and Europcar have locations near the cruise port. Coming from Monterosso you would take a train to La Spezia Centrale and from there a taxi to the rental office of your choice at the port (less than 2 miles away).
You can also rent the car at Pisa. Pisa is further south, so there would be an extra 40-60 min on the train from La Spezia (and extra train fare). Like La Spezia, at Pisa no rental office is at the station. There are offices downtown within a short taxi ride, or at the airport which is connected to the station via an automatic people mover (6 min ride). Be aware that picking up a rental car at the has extra charges/fees.
If you pick up in La Spezia the fastest way to Siena is Via Viareggio, Lucca, Prato, Florence using the A12, A11, A1 (exit Firenze Impruneta) then the Raccordo Firenze Siena Superstrada (a toll free divided freeway).
If you pickup at Pisa, it is a bit longer route. Basically you take the SCG FIPILI (a divided superstrada) to Firenze Scandicci, then the A1 for a short distance (to Firenze Impruneta), then the Raccordo as above.
The shoreline route via Cecina and Volterra, which I’ve experienced many times as a kid spending beach time in Cecina, would not be my choice, unless you dislike someone in your party and you want them to get car sick and throw up along the way. If you want to pass by Volterra on the way to Siena, it’s easier to drive the Val d’Era (Era Valley) from Ponsacco. This route (via Ponsacco and Volterra) would be slower than the ones describe above, since it’s mostly on a regular two lane highway after Ponsacco, but probably more scenic.
None of the routes should have major traffic outside of commute time. You might encounter traffic around Florence if you get there during the evening commute.
Thanks for all of the details, very helpful!
I am confused about the information regarding the drive to Voltera, on the way to Seina.
Hoping you can elaborate and maybe offer an opinion as to the ride itself, and wether this route is a disadvantage in any way?
Don't want everyone throwing up.
The biggest question is, if it is worth driving to Siena, or just taking the train from La Spezia to Siena and pick up a car there?
No real time benefit, so will we gain a lot on the Tuscany scenery experience, etc.?
If, on the way from Cinque Terre to Siena, you want to visit Volterra (a very popular beautiful town), then it is worth to take the La Spezia-Pisa-Ponsacco-Volterra-Siena route.
If you plan to go to Volterra later on, while you are saying in Siena, then don’t bother and take the fastest route (freeways).
So it is up to you. It depends on your plans. But a visit to Volterra, however short, is worth it.
There are some curves approaching Volterra from Ponsacco, but not as bad as the road coming from Cecina.
For sure don’t take the train from Spezia to Siena. Drive.
Thanks. What other towns do you advise visiting while we are staying in Siena?
Places to visit while in Siena:
Siena itself (this will take the best part of a full day).
This is a list of the most popular destinations, all within one hour drive from Siena. If the towns are close by (or along the way) and you can visit them in one shot on the same day trip, I listed them together.
(no. 4, 5, 6 above are all nearby, but it would be difficult to hit them all in one trip, so I split them in such a way that you have a couple per trip. Of course if all you want is a drive by, you can hit them all in a day)
On the way from Siena to Assisi there is Cortona, which is worth a visit, and maybe even Lucignano. Or you can visit as a day trip from Siena (all within one hour drive).
There are many more places, but I don’t know how many days you have in Siena. For now I gave you enough for a week.
When are you going? I ask because there are various festivals and holy days that can mess up traffic and parking royally in Assisi. (I'm looking at you, Calendimaggio!)
Still working on the route and dates. Assisi may be sometime around Oct. 8-11th?
Do not go near Assisi on October 4, the Feast Day of St. Francis as it will be mobbed then.
Brillaint...thanks for the heads up!!
Roberto, thanks for the list of towns to visit. We are planning to visit them all.
Looking at the option of driving our rental car from Siena to Perugia on our last day rental car day.
Returning the rental car at one of the 2 eurocar offices in Perugia, then taking a bus to Assisi.
Looks as if the eurocar office that is NOT at the airport may be a better option?
Driving to Perugia, and then a bus to Assisi appears to be faster than taking a train from Siena to Assisi?
Questions would be:
What Eurocar office is the better option?
Once the car is returned where do we go to get a bus to Assisi?
How do we get to the bus...taxi?
If all the above is not our best option, we would appreciate your advise on a better option.
From Assisi, we will be taking a train to Rome.
