Due to some travel changes, we have to land in Bologna. We are planning to then train to Sienna for 4-5 days, making that a base, before we meet our tour in Venice. Thinking of renting a car for a at least 2 days to visit the neighboring hill towns, Montepulciano, etc.
Any advice for renting a car in Siena? Should we return it to Florence? Ot even just rent a car from Florence.
Thank you in advance. Suggestions much appreciated.
TJ
Posted by
New York, NY
1582 posts
I would recommend to stay in the Chianti region which lies between Florence and Siena and thus makes it great as a base to visit the most popular destinations in Tuscany, including Florence, Siena, Lucca, Chianti, Pisa, San Gimignano and Volterra. Greve is a good base town in Chianti. Rent the car in Siena.
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
Since you'll need to change in Florence both ways, consider taking the bus between Florence and Siena. It's faster and arrives closer to the center of town. The Florence bus station is just a few minutes walk from the SMN train station (across the street and around the corner). If you plan to pre-purchase your train tickets to Venice, then it might make sense to take the train from Siena to ensure your connections to the high-speed train to Venice (only works with Trenitalia, not Italo). Since you only plan to use a rental car for part of your stay in Siena, it makes sense to rent it in Siena. If you know which days you'll need the car, consider reserving through Auto Europe before leaving for your trip. I've always found their rates to be very good.