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Strada del Lucherino 4, Siena, Tuscany, 53100, Italy
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Master view from "Chez Orietta" :)
Facade of the Duomo
Detail Frescoes
An image of Sta Caterina
Seems a dumb question in this internet age but what is the best way to fly to Siena from the North American east coast. Leaving from Toronto or Buffalo. Thanks for any help.
The nearest airports is Florence, about 50 miles away. Do you have airlines that fly there? Other than that you could fly to Rome and take a train to Siena which is about 150 miles.
You could also fly to Pisa; train or bus from there to Florence takes around an hour.
Also explore flying to somewhere like London or Amsterdam, then getting a budget carrier to Florence/Rome/Pisa. www.whichbudget.com will list possible carriers. You'll need to book flights well in advance for best fares, and remember the tight check-in and hold baggage limits (20kg for most but 15kg for Ryanair).
the other responses are correct. I would suggest a direct flight (no changes in London, Amsterdam, etc) from North America to Europe. In the US, you can carry on 2 bags, but once you debark in Europe, you must check one of those bags. You can only board an intra-European flight with ONE bag. This leads to alot of last minute re-packing on your part, more lines to wait on, racing to different terminals, going through the metal detectors Yet Again. It's easier to fly direct to Rome than to Florence; i would do that, then take the train to Siena. When there, you MUST take a bus day-trip to San Gimignano. There was a singing harpist in the piazza who made you feel as if you had indeed died and gone to Heaven! If you need any New York City advice, please let me know.
Hi.. We are leaving from Buffalo the first week of May and found Delta to be the most direct flights. Buffalo to JFK to Pisa, then you can take the train or bus to Siena.
Enjoy your trip..
This cathedral is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in Italy. While inside the church, I was listening to one of those guides with a tour group (I always do that;-) and she was telling them of how when this church was built, they put so much thought and effort into it back then so that it'll be more beautiful than the one in Florence.
I personally think that Florence's is more beautiful but the story shows you how much rivalry there was between Siena and Florence.
When you've had enough of Siena, head towards Pienza. This is a lovely little walled village about 45 minutes south of Siena. Well worth the drive and visit. Picturesque and the locals are very friendly. You will encounter other tourists, but it's not that crowded. Good shops and delis. Other towns that are nearby and well worth a visit are Montalcino, Montelpulciano and San Quirico. Check out my VT pages on Montelpulciano and San Quirico to view more images.
Travelling to Siena by car is not a good option. The city within the town walls is closed to non-local traffic. Or more precise: any car without a specific sign at the windscreen is not allowed to enter the town. Locals pay a hefty price for this privilege to park inside. Apart from that, given the narrow streets of a typical old town it should go without saying that the parking space is for locals only. We tourists with cars have to stay outside of the town walls.
Most naturally the car rental companies are also located outside of town, some near, some quite far. When I wanted to travel to Gubbio on the weekend and realised that it is almost impossible or better a very long trip with many changes if I would take public transport, so I decided to rent a car. But... it involved a lot of walking, internet research and phoning but thanks to Serena and Claudio of Dante School I was able to get a car at a reasonable price. Avis ruled out itself by wanting to charge me 200 Euro for the two days and so Europcar made it. I got a car, fully insured, for 110 Euro for two days. It is a bit of taking the bus and walking to get to Europcar (approx. 30-40 minutes in total) though.
Avis, Siena:
Via Simone Martini 36: which is outside of the walls, near San Francesco church;
Europcar, Siena:
Viale Europa 23/25: too far to walk, but pollicino bus No. 52 takes you to Due Ponti and from there it is a 15 minute walk along SS73 Levante until Viale Europa turns off to the right (south).
© Ingrid D., November 2010.
Of course Siena has its great spaces and places. But if you keep your eyes peeled, there are lots of details which can be just as interesting and aren't covered in tourists!
Definitely keep an eye out for doors leading into courtyards - might just lead to a whitewashed rom with a Fiat parked in it, or could be an off-shoot of the university, with murals and a grassy courtyard.
We discovered this lion minding his own business in a small side street south of the Campo. Press his tongue, and water shoots out! Fun for kids aged 4-40.
I mentioned before that we entered the city by Porta Camollia.
That seemed to be a perfect choise.
This portal to the city dates back from the thirteenth century but was rebuild in the eighteenth century...
Best know for the inscription :
'Cor magis tibi sena pandit'
'Siena opens your heart so it turns out to be bigger then this gate'
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Q: Bikes "Is Siena a bike friendly town or is it too crowded? Thank you."
A: "not really.."
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