Car rental Florence or Siena

There is a direct bus from Venice to Siena (5h). Don't take the train because a connection is involved.

Then it would be better to just train straight from Venice to Siena instead ? What would be the best way t travel between to two ?

I also have in mind the return because our next stop after Tuscany is Florence. Still better to drop the car in Siena and then take the bus again to Florence ?

The bus from Venice to Siena is 5h, a TGV to Florence then a bus wouldn't be better ? Just asking here.

I'm suddenly questioning my itinerary. Any idea on how I could arrange that ? Thank you for you answer Mary!

See what the rental car situation is in Siena -- the bus is an hour and convenient and then you could pick up the car when you leave Siena. We have usually picked up at the Florence airport which now that there is a tram to the airport is easy. YouBut those were on trips where we were spending a couple of weeks in Tuscany and needed the car the whole time. Since you are doing Siena first it would make sense to rent there if you can get as good a deal on the car.

Do not rent from downtown Florence. It is possible to leave without triggering the ZTL fines, but it is easy to make a mistake and rack up several tickets in a few minutes going around blocks to get back on track. Us the airport and avoid the hassle.

Picking up the car in Florence and returning it in Florence will enable you to avoid an extra charge for one-way rental or an extra train from Siena to Florence if you rent in Siena. There are a number of companies with offices at the Florence station. There are also some very detailed posts on this forum describing exactly how to get out of town from the station, and back in to the station, while minimizing traffic hassles and avoiding ZTLs (thanks Roberto!). Overall the driving isn’t bad, just pay close attention to your route in Florence. Good luck!

Thank you for you answers, I'm actually rally unsure what to do now...

From Venice to Florence to get a car by a TGV was my initial thought. From what I'm reading here, it would make sense, but only if I do it from the airport because downtown Florence seems to be quite a challenge. But my guess is that the train from Venice is now directly stopping at the airport and I would need to take another transport from Central Station to the airport in order to get a car then.

I'm having a hard to figure out the best way to do it without wasting this day on travelling back and forth, Initially, I've figured 1/2 day form Venice to our hotel in Siena. Am I unrealistic ?

And johnnt, would you share the forum info so I could see how does it look to get out of Florence Central Station by car ? Thanks alot!

Ok so after looking it up, I think a TGV from Venice to Florence (around 2h45-3h) into Stazione SM Novella then taking a the tram T2 to the end of the line on the airport where we could rent a car there to avoid the city center, then drive to Siena which would take around 1h30 to 1h45 by taking the scenic SR-222. So all in all, around 5h of travel from Venice to Siena. Same as the bus line but I get my car for the rest of the trip already. Would that make sense ?

I don’t know when you’re going so I can’t check dates on Trenitalia’s website: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html. However, I hate transfers when hauling luggage and I pack light. The train connects in Florence and it’s a 15m drive from Siena’s train station to Siena’s old town. There are buses that connect the two and I don’t know if taxis will be waiting.
Piazza Gramsci is the name of the bus station in Siena. The advantage here is if you pack heavy, you’re better off taking the bus because luggage is stored on the exterior of the bus. Furthermore, there are direct buses so no changes are required.
I don’t believe you will save any time by taking the train vs the bus and the bus will be simpler.

Ok I'll think about the bus option. I'm still unsure because after my time in Tuscany, if I rent the car in Siena after a bus from Venice, I'll still need to reach Florence by train or bus instead of driving directly to it.

We are going late July, early August. Would be traveling on the 30th of July from Venice to Siena.

On trenitalia the train takes 4h or so. But when I'm looking to fast trains in Italo it takes 2h15. Would it be worth it ?

Don't go too far into the weeds just trying to save an hour travelling time. In the grand scheme of things its just not that big of a deal. And don't worry about a drop off fee until you see how much it might be, compared to the convenience of doing so. It might be worth it, it might not. Here's what I would want to know first: does your Siena hotel have parking? Because if it's anywhere close to the historic centre, my bet is that it doesn't.

If it doesn't, then it makes sense to train to Florence and bus to Siena, then rent the car when you leave Siena. If it does, then the easiest thing is to train to Florence, rent at the agency by SMN station, and follow Roberto's instructions on how to get out of town. If you are really risk averse, then take the tram from SMN to the airport to pick up the car. Dont make it more complicated than it needs to be.

There are no high-speed trains from Venice’s Santa Lucia (Venezia S. Lucia) station to Siena. There are from Venezia S. Lucia to Florence’s S.M. Novella station (2h 15m). You then need to take a commuter train from S.M. Novella to Siena (1h 30m).
The bus from Florence to Siena is direct and drops you off in the old town (1h 15m). The train is also direct but takes 15m longer and then you need to take a bus or a taxi to get to the old town (15m).

Thank you CJean. You making it clear! Yes, we would stay at the Palazzo Ravizza or Hotel Athena wich was recommended here by ChristineH and both have parking on permises.

When you are saying worrying about a drop off fee and the convenience of it, you've lost me...not what is your meaning here.

Where can I find Roberto's instructions on getting out SMN ? Then after my reading I could decide if it's from SMN or the airport which is just a 12 min tram away anyway.

The more I look into into, the more I feel that I want to take a TGV from Venice to Florence and then drive the scenic SR-222 with my wife! Maybe it is more romantic then the best move regarding efficiency, but it fees tome that it would be nice.

Thank you all again for you answers, they're really helping us plan!

Thank you Mary, I'll look into the train or bus between Florence and Siena as well.

Roberto's instructions are linked in the first reply in this thread: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/car-rental-advise-for-florence-at-train-station-not-airport

Thanks CJean, I'll look into them, consider your input and then choose the best way for us trying not to get caught in the weeds as your said! Like it! Made me more grounded after a few hours of research about our trip.

We took the bus to Siena and it was easy, clean, comfortable, and cheap. I was surprised how easy, but did this after getting advice here on the forums. I would rent the car in Siena and return it to Florence. A drop fee or one-way fee is an extra charge from the rental car company, when you rent in one city and drop off the car in a different city, to avoid having to drive roundtrip. We do this every year in different places in Italy, and it is not a big deal to me. You will not want the car in Florence or Venice. I think it's an unnecessary stress to drive yourself from Venice to Siena.

The idea to take the train Venice to Florence, then rent the car in Florence Santa Maria Novella station area, and drive to Siena/Tuscany (returning the car in Florence) is also a good option.

Enjoy your trip! All wonderful places.