Traveling from Siena to Florence

You could take the train, it's about an hour and 1/2 and costs 8,50 Euro.

There used to be a fast bus that was actually faster than the train. Plus, you catch the bus closer to the town center.

Ellen, The easiest method for travel on that route is via SITA Bus. The travel time is comparable to train, and the Buses depart from Piazza Gramsci in the main part of town, rather than the train station which is at the bottom of the hill (Taxi or Bus ride would be needed to get to the station). There are Corse Rapide and Corse Ordinarie Buses. The "Rapide" versions are express Buses, but there's actually not a big difference in times. The Bus Depot in Florence is near Firenze SMN rail station, so it's a convenient location. The Buses are large, modern Coaches. Larger luggage items will have to go in the hold underneath, but you can take smaller items into the cabin. As I recall, it's necessary to validate tickets prior to boarding the Bus. Happy travels!

@Roberto, Thanks for the clarification on the Bus location. I'd forgotten that Buses arrive at Piazza Gramsci and depart from Viale Tozzi (I believe the two locations are right across the street from each other?). Cheers!

I recall a very quick backtracking into the train station to validate my bus ticket from Siena to Florence (the bus I took was operated by the train system), but my bus was departing from the station, not Piazza Gramschi. At any rate, make sure you get your ticket validated - there are fines.

Bus is better if you are staying in the old city center in Siena (on top of hill). Sita departs from Viale Tozzi, in the San Domenico area. http://iwcoffice.org/cache/downloads/3nnk5bi1ir0gwwg0gk4swkosw/Firenze-Siena08.pdf (Timetables may change from time to time, so make sure you check at the time of your travel)

Thanks for the ideas. It looks like the bus is the way to go. We will have a car while in Siena to tour the area (staying about 5km from city center) . Our original plan was to drop off the car in Siena and then go to Florence by public transportation (looks like by bus). Any other ideas? We didn't think driving from Siena to Florence and dropping the car of there such a great idea because of the Florence traffic. Any thoughts?

Drive to Florence.

What is the traffic like driving to the Florence train station on a Sat in May?

If driving into downtown Florence you risk tripping the automatic ticket machines, finding out about your ticket(s) after coming home. Summer before last we rode in the front seat of the express bus from Florence to Siena, and return. The trip from Siena was better than Disneyland. The road lanes are really narrow and wind through the hills. The driver was on his cell phone, then smoking cigarettes, and never had two hands on the wheel. Passing trucks so close we could touch them if we put our hands out the window. Swerving into lanes. We had two glasses of wine on arriving back in Florence. Wouldn't trade the experience, but wouldn't do it twice!

Drivng to Florence and turning in the car there could work but you must be aware of the Zona Traffico Limitados (ZTLs). These are restricted zones throughout most of the historical areas of Florence. If you happen to drive into one, your license plate will be photographed from a camera and you will get a ticket in the mail about a year later. Very expensive. Reportedly, Florence issues 600 of these tickets each day. Some car rental offices are inside these ZTL zones and they could care less if you drove into theirs to return the car. They could call the authorities to clear your car but they don't seem to do this. Simply don't drive in Florence unless you know where the ZTLs are located. It's best to take the SITA Corse Rapide bus from the city wall in Siena to Florence.

The traffic will depend on the time of day. Generally traffic bunches up at the end of the Raccordo FI-SI near Tavarnuzze, early in the morning, with people getting into Florence during the morning commute. But it's not that bad by Seattle standards on yhe I-5. Saturday is a little better. There might be traffic also through Galluzzo. If you get to Florence before 7 or after 10 there is no problem. There is no problem with the ZTL if you go the station. You just go to Ponte alla Vittoria, piazza di porta al Prato, then turn right On via alamanni, toward the station. The station in outside the ZTL. If you return your rental before going there, then I need to know who you're renting from. If you decide to drive I can give you the exact itinerary to wherever you need and avoid the ZTL too. Just let me know where exactly u want leave your car. Station or rental. Using google maps enter from Siena to 'via Alamanni, Florence, Italy'. That's the way. Don't enter piazza Stazione in the destination box, because google is sending you through the ZTL in that case. Just enter via Alamanni, it gets it right in that case.

Ellen, DO NOT drive in Florence unless you follow the route that Roberto suggests. Most of Florence is "locked down" with automated Zona Traffico Limitato Cameras, which will snap a photo of your license plate, and you'll receive ticket(s) in the mail several months after you return home. As I recall, the tickets are +€100 for EACH infraction. Your credit card may also be billed an "administrative fee" by the car rental firm for providing information to the authorities. Also note that for driving in Italy, EACH driver must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. The IDP is easily obtained at any AAA office for a small charge. Failure to produce an IDP if requested, can result in fines on the spot! Cheers!

