Siena and buses with young children

Buses between cities are usually run by private companies, so accommodations may vary. Strollers can be stored in baggage compartments under the bus. You may need reservations ahead of time (your hotel can probably help you with this). I have used buses between small towns often, but I don't recall standing being permitted.

Don't recall benches in any of the buses I road in Italy. Recall nice seats and yes you can stand. Buses were modern and well kept.

Thanks. We have used buses in Wales and Scotland with the stroller with good success, but the last trip to Italy was pre-kids and all on the train. We are slowing our pace of travel down significantly, so we should be able to roll with the punches. I will add the reservation question to the email to the woman I am renting the apartment from.

Assisi is our favorite hilltown although many on this site really like Orvietto. My point for Assisi is that the hills are steep. Pushing strollers up the hills can be difficult. However, the great news is that the Line C bus from the train station goes all the way to the top of the town. That way, you can walk down the hill. Note, however, that the streets are not paved. They are built with stones. But, looking at my pictures, the stones on most streets are easily smooth enough for strollers. Great shops. Best gelato we had in Italy. Another hilltown is San Gimignano. No bus inside the town but the hill on the main street is not that long nor is it very steep. Great shops on the main street. You indicate that you wish to travel by bus. On the Trenitalia trains in Italy, children 3 and under travel free. But, no train station in San Gimignano. Last, you don't inidcate where you will be traveling from. Bus systems in Italy are mostly private and are limited in their range. I do know of the Sena bus run from Rome to Assisi and I know of the Sita bus run from Florence to Siena and San Gimignano. But, we would need more info from you to determine other bus possibilities.

After some more reading and planning, it looks like we will be traveling on the bus from Florence to Siena on a Saturday. This will likely be the worst of the rides because well be coming off the international flight. From what I have read, bus is preferable to train for this stretch. While based in Siena we are likely taking two of the following three day trips. By train to Orvieto, by bus into Florence to go to the Accademia and see the Duomo/part of Renaissance Walk or by bus to San Gimignano. We want to stay in Siena on Wednesday to see the market, and will choose our two travel days based on weather and jet lag. The following Saturday we will return to Florence by bus, stay at some soulless hotel as convenient to the airport as possible and return to the States on Sunday morning. We had good luck with a rugged travel stroller in Edinburgh on the bumpy streets and hills when our older son was eighteen months, so I expect the same sort of effort required for navigating in Italy. Our younger son is a big eater, so hopefully he doesn't bulk up too much before the trip. Appreciate the feedback. Does anyone who has travelled to Orvieto have any feedback on doing parts of the underground tours with kids? Sounds like St Patricks Well is definitely out unless my husband I swap turns. Well of the Cave sounded a bit more doable. I also looked at the cliff walk in Orvieto, which sounds doable based on the guidebook, but swear I read that it isn't quite as lazy as it is made to sound. Need to search out where I read that.