Orvieto to Cortona and other hill towns

You need the railway station of »Camucia Cortona«, where you'll find a bus to bring you to Cortona proper.

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The trip from Orvieto to Cortona is very easy. There are two stations you can use to access Cortona, Camucia-Cortona and Terntola-Cortona. Of the two, Camucia is a bit closer and there are frequent trains on that route with a travel time of about an hour each way, some direct and some with one change. I'd suggest the direct trains, which are currently at €7.50 PP each way (DON'T forget to validate your ticket prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or the cost will rise sharply when you have to pay a hefty fine!).

When you arrive at Camucia, you can use either a Bus or Taxi to get up to the town. I can't remember where to buy Bus tickets but a nearby Tabachi is the first place to look. It's about a 15 minute trip on the Bus as I recall. You'll be dropped at the Bus station in Piazza Garibaldi (which is nothing more than a sign), and it's a short walk from there to Piazza della Repubblica (where the Andre Rieu concert was filmed).

For the trip back to the station, there's a Tabachi just downhill from Piazza Garibaldi. Buy a Bus ticket there and you're all set.

I'd have to give some thought to your second question, so don't have any suggestions at this time.

Todi is beautiful, you can get there by bus, but not on a Sunday.

At the Camucia train station make sure you take the correct bus. Both the bus into Cortona AND the school bus stop there. Locals use both at times. Found this out when I took the school bus by mistake that doesn't go all the way up the hill to Cortona. Made for a steep walk, but not undoable.

Thanks very much for the helpful replies. It looks like Cortona will be on our agenda. Appreciate the advice!