I have been trying to plan a day trip from Florence to Siena and what I have found online has left me confused. We have been told to take a bus. I'm looking to leave in the morning and return late afternoon (not until June 2025). Is there one bus company I should use to go from a relatively central location in Florence to a relatively central location in Siena? Also, what are the names of the locations I should be seeking? I see lots of different names for locations and companies and I'm trying to figure out the most convenient options. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Yes, but it is very confusing. However, I didn't see the information you provided. Thank you so much. However, I am on the site and there are numerous stations in Florence and Siena and I have no idea which ones I need to select.
We went to the bus station right next to the Santa Maria Novella train station. We walked up to the counter and purchased the next available ticket to Siena. We waited no more than half an hour. We were dropped off by the Siena soccer stadium/San Domenico Church area. A few days later, we took a FLIX bus which picked up in approximately the same location.
For a day trip, if you are confident of your return time, I would just buy a round trip ticket at the train station.
If you look in a Rick Steves guide, at the end of the Florence chapter it will have instructions on how to get to Siena.
The station in Florence is Firence Autostazion and the station in Siena is Siena-Via Tozzi. Both are the last stops for the route 131R.
This was posted by Roberto a few months ago.
The bus you want is the Rapid bus no. 131R (R stands for Rapid, since there is also the 131 which makes several stops). The timetable is available below, and you can also download the entire timetable in PDF.
https://www.at-bus.it/en/linee-e-orari/regionali-131r
There are several ways to buy (AT app, participating retailers, Tabnet app, etc.) all explained below
https://www.at-bus.it/en/tickets-and-passes/buying-guide
(Click on how to buy)
To see a map with the bus station location in Florence you could google “Autostazione Firenze” to see it located just across from SMN station.
In Siena, you could google “piazza Antonio Gramsci” to see the stop at Via Tozzi. Zoom in to see buses in the bus lane. You will also see Via Montanini that leads pretty much all the way to the Campo.