Siena, Italy
76%
76%
What's Hot
Sightseeing, Culture, Weather, Chilling Out
Sightseeing, Culture, Weather, Chilling Out
What's Not
Partying, Things To Do, Shopping, Eating Out
Partying, Things To Do, Shopping, Eating Out
Also Check Out …
Restaurants
Siena Reviews ( 49 reviews )
| Siena Reviews |
by dprent
| 23 Jun 2006 | 80% |
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Not bad, further from Siena than advertised. Would be useful to post directions from train station too |
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by Antonio3
| 2 May 2007 | 100% |
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Great medieval Tuscany town, very easy to walk around. Excellent for sightseeing and for people who like history and architecture. Tuscany is fantastic and the people are great: easy going, laid-back and hospitable. |
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by niamh
| 17 May 2007 | 100% |
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Beautiful Italian city in the heart of Tuscany. Chill out in Piazza del Campo. Check out the Furla bag shop! |
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by valtonen
| 5 Sep 2006 | 20% |
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Lovely town in Tuscany, just the right size, everything close at hand. Lots to see and places to visit, but also ideal for just relaxing and enjoying yourself too. I definitely recommend!!! |
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by kamaa
| 31 Jul 2006 | 80% |
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FLorence is filled with museums, culture and more, but what many people miss is the nighttime music and fun in the piazzas. Pick up a copy fo the Florentine to see whats going one. there were about 7 different festivals going on the nights we were there. |
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by Cattibrie
| 19 Sep 2006 | 100% |
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Ok, ok, by this stage of the trip everyone is probably thinking.. not another bloody cathedral, but if you visit Siena, the Duomo is worth checking out. This cathedral in my view is one of the prettiest in Europe, and while it lacks in size compared to the Duomo in Florence, the Duomo makes up for this with the pictures made from black and white marbled on floor and the blue domed ceiling with yellow stars covering it... |
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by idiote
| 13 Jun 2006 | 80% |
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Siena is beautiful and relaxed. Their is very little traffic. Everything is accessible by foot, minibussi or the cheap taxis. Restaurants abound as do sights to see. Also a great base to explore other places in Tuscany such as San Gimingano and Montepulciano. It is also clean and non threatening, so unlike bigger Italian cities Rome and Florence. No beggars or hassling street vendors. Just sun, history and shady cobbled streets. Can't wait to return to this historical wonder. |
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by eatbanku
| 1 Jul 2005 | 80% |
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If you're going to go to Siena, make an effort to arrive either for the July 2nd or August 16th Palios. its worth the crowds for the best and most exciting cultural exhibit that i've ever seen. on the day of the palio, all the members of the different contradas, or neighborhoods (of which there are 17) dress in their contrada 'colors' and are having parades through the winding medievil streets. at about 4:00, Il Campo is closed off (the main city square) and the parades continue, with the different teams competing for the best flagthrowing skills (seriously, this description does the scene no justice). finally, the race is almost ready to begin which will determine the 'premier' contrada for the next year, and will award the prize: the palio, depicting an image of the virgin mary. once the horses have been lined up, they will race three times around Il Campo at breakneck speed (riders WILL fall off!!) in the end, a horse can even win without their rider, and the crowds will erupt in cheers, or conversly, cries of disappointment (yes, i saw grown men crying that their contrada had lost). the winners will parade through the streets. DO NOT MISS THIS!!! |
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by kirstyth
| 1 Nov 2006 | 80% |
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Nice place to cruise around and relax for the day but probably no longer..unless you really love eating out and drinking ocffeee at cafes. can be quite expensive for backpackers. |
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by Ashtonco
| 8 Sep 2006 | 80% |
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Sienna was gorgeous, but its a place to 'soak up the feel of' rather than a place to visit if you're the type of person that likes to rush from site to site playing tourist. We ate, drank and meandered our way through three days there and it was fabulous! |
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by trekkers
| 3 Aug 2006 | 40% |
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A beautiful city for a stopover in Tuscany. 2-3 days is enough unless you are using it as a base in which you should extend your stay there. |
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by Marse9232
| 13 Jun 2006 | 80% |
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A great city, not too big, not too small, with an authentic medieval feel in the historic centre but with lively atmosphere and lots of young people around. Fantastic food like elsewhere in Italy, just forget that British crap! |
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by mattcle
| 31 Aug 2006 | 100% |
