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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Siena
Give Siena 2 nights: one full day for the Campo and Duomo, one for the hill-town day-trip. Skip it as a Florence day-trip if you want the Palio or evening streets.
Siena is a walled medieval city on three steep hills, 70 km south of Florence, with a UNESCO historic centre and a horse race, the Palio, run twice each summer. The centre is car-free and walkable but hilly; most travellers come by bus or train from Florence. Two nights covers the Campo, the Duomo and one Chianti or Val d'Orcia day-trip without rushing.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and crowds), Palio weeks if you dislike crowds
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- General emergency 112 · Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at the bar | €1.20–2 |
| Plate of pici pasta | €10–16 |
| Glass of Chianti | €4–8 |
| Taxi across the centre | €10–15 |
| Bus ticket (kiosk / driver) | €1.50 / more |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FLR · Florence Airport
- Closest; bus or train link to Siena via Florence.
- PSA · Pisa International Airport
- Bus link to Siena; also rail via Empoli.
- BLQ · Bologna Marconi Airport
- Sena bus about twice daily, roughly 2 h 30 min.
Typical fares
- Florence SMN → Siena, train
- about €10.20, roughly 1 h 30 min (check)
- Florence → Siena, bus
- about €8.40, 1 h 20 min (check)
- City bus ticket
- about €1.50 from kiosks (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The historic centre is pedestrian-only; cars need a hotel permit to unload luggage. Walk, but plan routes along ridges rather than straight up and down the hills. Small Pollicino buses serve some central streets; city bus tickets cost about €1.50 from kiosks or tabacchi, more from the driver.
See and do
Known for
- Piazza del Campo
- Palazzo Pubblico and Torre del Mangia
- Siena Cathedral (Duomo)
- Il Palio horse race
- Contrada neighbourhoods
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Montepulciano | Bus or car south into the Val d'Orcia; rail via Chiusi | About 1.5–2 h |
| Chianciano Terme | Bus or car south via the Valdichiana | About 1.5 h |
| Castellina in Chianti | Bus toward Florence on the Chiantigiana, or car | About 1 h |
| Radda in Chianti | Car is easiest; limited bus service | About 1 h |
| Montefollonico | Car via the Val d'Orcia and Montepulciano | About 1.5 h |
| Valiano | Car via Montepulciano | About 1.5 h |
Sleep
- Around Piazza del Campo
- Dead centre, steps from the sights; priciest and noisier at night.
- North of the Campo (Camollia, San Domenico)
- Near the bus station and Porta Camollia; quieter, still walkable to the centre.
- Near the train station / Porta Siena
- Cheaper, but 2 km (1.2 mi) and a climb from the historic centre.Cheaper, but 1.2 mi (2 km) and a climb from the historic centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Mi scusimee SKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsyeh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAH-nyoh |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fah-VOH-reh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- The centre is steep; allow more walking time than the map suggests.
- Driving inside the walls without a permit risks a fine; arrange the pass with your hotel first.
- Palio days (2 July and 16 August) fill the city and prices spike; book far ahead or avoid.
Siena is a safe, small city; the real risks are steep streets, pickpockets in the Campo crowds and Palio-day crush. Keep bags zipped in the piazza and watch your footing on the hills.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Siena yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Piazza del Campo
- Palazzo Pubblico and Torre del Mangia
- Siena Cathedral (Duomo)
- Il Palio horse race
- Contrada neighbourhoods
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Comune di Siena: www.comune.siena.it/
- Siena Cathedral (Opera della Metropolitana): operaduomo.siena.it/en/
- Tiemme / Siena Mobilità bus schedules: www.tiemmespa.it
- Pisa International Airport: www.pisa-airport.com/en/
- Wikivoyage: Siena, revision 5293437 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5293437
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Siena
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most countries: embassies in Rome, consulates in Florence; check your own before travel.
Coperto (cover charge) is normal on restaurant bills; tipping is not expected.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/siena). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.