3 days in Florence should I do a day trip to Siena

Yes! We just left Siena and it is awesome. Great shops and old history.

Three days is not a lot of time for visiting Florence. I would save Siena for another trip when you have more time. Donna

I vote for the day trip to Siena.

We really enjoyed Siena and if it is something you want to spend a day doing, it's very easy to do from Florence. If you have never been in Florence though, there is also a lot to see and do there. When you say 3 days for Florence is it really only 2+ because of travel time or is it a full 3 days plus travel time. If its really only 2+, I'd stay in Florence and save Siena for a next trip.

I would try to see both if possible. You never know if you will return to Italy, so if you visit both Siena and Florence (and miss some sights ) you will have all the more reason to return. I prefer the mix of big city and smaller town, so I would have a hard time being in Florence for 3 days and giving up Siena, since it is so close.

Since it's so easy to side trip to Siena, you could make your final decision once you're there. If you're enjoying Florence and it's filling your 3 days, save Siena for another trip. If you've visited all the sights on your list and have extra time, just want a change of scenery or find yourself thinking "I'll regret it if I get home and didn't see Siena," then hop one of the nearly-hourly buses and visit for the day (or even part of the day).

We're in Florence for a week and would agree that you can plan it while you are here. In particular, it depends on what your interests are in Florence. We did a winery tour in Greve/Grevite rather than going to Sienna because we wanted to see a winery (being from the SF Bay area). We can recommend the Castillo del Verrazanno tour, which was also "young teen " friendly. The winery educated us about the wine culture in Italy, having young children taste wine at an early age and having them also participate (one wine) in the tasting as part of the lunch. The youngsters all participated which made it particularly memorable for them. Sorry for oversharing on this point, but my point is that with a family, you may find a unique experience in the Sienna area.

I would say it depends on your tastes and what you plan to do when you're in Florence. Are you planning on going to the museums?? If so, you may not want to leave Florence after less than three days. I would also consider how likely you are to return to Italy to either see sites you missed in Florence or Siena. If you are confident you will return I would enjoy Florence and save Siena for your next trip. Either way I do not think you will be disapointed. There is enough to keep you busy in Florence for much longer than three days and Siena is a beautiful city. This is a win-win decision!!

Thank you very much for your responses. This will be my first time in Florence and I have planeed a busy two day schedule. I like the idea of deciding about Siena once I'm there. If I feel as though I have seen a great deal of Florence I will visit Siena, if not I will stay in Florence for the 3rd day and take more advantage of the Firenze card that I will purchase.

Hi Mike, I am an American living in Siena. Yes, Siena is a gem of a town but it really comes alive if you read a little bit of its history first, or after, your trip. It was an early democracy, women had the vote, it suffered from the Plague and also Florence's aggression, the contrada system is a unique social structure not found elsewhere . . . just like a good friend, the more I learn about Siena, the more I love it.