Tours by Roberto - Resources

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Transportation

Other pages of resources can be found using the links below.

Accommodations Transportation Tourist Information Special Interests Air Travel Tuscany and Beyond

This page contains Bus, Train, Ferry, Airtravel and Driving sites.

In the USA

www.supershuttle.com - limo service to airports (we don't know them personally, customer comments welcome.)

Siena bus schedule websites - see below for translation of Italian terms commonly used in schedules.

http://www.trainspa.it/orario - TRA-IN is the main Siena bus company; site in Italian. Go to EXTRAURBANO and plug in the destination cities (URBANO means buses within the city.) Shortly this site will be in English.

http://www.sena.it - SENA runs buses to Rome, Assisi, Bologna and Perugia that can be faster than the train.

http://www.sita-on-line.it - Another site with Florence- Siena bus schedule information, in Italian.

www.sienamobilita.it new site trying to combine all the above and not yet quite working.

Useful Italian Terms and Other Information

Note departure and arrival times are always shown using the 24 hour clock, instead of 'am' and 'pm'.

Codes often used in Italian schedules:

       "giorn" = daily (giornaliero), Monday-Sunday
       "fer" = workdays (feriali), Monday-Saturday
       "-sab" = not Saturday (Sabato), so Monday-Friday
       "sab" = Saturday only (sabato)
       "fest" = holidays (festivi), so Sundays and holidays

Thus, for example, if you want to catch a bus on a Sunday, look on the schedule for those buses marked "giorn" or "fest". There will be fewer of these than 'weekday' buses, and perhaps no faster service available.

Siena/Florence and Siena/San Gimignano Bus Schedules - I wrote out the schedules below in 2001, in the absence of a website to give you. The website above will be more accurate. They are likely to be unchanged, BUT CHECK THAT!!

Siena-Firenze

The bus schedules are partial and intended only for those wishing to go to Florence from Siena and back. All of the schedules refer to the RAPID bus (look for RAPID-FIRENZE/SIENA on the front of the bus.) PLEASE NOTE on a weekend this sign may not be shown. Don't despair, though. Rather, show bus officials your schedule and ask around before giving up and possibly missing the faster bus!

Trip time: Fast Siena-Florence service takes a total of 1 hour 15 minutes. Many other buses stop en route and are slower.

Departures and Arrivals: Central bus station in Florence, or in Siena Via Tozzi final bus stop (see map here).

Protocol: Buy tickets at central station or at larger Tabacco shops. BE SURE to stamp (validate) your ticket on the bus.

Siena-Firenze (line 131): fest 6:20//7:50, fer (also sab in summer; -sab in winter) 6:30//7:45, -sab 6:40//7:55, fer 6:50//8:05, fer 6:55//8:10, -sab 7:10//8:25, fer 8:00//9:15, fest (and sab) 8:10//9:25, -sab 8:50//10:05, fer 9:10//10:25, fer 10:10//11:25, fest 10:30//11:45, - sab 10:40//12:10, -sab 11:10//12:25, -sab 11:50//13:05, fer 12:10//13:25,fer 13:10//14:25, giorn 14:10//15:25, -sab 14:50//16:05, -sab 15:10//16:25,fer 16:10//17:25, fer 17:10//18:25, giorn 17:40//18:55, giorn 17:50//19:05, -sab 18:00//19:15, fest 18:10//19:25, fer 18:20//19:35, -sab 18:50//20:05, giorn 19:10//20:25, giorn 20:15//21:30, -sab 20:45//22:00