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So good, peaceful , quiet. Micheal ans Sabrina are incredibly helpful and were born in Siena. Kitchen, free internet, and cable TV with CNN and BBC world so ENglish. Loved it here. |
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by Diz---Si
| 12 Aug 2006 | 100% |
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We stayed one night and it was a pleasant saty, owner,s husband greeted us at the door and was friendly, informative and interesting to talk to. We found the location a little noisey at 2 am to 5am due to locals talking loudly in the streets (I think due to the horse racing event that is on wednesday) little sleep! Other than that we thought the place was relaxing facilities to cook were great and easy to get to attractions and commodities. |
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by curlz7419
| 28 Jul 2006 | 80% |
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Sienna was so picturesque and beautiful, my mate and i really loved it and want to come back soon as possible, its not necessarily great for 'partying' and whatnot, but its nice and quiet and a real italin place to stay.plus the food is great. and its not too expensive.and you really cant beat tuscany. the train ride is amazing. |
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by elainem1317
| 9 Jul 2006 | 80% |
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It was like going back in time. They have done a wonderful job of taking care of the old and not letting the modern world of the big city take it over. |
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by erik97908
| 23 Sep 2006 | 80% |
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Siena is tucked away and built to sooth the traveler as oppose to party all night long. Being a hill town, you will get a little workout as you walk around town. |
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by Passag6548
| 27 Jun 2006 | 80% |
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Very fun to see the community coming together for the horse race. Lots of crowds and singing. The center was too hot with no breeze. |
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by stevest
| 11 Aug 2006 | 60% |
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go when the Palio festival is on. otherwise not a lot to do in this small town. |
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by Gollumsess
| 8 Jul 2006 | 80% |
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Lovely little town full of charm, a compact Florence with wonderful ice cream parlours on every corner. It's a pain to find a decent restaurant on a budget, you can eat better in bigger towns. But it's a great vantage point for exploring Tuscany, more so than Florence. Transport links between small Tuscan towns are fairly good and the tourist office is helpful |
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by Aspvid
| 8 Aug 2006 | 60% |
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It is free to park on the roads that lead up to Siena, inside it costs money and is hard to find a spare space. You can usually drive up and leave stuff at you hostel, then leave the car outside the walls. |
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by seventh3997
| 3 Aug 2006 | 100% |
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Siena didn't hit my fully until i saw that glorious piazza. It's a wonderful medieval city, that was built so well in its initial construction that it's hardly aged. It takes a little while to get how old it is. The piazza is as the hype suggests: the-best-in-Italy. I spent hours just chilling out there, reading, writing, and listening to sound of people enjoying themselves. Bloody Brilliant. |
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by gchri921
| 2 Aug 2006 | 60% |
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It's a great city (i liked it more than florence) esp during the night when its less crowded (many visit for an one day trip). Piazza del campo is marvelous! |
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by anton3102
| 2 Sep 2006 | 40% |
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If you are in a really beautiful city, with centurys of history and nice places, but later your memorys of this city are not good... what had happened? what was the problem? People, maybe. |
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by Donniemi
| 20 Aug 2006 | 20% |
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Staying in Siena is great because it allows you to experience the nightlife, which is quite different then the day time when it's full of tourists. |
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by KAEll
| 12 Sep 2006 | 100% |
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Preferred Siena over Florence. Has the culture and the sites, but without all of the tourists of Florence. |
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by candl660
| 28 Oct 2006 | 60% |
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Siena itself has a bunch of stores for shopping, but there really isn't a whole lot going on here other than seeing Il Campo and the Duomo. Food places are okay. You can get around by bus, but it's not as easy as you'd think. |
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by lgmelc
| 22 Oct 2006 | 80% |
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wonderful! be aware that they are on the second floor of a building without a lift, but the rooms are clean and bright and the location is excellent! we loved staying there. |
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by Chryz
| 13 Jan 2007 | 80% |
