Day or overnight trip to Sienna

A day would certainly be enough to see Sienna. It doesn't have that much as far as museums go, but it is a wonderful place just to hang out. It is beautiful. I have always felt that Florence has better art but SIenna is more beautiful. I would certainly suggest spending a night.

I would recommend staying at : http://www.hotelborgognini.it/

I have stayed there a few times and I love it as I love Sienna.

Spend a night. It's a great place to spend an evening.

I agree with the other posters. It would be a shame to go to Siena and miss seeing it at sunset. The view from either the fort (across from the bus station) or the grounds of the San Domenico Church looking back at the Duomo is absolutely spectacular in the setting sun!

Do a day trip, it's a pain to pack up your stuff only 1 night.

spend the night. it is completely different after the day tourists have left. i have been there three times, and stayed one night twice. it is worth the packing and unpacking. actually the sights are very impressive and can easily use up a day. the campo is awesome day or night. the quality of food is excellent, and huge shopping opportunities if that is your thing. have fun be safe.

If you can, spend the night (or two or three...). Sienna is such a wonderful city to just relax in. If you are packed light, then moving around shouldn't be an issue, right? ;-)

Sienna is easy to reach to/from Rome by bus if Rome will be on either end of your stay.

If you're using your own car I would say a day would be fine. We just returned from a trip to Italy. We did a day trip to Siena by bus and wished we had stayed overnight. By the time we walked to the bus, rode it for 1 1/2 hours and did a return it was a long day. Also, just acclimating and finding your way around takes awhile.

Another thought would be to keep your room in Florence and rent an inexpensive room in Siena just packing an overnight bag (someone from our B & B in Florence was doing this).

I think our expectations of the town were too high - we thought it would be smaller with no cars anywhere and that is not the case. Would love to return though.

While a day trip works well and you can see all the major sights, Siena is at its best in the evening after the crowds have departed. It's worth spending a night, but only if you can plan it before or after Florence and it's on the way to or from another destination. Otherwise, I suggest sticking with your original plan to do it as a day trip.

Just got back from a bus day trip to Siena during one of the biggest rain storms I have ever been in. It is a charming town with wonderful shops and art. You could easily take a bus from Florence and be back right after sunset. The ride is a little over an hour each way. The food and wine is wonderful and the Campo is very cool- not much as far as museums. Have fun!

Stay the night and treat yourself to one of the greatest Tuscan dining experiences you'l ever have! It is called Il Compaccio and it's right underneath Albergo Bernini? Enjoy!

We just returned from Italy yesterday after taking the Rick Steve's Heart of Italy 9 day tour. We added extra days after Rome and took the train(s) to Siena. We had the most wonderful time and really enjoyed the city. The best dining experience in our 14 days was in Siena at Antica Osteria da Divo (recommeded in Ricks Italy book). The food was over the top (we are real foodies) and we dined in ruins that we found under the establishment which dated back to the 14th century. The city in beautiful at sunset and we wish we had stayed longer. Cannot recommend enough that you stay at the Frances Lodge which is just out of town. Only five rooms and the setting and breakfasts are just what you might envision when visiting Italy. Again the most wonderful experience and the food was home made with a focus on local only. The people there were the best ever. Buses run every half hour to Florence and are easy to navigate even for the novice. The folks at the Lodge can help you with everything. It was a welcome break after the noise and people of the larger cities. However, I wouldn't want to go in the summer months. Enjoy

Is there no train service from Florence to Sienna, or is the bus just easier?

Also, Rick used to list the daytrip as a section in his Best of Europe book (it was in my 2005 version), but it's not part of the 2010. I wonder why.

There is train service from Florence to Siena, but many people prefer the bus because it arrives in the center of Siena and is just as fast as the train. The Siena train station is below the town and requires a bus or taxi ride up to the town (it's a fairly long walk).

Siena alone is easily a day trip. I did Siena and San Gimignano in one day and got back before dark. Piece of cake!

I am likewise going to Florence and want to spend a day in Siena. I was thinking about this and wondered if this could work: I have 3 days in Florence before going to Rome. I was going to spend the 2nd day visiting Siena. But what if I spend the first 2 days in Florence, and on the 3rd day, go to Siena, spend the day/eve and then leave to go straight to Rome instead of stopping in Florence again. Would that be logical? Also, does anyone know if luggage can be stored near the station while we explore?

We took a day trip to Sienna. We drove from Flornce to Rome and stopped there for lunch. We arived the day before the Palio (horse race). We actually arrived just in time to see the practice race. It was AMAZING! The town was lit up in their colorful costumes and flags. We stayed for lunch and then continued on our way. It was a great stop but not sure I would stay to spend the night. Depends on what you want to do. It is a beautiful town!

The best part of Siena is to be there in the evening (and thus stay overnight). Stay in the center of town so that you can enjoy one of the best main squares in all of Italy, enjoy a great meal, and one of the best evening strolls in Italy (with gelato). It's one of the most intimate, right-sized experiences of Italy for me. We stayed here for 3 nights and did the day-tripping to Florence for the art and museums. We felt like we came home at the end of the day.

But that's just our preference, of course.

A day is fine for Siena. Take bus from Florence.

I love Siena, so am completely biased and I'd say 'stay the night'. It's a smaller city than Florence and very atmospheric (and less crowded) at night. In summer, because of the palio, the locals are all in town and haven't migrated to the beaches, so it's pretty lively at night though incredibly crowded during the day. But if you're pressed for time, it's certainly do-able as a day trip. Go by bus from Florence.