Day trip from Florence Siena
A medieval hill city 70 km south of Florence, built around the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo and a cathedral with an inlaid marble floor.
Is Siena worth a day trip from Florence?
Go. Take the whole day.
Yes, and give it a full day. Siena has enough for 6 hours without rushing: the Campo, the cathedral complex, the climb up the Facciatone and the streets of the contrade. The express bus takes 1 h 15 and the train 1 h 28, both roughly hourly on weekdays. Two catches. On Sundays and holidays the cathedral only opens at 13:30 and the express bus drops to a handful of runs, so go on a weekday. And the OPA SI Pass costs € 16 while the marble floor is uncovered, until 15 November 2026, and € 14 the rest of the year.
The decision sheet
- Travel time
- 1 h 15by express bus; the direct train takes 1 h 28 · one way · Autolinee Toscane, line 131R timetable
- Transport
- Rapida bus 131R
- Self-guided cost
- € 35.60–37.60Regional train return (€ 10.80 each way) + OPA SI Pass for the cathedral complex (€ 14, or € 16 while the floor is uncovered) · Trenitalia
- Tour price
- From € 58.50Civitatis catalogue
- Time needed
- 5–7 hDaytripo editorial
- Closed days
- None; Sundays and holidays the cathedral opens at 13:30
- Best time
- Weekdays, Apr-Oct; floor uncovered until 15 Nov 2026Daytripo editorial
- Verdict
- Worth a full dayDaytripo editorial
What to see and do in Siena
- 01
Piazza del Campo
The shell-shaped brick square that slopes down to the Palazzo Pubblico, divided into nine wedges. Sit on the bricks for 20 minutes as locals do. It costs nothing.
- 02
Cathedral and its floor
A black and white striped interior with 56 inlaid marble floor panels, the Piccolomini Library and a Nicola Pisano pulpit. Allow an hour. The floor is fully visible only when uncovered.
- 03
Facciatone
The unfinished wall of a planned giant nave, climbed from inside the cathedral museum by a narrow spiral stair. Small groups go up in turns for a view over the Campo.
- 04
Baptistery and crypt
Under the cathedral's east end: a font with bronze panels by Donatello and Ghiberti, and a crypt of 13th-century frescoes found in 1999. Both are on the pass and take 30 minutes together.
- 05
Contrade streets
Seventeen districts, each with its own fountain, flag and animal emblem on the street corners. Walk from the Campo to the Fontebranda spring and up to San Domenico in about 40 minutes.
Good forOld towns and villagesArt and museumsChurches and monasteries
How to spend the day
Leave on the 08:10 direct train from Santa Maria Novella, in Siena at 09:38, or the 09:10 Rapida bus, at Via Tozzi by 10:25. Start at the cathedral when it opens at 10:00 and use the pass for the baptistery, crypt and museum. Lunch near the Campo around 13:00, then walk the contrade. Head back on the 17:10 or 18:20 bus, or the 19:18 train. The last weekday bus leaves at 20:45, the last train at 21:40.
Siena in summer and in winter
Summer
June to AugustJune to August is hot on the brick, with little shade in the Campo after 11:00. The Palio runs on 2 July and 16 August: the square is closed off, trial races fill the four days before and buses home are full. The cathedral floor is uncovered from 27 June to 31 July 2026 and again from 18 August.
Winter
December to FebruaryFrom 16 November the floor is mostly covered and the pass drops to € 14. Days are short, so do the cathedral complex first and be on the Campo by 15:30 for the last light. The hill catches cold wind. Weekday buses and trains run as usual, and you will have the streets almost to yourself.
How crowded it gets
Very busy- Busiest
- Apr-Oct, 11:00-16:00, and the Palio days
- Quietest
- Before 10:30, after 17:00, Nov-Mar weekdays
Coach groups get about 2 hours in town and spend them between the Campo and the cathedral around midday. Be at the cathedral door at 10:00, eat late, and save the contrade streets for the busy hours.
How do you get to Siena from Florence?
Express bus
- Travel time
- 1 h 15
- Frequency
- About hourly on weekdays, 6 runs on Sundays
- Departs from
- Firenze Autostazione, Via Santa Caterina da Siena, beside Santa Maria Novella
Take line 131R, the Rapida, and avoid the plain 131, which stops in every town. It ends at Via Tozzi, at the edge of the old centre. The fare follows the fast extra-urban tariff by distance. Buy in the at bus app or at the station counter before boarding.
Train
- Travel time
- 1 h 28
- Frequency
- Hourly direct, at :10 past
- Cost
- € 10.80 each way
- Departs from
- Firenze Santa Maria Novella
Direct regional trains, no reservation. Trains that require a change at Empoli take 1 h 48, so pick the :10 departures. Siena station sits below the old town. Follow the signs to the escalators through the shopping centre opposite, or take a city bus up.
Organized tour
- Travel time
- 10.5 to 11.5 hours door to door
- Frequency
- Daily
- Cost
- From € 58.50
- Departs from
- Piazzale Montelungo, behind Santa Maria Novella station
Coach tours combine Siena with San Gimignano and either Pisa or a Chianti winery. You get about 2 hours in Siena, guided walk included, which is a sample and no more. Pick it only if you want several towns in one day.
Practical: clothes, food and money
What to wear
Shoes with good soles: Siena is all slopes on smooth stone, slippery when wet. Shoulders and knees must be covered in the cathedral. Bring a wind layer from October to April and a hat for the Campo in summer.
What to eat
Order pici, thick hand-rolled pasta, with garlic and tomato or with breadcrumbs, and ribollita in the colder months. Cured meats from cinta senese pigs are on most boards. Buy panforte and ricciarelli almond biscuits to take away. Streets behind the Campo are calmer than the square itself.
What you will spend
Travel is € 10.80 each way by train. The OPA SI Pass at € 14, or € 16 while the floor is uncovered, covers the cathedral, baptistery, crypt, museum and Facciatone. The Campo and the contrade cost nothing. The tower of the Palazzo Pubblico is a separate ticket.
How to get the most out of the day
- Buy the cathedral pass online for a set day and skip the ticket office queue beside the cathedral, which is slow in high season.
- From the train station, the escalators through the shopping centre opposite take about 10 minutes and leave you a short walk from Porta Camollia.
- A day trip is the wrong format for the Palio. Standing in the Campo means entering by early afternoon and waiting hours in the sun.
- The return bus leaves from Via Tozzi, the same stop where you arrived. Buy the ticket back in the morning to avoid the evening queue.
How long do you need in Siena?
Plan 5–7 h on site, plus 1 h 15 of travel each way from Florence.
When is Siena closed?
None; Sundays and holidays the cathedral opens at 13:30. Best time: Weekdays, Apr-Oct; floor uncovered until 15 Nov 2026.