Firenze-Siena (line 131): fer 6:45//8:00, -sab 7:00//8:15, -sab 7:15//8:30, -sab 7:45//9:00, sab only 8:10//9:25, -sab 8:50//10:05, fer 9:10//10:25, fer and fest 10:10//11:25, -sab 10:30//11:45, fer 11:10//12:25, fer and fest 12:10//13:25, fer 13:10//14:25,-sab 13:30//14:45, fer and fest 14:10//15:25, -sab 14:40//15:55, fer 15:10//16:25, -sab 15:40//16:55, fer 16:10//17:25, -sab 16:30//17:45, -sab 17:00//18:15, fer 17:10//18:25, fest and fer 17:20//18:35, -sab 17:30//18:45, -sab 18:10//19:25, giorn 19:10//20:25, fer 20:15//21:30, giorn 21:05//22:20

Siena-San Gimignano

The bus schedules are partial and intended only for those wishing to go to San Gimignano from Siena and back. Only buses that go and come directly, without changing in Poggibonsi, are shown. Make sure the bus has a sign saying Siena or San Gimignano though, as line 130 also goes only to Poggibonsi.

More choices exist by changing buses in Poggibonsi. Also note this is a necessity on Sundays, when there is no direct service to San Gimignano. However, if at all possible avoid going on weekends when the town is jam-packed with day-trippers. A visit during the week is much more pleasant.

Trip Time: One hour and five minutes approximately.

Departures and Arrivals: Piazza San Giovanni in San Gimignano, or in Siena, Via Tozzi final bus stop (see map here).

Protocol: Buy tickets at central station or at larger Tabacco shops. BE SURE to stamp (validate) your ticket on the bus.

Siena-San Gimignano (line 130): fer 7:20//8:25, fer 8:20//9:25, fer
9:20//10:25, fer 10:20//11:25, fer 11:20//12:25, fer 12:10//13:25, fer
13:10//14:25, fer 14:10//15:25, fer 15:20//16:25, -sab 16:20//17:35,
-sab 17:10//18:25, -sab 18:20//19:25, -sab 19:10//20:20

San Gimignano- Siena (line 130): fer 6:10//7:10, fer 8:40//9:45, fer
9:40//10:45, fer 10:40//11:45, fer 11:35//12:45, fer 12:35//13:45, fer
13:25//14:45, -sab 14:40//15:45, -sab 15:35//16:40, -sab 16:40//17:45, -sab 17:35//18:50, -sab 18:35//19:45, 19:35//20:45

Train Schedules

http://www.trenitalia.com - Italian railway site, user friendly and in English.

www.ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/euraide/pricestr.htm is a site I ran across with INTERNATIONAL trains (Rome-Paris, Berlin Zurich etc) and prices. Many many trains and current schedules and prices listed.

Ferry Schedules

http://www.mobylines.it - ferries to Elba, Sardegna, Corsica.

http://www.toremar.it - ferries to Elba, Sardegna, Corsica.

Airlines

http://www.travel.it/roma/romefiu.htm - bus/train/etc. connections to Fiumicino airport, Rome.

http://www.alitalia.it/index.html - Italian national airline site.

Note- there are ways to get compensation for bumped flights and similar trouble, nowadays more frequent than ever. Rules have changed since February 2005. Google IATA, read the fine print on your travel insurance. BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE. We hear good things about www.accessamerica.com.

Driving

Go to Driving in Italy for tips.

www.viamichelin.com gives driving times and directions

www.mapblast.com gives maps when you plug in a city name

the Fodors and Slowtrav forums (see general tourist information) are very helpful in addressing specific driving AND PARKING questions. Slowtrav.com goes on and on about the Rome airport and rental pickups. www.slowtrav.com/italy/driving

Italian Road Signs - Street sign graphics and European driving tips.

Email: info@toursbyroberto.com
toursbyroberto@gmail.com

Tel/Fax- 011-39-0577-321004
Cel- 011-39-320-1476590
from 9am until 9pm

Tours By Roberto, Inc.
c/o Patricia Bechi
Podere Casalciccia 17
Località Vescona
53041 Asciano SI Italy

Due to problems with email, if you do not have a response from us within 48 hours, you can call us between 9 am and 9 pm Italy time and we will call you right back.

No fears if we answer with the typical Italian "pronto", everyone speaks English, even the children.