Car rental ?'s for Tuscany

Should we rent a car in Florence or wait until we get to Siena? I would prefer to rent a car in Florence--a larger city with easier availability of rental cars. The drive down to Siena is easy--controlled access highway.

Also, if we stay within Siena vs an Agriturisma outside the city, will having a car be an issue? We found Siena to be very congested, and finding parking during business hours is difficult. We prefer B&B's or Agriturismos outside the larger hilltowns when in Tuscany.
Do we have to park the car outside the city if we stay in town? I think there are some parking lots on the north end of the city, and you can take a bus into the center city.

Thank you for your advice. Anyone else want to chime in?

When we were in Siena we stayed at the Hotel Santa Caterina, just outside the walls near Porto Romana. It was lovely, within walking distance to all the sights, and had parking. We did a walking tour of Siena on our first day, and on our second day we took a city bus to the rental car office. From there we were able to drive to San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, etc. for an afternoon. On our third day we did a driving tour of villages in Chianti, and on our fourth day we headed out to our agriturismo and more exploring for three more days. We LOVED both Siena and the Tuscan countryside, and it would be tough to choose one over the other. Have fun!

Are you going to your Siena area accommodations directly from Venice or are you stopping in Florence a few days first?

If you go there straight from Venice, without visiting Florence at all, I would rent the car in Venice (Piazzale Roma) and drive from there (about 3.5-4 hours, nearly all freeway).

If you plan to visit Florence for a couple of nights first, then you should rent the car in Florence, after your Florence stay.

If you plan to stay inside Siena with a car, you can, but it's a good idea to select accommodations outside the old city center ZTL (limited traffic zone), preferably at a hotel that has parking on premises or arrangements with a local parking garage. There are hotels in Siena that are outside the ZTL, are easily accessible, and even have parking on premises, and yet are walking distance from the old historical center.

If you stay far from the city center, or in an agriturismo or villa outside the city, obviously you have nothing to worry about.

Thx all! We will not be stopping in Florence. Actually we will be leaving from Belluno which is about 1 hr north of Venice where we will be staying with family for 4 nights. I have not checked with them yet but we MAY be able to get train there instead of them taking us to Venice. (We will do a day trip with them to Venice prior to leaving). Suggestions as to time/money savings doing train vs car rental? We are not too enthused about driving in Italy EXCEPT for Tuscany which everyone says is easy.

As Americans I expect that you have already got the mandatory IDP - International Driver Permit - for each driver?

Search on here for ZTL.

We have stayed at two hotels in Siena with parking Palazzo Ravizza and Athene. The later has very limited parking so you need to arrange it ahead. both are an easy stroll to the Campo. I prefer to be in Siena in the evening and not stuck in the countryside in an agriturismo; you can stroll to great restaurants and Siena is stunning at night for walking. You make arrangements with the hotel about your car access to the hotel so you don't get ZTL ticketed.

We like to rent cars at airports because they usually have lots of cars; we once rented at a small place on the edge of Rome and the guy delivering the car from the lot ran into a pole. We had to take the heavily damaged car or not have a car.

As Nigel mentioned, it would be a good idea to research the topic of ZTL's (limited traffic) zones which exist in many towns and cities in Italy. Do NOT drive in Florence as the city is just about saturated with automated ZTL cameras, and EACH pass through one will result in an expensive ticket (which you won't be aware of until several months after you return home). You may find this helpful - http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/driving/traffic_cameras_speeding.htm

You'll also have to be careful to avoid the automated speed cameras, including the devious Traffic Tutor which measures not only instantaneous speed but also average between two points. Violate either or both parameter, and expensive tickets will follow. There are also fines for driving in Bus lanes.

There have been a couple of threads here on the forum recently from travellers who were tickets in Italy, and these were expensive "lessons". Here's one of them - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/nightmare-italy-traffic-infractions-with-rental-car

A GPS or at least a good map would also be prudent.