My husband and I want to travel to Sienna for the day, departing from Florence. We plan to go on a weekday during the third week in April. We have been told, we should take the bus since the bus station is in town. My questions:
1) Which bus line/route and when should we get the tickets? How many days in advance should we purchase? Or get the tickets just get when we are ready to go? We are staying at a hotel close to Florence's rail station.
2) What do you suggest for an itinerary--the must see's? Should we get any tickets for Sienna historical sites ahead of time?? We plan to explore Sienna on our own (no local city tour guide). We will need time to sit and relax occasionally and might draw/paint (we will bring our travel size art-kits/journals and just need places to sit undisturbed). Don't know the rules about doing sketching in the galleries or churches in Italy. Some are too crowded to consider this anyway. So, we hope to find a seat outside if weather is good.
3) When should we plan to arrive and depart? We want to eat lunch there, maybe an afternoon dessert/coffee before heading back to our Florence hotel.
4) Would it make sense to rent bikes for the day?
Many Thanks!!