We will be picking up a car rental from AutoEurope @ 36 Via Simone Martini, Siena.
As we will not be using it until the day after, I was wondering where the best place to park overnight?
We will be staying very close to the Center Plaza in Siena.
Do you know if it's safe, convenient and free to park overnight?
We stayed in a hotel a block off Il Campo and the hotel advised us to park in the free lot behind the Medici Fortezza. Our car was fine there for three days. It's a popular lot, but we found a few free parking spaces in the late afternoon. Earlier in the day it may be full. It's probably as safe a lot as you'll find, unless you pay for a garage somewhere. Just make sure you don't leave anything visible in the car when you leave it.
From the parking lot, it was a 20-minute hike back to the hotel on a hot day, so when it came time to check out of the hotel and take our luggage to the car, we called a taxi. Technically, you can drive to your hotel to pick up your bags upon departure, but the streets were so narrow and crowded with pedestrians when we arrived, I decided not to drive down there again. Taxi to the car is MUCH easier and less stressful.
If I had it to do over again, I would have parked the car in the lot first, and taken a taxi to the hotel. Driving into Old Town Siena should be avoided.
Go to this website for a map of parking areas in Siena:
http://www.turismoverde.com/italia/info/mappe/mappark.jpg
Some parking areas charge (€1-2/hr), others are free. You'll need to choose a lot that compliments the next morning's logistics (car + people + luggage). The lot at the Fortezza was relatively safe, and the soccer stadium lot is mentioned fairly often, but these would require some walking to/from hotel. I believe that many/most parking lots are free between 10p-8a. A side note: if you opt for street-side parking, look for signs that state which days and times you can't park. They are in Italian, so if any questions, ask at your hotel. Also, you could send an e-mail message to the hotel, asking for their recommendation - they probably deal with parking questions every day. And, unless you are departing Siena extremely early, maybe another option is to pickup the next morning, without the need for parking?
