Siena city guide

Things To Do In Siena

A Gothic hill city with a shell-shaped square, a striped cathedral and a bareback horse race that stops the city twice a summer. Florence's old rival, and the base for southern Tuscany.

Where to stay What it costs

Hostels in the city

8.4

Average, from 5,033 reviews

Contrade, the city's districts

90 seconds

The Palio

~400

Steps up the Torre del Mangia

A medieval city that never stopped being one

Siena was a rich banking republic and Florence's great rival until the Black Death of 1348 killed much of its population and ended its golden age. It never really recovered, which is why the city looks almost exactly as it did in the fourteenth century: red-brick palaces, steep lanes and a cathedral that was meant to be even bigger than it is.

The city is still divided into seventeen contrade, neighbourhood districts with their own flags, churches, animals and fierce loyalties. They compete in the Palio, a bareback horse race around the main square on 2 July and 16 August, and their colours hang in the streets all year.

The historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and largely closed to traffic. One or two days covers it, and it is the best base for the Val d'Orcia, Montalcino and Montepulciano.

Where to stay

The centre is small and car-free, and stays are within the walls or just outside the gates.

Il Campo

First-timers

Around the main square. Central, and busy by day.

Duomo

Atmosphere

The cathedral quarter on the city's highest point.

San Domenico

Arriving by bus

On the north-west side, near the bus stops and the basilica.

Outside the walls

A calmer stay

Guesthouses and hostels just outside the gates, with views over the countryside.

Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 10 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Things to do

Things to do in Siena

Start in the Piazza del Campo, the sloping, shell-shaped square where the whole city meets. The Palazzo Pubblico, the town hall, has the Lorenzetti frescoes of Good and Bad Government, one of the great medieval paintings in Europe. The Torre del Mangia beside it has about four hundred steps and the best view in Tuscany.

The Duomo is striped in black and white marble inside and out, with an inlaid marble floor that is uncovered only for part of the year. The Piccolomini Library, off the nave, is painted with bright Renaissance frescoes.

Climb the Facciatone, the unfinished façade of the planned cathedral extension abandoned after the plague, for a view over the Campo and the city. Santa Maria della Scala, a medieval hospital opposite the Duomo, is now a museum with frescoed wards.

Walk out to the edges of the city, where lanes drop steeply between the walls and the countryside begins.

Free things

Free things to do in Siena

The Piazza del Campo is free and the heart of the city. So are the streets of the contrade, each with its own fountain and flag; look for their animal symbols on the walls.

The Basilica of San Domenico, with the head of St Catherine of Siena, is free to enter.

The walk around the edge of the city, along the walls and through the gates, is free and has views over the Tuscan countryside.

Watching the Palio from the centre of the Campo is free, if you arrive early and are prepared to stand for hours.

Food and drink

Eating and drinking in Siena

Sienese food is Tuscan and rustic. Pici, thick hand-rolled pasta, is served with garlic and tomato or with a wild boar ragù. Ribollita and pappa al pomodoro are the soups.

The city's sweets are panforte, a dense cake of honey, nuts and candied fruit, and ricciarelli, soft almond biscuits. Both are sold in every bakery.

The restaurants on the Campo charge for the view. A few streets away, trattorias serve a meal with wine for €18 to €28. Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano are all local.

Nightlife

Going out in Siena

Siena is a university town and a quiet one. Evenings start with aperitivo, often sitting on the brick of the Campo itself.

The bars in the streets around the Campo and near the university fill with students, and the contrade hold dinners in the streets in summer, especially in the weeks before the Palio.

A glass of wine is €4 to €7. The city is mostly asleep by midnight.

Getting around

Getting around Siena

The centre is small, steep and closed to most traffic. You will walk everywhere.

From Florence, the bus is faster than the train, taking about an hour and a quarter, and stops close to the centre. The train station is below the city, with a series of escalators up to the walls.

For the Val d'Orcia, Montalcino and Montepulciano, buses are infrequent and a car or a tour is far easier. Park outside the walls; the centre is a ZTL zone.

Costs

What Siena costs

Siena is mid-priced, but it has few hostels, so beds are limited and prices climb sharply around the Palio in July and August.

A careful day is €55 to €75. The costs that add up are the Duomo pass and the Torre del Mangia, and a car for the countryside.

The Campo, the streets and the views are free. Eat a few streets away from the square.

Safety

Staying safe in Siena

Siena is very safe.

The Palio is the exception. The crowd in the centre of the Campo is dense and the heat intense; once the gates close you cannot leave until the race is over. Bring water and do not go if you are claustrophobic.

The streets are steep and the brick is slippery in the rain.

Emergency number is 112.

Day trips from Siena

Siena is the gateway to the most beautiful countryside in Tuscany.

Val d'Orcia

About 1 hour · Car or tour

The rolling hills, cypress avenues and hill towns of the postcards, including Pienza.

Montalcino

About 1 hour · Bus or car

The hill town of Brunello wine.

Montepulciano

About 1 hour 15 minutes · Bus or car

A Renaissance hill town and its Vino Nobile cellars.

Monteriggioni

About 20 minutes · Bus or car

A tiny walled village with its circle of towers intact.

San Gimignano

About 1 hour · Bus

The medieval town of stone towers.

What's on

What is on while you are there

The Palio is not a show for tourists. It is the most important thing in the city's year.

2 July and 16 August

Palio di Siena

Piazza del Campo

Ten contrade race bareback three times around the square, over in about ninety seconds. Trial runs are held in the days before.

Spring and summer

Contrada feasts

Across the city

Each contrada celebrates its patron saint with processions and dinners.

All events in Siena

Hostels

Where to stay in Siena

Siena has only a handful of hostels, and they fill up around the Palio. These are the top-rated right now, live from Hostelworld.

10.0 245

When to go

April to June and September to October are ideal. The Palio fills the city in July and August.

10°

Jan

Cold and quiet

12°

Feb

Quiet

15°

Mar

Spring

19°

Apr

Easter. Good

24°

May

Excellent

29°

Jun

Contrada dinners begin

32°

Jul

Palio on the 2nd

32°

Aug

Palio on the 16th

27°

Sep

Harvest. Excellent

21°

Oct

Superb

14°

Nov

Quiet

10°

Dec

Cold and festive

Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets: quiet busy peak

Average highs. Siena is on a hill and slightly cooler than Florence, but summer is still very hot.

What your trip will cost

Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.

Transport assumes walking. A car for the Val d'Orcia adds significantly.

Nights 3

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Beds—
Food and drink—
Getting around—
Doing things—

Siena travel questions

The ones we get asked most.

When is the Palio di Siena?

Twice a year, on 2 July and 16 August. Trial runs are held in the days before.

How do I watch the Palio?

For free in the centre of the Campo, arriving hours early and standing in the heat, or with an expensive seat or window. Once the gates close, you cannot leave until the race is over.

How do I get from Florence to Siena?

The bus is faster than the train, about an hour and a quarter, and stops closer to the centre.

How many days do you need in Siena?

One or two for the city, plus days in the Val d'Orcia.

Can I climb the Torre del Mangia?

Yes. It has about four hundred steps and the best view in the city.

What are the contrade?

The seventeen districts of Siena, each with its own flag, animal, church and fierce loyalties. They compete in the Palio.

When is the best time to visit Siena?

April to June and September to October. Around the Palio, book far ahead.

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