Coach & Minibus Hire in Italy

Assisi and Umbria's Hill Towns by Minibus

Assisi asks visitors to slow down, and a small group feels the benefit. The basilicas, the steep stone lanes and the quiet of the hills come at a walking pace, while a minibus with a driver handles the gaps between the town, the plain below and the villages around it.

The walls are for walking

The old town is a limited-traffic zone and buses never go inside. They set down and pick up only at the authorised paid coach parks around the walls, then wait there or at another one. A daily access ticket applies, and both booking and payment can be done online ahead of the trip.

Minibus with side door open for boarding
Minibus with side door open for boarding

Choosing your coach park

San Francesco's basilica is served by two parks, Ponte San Vetturino and Giovanni Paolo II; Giovanni Paolo II is used to set down and pick up, and a vehicle staying longer moves to another park. For Santa Chiara and the cathedral of San Rufino, it is Porta Nuova or Piazza Matteotti.

That gives a gentle shape to the day. Step down at the San Francesco end, walk uphill through the town past Piazza del Comune and the Tempio di Minerva, and be collected at the Santa Chiara end. Expect steep stone paving, leave time for the walk and wear proper shoes.

Flying in to Assisi

Stops worth making in Assisi

  • Eremo delle Carceri and San Damiano — Franciscan hermitage on Monte Subasio and the convent of San Damiano below the walls
  • Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli and the Porziuncola — Large basilica in the plain below the town, built over the small Porziuncola chapel; near Assisi railway station
  • Cattedrale di San Rufino — Cathedral in the upper town
  • Piazza del Comune and the Tempio di Minerva — Main square with a Roman temple front
  • Basilica di Santa Chiara — Church of St Clare with the San Damiano crucifix, at the other end of the old town
  • Basilica di San Francesco — Upper and lower basilicas with the tomb of St Francis and the Giotto frescoes, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site; dress modestly and keep silence inside

Easy pickup points

  • Perugia
  • Spello and the Valle Umbra
  • Santa Maria degli Angeli (in the plain, near the station)
  • Assisi old town (inside the walls)

Inside the basilicas

The upper and lower basilicas hold the saint's tomb and Giotto's frescoes. Visitors dress modestly and keep silent inside, which is worth mentioning to younger travellers before the doors. Down in the plain, Santa Maria degli Angeli shelters the small Porziuncola chapel, close to Assisi station. San Damiano's convent and the Eremo delle Carceri, up on Monte Subasio, add a peaceful extra hour.

Feast days and the villages around

Big religious dates bring crowds and traffic controls: Easter, the Perdono at the Porziuncola (1–2 August) and the Feast of St Francis (3–4 October). Look at the town's traffic plan for those days before you settle on times.

Spello is around 25 minutes by road and Perugia roughly 40, while Montefalco, in Sagrantino country, is about 45. Gubbio, Spoleto and Lago Trasimeno each sit around an hour out, and Orvieto close to two, all good small-group days.

What travellers ask us

Which airport should we fly into?

Perugia's airport is about 11 km away, some 25 minutes. Many international groups use Rome Fiumicino, about 215 km or 3 h 10 min, or Florence, about 192 km or 2 h 55 min.

Is the railway station in the old town?

No. The station is at Santa Maria degli Angeli, in the valley roughly 5 km from the walls, so a minibus pick-up saves a steep climb with luggage.

Is Assisi manageable for someone who walks slowly?

The lanes are steep, but choosing the right coach park at each end cuts the distance. Mention it when you enquire, so the order of the visit can be planned around the easiest walk.

More trips we arrange

Other vehicles with a driver