We are traveling to Italy in October. Part of our trip we plan to be in Cinque terre and then travel down to Siena . What would be the best option for the travel? Should we take the train back to Florence and Rent-A-Car there and drive south to Siena? Should we rent a car in La Spezia and drive down the West Coast through Pisa and then to Siena. We have been advised to drive the "Chianit trail". What is that specifically? We would like to be able to visit small towns along the way. Thanks for the advise.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
If you are staying in Siena you don't really need a car until you get there. You don't need a car at all unless you'll be exploring the country side.
Donna
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11362 posts
The trip from on of the 5 towns to Siena is not fun on the train. You have to travel on 4 trains:
Cinque Terre town to La Spezia
La Spezia to Pisa
Pisa to Empoli
Empoli to Siena
Were I to do it again I would rent a car in La Spezia and enjoy a day drive stopping at places of interest. As you do not really need a car in Siena, you can return it there, or if you are staying somewhere outside the walls with parking, keep it for use in driving the Chianti Road.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15260 posts
Follow Laurel's advice. Rent a car in La Spezia. If you are in Siena for a few days and intend to take day trips to the towns nearby and countryside, keep the car. Just find a hotel in Siena which has parking arrangements and that is outside the city center where traffic is restricted.
The Chianti trail is not a trail. It's called Via Chiantigiana, and it's a curvy highway through the Chianti Hills between Florence and Siena. It's almost a 2 hour drive beginning to end (excluding wine tasting pit stops).