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I stayed here with my wife and it was a nice place, but It needs some work, The building manager doesnt sleep there, He has a phone to call if you have issues. We stayed in January and the heat only comes on for a few hours. The room was pretty cold by morning. It was clean, but could have been cleaner in the bathroom. The location is good, but its a little bit of a walk up hill. |
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by vinly
| 27 Oct 2006 | 60% |
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Very difficult to find your way around.Perhaps Sienna could run shuttles up the hill as we lugged our backpacks a mile or so. |
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by solymart
| 29 Nov 2006 | 100% |
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Siena is just an amazing little city in which you can enjoy, as in the rest of Italy, of good food and the fantastic Chianti or Montelcino wine. We found this a fantastic location for a day trip to get to know the city and enjoy the beautiful ladscapes, the restaurants and the feeling of being in a city as other cities should be, not very big but not that small and very lively with a lot of people on the streets and a rich culture. |
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by melanie6956
| 5 Feb 2007 | 60% |
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Amazing city, though pretty much dead on a weekday night. So beautiful; great contrast to Florence! |
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by jamie2092
| 2 Feb 2007 | 60% |
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Siena is a beautiful town perfect for a weekend away. Lovely sights to see, including historical buildings such as the Duomo and il Campo, but a bit difficult to understand the sometimes cryptic bus system -- our suggestion is to, if you're unsure, ask the bus driver if your desired stop is on the trip. Otherwise, a great place to go shop a little, walk around, and maybe get outside the city to the countryside. |
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| 18 Mar 2007 | 40% |
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It was freezing and raining while we were there, but otherwise would have been much nicer to hang out in the town squares etc...Not as much to see, better for hanging out and getting pizza, going to the great bakeries and seeing some art and churches. There is a lot of shopping (not many deals though) and getting around can be done on foot. We didn't get the party vibe, but then again we couldn't bear the cold long enough to go out at night....seemed more like a restaurant wine vibe to us. |
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by jorgenson511
| 4 Apr 2007 | 100% |
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In Siena only one night. Was difficult for me to find the hotel with pack on back up and down hills - may have been just bad luck. Next time I would roll my suitcase around. Cannot remember name of wine bar not far from Albergo La Perla, had restaurant downstairs. Wine bar was excellent - great service & atmosphere. It went from dead to very busy to dead while I polished off 6 glasses of wine, wrote and ate enough snacks to call it dinner all for under $20 Euros. Worth leaving a good tip! |
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| 1 Apr 2007 | 80% |
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I loved Siena! For a day, maybe longer if you want to truly explore all the museums...There isn't a ton to do, but it is very relaxing. The food was amazing and most of the time we could find little osterias with very reasonable prices. The weather was warm in the day time, and we went in late March early April. Getting around is easy if you don't mind walking alot. The buses from outside to the center are a bit confusing, but that's Italy for you. |
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by barryc186461
| 6 Apr 2007 | 80% |
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Beautiful place. One of the best piazzas ive seen in Italy, spent hours sitting there. Lovely places to eat. Easy to get to with trains. Italy doesnt seem to have much of a night scene but the cafe culture is great. |
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| 18 Apr 2007 | 100% |
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Sienna is a perfect getaway town! Very romantic and perfect for a relaxing holiday. |
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| 6 Apr 2007 | 80% |
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Tons of tourists, be careful in the street markets, the vendors will definitely take advantage of you. Also, some of the people in the shops and cafes are not so friendly, so patience is necessary. |
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by Donal
| 10 Aug 2007 | 100% |
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Siena is worth a visit at any time of the year, but obviously the twice-yearly Palio horserace (2 July and 16 August) is the tourist highlight. The mediaeval city center doesn’t like like it has changed much since the middle ages and the city is a delight to walk around. The main square, the Piazza del Campo is oddly fan-shaped and slopes into the bargain. It is one of the nicest squares in Italy I think, but its beauty was in my view marred slightly by too many tacky souvenir stalls. The Palazzo Pubblico on the square is famous for its pre-Renaissance frescoes, which are well worth seeing, as is the climb up to the bell tower. Not for the lazy or elderly perhaps, but the views over the city from the top are fantastic. Siena’s cathedral is also well worth visiting - it is probably one of the most beautiful in Italy - the marble floors are amazing, as is the gilded dome. There are lots of other things to see in Siena so if you get the chance, stay a while! |
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