Getting to Siena
 The bus station in Siena. |
Siena is located in Tuscany, in northwest Italy. Most visitors to Siena arrive from Florence or Rome.
Getting to Siena by Air
Siena Airport (SAY) is very small and caters primarily to small chartered planes. Your best bet is to fly into Florence Airport (FLR) or Pisa International Airport (110 km from Siena), then take a bus to Siena (see below). TripAdvisor has a handy airfare comparison search for flights to Florence.
Getting to Siena by Train
Siena has a train station that connects to Florence, Rome and other nearby cities, but it is located outside of town. Travelers who arrive at the Siena train station face an expensive taxi ride or long uphill walk (about 1.5 kms) to the city center. We recommend a bus or rental car (see below) instead.
If you do take the train, trains from Florence to Siena are frequent and take about an hour and a half. If you are coming from Pisa, you have to change trains at Empoli or Florence for Siena. Taking a train from Rome is less desirable: trains are less frequent and you have to change in Chiusi.
Driving to Siena
To reach Siena by car, take the autostrada from Florence or Rome. Be sure to ask your hotel about parking before you arrive, as many hotels provide free or low-cost parking spots for their guests. Auto traffic is limited within the city walls. If you don't have a hotel parking spot, your best bets are by the Fortezza (free) and Porta Romana (metered). It can often be difficult to find a free spot, as they are used by locals as well.
Be sure to have a good atlas. One highly recommended choice is the two-volume Atlante Stradale Italia (Italy Road Atlas), published by the Insituto Geografico DeAgostini. It's hard to find in the USA, but worth the search. The maps are 1:200,00 scale and easy to read, with numerous city maps and lay-open binding.
For information on car rentals in Siena or elsewhere in Italy, see Auto Europe.
Getting to Sienna by Bus
If you're not renting a car, the best way to reach Siena is by bus. The Siena bus station is located at Piazza Antonio Gramsci, which is right next to the Hotel Jolly Excelsior and only one block from Siena's main pedestrian zone. Note that buses don't run as often on Sundays and are more likely to be crowded. The situation is good on the other end, too – the bus station in Florence is just around the corner from the train station. For information on bus schedules and fares, see SENA Autolinee and Tourismo Verde.