Thanks a lot for all the good advice. One scenario we were considering was to drive from Siena to Florence and the car off at the Avis rental agency which is inside the restricted zone by about 2 blocks (on Borgo Ognissanti near Ponte A. Vespucci). We had hoped that when we reserved the car from Avis and told them where we were going to it off they would let the authorities know in Florence so we could do the off without a fee. Am I too naive? It makes me wonder why a car rental agency has a off within the restricted zone if they do not have a mechanism for helping avoid the fee. Again, that may be very naive. I would be very interested in how you all view this. The reason for the Avis rental is because, as far as I can find out, they are the only ones at the Foligno train station (we will be coming by train from Rome to spend a few days near Assisi and then on to Siena) who also have a off place in Florence. What I thought would be a simple thing sure does get complicated!

Ellen, I don't know who told you that Avis garage in borgognissanti is inside the ZTL. Whoever did is a moron who does not know Florence. I always rent from Avis in via borgognissanti, including just a couple of months ago and you don't need to enter the ZTL to return your car. Post from where exactly you will be coming from and I'll give you a street by street itinerary. I'll do so when I am at a real computer. Typing om mobile devices is a pain for me.

Roberto, Thanks for your help with this. I am afraid it was my own conclusion that the address was in the restricted zone based on a ZTL area map I looked at. This was just my ignorance of the real situation (never having been to Florence). I am delighted to hear the car can be returned in Florence without going into the ZTL. We will be driving from Siena; staying near Strada Marciano on the west side of Siena. We can take any route that is feasible.
Ellen

Using Google Maps - Get Directions, enter the following: A: Siena, Italy (or enter your exact departing point near siena) B: Via di Melegnano, Florence, Italy click on "add destination"
C: Borgo Ognissanti,128, Florence, Italy Make sure you enter ,128, after Borgo Ognissanti, otherwise Google sends you all over the place (including the ztl). The resulting itinerary is the only one you must take. Anything east of that blue line plotted on the map by google is ZTL. If you follow the instructions of that itinerary you will be ok. The point C on the map is in front of the AVIS office. The big indoor Garage Park where you return the car is 15 feet past the AVIS office (which is not actually at no. 128, but sometimes Google is totally off on numbers). Note: At the end of the Raccordo from Siena, there is a big roundabout with a funny diagonal column sculpture. Follow the BLUE signs pointing to FIRENZE on SS2 (The green signs put you on the A1 freeway). immediately after Galluzzo, you'll see several gas stations on the left side (Agip, total erg, Tamoil, etc.). Refuel there before returning car. The last gas station is probably a little ahead when you have to turn on via del Gelsomino (I think it's a Q8 gas station). When you arrive in front of Porta Romana (City Gate) (there is roundabout with sculpture with woman with piece of marble on head), make sure you take the boulevard with trees along the ancient walls. Don't go through the Porta Romana gate (ZTL). The ancient walls will be on your right, you'll drive along them for a bit. Don't go through them or you get zapped by the ZTL cameras. Follow the Google.

After you return your car, if you turn right as you exit from the Park Garage, across the street, there is the wonderful Bar Curtatone (great pastries), it's at the corner of Borgo Ognissanti with via Curtatone. You deserve a cappuccino and pastry after this drive. Across the street on via Curtatone (a little closer to the Arno river) there used to be my school (Univ. of Florence Business School). That area was my stomping ground. The US Consulate is across from that former business school, along the river Arno (in case you lost your passport, let's hope not). If, when you come out of the AVIS garage, you turn left instead (toward the AVIS office), after about 50 mts, on the same side of the street as AVIS, there is a wonderful baker (Panificio) called Palatresi (I think). Great focaccia or pizza to stroll. Across the street from it, the famous restaurant "Il Profeta". To go to the station at the corner next to the baker (there should be a bank) turn left (that's via Maso Finiguerra). Go straight all the way to the station. via Finiguerra turns into via dell'albero, a very narrow street, so be careful not to be run over. As you walk to that direction, at the corner via dell'albero/via finiguerra/via palazzuolo there is a very cheap typical florentine trattoria we used to go when I was a college student. It's called " 'I VINAINO". For a cheap meal, that's the best. proceed through the narrow via dell'albero to the station (you'll have to cross via della scala and get into via santa caterina da siena). Just ask for the STAZIONE if you get lost. It's a 10-15 min. walk from AVIS.

I rented a car thru AutoEurope and picked it up @ Hertz in Florence. We drove 750 miles around Tuscany in 5 days without incident with ZTL's. We didn't know they had radar/cameras on the causeway going into Venice, as I was later charged for a speeding ticket AND Hertz's service charge. We attempted to visit Siena, however finding parking was murder in this city. Large apartment complexes around the base of the city didn't help congestion. The other hill cities were no problem to get to. It appears the bus that you catch in Siena is the best way to get into Florence city center.