Train from Siena to Rome

I personally think the bus is better. More schedules to choose from, non-stop, and they are pretty comfy. The price is about the same. I believe SENA is the bus line. No need to buy tickets until you arrive in Siena.

For the most part, Trenitalia wants to route you back to Florence where you would transfer to a high-speed to Rome. You would take a Regionale train from Siena to Florence and then the high-speed to Rome. The ordinary fare for this journey is 50.70Euro. Journey time is about 3hrs30min. You can buy these tickets for these runs now on www.trenitalia.com. I suggest that you register first on the website instead of conducting the transaction without registering. Alternatively, Trenitalia won't show you too many Regionale runs but you can take the Regionale train to Chiusi-Chianciano-Terme and change trains to either another Regionale or a slightly faster Intercity train. Journey time is 20 minutes less and the fare is 24.10 Euro for the change to an Intercity train. Again, you can buy these tickets online now for late September. Still working on the alternative, you can take the Regionale train to Chiusi-Chainciano-Terme and transfer to another Regionale train to Rome. Travel time is about the same as going through Florence but the fare would be 16.70Euro. You would not be able to buy these tickets in advance online. Trenitalia does not sell tickets online for the Regionale train more than 7 days out from the time of travel unless it's combined with another higher-speed train. Don't freak on the train tickests. The Trenitalia Regionale train system is not like the airlines and its not like Amtrak. It's more like the MTA. You buy your ticket, validate it at the little yellow box in the train station, get on and find your own seat. If no seats, you can stand. Except for the validation, it's like the MTA. No seat reservations permitted. However, if you want the higher-speed trains, you must have a seat reservations. These come with the purchase of the ticket.

Continuing, if you are willing to go for economy ticket fares on the Trenitalia website, you can do that now. These economy tickets have restrictions and links you to specific dates and times for departures. If you don't want to do this, you can easily buy the tickets when you get to Italy. Like the MTA, they cannot refuse your boarding onto the Regionale trains. They are usually not full so don't worry there. Finally, there is the www.sena.it bus from Siena to the large bus station across from the Rome-Tiburtina train station. Travel time is about 3.5hours. Reportedly, no toilet onboard the bus but they do stop for a break along the way. It's a nice way to get to Rome from Siena.

Thank you both! This is hugely helpful. I'm getting the sense from more and more people I speak with, that buying tickets far in advance won't be necessary for our trip. We kick things off in Interlaaken, then Gimmewald, back to Interlakken and train it to Cinque Terre, Florence, Siena, and finally, Rome. The bus is beginning to seem like a nice alternative. I might look into it as an option from Florence to Siena, too. Thanks! Kate

Kate, for the bus from Florence to Siena, you will want the www.sitabus.it bus. Also, you will want the SITA Corse Rapide (express). Note that the SITA bus station is about 800' south of the main Florence train station. You can't see if from the train station but it's there. RS has a Florence map in his books that show the SITA bus station. I would suggest that the SITA bus is better than the train for this one as the bus takes you to the city wall. The train station is almost a 2km slightly downhill from the town. As for your journeys in the Berner Oberland, all of the transporatation in the area is very local. You just buy your tickets and get on. This includes the gondolas and the bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg to pick up the gondola to Gimmelwald. We were able to buy the bus tickets on board the bus. The driver had change.