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. But 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.

Thank you for your answer!

Ok so after reading Roberto's excellent "INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO EXIT BORGO OGNISSANTI AREA". I will definitely consider getting the car from SNM instead of the airport.

Here is another question. Would it be simple to drive out and then when reaching the end of Via Il Prato instead of turning left on the SS67, turn right into it to avoid returning into the city center to reach SR222 on the east of Florence downtown ? Then I'd merge into the SP 127 and directly after on the SR222 to reach Siena.

See these images for a general map of my plan on how to reach the SR222.
https://imgur.com/a/TiWdz8V
https://imgur.com/a/FMKeREW

Anybody did that before ? Thank!

Another way could be like this ? Anyone tried it ?

https://shorturl.at/lFS4C

I would rent in Florence and drive to Siena since you have a hotel with parking in Siena. Take the fast trains from Venezia SL and be done with it. Save yourself the hassle of transferring to the busses. Also if you come by train and don’t want to drive to Siena the time via bus or train may be the same since è you need to walk to the bus station. There are taxis at the stand in Siena in front of the train station.
Some agencies are on Borgo Ognissanti and they might bring you the car there. Then the last post you have has a good path to Siena. If you want to do the SR222 then set the navigator to Greve in Chianti. In that case you will exit the Florence Siena freeway near Falciani and take the road to Ferrone and the Passo dei Pecorai to Greve where you join the SR222.
The previous posts you had that take you to the start of the SR222 from the start near Firenze Sud is too much hassle. They are working on the tramway on viale Lavagnini now and there is lot of traffic through Piazza della Libertà.
Be aware that the Garage Europa is no longer used by the rental companies, and many will ask you to return at the SMN underground car park. Sixt is located at the station so they are not in Borgo Ognissanti at all. Same for Hertz, which moved on Via Alamanni. I don’t know if Hertz uses the underground garage under the station or the parking lot under their office.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/car-rental-return-at-firenze-santa-maria-novella-station

Do your reservations (maybe using AutoEurope, then when you know the company you will be using come back and I’ll tell you which way to go.

we always drop at different sites and have never paid a drop fee. things change and that may be getting harder. but dont assume. see what the options are

Thank you Jane and Roberto. I will confirm my bookings and then come back to you for more infos on how to get out of SNM since everything changes quickly. I'm rally glad for your answers!

Hello everyone,

I've not made the reservation yet for the car rental because we are still waiting on the trains schedule to be release so we can book the train from Venezia to Firenze and then reserve an appointment with the rental company for a car. Regarding that, how much time between the train arrival at SMN should we plan to get to the rental company generally speeking ?

Also, we aren't yet decided as if we'll rent from SMN or if we should go at the airport. Honestly, it seems a hassle that I would avoid unless everyone here would be adamant regarding the driving in and out SMN.

I will keep you posted (especially Roberto) when we'll have your TGV tickets from Venezia and Firenze and the rental company so we can get help on how to get in and out of there.

Thank you all! :)

Regarding that, how much time between the train arrival at SMN should
we plan to get to the rental company generally speeking ?

30 min should be more than enough. You might want more if you need to grab lunch before driving off.

You can check the train schedules now- just use same day of week to see your options- the schedule doesn't change much and there should be a couple trains each hour from Venice to Florence.

Be sure to check open/close hours of agencies- not sure if the ones near train staton close mid day.

(Just a note- TGV trains are in France not Italy)

Both train companies run fast trains, book on the official site

Trenitalia- also runs regional trains
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

ItaloTreno- private company- fast trains only
https://www.italotreno.com/en

Both have easy to use apps

Hello everyone!

As promised, I'm back with my exact car rental location. So if you would be kind enough to help me prepare to navigate the streets of Firenze without too much hassle I would appreciate it a lot! :)

We reserved trough Autoeurope and Europcar had the best rates for what we needed (small car, manual, nothing fancy).

Here are the details provided with my reservation voucher.

PICK UP
EUROPCAR - FLORENCE SANTA MARIA NOVELLA
153/R VIA BORGO OGNISSANTI
FLORENCE, IT

DROP OFF
EUROPCAR - FLORENCE SANTA MARIA NOVELLA
P. DELLA STAZIONE 58R
PARK GARAGE
SECTOR B FLOOR -4
FLORENCE, IT

I'm thinking of following Roberto's instructions for pick-up since the Borgo Ognissanti situation is clearly explained. The drop-off situation seems a bit more complicated when I'm looking at the map.

Than you all!