Getting There
By Train: Siena’s train station is at Piazza Roselli, about 3km (1 3/4 miles) north and far below the city center. Trains connect Siena with Florence (usually 90 min.), with a change in Empoli; trains to and from Rome (3 to 4 hr.) require a change in Chiusi. To get into town, take the no. 3, 8, or 10 bus to Piazza Gramsci (buy your ticket, 1.20€, at the newsstand in the station). Don’t take the buses that stop in front of the station, but go into the big brick shopping center across the street and take the escalator to the underground bus stop. Be sure to say “Gramsci” when you board, or you can end up in a far-flung district. You can also take a series of escalators up toward town from the top floor of the shopping center—these too are poorly marked, but as long as you’re going up you’re moving in the right direction. You will be deposited onto Via Vittorio Emanule II; turn left to reach the Porta Camollia, then follow Via Camollia into the city center. It becomes Via Montanini, then Via Banchi di Sopra as it heads down to the Piazza del Campo. Note: Siena’s train station does not have a baggage storage office, though there is one at the bus station on Piazza Gramsci.
By Bus: It’s often easier and faster to travel between Siena and Florence and other towns by bus than it is by train. Buses let you off right in town at Piazza Gramsci, at the edge of the historic center: Tiemme (www.tiemmespa.it) express buses (corse rapide; around 25 daily; 75 min.) and slower buses (corse ordinarie; 14 daily; 95 min.) operate between Florence’s main bus station and Siena, and Siena is also connected with San Gimignano (at least hourly Mon–Sat, either direct or with a change in Poggibonsi; 65–80 min. not including layover), Perugia (two to four daily; 90 min.), and Rome’s Tiburtina station (five to nine daily; 3 hr.). A luggage storage office is tucked away in an arcade beneath Piazza Gramsci.
By Car: Fast roads provide direct links from Florence, Arezzo, and Perugia; from Florence you may wish to take the more scenic route, down the Chiantigiana SS222. From Rome get off the A1 north at the Val di Chiana exit and follow the SS326 west for 50km (31 miles). From Pisa take the highway toward Florence and exit onto the SS429 south just before Empoli (100km/62 miles total).
Parking
There’s parking (www.sienaparcheggi.com; tel. 0577/228711) in well-signposted lots just outside the city gates. An especially handy lot is Santa Caterina, from which escalators whisk you up to town. Most charge 2€ per hour. You can park for free at well-marked parking areas in the outskirts, connected to the center by bus (1.20€, from machines at the stops); convenient choices are the one at Due Ponti (near the Siena Est exit for the highways to Rome and Perugia) and the large garage at the train station, where parking is only 2€ a day; from there you can reach the city center by bus, taxi, or escalator.
Many hotels have discount arrangements with garages in the city center; around 15€ to 25€ per day is standard. When making parking arrangements with a hotel, though, check carefully to make sure the garage is not in a restricted zone, in which you are only allowed to drive once a day—meaning you can take the car out for a day trip but can't bring it back into the city later that day without incurring a fine.
Getting Around Siena
You can get anywhere you want to go on foot, with a bit of climbing. Minibuses, called pollicini (www.tiemmespa.it; tel. 0577/204117), run quarter-hourly (every half-hour Sat afternoon and all day Sun) from the main gates into the city center from 6:30am to 8:30pm. Buy tickets (.95€) at newsstands or tabacchi-bars. You can also call for a radio taxi at tel. 0577/49222 (7am–9pm only); there’s a taxi queue at the train station and in town at Piazza Matteotti.
Visitor Information
The tourist office, where you can get a fairly useless free map or pay .50€ for a detailed one, is at Piazza Duomo 1 (www.terresiena.it; tel. 0577/280551). It’s open Monday to Friday 10am to 6:30pm and weekends 10:30am to 6:30pm.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
