Venice to Siena, car or train?

The train service to Siena isn't bad; it is just that the station is some distance from the city center. The train will take you a little over 4 hours, including the 40 minutes between trains at Firenze SMN. The cost for 2 is about 96 euro, so compare that to the cost of renting the car for one additional day, plus tolls on the autostrada and gas. Also add the drop fee that you would likely incur if renting in Venice and dropping off in Siena. These can be significant. You might also check the location of rental agencies at Siena before deciding[INVALID]-there might be one very close to the train station, which would be convenient.

When we leave Siena we will be driving to La Spezia and dropping the car there, so either way we will have a different pick up and drop off. I definitely need to do some research on cost, maybe that will sway me one way or the other. I like the idea of having the freedom with the car to stop & take detours if we wish. If we were to rent a car outside of Venice, can anyone suggest a train stop that is convienent to car rentals?

Take the train from Venice to Siena and rent a car when you arrive. It will be a time saver and you will avoid getting entangled in the ZTL in Florence as the car rentals near the train station are inside the restricted traffic zone. Renting and returning at the same location will probably save you an extra fee as well.

You may be able to pick up and drop off at different locations within Tuscany, if they are not too far apart, without a drop fee. We were able to pick up in Lucca and drop at Pisa Airport, after driving down to Siena and back, without a drop fee. That was with Hertz, and we chose the drop location on the basis of hours that they were open. It worked out well. You do need to research this as you'll find that particularly on weekends some of the locations have very limited hours, and that can be restricting your plans. Also work through a rental with pickup at Venice, so you know exactly what kind of drop fee you are looking at. A few years ago we rented at Venice at the airport location, taking the Alilaguna to get there from the island. We rented there because we wanted to return the car just prior to our flight out. But there may well be a rental location nearer the main train station or at Mestre.

Kelly, another option you might consider would be ES/AV train from Venice to Florence (2H:03M) and then SITA BUS to Siena. There really isn't much difference in time in taking the Bus (if you choose the "fast" Bus) AND it will drop you off right in the centre of Siena. The Bus station is right beside Firenze SMN, so no problem walking there. You might want to have a look at * www.italylogue.com/featured-articles/getting-from-florence-to-siena.html * (cut & paste the link inside the asterisks). I'd probably spend a day or two exploring Siena and THEN rent the car for trips to other nearby locations. That way you won't have to pay for parking or whatever during the time you're touring in Siena. Watch for ZTL areas in Siena (and other towns) and don't forget the compulsory International Driver's Permit. A GPS along with a good Map would also be a really good idea. Happy travels!