Bus or train from Florence to Sienna??

Most people seem to prefer the bus, because it drops you off right in the middle of the historic district, whereas the train station is a ways off and at the bottom of the hill.

And here's the information on the bus www.sitabus.it/en/florence-siena-bus/ and the train www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en (take care to use the Italian originals for the place names).

The bus station in Florence is right around the corner from the train station, in case you're arriving in Florence by train.

The bus is very easy, and you will arrive a short distance from the main piazza in Siena. We love Siena!

Thank you all for your help!

The bus is usually preferred for this route, because 1) the train requires a change while the bus is direct (and often nonstop), 2) because of #1 the bus is faster, and 3) the train station is further from the center than the bus station. However, both can work fine.

We always take the bus. On arrival we note on the list of return times, some convenient times with particular attention to the second to last bus back to Florence. That way we don't run the risk of missing that last bus. The buses run two or three times an hour all day so you can leave when you are ready to go or can change your mind if you find you want to stay longer.

Be sure in Siena to allow lots of time for the Cathedral -- an amazing place. Climbing the Torre Mangia is also spectacular;
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/climbing-the-torre-mangia-at-67/ Get a twofer ticket for the town hall and Torre Mangia which saves a few Euro. The town hall is magnificent contains important art and a wonderful mural of good and bad government painted in Renaissance times. It has suffered damage due to salt stored int he cellar but it is still a wonderful thing to see. There is a picture of it in my photo journal in the Tuscany section in the 'Patterns' post. If climbing the Torre Mangia is too much for you, the museum gives access to the top of the unfinished Cathedral wall which offers birds eyes views of Siena and the countryside with little effort. During the middle ages there was a plan to enlarge the Cathedral and this wall was built; the plans were abandoned due to bad architectural design and the black death.

There is no change of trains as reported earlier, but the bus is more efficient and saves you a taxi ride up the hill to the town center.

denise,

To answer one of your questions, if you use the Corse Rapide (Express) Bus, the travel time from Florence to Siena is about 1H:15M. The Corse Ordinarie (regular) Bus takes an additional 15 minutes or so. Larger luggage items are placed in the old under the Bus, and carry-on items are kept with you. I haven't checked the current costs, but as I recall the tickets are quite inexpensive.

In contrast, many of the Regionale trains have a travel time of 1H:28M and a cost of €9.10 PP. However, as the others have mentioned, the station is at the bottom of the hill below the town, so you'd need to take a Taxi or Bus from there up to town. That's not a huge problem as the trip is only about 10 minutes.

DON'T forget to validate your tickets on either the train or the Bus, or the cost will increase in a big hurry when you have to pay fines!