Thanks to the biannual Palio, Siena shares a reputation with Spain's Pamplona for being a city that's completely crazy two days of the year and asleep the other 363. That's really not a fair rep though, because the Sienese provide plenty to see even when they aren't racing bareback around Il Campo. Take the steep pedestrian-only streets of Siena's centro, for one. The completely befuddling medieval layout is Tuscany taken to its illogical—and seriously charming—extreme. Amid the trapped-in-time Gothic architecture, you'll find that Siena is also a respectable university town with a campus indistinguishable from the city around it—you'll only realize you're at the university when you poke into a church and discover it's actually a Linguistics department. Offering pleasant Campo-centric nightlife, relative freedom from overwhelming Florentine tourist crowds, and a twisty jumble of streets hiding secrets that will take a semester to unlock, Siena is perhaps the best study-abroad city in Tuscany—and one of the best to visit as well.
Siena is surprisingly difficult to reach. Coming from Florence is easy, but if you're arriving from elsewhere, you're almost certainly going to have to transfer trains or buses at least once. Siena is ...more
First of all, you should know that the train station is far away from the town center. Exit the station and follow the signs to the bottom of the parking garage, where you can catch a bus to the centro—look ...more
We are sad to report that there are exactly eight dormitory beds in the entirety of Siena. Solo travelers had better nab one of those eight in advance or daytrip from elsewhere. If you have a friend with ...more
Thanks to Siena's slightly higher population of homegrown residents than those of similar Tuscan cities, the town has a large number of groceries and delis—great news for cheapskates. Avoid the restaurants ...more
You'll find a wealth of things to see in Siena, but the biggest attractions are Il Campo and the area around the Duomo. The six sights of the Duomo complex—Duomo, Baptistery, Crypt, Museo dell'Opera ...more
Siena’s Palio, hands-down the highlight of the town’s entertainment, overtakes the city twice each summer, transforming Siena into an exciting frenzy as people pack Il Campo to watch the bareback horse ...more
Buses connect Siena to Radda in Chianti (1hr., 4 per day, round-trip €5.80). Buses leave from Siena’s train station. Take bus 9 to the station from P. Gramsci. Buses also connect Radda to Florence ...more
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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