We will be arriving in Florence for the first time in a couple of weeks. We are staying for 6 days in Florence. Myself, wife, and our 12 yr old daughter. We want to go to Siena and possibly a few wineries and maybe San Gimignano. We are staying near the Ponte Vecchio. Would you suggest joining a tour, taking the train, or possibly renting a car? We are open to other areas to see as well, but know that we at least want to see Siena. Thanks for any tips.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16597 posts
Siena by bus is the best option, although the train works too, however the train station in Siena is down the hill (the bus drops you in the center of town) and the train takes about 15 min longer.
San Gimignano is reachable by bus also. I'm not sure if you can fit both Siena and San Gimignano on the same day. You can but Siena might take most of the day. If you decide to do both, you need to start early.
The wineries in the Chianti hills are more challenging to do using buses, as they are out in the country. The SR222 is a beautiful drive, but if you plan to drink, it's better to join a small tour. There are curves and if inebriated you might end up driving the car in a ditch.
Posted by
8840 posts
We just returned from a Road Scholar Tour of Tuscany and Umbria, which involved a 5 day stay in Siena, using it as a base to visit smaller towns and villages in Tuscany. You need more than one full day to do Siena, so don't try to do San Gimignano on the same day. In fact, you will spend several hours in SG.
Siena is wonderful. Parking with a car is difficult, there is probably a parking area outside the city. The Train, we took it, has a station on the outskirts of the city, but there are taxis there to take you into the city, or you can walk (it is over a mile to the inner city).
Posted by
OP
11 posts
Thanks. Looks like we will do just one full day in Siena, if there are cabs available we will most likely take the train from Florence, sounds like it would be a little quicker.