SIENA Taxi to Cathedral

Some segments of streets and piazzas are totally for pedestrians and no vehicles can enter (like parts of Banchi di Sopra, which is the street you would take to walk from via Tozzi, actually not a real bus station, just a bus stop, and Piazza del Campo or the Duomo). However it is possible for a taxi (or for those who have a resident permit) to drive to both the Duomo and Piazza del Campo. They might have to go around a bit, rather than through the most direct way, also because of one way streets, but they can. The distance between the Piazza del Campo and the Duomo is really short (like 3 min walk), so I don't know if you will be able to do that (in part uphill, if you come from Pzza del Campo or downhill if you come from the duomo).

ROBERTO—Thank you! I can tell from reading where you have assisted others here at RS you really know your stuff, so I appreciate your help greatly. My question really is—putting it as delicate as I can—will Siena taxi drivers mind taking us such a short distance. In several cities in America cab drivers really get pissed having to deal with short fares. (I do not blame them.) Like in Las Vegas, a cabbie might wait in line at a hotel for half an hour before getting a fare and then when they finally get one, the people only want to go a couple of blocks. So the poor driver after waiting so long makes nothing and is at the back of the line again. How is it in Siena? Will the drivers be okay taking us to the Cathedral? Can I assume there are taxis waiting at the Piazza where the buses from Florence drop off their passengers? Thanks again.

Louiseandreily,

I agree...Roberto always gives very practical advise and he's very knowledgeable about his country (Italy!)

He was very helpful a few months ago when I was planning our trip.

My experience with taxi drivers in Italy has been positive and I have not had any problems in the past (even traveling a short distance).

I recently traveled with my elderly mother (late 80's) who doesn't have problems with walking but we took
taxis to/from hotel(s) to train station(s) even if it was a short walk mainly due to convenience (returning at night from a long
day-trip or not wanting to lug our luggage).

So, I don't think you will have any issues.

Have a wonderful trip!

Italian taxi drivers are on average much nicer than some of the (espletive) I encountered here in California and they will understand if someone has mobility issues.
Maybe it's because taxi drivers in Italy do not work for companies (the law prohibits giving taxi licenses to companies, only to individuals) but rather they are self employed licensed taxi owners, even though they are associated members in taxi cooperatives to share certain services (like radio dispatchers). Since you have to be a citizen of the EU to have a license and the license costs on average many hundreds of thousands of $$, all taxi drivers are Italians, and mostly locals because you have to know the city streets like your pockets in order to pass the test and be licensed.
If you want to be absolutely loved by a Senese, tell them that you have a horse at home. Maybe take a picture of a horse and show it to him. He'll go into ecstasy and maybe give you a free ride. We have several jokes in Tuscany about the Senesi divorcing their wives to marry a horse.

Hello Louise and Reily, You don't indicate the type or severity of your mobility issues, and I have visited Siena but never used a taxi there, just in and out of town by bus, plus a lot of walking. I can say, though, that it is a wonderful but quite a hilly town, and while the Duomo complex is magnificent, there are some stairs to enter the Duomo itself and other buildings, and can be lots of stairs to visit certain parts inside the buildings. I did a little googling and located this site you might look at: www.taxisiena.it/english. I don't know this company, but the site offers a lot of information about fares, how to call a taxi, etc. There is a "start fare" that likely helps the driver be happy about short rides.I have not seen anything about a taxi stop by the bus boarding area (not really a station). There appears to be a taxi stop by the main post office, not sure how far that is. There may or may not be a taxi waiting there, and you might need to call a taxi to come to any other location, and then pay something extra. If you want to explore Siena and have really difficult mobility issues, you might consider arranging for a taxi or car for half or all a day, to take you from place to place, or even a car tour from Florence for the day. You don't want to spend a lot of time and energy worrying about how to get a taxi got meet your needs. Please be sure to visit and remember Siena with joyful experiences, not with memories of struggles getting around!

I want to thank everyone for the information--especially you, ROBERTO. Much appreciated. (Roberto, you must be from Firenze.)

The web site I mentioned does not seem to click through. Just try www.taxisiena.it and then click on the British flag to get to the English page.

I don't think you will have a problem with taxis. I believe there is a ramp for entrance to the Duomo, but that may not help much.

Taxis can get into most of the main piazza of the city where other vehicles cannot go, but they may have to take longer routes because of street restrictions.