Hi all,
I’ll be traveling to Florence and planning a day trip to Siena. It’ll be my first time using a bus in Italy, so I’m hoping for some advice:
What’s the best bus company to take from Florence to Siena?
Where and how is the best way to buy tickets? (Online? At a station? In advance?)
Any tips or things I should know about riding the bus in Italy, or about this route specifically?
I’d really appreciate any insight.
Thank you in advance!
Company: Autolinee Toscane (AT).
Bus: 131-R (rapido)
Bus station: on Via Santa Caterina da Siena, across from Santa Maria Novella train station.
You can purchase tickets on the spot, no need to buy online.
The 131-R is the rapid bus (no intermediate towns' stops). Travels on the Florence-Siena freeway.
Purchase round trip tickets and validate your ticket on the bus. Your stop in Siena is the last stop at Siena- Via Tozzi. This is also where you catch your return bus to Florence. You will find the bus schedule at at-bus, https://rd-sftp-data.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/autolineeToscane/IVU/OUTPUT/TIMETABLES_SUMMER/R/131R.pdf
The bus station in Florence is next door to the train station. It isn't hidden but most of the buses leave from inside the building If your not looking for it you could walk right past it. The 131R is the bus to take wait for it to get to the last stop in Siena.
Thank you everyone for your help!
One additional tip: If you are using a paper ticket you need to fold it in half lengthwise and insert the end where the bar code is located into the yellow ticket reader inside the bus to validate your ticket. This year we have noticed that most every bus now has a "Tip Tap" reader so that you can pay by credit card. Just tap your credit card when you enter the bus and you have paid! One credit card, one ticket.
Also, as of this year, the buses have "Tip Tap" machines that allow you to pay for you fare by tapping your credit card as you enter the bus to pay your fare.
On autolinee toscane buses there is a rule: if the bus is an urban one (say, city service in Florence) you tap each time you board a bus (if you are in the same timeframe of the preceding tap, only one ticket will be charged).
If the bus is an intercity service, you tap as you enter and as you get down. This because intercity services may have different rates for different distances, and if the service does not know where you got down, you will be charged the highest price.
