Florence Day Trip to Siena and San Gimignano

U can bus it easily from Florence to Siena. Read up in Ricks guidebks then decide.
They both are a great visit but should not be rushed.

Are you opposed to renting a car? We rented one for just one day, in Florence, drove to Certaldo, then San Gimignano, and finally Siena, before driving back to Florence to return the car. It was a super easy drive through the back roads of Tuscany, and then took the major highway back. I felt that we had plenty of time to see everything and did not feel rushed.

Planning to do both in one day, the bus is your friend. You'll only have about 4 hours in each town. Do San Gimignano first.

Bus# 131 Florence(8:17)- Poggibonsi, 10m/ch
Bus# 130-San Gimignano (9:35). 1Hr54m.

Bus#130 San Gimignano (2:40)-Siena (3:55)
1Hr15m.

Bus#131R Siena (8:15)-Florence (9:30) 1 H15m.

Faye.Harlin: "Are you opposed to renting a car? We rented one for just one day, in Florence, drove to Certaldo, then San Gimignano, and finally Siena, before driving back to Florence to return the car. It was a super easy drive through the back roads of Tuscany, and then took the major highway back. I felt that we had plenty of time to see everything and did not feel rushed?"

That does sound great, but we were actually originally set to stay in a castle that was 14 miles out of Arezzo, and rent a car for 2 full days. I even got my foreign drivers permit. Due to my anxiety overcoming any excitement about the drive (I haven't driven a manual over 20 years), coupled with driving the car out from a foreign town up to the castle in the boonies signing, signage tolls, etc., made me decide to cancel that. So we are now staying in Florence with a day there and our other day at the 2 Hill Towns. Did you go through any tolls or confused with multiple signage and ZTL zines?

Gerri:

"Planning to do both in one day, the bus is your friend. You'll only have about 4 hours in each town. Do San Gimignano first.
Bus# 131 Florence(8:17)- Poggibonsi, 10m/ch
Bus# 130-San Gimignano (9:35). 1Hr54m.
Bus#130 San Gimignano (2:40)-Siena (3:55)
1Hr15m.
Bus#131R Siena (8:15)-Florence (9:30) 1 H15m. emphasized text

I'm just curious, but I did read about taking the the train to Siena then taking a bus from Poggibonsi into San Gimi, which drops you off much closer than anywhere else. I could be wrong, but wouldn't train be faster than the busses? And if we do decide to use the bus system, how do you go about getting tickets for all the different trains? Do we buy them ahead of time at Florence and get a ticket for each leg on your itinerary, or just pay the drive the fare each time we board another?

Thank you all for the very helpful information. I had a couple other questions which were directed to those 2 posters with more information.
Thanks gain!

If you use the train, Florence-Siena, it drops you at the bottom of town, maybe a 10-15 minute walk up hill, while the bus drops you very close to the center

The earlier you can get to San Gimignano the less crowded it will be, which is why I suggested visiting it first.

Bus tickets can be purchased at the bus station.
Tickets will be purchased for the journey,

Florence-San Gimignano you stop in Poggibonsi only to change busses.

Your lodging should be able to direct you to the bus station.

Edited to add. This might be a good solution.

https://www.getyourguide.com/florence-l32/san-gimignano-siena-and-chianti-full-day-tour-t7679/

What time of year?

I'd do San Gimignano first, then Siena, staying late enough for dinner and an evening stroll. Half a day doesn't do justice to either. I'd also consider flipping a coin and doing one and not the other.

It's too bad you bailed on getting a car and staying in a castle. That would have been a wonderful experience. You could have paid a little more and gotten an automatic. New standard transmissions can be easier to drive than older cars. Our little Peugeot hatchback diesel would automatically apply the brakes on inclines and release when the clutch was engaged. There are plenty of sites regarding signage and it takes about 5 minutes in country to get used to it. ZTLs are well marked and easily avoided.

Agree, go to San Gimignano first and then take the bus from Poggibonsi to Siena. The last bus back to Florence from Siena is fairly late, so you can spend more time there if desired. Buy your bus tickets back to Florence upon arrival in Siena as tickets are for a specific departure time and buses can sell out. Or the last train back is at 9:40pm. The trains are virtually all regional, so you could buy tickets for that day once in Italy and use them for any regional train that day. Just be sure to validate them before boarding the train. If you pre-purchase regional train tickets, you're locked into a 4 hour window so I advise against purchasing those tickets before arriving in Italy.

Hey DougMac. Thanks for the info. I would have loved staying at the castle near Arezzo, and the car rentals there had a major difference between the transmission types and sizes (most searches didn't show any automatic cars). But that wasn't the main concern. The reasons for not driving have a lot to do with the dynamic between me and my husband when either of us are behind the wheel. I am anxious when he drives here in San Diego, California. And he thinks I am too cautious. We both agreed that driving around there and figuring things out would likely get us in arguments and ruin the day at San Gimi and Siena. It's been that way for almost 30 years, so we know. I'm sure we will be back!

Thank you all for your help! We will likely take the buses out there, and perhaps the train back. Either way, thank you gerri and Frank for your insight. I think I have what I need now.