Time Needed to Tour Orvieto & Civita di Bagnoregio

DJ, As you'll have a car, it would be a good idea to tour Civita di Bagnoregio before going to Orvieto. Making that trip via public transit will take more time. You'll drive through Bagnoregio and then to base of the bridge that leads to Civita. I can't recall what the costs are for parking. As you'll be driving in Italy, note that each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce an I.D.P. if requested can result in fines on the spot! You can easily obtain an I.D.P. at any AAA office for a small fee (Passport photos required). You'll also need to be vigilant not to pass through any of the dreaded ZTL areas. Regarding the Orvieto part, you won't need to take a Bus to the Duomo. It's an easy walk from the top of the Funicular to the Duomo. Be sure to have a look at the incredible Signorelli frescoes in the small chapel inside the Duomo. The touring in Orvieto sounds quite "busy" for the time you have available. Happy travels!

It's only about 75 miles from Siena to Orvieto. If going to Civita, go south on Hwy SS2 to a very large lake, Lago de Bolsena. Bear left and drive around the lake where you'll turn left on SS71. It's a short distance to Bagnoreglo where you'll park. You'll walk the bridge up to the fabulous Civita. When you finish your visit, go East to A1 and north an exit to Orvieto. It's a good place to spend the night. A rental car is of use in Orvieto to get to restaurants, etc. You can also drive up to the edge of the city, but there's a ZTL inside the walls. Orvieto is a really neat hill top town, and a great stop. Hertz is across the street from the train station. (Note: AutoEurope.com beat Hertz' price for a Hertz car.)
Trains run Orvieto-Rome every 1/2 hour to 1 hour depending on time of day, and the ride is just over 1 hour.

"A rental car is of use in Orvieto to get to restaurants, etc." I'm not sure I agree with that. I managed to get around fine in Orvieto without a rental car, and had no trouble getting to restaurants. As noted there are ZTL areas in the main part of town, so it's not a good idea to drive there.

Thanks for the replies. I'm specifically asking how much time would be needed to visit each town. For example, would 2 hours be enough time to park, walk the footbridge to Civita, see some of the town & get back to the car? 3 hours in Orvieto, if we don't visit any museums? I realize each town probably deserves more time, but we just don't have it this trip. I'd like to get to Rome by 7pm. Thanks, again.

"....would 2 hours be enough time to park, walk the footbridge to Civita, see some of the town & get back to the car?" Yes, Civita is quite small. You will be able to see the whole town in that time.

DJ, If you're starting from the footbridge, two hours should be adequate to see Civita di Bagnoregio. You could probably have a quick lunch in that time as well. From the base of the bridge, the walk to the town is about 10-15 minutes (depending on how fast you walk). The bridge has a slight uphill slope and then a few stairs, so a bit of effort will be required (of course, it's downhill on the way back). Regarding touring in Orvieto, three hours should be adequate to see the Duomo and a bit of the town. However, I'm not sure it will be enough to see all of the sites listed in your first post. If you can only allocate three hours to Orvieto, see what you can and then take the train to Rome. I'm not familiar with the term "Well of Caves". Are you referring to St. Patrick's Well or the Orvieto Underground tour? Cheers!

Thanks! Here's a couple of links for the Well of the Cave (W. end of Orvieto near San Giovenale; RS mentions it in his 2013 Italy book): www.pozzodellacava.it/caves/dove/index.html www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g194843-d607071-Reviews-Pozzo_della_Cava-Orvieto_Province_of_Terni_Umbria.html

I agree that you son't. We'd a car in Orvieto. I think four or five hours in Orvieto, including time for lunch, woul suffice. When you exit the funivia there are two buses that go to the Duomo(you can see the ruins first), one bus circles the town and the other goes directly to the Duomo. San Giovenale was under restoration last summer but I managed to get a peek inside, I don't know if the work is finished yet. If you do go to the museum across the piazza from the Duomo, there are great views of the upper portion of the facade from the second floor of the museum.

Google the walking trails for Orvieto to get an idea of how long it would take to walk. It is very pretty and quite with great views of the land below. But there are miles of trails. In the time you have, you will be able to walk part of the trails, but not all of it.

Denise - I was planning on taking the short "Romantic Ramparts Stroll" in Rick Steves' Italy 2013 book that begins near San Giovenale, and the La Rupe walk from Piazza Marconi back towards the Fortress Ruins. From there, it looks like we can take the funicular back down to the train station, or ???