Information Train from Rome airport to Siena vs. Driving

[Aussie Greg]

I have read Georgia and Zigs trip report and wondered if anyone else has a recent experience with taking the train(s) from Rome airport (FCO) to Siena.
I would appreciate any thoughts or experience of Train versus Car travel to Siena from Rome Airport.
What is it like driving out of Rome Airport and any thoughts on which rental company.
Thanks in advance for any input.
Regards Greg

 

[Andrew]

The bus is often preferred for the Rome-Siena route. If the time is right with your flight arrival, there's this direct FCO-Siena service from Tiemme. Or from the main Rome Tiburtina bus station, where you can get by train from the airport, there are several buses a day shown at www.flixbus.com . I'm not sure about toilets onboard, if that's a worry.

I'm used to driving out of the airport, and think the well-established companies are o.k. although people have occasional problems. I've often used Auto Europe, which is a broker for several companies, to find the best inclusive rate. On more recent trips I've used www.autoslash.com , which looks for discount codes; I'm not sure how well it works for someone Aussie-based. You can also consider how long you're planning for the rental to be, since picking up at an airport adds a percentage to the cost of the whole rental.

 

[Alpinista]

Also use Auto Europe with no complaints. It is an almost immediate entry to the A91 autostrada when you clear the parking garage where the car rentals are located. Our arrival is always early morning (around 8 AM) and have never experienced delays going through the administrative part of the rental (can do on-line check-in). Transit from terminal to the car rental areas is clearly signed.

 

[ellen]

I'm a big user of public transportation but in this case the train trip is just too cumbersome for me. The bus is more direct.

If you'll need a car while in Siena it just makes sense to drive right from the airport. It's an easy, if somewhat dull, ride. I too have used AutoEurope for years and never had a problem.

If you won't need a car once in Siena the bus is a practical choice. It's not particularly fun or luxurious but it gets the job done easier and quicker than the train.

 

[RachelP]

We love the trains. Driving in Rome is stressful. It's made easier with GPS but if that stops working....it's ugly. Our method is to take the train to the destination, then get a car there. Way less stressful.

 

[ellen]

I guess everyone experiences stress differently. To me getting on and off two or three trains with my luggage and waiting around between trains only to then load it into a car at the end of that portion of the journey is far less appealing than dealing with the traffic driving from the airport and north. To each his/her own.

 

[Ian Sutton]

I do think there are middle ground options e.g. Some airports are handily placed on the side of the city you are heading away from / driving to. This means you aren't trying to drive around a busy city centre or even skirting the ZTLs with their huge fines for encroachment. If you are close to an airport bus stop it can be low hassle to take the bus to or from there to the airport, dropping off or picking up the car there. Indeed for a few places e.g. Bologna, Pisa, then a taxi to the airport is inexpensive and can reduce stress significantly, with the car drivce much easier to/from that location.

Similarly being sensible about pickup time can be useful e.g. arrange to pick the car up at 12:30pm, or indeed get th hire firm to drop it off to you at the end of their morning shift. Driving in the lunch break is often quieter, though I'm not sure if this would be true of Rome. Ditto Sunday pick ups.

 

[Sharon J]

I have been meaning to write about our last experience (Oct/Nov, 2019). We always use Auto Europe, and pick up our car at FCO. We did choose Hertz for price. We were staying in Montepulciano, which is a regular trip for us. Three days before our last day, we found the battery dead. We did have a standard transmission, so my husband was able to push it down an incline, and jump start it. I'm not sure everyone can do that, however. I would not be able to do that. We thought we might have left a dome light on or something, and Nico had his helper charge the battery, and start the car for us. We didn't have any problems the rest of the day. Our departure flight out of Rome was around noon on Monday, so we were packed and ready to leave Nico's around 5:00 a.m. Bags in the car, and it wouldn't start. Dark outside, and we now start to panic, as it was a Monday, and we knew there would be a lot of rush hour traffic in Rome. Fortunately, my husband was able to push the car down the incline again, and got it started.

When we got to Rome, we tried to explain what had happened, and they were not interested at all. Also, a language issue. When we got home, my husband, who is President's Circle with Hertz, wrote to them, and explained what happened. NEVER heard back. Since no one was interested in Rome, I hate to think they might have rented that car to someone after our return. This could have been a true nightmare, if we hadn't made it to Rome for our return flight. Won't be using Hertz in Italy anymore.

 

[RachelP]

I think also for Australians, we are driving on the opposite side of the road in Italy, so that is partly why it's stressful.

 

[Johnny Canuck]

I have been meaning to write about our last experience (Oct/Nov, 2019). We always use Auto Europe, and pick up our car at FCO. We did choose Hertz for price. We were staying in Montepulciano, which is a regular trip for us. Three days before our last day, we found the battery dead. We did have a standard transmission, so my husband was able to push it down an incline, and jump start it. I'm not sure everyone can do that, however. I would not be able to do that. We thought we might have left a dome light on or something, and Nico had his helper charge the battery, and start the car for us. We didn't have any problems the rest of the day. Our departure flight out of Rome was around noon on Monday, so we were packed and ready to leave Nico's around 5:00 a.m. Bags in the car, and it wouldn't start. Dark outside, and we now start to panic, as it was a Monday, and we knew there would be a lot of rush hour traffic in Rome. Fortunately, my husband was able to push the car down the incline again, and got it started.

When we got to Rome, we tried to explain what had happened, and they were not interested at all. Also, a language issue. When we got home, my husband, who is President's Circle with Hertz, wrote to them, and explained what happened. NEVER heard back. Since no one was interested in Rome, I hate to think they might have rented that car to someone after our return. This could have been a true nightmare, if we hadn't made it to Rome for our return flight. Won't be using Hertz in Italy anymore.

Can you remember how long it took you from start to finish for that journey from Montepulciano to Rome? I think Google maps suggests 2½ hours.

 

[Sharon J]

Hour and a half to two hours to rental car return at FCO. Traffic was pretty heavy because of morning rush hour traffic.

 

[Kportgrl]

Can you remember how long it took you from start to finish for that journey from Montepulciano to Rome? I think Google maps suggests 2½ hours.

Hi, can I ask for clarification? I think we have dealt with AutoEurope and it’s a broker. Unless I’ve gotten the name wrong. So in dealing with them, we have been referred to Hertz before and I think we’ve used them. Is there a particular company you would recommend? Thx

 

[Sharon J]

You are correct about Auto Europe. We are renting with Europcar this May. We used to always use them in the past, until my husband had status with Hertz here in the states. After our horrible issue with them in Rome, we are going back to EuropCar.