Siena to Assisi

There is a bus that runs twice daily from the Siena train station (STAZIONE FS FERMATA SENA) to the Piazza Garibaldi in Santa Maria Degli Angeli. I haven't take this bus but the P. Garibaldi appears to be about 1/4 mile from the train station. I'm not sure what type of local bus or taxi is available from the bus stop but I'm sure that it's available. I do know that the local bus runs from the front of the train station up into Assisi. We've been on that one. Here's a big surprise. There is no train station in Assisi. The station sign definitely says Assisi (I have a picture) but the station is actually in Santa Maria Degli Angeli. From the train station, you take the local bus up into the Assisi hilltown. You will love both Siena and Assisi. Assisi is our favorite. The bus you want is the SENA-Balfour-Eurolines bus. www.eurolines.com. Enter Italy as the Country of Departure. Once there, enter Siena to Santa Maria Degli Angli. Next, up comes a new screen in Italian. Under Nazionale, open the window and select Umbria (Assisi is in Umbria). Then, under Localita, open the window and select S. Maria Degli Angeli. At that point, see if you can book a ticket. If not, you can buy them when you arrive in Siena.

Take the bus! The previous post is correct about there being no station in Assisi but getting there from Santa Maria degli Angeli isn't a problem. Buses run frequently and the taxi ride is short and not expensive. There is an office for the bus company near the central bus stop in Siena (in the historic center). You can buy tickets there and the people who work there were both helpful and friendly. When my husband and I took the bus from Siena to Assisi, ours departed from the train station so be sure to ask about that just to be sure.

We were in Italy in Nov/Dec of 2010. We looked into the Siena-Assisi bus as we were interested in saving some travel time. It seemed like it would have taken maybe 4-5 hours on a train (maybe more or less, don't remember, but it was a long time considering the moderately short distance between the 2). We went to the station to buy tickets, and were dismayed by the fact that the bus only ran once a day and it would have been for a super late departure, getting us to Assisi, super late. So we opted for the train. Left around 8 or 9 and got to assisi sometime in the afternoon.
Maybe in the winter, the bus travel is thinned out? Just make sure you read a current schedule that pertains to the time of year that you travel.

According to the bus schedule, there are two runs per day - both in the afternoon. The first run departs at 13:40. The run takes 1hr45min with no bus changes. The second bus departs at 17:40 and takes 2hr15min. There is one bus change along the way.

You're learning how difficult that connection is. Is there any way you can rearrange your itinerary so you have easier connections? Maybe put Florence between the two? (I hope you're not talking about a daytrip.)

Thanks for all the responses. I'll do some research on the bus. Or maybe renting a car. Michael, it is too late to change the itinerary. It is not a day trip though. We are staying in Assisi for two nights.

Julie, don't freak about the bus or the train. You're in Italy. You won't be going to too many places on the train or bus without changing - especially in areas not normally reached by the high-speeds. So it takes a couple of hours to get there. Try going from Florence to the CT on the train. You'll change trains 2-3 times. It's Italy. Two nights in Assisi is just great. Don't change it. You can even day trip to Perugia for some chocolate if you want. Bus or train. Just get there.

Assisi is a lovely little hill town with some good restaurants and plenty to look at historically. We went three times when we were living in Perugia. Two nights would be great there. Cheers!

Don't sweat the itinerary at this point. You are going to LOVE Assisi. Be sure to spend time just wandering around in the streets in the evening after the tourist hordes are gone. And for Pete's sake, don't daytrip out of Assisi to go someplace else! :-) Do the Rick Steves walking tour that starts at the top of the town and works its way down. One of our highlights in Assisi was taking one of the tiny buses that winds its way in and out of the city as it follows a flower petal sort of route. The driver took it at such speeds and made such sharp turns that it was like being on a roller coaster. We were all the way in the back, bracing ourselves with our arms and legs and laughing the whole time. During the ride, an old friend of the busdriver hopped on and proceeded to have a loud dialogue with the driver that included every swear word I know in Italian and then some. What made it even funnier was that he was sitting next to a nun the whole time. Bonus with that ride was that we got some beautiful views down into the valley below. Here are some photos I took in Assisi in May 2008, to give you a little idea of why we loved it so much. Happy travels.

Just another couple of hints. 1) Assisi has steep streets. For the best touring, you take the Line C bus to the top and walk down. 2) the nicer restaurants close from 4-7 in th afternoon. In Italy, you show up for dinner around 8:00pm. Assisi is our favorite hilltown. Eat lots of gelato.

Julie, Assisi is one of my favorite towns. Spent a week there last year and could have stayed longer. While there, I'd recommend going to Eremo della Carcieri, a spot up the mountain that was used by St Francis for retreat. It's quiet and beautiful. I usually take a cab there (maybe 5 km uphill) and then walk down. There are lovely buildings from around the 14th C, if I'm remembering dates correctly, as well as pleasant walks through the forest. It's still an active Franciscan friary and convent. San Damiano, downhill from town is also lovely. That's a short easy hike or a short cab ride.

Larry, I just want to thank you for your detailed info on the bus from Siena to Assisi. My husband and I took it on Oct. 24, 2012. We paid 12 Euro per person. At that time, there was just one bus running as follows: 17:30 Siena 18:55 Perugia (FS Fontivegge) change bus drivers 18:55 Perugia (FS Fontivegge)
19:15 Santa Maria Degli Angeli Our Siena B&B host arranged our reservations by phone, using my credit card. She also discovered that the place where the bus lets you off is about 1/4 mile from the Assisi train station where you can catch a local bus up to the town of Assisi. Therefore, she reserved Taxi # 4 to meet us at the bus drop off point and take us to our hotel in the town of Assisi. We usually don't take taxis but we were so glad we did because it was dark when we arrived. Two other bus passengers shared our taxi so each couple paid 10 Euro. Since we departed Assisi by train, it was an easy bus ride back down to the Assisi train station in S. Maria Degli Angeli-no need for a taxi.