There are two ways to get to Siena by public transport: train or coach. I took the train from Florence. The train station in Siena is to the north of the city centre and a 30 minute walk to the main city centre square, the Piazza del Campo. It’s a beautiful walk though, through the streets of the old city, a world heritage site.
You enter through one of the cities main gates then the walk is fairly flat straight into the city. There are a few small shops along the way so you can get a drink or ice cream if it’s hot.
Many tourists choose to day trip to Siena as the city centre is quite small, but that means you are there with all the other tourists, when the city is busy. It’s better to stay overnight so you can see the city early in the morning when it’s quiet or in the evening when the tourists have mainly left and the city chills out.
Booking ahead, meant I got a couple of nice places to stay at. I wasn’t able to get 2 nights in the same place, but that made it more interesting, staying in two heritage buildings. The owners spoke good English and were quite friendly. Siena already seemed a more relaxed place than hectic Florence.
And really that’s what I liked most about Siena. It was a nicer place to be than Florence, which these days is way too over-touristy. People in Siena had more time for you, and that is much more enjoyable.
There are the main tourist sites which are in all the guide books. The Piazza del Campo is stunning. The Duomo is beautiful inside and out. The fortress has good views over the city and pleasant walks around its walls. The market around the fort is huge and fun with so much to browse.
But with a bit more time you can see more of the back streets and come across lesser known gems.
I walked out to three of the city gates and along the way there were beautiful buildings, small parks, churches and panoramas out across the surrounding countryside.
There are many restaurants, and the pasta had some options other than the usual dishes, somewhere really to find out more about Italian food.
Wandering the streets in the early morning, there were few people about and it was really pleasant, even in summer before the sun got hotter in the middle of the day. The Italians like to take their daily stroll in the early evenings, so that is a good time for people watching.
There was a photography exhibition in the ground floor of the Palazzo Pubblico which had some great black and white photos, and not too busy. You could have a good look around and it was free.
Siena was one of my favourite places on my recent north Italian train journey. I really enjoyed it there, and I’d be happy to revisit one day.