Travel Within Italy: The best way to get from Rome to Siena?

February 24, 2006 5:50 PM

I am flying into the International Airport in Rome, then I need to get to Siena. I am wondering the best way to do this.

I am looking for the cheapest, easiest way to get from Rome to Siena in June.

I have done quite a bit of research and am probably going to rent a car. But I would appreciate the input of someone who has been to the area or a local.

What I have learned so far:

Airplane - Alitalia has a non-stop flight from Rome to Florence about 4 times/day (cost: ~$220USD). I will end up in Florence...so then the question becomes how do I get from Florence to Siena? How much should I expect to pay?

There is an airport in Siena (SAY), but I cannot find any flights into it.

Car - Rome is about 142 miles from Siena by car. What is this drive like? How long should it take? I got a quote from a rental car that was about $200USD, does that seem fair?

Train - I saw there was one train that went from Rome to Siena. It took about three hours? But no prices listed. Is the train station in Rome near the airport?

Thanks.

posted by marc10 to travel & transportation (13 comments total)

Take the train - it should cost about $20-30 US. If I remember correctly, you go from Rome to Florence, then get on a local train to go to Siena. From the Siena train station, you'll want to take a cab or bus to get into the center of town.

Speak to the information desk to find out which exact train to get on, and which ones are faster than the others.

If you want more detailed information, my email is in my profile.
posted by Diddly at 6:18 PM on February 24, 2006

From trenitalia.com

Roma Termini to Chiusi-Chianciano Terme (0:55)
Chiusi-Chianciano Terme to Siena (1:23)

€22 for 2nd class.
posted by Diddly at 6:23 PM on February 24, 2006

3rd post! I didn't see your question about the airport. The Rome airport is pretty far from the train station, so there is a shuttle train you can take, which is about €6 and takes about 20 minutes.
posted by Diddly at 6:28 PM on February 24, 2006

I would suggest the train as well. It's pretty reliable, and you don't really save much time with the airport, since you have to get out there and wait anyway, then get into Siena once you're there. Save your money and spend it on dinner instead!

Also, I've never driven in Italy, but the drivers there look kinda crazy to me. And I can't imagine parking is easy in Siena.
posted by lackutrol at 6:55 PM on February 24, 2006

siena is lovely though.
posted by brandz at 7:04 PM on February 24, 2006

I remember laughing at a stressed-out American family ready to kill each other while looking for parking in the narrow streets of Sienna. It's not worth it - take the train. It's not on the main routes (hence the transfer in Florence), but it's far easier than the alternatives.
posted by letitrain at 7:59 PM on February 24, 2006

Seconding what everyone else has said about the train. If you want to get the exact schedules and prices, trenitalia.com can give you the complete itinerary. Enter Fiumicino Aeroporto as the departure station. The airport train station is right in the airport.

The time you leave affects which station in Rome gives you the quickest connection, and the price depends on the type of train you take. Regional trains are cheaper than intercity, though on this itinerary they may actually be faster due to quicker connection times.
posted by komilnefopa at 9:20 PM on February 24, 2006

Several summers ago, I spent time in Siena. I would recommend taking the bus into Siena. Unlike the trains, which arrive in Siena at the edge of town, the inter-city buses take you to Piazza Gramsci, which is right in the middle of things and only a few blocks from Piazza del Campo, the heart of the city.

Directions (from my Italian hosts) to Siena:

From Rome Airport: Take the train from the airport to the Tiburtina bus/train station; trains (and buses) leave every 20 minutes or so, and the ride is 45 minutes. Be sure to take the local train and NOT the express train to Termini, which is the main station in Rome—Tiburtina is a secondary station. Be VERY CAREFUL while in Rome, as the stations and buses there are havens for gypsies and pickpockets. When you come out of the Tiburtina train station, go under the highway overpass and there will be a large piazza with a lot of buses in front of you.

Tickets for the SENA bus to Siena are sold at the main bus terminal (across the street from the train station), and also at the Piccarozzi office at 12/14 Via G. Mazzoni, which is to your right and runs perpendicular to the highway (tel. [phone]). The cost for a one-way ticket to Siena is €16.00. To find the right bus, look at the front of the buses in the piazza and find the SENA bus (usually white) with a large sign, “SIENA-ROMA”. From Tiburtina, the bus to Siena takes about 3 hours and is much faster and easier than taking the train. The bus schedule from Rome to Siena is below. Once you reach Siena, get off at Piazza Gramsci, which may be the 2nd or 3rd stop, and is recognizable by the Jolly Hotel on the left, opposite the piazza.

