Bologna or Siena day trip?

The food in Siena is also very good... In fact, it's in Tuscany which is well regarded for its marvelous cuisine. Plus Siena has a beautiful piazza, lovely duomo, an interesting museum inside their city hall, a tall tower to climb for lovely views, in a sweet medieval town.

Siena would be my vote. There are lots of traffic free zones, the duomo is amazing and there is a wonderful pottery shop right on the piazza.... Bologna is great but having done only a day trip there, I got the feeling that it would be best enjoyed with an overnight stay. The food is wonderful either place.

Siena is probably more convenient, but the food in Bologna is wonderful and there are interesting things to see as well. Just off Piazza Maggiore is Vicolo Colombina, and halfway down the block is La Colombina restaurant. Small and fabulous, seating outside or inside, the panna cotta is so good I never order it anywhere else.

I haven't been to Siena yet, but I loved Bologna. The buildings are beautiful - very unique, even after seeing dozens of other Italian cities and towns. The food was great, and I loved walking around the historic university campus, seeing the gardens, etc.

I have to disagree with George that Siena is more of the same as Florence. Siena is medieval and hilly, Florence is Renaissance and flat. One was more aligned with the papacy, the other opposed that political alliance. Both are worth seeing, but if your main interest is food, Bologna.

Siena, since food never would make my top 100 reasons to visit any place. Sienna in late June is especially exciting as they prepare for the Palio di Siena in July.

George, the OP asked " Any thoughts or suggestions?"

I made one of each.

Both Siena and Bologna are two of my favorite towns. Siena would be closer to Florence. Siena would be my choice because it is so uniquely different that lots of Italian cities with the different neighborhoods ( I usually stay in the Goose contrada) and the wonderful Campo and Duomo. Bologna would be my choice for food. I have lots of favorite restaurants there. There is lots to see in Bologna too...San Petrino church and the piazza surrounding it is a favorite place for gelato and to sit and watch people. Wonderful fountain in the piazza too. PM me if you decide on Bologna and want my restaurant recommendations.

Finding good restaurants in either Siena or Bologna requires the same luck or resources or menu-reading skill as finding them in any other city. Siena is much richer in historical sites, while Bologna's old town is pretty small and surrounded by a rather ugly new town. With limited time for your vacation, I would not make time for Bologna until you've seen much more of Italy, including Siena.

We are going next week for our now annual holiday in Bologna. It is a city that is both laid back and vibrant with everyday life going on around you. Within Italy it has the reputation as one of the friendliest places in the country and this has been our experience. We just potter around and take a day trip or two to other towns and cities if the mood takes us. Last year it was Parma (first time) and Florence (a return visit after 10 years). There are many historical and interesting things to see in the city, it has one of the largest and best preserved medieval historical centres in Italy and rewards exploring. Take a look at this guide to the city to see what I mean

http://www.emiliaromagnaturismo.it/en/publications/donwloads/GuidaBologna.pdf/view?searchterm=guides

We have been to both, and much prefer Siena over Bologna. We found Siena to be beautiful and the medieval character of the city fascinating, whereas Bologna struck us as, well, uninspiring. Siena is an easy and comfortable bus ride from Florence, you arrive in Piazza Gramsci, right in the heart of things. Travel to Bologna is not hard either, I suppose, and you could consider Italo train as a travel option from Florence. Don't know about bus connections. As for food, I am aware of Bologna's reputation but can truly say we have eaten well everywhere we have been in Italy. Actually, we have been to Bologna twice, as recently as last week, and my opinion remains the same. Safe travels wherever you choose to go.

If it's food you're after, which restaurant you go to matters too, so get some good recommendations before you go. Siena is more compact and picturesque, with a beautiful main square (Piazza del Campo) and narrow hilly streets. Bologna is a larger city, feels more urbanized, has an impressive main square (piazza Maggiore - when I was there it was set up for a huge open air cinema!), the streets are wider, and there's a lot more traffic, but fewer tourists. Two very different cities with distinct characters.

My husband and I will in Rome Nov1-2 and would like to go to and be in Bologna before 5:00 pm on Nov3 (with the intention of making a quick visit to Sienna and Florence). Then on November 4 we would like to go straight to Milan.
Any advice how we can do it (by train ?) and what train should we take?

We are leaving Milan on Nov 5 with our flight at 6:00 am. Is it safe to stay overnight at Linate airport because if we stay in a hotel we are afraid that we might miss the flight if there is no taxi available at 3:00 am to go to the airport.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Josefina - My husband and I will in Rome Nov1-2 and would like to go to and be in Bologna before 5:00 pm on Nov3 (with the intention of making a quick visit to Sienna and Florence). Then on November 4 we would like to go straight to Milan.
Any advice how we can do it (by train ?) and what train should we take?

It sounds like you plan to leave Rome early on Nov 3 with luggage in tow, visit Siena, visit Florence, and arrive in Bologna late in the afternoon. The train station in Siena is some distance from the historic center, so most people take a bus.

The 4.00 train from Florence will get you to Bologna at 4.35 p.m. It's about 1-1/2 hours by train from Rome to Florence, with frequent trains (€19 per person). If you get to Termini before 6.30, you could be in Florence by 8.00 a.m. There is a left luggage facility in the train station. Allow at least 15 minutes to check your bags and again to claim them, as there is often only one attendant and you may have to wait in line. That gives you 7 to 7.5 hours to see a bit of Florence. Maybe someone will add the bus schedule for Siena. It's about an hour's bus ride from Florence to Siena. Allowing 2 hours for the round-trip bus ride, I guess you could spend a couple of hours there, and get back to Florence in time for an hour or two (at best) to walk around the center before going on to Bologna.