Visiting Siena during Palio horse race??

Check to see if there are accommodations available for your night - the Palio may make your plan to visit Siena a daytrip. If you can find accommodation for one night, I would take it, although the Palio is televised live, so you could watch it without the crush of people.

I agree that you may have to change your plans and do Siena as a day trip, unless you already have your accommodations booked. But, I would still visit it on the day of the race just for the experience.

Not sure what your schedule is but Siena is amazing the full week leading up to the palio. The bands, the flags, the medieval garb, the trial runs with the horses go on all week. The race itself is amazing but unless you are right in the middle of the Campo you won't see much of it.

If you do end up doing Siena as a day trip, the bus schedule from Florence is quite good both morning and evening. Much better to take the bus than the train. The bus lets you off maybe 1/3 of a mile from the Campo but it's a flat walk and there's plenty to look at along the way. Siena is a beautiful city! Enjoy!!!!

Kate,

It wouldn't be my preference to be in Siena during the Palio as the crowds will be horrendous. That also provides fertile conditions for pickpockets to operate, due to the "crush" of people in Il Campo. On that day, the other sights will also be crowded, as well as restaurants and other facilities.

I agree that all the pageantry and so on leading up to the race is wonderful (I've seen some of it), but keep in mind that the actual race only lasts a few minutes and unless you're able to get a good vantage point, you won't see much of it. If you don't mind conditions like that during travel, then go for it.

In addition to checking hotel availability, I'd worry about bus seat availability on Palio day. On a train they allow standees - do they allow them on the bus? Or, if all the seats are sold out, do you not get on that bus? On the day of the Palio, I assume the trains will be packed going into Siena in the morning and out of Siena in the evening.

In other words, I'd go another day, seeing Siena as a daytrip from Florence on a non-Palio day.

I just think that should you find a hotel in Siena and be there on the Pallio day, it would be such a pity to miss it!

Just a thought, a good friend is a total horsey person and would NEVER go to Palio under any circumstances. Same reason she won't watch regular horse racing (especially steeplechase). It's a somewhat kept secret that horses are often injured during races and have to be put down on the spot. I would imagine with an event like the Palio the risk of injury skyrockets.

That's like going to Santa Clara, California this coming February 7, 2016.

I do not think any crowd you have seen could match the crowd at a Palio. If you want to experience it a day of collective craziness, well, do it. If you want a simple and plain tourist visit, choose another day. BTW, as all people from Siena living abroad (this means also any other Italian city) will try to go back for the race, hotels may be packed. If you choose to visit, be sure to reserve as soon as possible.

If you can go for a few days before the Palio, Siena is beautiful and you can experience all the items leading up to the race. The Contrada dinners are nice to attend. I was in Siena last year for the Palio for 4 day and loved every day there. We got inside the square around 2pm for our spot. Be prepared to sit/stand for afew hours till the race starts. You can buy seats but a little expensive.

The crowds are just like any other big festival. BUt i'd worry about accommodations as most sell out for palio week.

Kate,

Two years ago, we almost did not go to the Palio because of the doom and gloom that so many posters warned us about. At the last minute, we did go and it was the single best event that I have had in Europe over the last 15 years that I have been travelling to Europe.

We drove to Siena and parked at the train station about noon on the day of the Palio. There were plenty of spaces and we to the centro. (We approached Siena from the northwest, knew exactly where we were going, and did not get mixed up in Siena traffic). The pageantry that is in the streets of Siena was great. We entered the Campo about 5:30 through the last gate that was open and headed to the right where there is a slight rise to the Campo. We did not see every single second of the race, but we saw most of it. The seats that can be purchased go for hundreds of euros and we paid nothing. Are there pickpockets, sure we saw one suspicious character and took a picture of him and he moved. Be smart; use money belts. Have you ever been to a major league football or baseball game, that is what the crowds are like, except they speak Italian. I read some of the other posts and it makes it sound like it Siena is bunch of raving mobs on Palio day. It is grandmas, families with little kids, groups of grade school kids who are passionate about their contrada. We had a great time before the race, talking to people from Siena and asking who they were routing for and who they didn't want to win. (What is up the She-Wolf, no one wanted them to win)?? It is not just a 3 minute race, but the pageantry before the race, the race and ceremony in the Campo, and celebration of the winning contrada parading through the streets of Siena. We saw several grown men crying, because their contrada had won. If you are lucky enough to be in Tuscany during this time, go to Siena and experience the Palio. You will be talking about it for years to come.

Thank you all so much for your responses. I'm still torn only because my husband would rather not be in a crowd, but I have been able to find a hotel for the night and he told me to book it if I really want to. It will be our last day in Tuscany. Will the town be closed or will everything be open so we can still see the city? We aren't going on purpose that day to see the race although it's a great plus to have the event while we're there. As long as we can still see what we want to see I think I'll go, but if everything is closed maybe Tuscany is our first stop on this trip rather than our last.

My son and daughter I law were there in August for the Palio and they said it was crazy, the Saturday night was party party party so they booked an all day Tuscany wine tour out of Siena on Sunday the actual day of the Palio to get away from the crowds which there will be. (It rained so they did end up cancelling the race) I would avoid it as the town is small and you won't see anything as they actually close off the main part of town before the race and you can't get in or out.