Day trip from Florence to Siena

Viator is a third party re-seller. They don't actually do any tours. It puts an additional layer between you and the company conducting the tour. This can create problems for you. Best to go direct with a tour company. You could take the bus from the Florence SMN Novella train station, its just over an hour to get there.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187895-i68-k6930336-Viator_bad_review-Florence_Tuscany.html

It would be so so VERY easy for you to do this on your own without having to waste money on a tour. Siena from Florence is a quick and easy ride by either bus or train and you can walk from either into the town center in less than 15 minutes. Siena is not a large place and all the main sights are not far from each other. Get Rick's book (Italy or Tuscany) and take his easy to follow self-guided walking tour. The main places to concentrate your time are the fabulous Duomo complex (cathedral, museum, crypt, baptistery) and the Campo with its historic buildings and just to hang out. There are a couple other interesting museums only if you have time.

joanne,

I'm not sure the tours that include several stops would be a good idea, as it wouldn't allow you much time in any of them. A day trip just to Siena is very easy from Florence, as mentioned in the previous reply.

The easiest and quickest option is to travel by Bus as that will drop you in the main part of Siena in Piazza Antonio Gramsci, rather than at the bottom of the hill where the train station is located. If you use one of the Corse Rapide (express) buses, the travel time is about 1H:15M. The Bus station in Florence is about a block from Firenze SMN rail station, so very easy to access. If you use the Bus, you might also buy your return ticket at the same time and be sure to check on the return times for the trip back to Florence. Finally, be sure to validate your ticket prior to boarding the Bus.

You can also travel by train if you prefer, and just take a Taxi up the hill from the station.

Ken is absolutely right about the multiple stops as every place would be significantly short-handed. You'd step off the bus, walk a few feet and get back on the bus. Of the 3 towns you mentioned, Siena is definitely the star so IMO you should spend your day there. Perhaps not for everyone, but I am an art and architecture nut, so whenever I've visited Siena I have spent 4 hours just in the Duomo complex alone. For some people, finding the Florence bus station is a bit tricky although once you find it it becomes obvious. Let me know if you need some tips.

Tours by Roberto also have tours leaving from Florence. I'm in the middle of booking one myself for June. They will email you availability.

OR . . . if you want to see Siena, San Gimignano, and Pisa . . . we booked with WalkAbout Florence, their BEST OF TUSCANY TOUR. It was a great value and included a wonderful lunch. See their website. Siena is also VERY easy to do on your own by taking a bus near the train station as described above.

Viator does book for WalkAbout Florence, but Viator is a 3rd party . . . no need to use them. Go directly to WalkAbout Florence webpage and book with them. We also did their CHIANTI WINE AND FOOD SAFARI TOUR . . . they were both fantastic.

You can read reviews and see photos about WalkAbout Florence on TripAdvisor. The tours were great . . . they hit the highlights and taught us history of each area.

Another option is car rental. This allows you to create your own tour and timing without relying on catching the last bus/train back to Firenza. The roads there are excellent and everything is so close.

We visited Sienna about 25 years ago and were driving our car. We spent two nights in Siena. Great little city. You can do the city on your own in one day. We also stopped to see San Gimignano, that was worth a couple of hours.

Thank you to everyone who commented. It looks as though I can best do this by train and not worry about a tour.
Thank you

Bus is preferred because the bus station in Siena is more in town than is the train station.
Bus vs train is not that much difference in terms of travel time, but once you get to the train station, you'll have to board some other mode of transport to get into the city, so your travel time for train could actually be longer.
We took the train in 2015 and saw the error of our way. I'll be in Florence this summer and might take a day trip to Siena. If I do, I'll be on a bus.