(Alternate)...From Florence Airport:
Once you arrive at the bus station, which is directly around the corner from the train station, buy a ticket for Siena from the biglietteria inside the station, which costs €6.50. Make sure you get on a Rapida, and not a Diretta bus for Siena; the first is an express and the second is a local bus that makes many stops and takes 2½ hours instead of 1¼ hours to get to Siena. The Rapida bus schedule from Florence to Siena is below, but double-check the departure board for the correct departure time and gate number.

Buses from Rome and Florence arrive at Piazza Gramsci in Siena. Before/When you get on the bus, be sure to punch your ticket in one of the yellow machines -- the driver will not check your ticket, but the police to random ticket requests and you will be fined if your ticket is not punched for the current ride.
posted by chefscotticus at 9:47 PM on February 24, 2006

Train
* A previous answer regarding the different trains in Italy & the corresponding rise/decrease in cost.

* Fiumicino to Siena train schedule courtesy Trenitalia.com. No prices as it's a multiple leg journey with regional trains, which you can't always buy online, so...

• Fiumicino -> Roma Termini on the Leonardo Express: €9,50 duration approx. 45 minutes-1 hour


• Fiumicino -> Roma Tiburtina on the Metropolitano FM1 : max. €5 (price is rated by kilometer; €5 is to the end of the FM1 line, which is much further than you'll need to go) duration approx. 1 hour - 1.5 hours


• Fiumicino -> Roma Ostiense: see Tiburtina above, but it will cost even less as it's two stops before Tiburtina on the FM1. Alternate: Leonardo express to Termini, Metro Line B (€1) to Piramide


• Roma -> Siena: fastest trains I'm seeing is InterCity + a Regional at 2.50 - 3.10 hours.


• Once you reach Siena station, take bus 3 into the center

Bus:

• Use the Trenitalia website to find out the times for Fiumicino -> Tiburtina


• Choose the time you wish to go (in English) & buy your bus ticket online (in italian, no english version). €17,50 one way. Add a €3 service charge if you buy your ticket on the bus. Duration: approx 3 hours

Car:

Don't. Way too much stress, and depending on when you're going in June, the autostradas will have at least one 2 hour backup, more if it's on the weekend. And then you have to park...Take the bus & let someone else do the stressing.

Air

The reason why you can't find any flights into Siena is because the airport apparently serves mainly charter flights. Trying to look up flight times, their website said that flight will start back up in spring...

I'd skip flying to Firenze; in terms of both cost & time you'll end up wasting more of both going that route (Plane -> plane -> bus -> bus/train) instead of Rome -> Siena (Plane -> train -> bus)

---

It's Italy, so add at least 15 minutes onto all times. Every time I take the Leonardo Express at their word of ' 30 minutes' I always end up stuck on the middle of the tracks for and extra 20.

Lastly: Tourism Board of Siena website
posted by romakimmy at 4:33 AM on February 25, 2006

ps - regarding chefscotticus' excellent post: Ticket validation machines are ubiquitous. Train ticket? Needs to be validated. Bus ticket? needs to be validated. (note that these are two different validation machines we are talking about.) But...

...it's Italy. :D They don't always work. Write the full date & your departure time in pen in the validation strip on the ticket.

And an extra note about going the Firenze route: should you opt for this, the Bus company that you need Firenze -> Siena is SITA. Their sub-website for Siena sucks even in Italian; English icon but no english site; the links for prices and times are broken, etc.
posted by romakimmy at 4:43 AM on February 25, 2006

Second the bus from Rome to Siena, unless you plan to find a ride into town.
posted by docpops at 2:03 PM on February 25, 2006

Thirding the "don't take a car" response- parking is a pain, and much of the city center is pedestrian-only in Siena anyways. I have heard that the trains to Siena take somewhere close to an eternity to arrive, so I'd vote for the bus.

Have a great time! Siena is wonderful.
posted by ambrosia at 9:27 AM on February 26, 2006

That's the bitchy thing about Siena. The train is slow, and the station is all the way on the outside of town.

For convenience, I'd probably take a direct train from Rome to Firenze, which is about 3 hours. They leave practically every half-hour or hour. Then I'd go to Siena via local bus once in Firenze, which also leave frequently and take 45-60 mins.

It's a little convoluted, but at least you'd get in to the actual city itself, and the transfer times wouldn't be long. If you're staying around the University of Siena, it's on the other side of the hill from the train station and there is no such thing as a taxi.
posted by sayitwithpie at 12:05 PM on March 3, 2006