Siena itinerary: 1 to 2 days
Plans for one and two days in Siena, day by day: Piazza del Campo, the Torre del Mangia, the Palazzo Pubblico, the Cathedral with the Piccolomini Library and Santa Maria della Scala first, then the Pinacoteca Nazionale, Palazzo Salimbeni, the Fortezza Medicea and the Basilica of San Francesco on a second day. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 2 days
Siena in 1 day
Day 1
Piazza del Campo
Siena's shell-shaped main square, sloping down to the Palazzo Pubblico, with the Fonte Gaia fountain; the Palio horse race is run around it.
Torre del Mangia
The slender 14th-century bell tower of the Palazzo Pubblico, climbed for views over the Campo, the rooftops and the Tuscan hills.
Palazzo Pubblico (Museo Civico)
Gothic town hall on the Campo whose Museo Civico holds Simone Martini's Maestà and Lorenzetti's frescoes of Good and Bad Government.
Baptistery of San Giovanni
The baptistery under the Cathedral's apse, with frescoed vaults and a font with bronze panels by Donatello, Ghiberti and Jacopo della Quercia.
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and Facciatone
The Cathedral museum, home to Duccio's Maestà, with a climb to the Facciatone, the unfinished new cathedral's wall, for a view over Siena.
Siena Cathedral and Piccolomini Library
Striped marble Gothic cathedral with an inlaid marble floor, Pisano's pulpit and the brightly frescoed Piccolomini Library by Pinturicchio.
Basilica of San Domenico
Large brick Gothic church linked to Saint Catherine of Siena, with her chapel and relics, and a view across to the Cathedral.
Santa Maria della Scala
One of Europe's oldest hospitals, opposite the Cathedral, now a museum with frescoed wards, chapels and underground archaeology rooms.
Siena in 2 days
Day 1
Piazza del Campo
Siena's shell-shaped main square, sloping down to the Palazzo Pubblico, with the Fonte Gaia fountain; the Palio horse race is run around it.
Santa Maria dei Servi
Hilltop church in the south-east of the old town with medieval Sienese paintings and a quiet view back over the city.
Palazzo Pubblico (Museo Civico)
Gothic town hall on the Campo whose Museo Civico holds Simone Martini's Maestà and Lorenzetti's frescoes of Good and Bad Government.
Torre del Mangia
The slender 14th-century bell tower of the Palazzo Pubblico, climbed for views over the Campo, the rooftops and the Tuscan hills.
Pinacoteca Nazionale
Siena's national picture gallery, in two Gothic palaces, with the city's school of gold-ground painting from the 13th to 16th centuries.
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and Facciatone
The Cathedral museum, home to Duccio's Maestà, with a climb to the Facciatone, the unfinished new cathedral's wall, for a view over Siena.
Baptistery of San Giovanni
The baptistery under the Cathedral's apse, with frescoed vaults and a font with bronze panels by Donatello, Ghiberti and Jacopo della Quercia.
Santa Maria della Scala
One of Europe's oldest hospitals, opposite the Cathedral, now a museum with frescoed wards, chapels and underground archaeology rooms.
Day 2
Basilica of San Domenico
Large brick Gothic church linked to Saint Catherine of Siena, with her chapel and relics, and a view across to the Cathedral.
Fortezza Medicea
16th-century Medici fortress whose broad brick walls are now a public park with walks, views and the regional wine shop.
Siena Cathedral and Piccolomini Library
Striped marble Gothic cathedral with an inlaid marble floor, Pisano's pulpit and the brightly frescoed Piccolomini Library by Pinturicchio.
Palazzo Salimbeni
Gothic palace on Piazza Salimbeni, long the headquarters of the Monte dei Paschi bank, one of the world's oldest banks; seen from the square.
Basilica of San Francesco
Large Franciscan church on the east edge of the old town, with frescoes by the Lorenzetti brothers and a cloister.
Sanctuary of Saint Catherine
The house where Catherine of Siena grew up, now a sanctuary of chapels, a cloister and a loggia with views of the city.
Fontebranda
Siena's grandest medieval fountain, with Gothic arches at the foot of the old tanners' quarter below the cathedral.
Watch: Siena
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Siena
April to June and September to October bring mild weather for walking the hills, while July and August are hot and busy with day-trippers. The Palio horse race fills the Campo on 2 July and 16 August, with packed streets and hotels around those dates. Winter is cool and quiet, with short days.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Siena on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Siena on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Siena on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Italy from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Siena
- Entry to the Torre del Mangia is timed and limited to small groups, so buy the ticket early in the day or ahead; the climb has around 400 steps and no lift.
- A combined pass covers the Cathedral, the Piccolomini Library, the Baptistery and the Museo dell'Opera with the Facciatone panorama; the Facciatone also lets in small groups at a time.
- The Cathedral's inlaid marble floor is mostly covered to protect it and is uncovered only for some weeks of the year, usually in late summer and autumn.
- The historic centre is a limited-traffic zone; park in the car parks outside the walls, several linked to the centre by escalators, or come by bus or train.
- Cover shoulders and knees for the Cathedral and the city's churches, and wear good shoes: Siena sits on three hills and its lanes are steep.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Baptistery of San Giovanni: gaspa, CC BY 2.0
- Basilica of San Domenico: Gryffindor, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Basilica of San Francesco: Gryffindor stitched by Marku1988 This image was created with Hugin., CC BY-SA 3.0
- Fontebranda: MarkusMark, Public domain
- Fortezza Medicea: Sailko, CC BY 3.0
- Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and Facciatone: Miguel Hermoso Cuesta, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Palazzo Pubblico (Museo Civico): MarkusMark, Public domain
- Palazzo Salimbeni: . Ray in Manila, CC BY 2.0
- Piazza del Campo: Ricardo André Frantz (User:Tetraktys), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Pinacoteca Nazionale: Matteo Tani, Public domain
- Sanctuary of Saint Catherine: Of the individual pictures, Gryffindor, of the panorama, Roland Geider (Ogre), Public domain
- Santa Maria dei Servi: Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Santa Maria della Scala: Jastrow, Public domain
- Siena Cathedral and Piccolomini Library: Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Torre del Mangia: David McSpadden from Daly City, United States, CC BY 2.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
