Florence to Siena by bus

Yes it is easy to bus it to Siena from Florence. However I would rent a car in Siena at say Avis that has a rental location outside Siena walls. In order to see Tuscany or Umbria you need to get around. From Siena you can bus to many locations but with four people and not staying in Siena.Hmmm. It is very easy to drive in the countryside. You can go slow and take your time and see so much more. Reconsider it. I have done it and think it is very easy espec since you will have parking avail to you at your villa. Just stay away from driving in Florence or other big cities.

Totally agree with JS. As long as you stay away from central Florence, you can manage the driving in Tuscany and it will be much easier for you to get around from your villa. And, just for your consideration: You can rent a car from the Florence airport and get onto a main divided road that will take you to the controlled access highway (autostrada) to get close to your destination. You go north out of the airport, but it's just a few kilometres to the highway. Once you are on the highway, it's like driving in the US. And, once you exit the autostrada, it will not be too difficult to drive. The main problem with driving in Florence is in the city itself. You can avoid it all together using the autostrada entrance north of the airport. This is how I drove from the airport to Montepulciano.

Jean, If you decide to rent a car, EACH driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, and you'll need to be extremely careful to avoid Zona Traffico Limitato areas in each town you access (large fines!). If you need more information on the above points, post another note. Are you planning to travel from Florence airport to Sinalunga directly after a long international flight, or stay in Siena for a few days first? Happy travels!

Let me offer a different opinion about driving. I'm not particularly timid about driving... I drive California's coast Hwy 1 at least once a month and am perfectly comfortable dealing with the cliffs, rock slides, hairpin turns, passing on narrow stretches, etc. However, I found driving in Italy to be very challenging and wouldn't do it again---mostly the speed and aggressiveness on strange roads. Your experinence would depend on why no one is currently willing to drive, but you might want to respect that---or at least have a Plan B, in case you decide agianst driving in midtrip. I've enjoyed Tuscany and Umbria by train, and have learned to really enjoy the train as part of the experience. There are certainly areas I'd love to see but haven't visited because a car would be necessary, but I've always enjoyed the places I visited.

I agree with Sherry - I can't think of anything worse than someone driving in Italy who really doesn't want to. There isn't much you can't get to by public transportation, but it takes some planning and you lose the "look at that - let's stop here!" moments, but if your group will be happier without a car, that's worth a lot.

There is the Volainbus that goes from the Florence airport to the SITA bus terminal. At the terminal, you can buy your ticket for the next SITA bus to Siena. The Corse Rapide is the express. The other SITA bus makes some stops along the way. This is a really nice way to get to Siena.

I'm not clear if you're not driving for the whole trip, or just upon arrival. If it's for the whole trip, you should rethink your plan to stay in a villa far from transit. I, personally, have never been the driver in Italy; I've only been the passenger/navigator, twice. I'll never do it again, as I found even being the passenger very stressful, although we were able to get to interesting places that would have been difficult or impossible without a car. So, I certainly understand not wanting to drive. But, you then have to plan a different kind of trip, making sure you have access to buses and trains, and going to places accessible without a car, and checking schedules carefully. Many places that have bus service have astoundingly inconvenient schedules for day tripping.

Thanks everyone. I think we can do it without a car. There are 4 of us. We all have been to Italy before and desire a quiet vacation. Our goal is to see a town a day by taking public transportation. We do not need to see it all, been there, done that. Our apartment/villa is in Sinalunga, 1/2 mile from the train station. We are hoping to walk with luggage to the villa. If there is a taxi, that would be nice. I think I understand the route/bus to take to get to Siena. From there, we want to take the bus to Sinalunga. I think that bus leaves from the train station in Siena. Does anyone know for sure? Once we arrive in Sinalunga, we can hopefully walk to the villa if it really is only a1/2 mile. We need a map of the town. Would GPS help? I have a small portable unit. We have approximately 6 hours from the airport to check in at the villa. Once at the villa, we will be fine. Since our goals are just to see what we can on foot/taxi/bus/train. Staying in Sinalunga is ok for a couple days. Sunday is not a good day to travel I guess. I am very concerned about going back to Florence on Saturday. We need to check into the Hilton by the airport. Are taxi's readily available from the train station on Saturday? How do we find a taxi? I can call but need Internet availability as I use Skype on my I pad. Then, will we be able to find a taxi to take 4 of us with luggage to the airport at 5:00am? Will the hotel help us? We are traveling with 2 suitcases that each will weigh 40 pounds and two small carry on, all with wheels.
So many question, sorry, hopefully kind travelers will take time to help. Gratefully, Jean

Jean, if you need local maps, I've found the website Mappy to be very helpful. You plug in an address, and it produces a local map. I print a copy of the Mappy map on the back of each lodging confirmation. It's really helped me find hotels. I've arranged for early morning taxis in Florence, but more like 6 AM. However, I'll be interested in what you learn, since I have a 6:50 flight from Florence next month. With large early morning flights, I'd guess taxis shouldn't be a problem. Also, I seem to recall getting to the Florence airport 2 hours ahead of one early flight and found the airport wasn't even open.