If you’re visiting Rome and looking for somewhere to go for a day trip, you need to plan a trip to Siena in Tuscany. I did a day trip from Rome to Siena when I was studying abroad and it’s a great place to visit for a day! While Siena is a smaller city to visit, especially when compared to popular Italy tourist destinations like Florence, Venice, and Rome, it’s a beautiful city to explore (“Siena bella!”). By adventuring out for a Rome to Siena day trip, you’ll enjoy the charming Italian culture while escaping from the tourist crowds that can be found throughout Rome. Win-win!
Rome to Siena Train
Train from Rome to Siena | Best route to take
Traveling from Rome to Siena by train is the savviest way to travel between the cities. While there are different routes between Rome and Siena, the fastest and cheapest is through the town of Chiusi, where you will need to change trains. This route takes approximately 3 hours each way and departs the Roma Termini station in the morning to arrive in Siena between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. You’ll have plenty of time to explore Siena before departing on an evening train from Siena to Rome (around 7:30 p.m.) that will get you back to Roma Termini around 11:00 p.m.
How to purchase Rome to Siena train tickets
Use Trenitalia to book the round-trip Rome to Siena train. You will notice all of the different route options, including taking Frecciarossa (a high-speed train) to Firenze (aka Florence) or even some “autobus” (aka bus) options between Chiusi and Siena. These other options can be double the cost of taking the regional train between Rome-Chiusi-Siena and can also have a longer travel time. Here is an example of the train route to book, which is showing the budget-savvy price of 17€ each way for a Thursday in May 2019. This itinerary will give tourists taking a Rome to Siena day trip plenty of time to see the city.
How to get from the Siena train station to city center
Upon arrival at the Siena train station, you will see the walls that surround the city center up on a hill in front of you. Unfortunately, the train station is about 2 km (1.25 miles) from the city center. Being the budget-savvy (and former poor college student) traveler that I am, I do recommend walking uphill from the Siena train station to city center, even though it’s a bit of an uphill climb, instead of paying for a taxi. If you don’t want to walk 30 minutes each way and/or if walking up hills makes you cry, go ahead and splurge on a 10€ for a taxi. Savvy tip: if you’re traveling alone or in a pair, try to link up with other travelers and split the cost!
Rome to Siena Day Trip | Things to Do
You’ve made it inside the walls of Siena! You have about 8 hours to explore before catching your train back to Rome. Here’s a list of what to do in Siena in a day:
Piazza del Campo
Piazza del Campo is the main square in Siena. It’s shaped like a clamshell, making this piazza one of the most iconic in all of Italy.
Twice a year, Piazza del Campo is home to the Palio di Siena, which is a horserace around the square. The race is on compact sand that is brought into the square and the whole thing only last 90 seconds. Palio di Siena takes place on July 2 and August 16 each year and makes international sports headlines; if you’re in Rome in the summertime, try to make it!
Duomo di Siena
The Siena Cathedral is medieval church in Siena. It is home to works by famous Italian artists like Michelangelo, Donatello, and Bernini. It is open daily, but depending on the time of year of your visit to Siena, it may be free to access or you may have to pay for admission.
As I suggested in my post The Cheapest Way to Travel Europe, traveling outside of the tourist season will save you money. When visiting Siena anytime during November through February (with the exception of a 2-week period over Christmas and New Year’s), you will be able to access the Duomo di Siena for free. Admission over the holidays or during spring or fall will cost 5€, and it increases to 8€ in the summer.
There are also more expensive admission packages that you can purchase to tour the museums attached to the cathedral and also walk up to the roof of the Duomo. Since time is limited on your day trip from Rome to Siena, I wouldn’t recommend that you purchase the additional packages. Access to the cathedral itself is all that you need, and you’ll be able to see the works by Michelangelo, Donatello, and Bernini while there.
Walking Tour of Siena
While the Piazza del Campo and Duomo di Siena are two of the most popular attractions in Siena, there are several other things to do and see in Siena. When considering what to do in Siena in a day, I recommend either paying to participate in a guided walking tour of Siena or going on a self-guided, free walking tour of Siena.
I like using Viator to purchase tours because it offers one-stop shopping for tours and activities all over the world. Below is a list of affordable walking tours available in Siena through Viator.
Wine and Dine in Siena
You are in Tuscany, so you have to enjoy the food and wine of the region while you are in Siena for the day! If you don’t go back full and tipsy, you’re doing it wrong, especially if you are on a mother-daughter trip to Italy. There are several wine shops in Siena that you can visit and request to try wine that is local to the Tuscan region. (I didn’t manage to find one that was from the vineyard in Under the Tuscan Sun, but maybe you will!) Also be sure to try some pecorino cheese, as Siena is known to produce the best pecorino in all of Italy.
You’ll walk past numerous restaurants during your day in Siena. I know it can be hard to narrow them down to just one to eat at! To help you make your choice, just avoid all of the restaurants located in the Piazza del Campo, since those tend to be more expensive, located as they are in a popular tourist area. You will be able to save money if you even walk just one block from the Piazza del Campo to find somewhere to eat.
You also can’t go wrong by going to one of the top 10 best restaurants in Siena, as recommended by Culture Trip. But I do need to warn you: these restaurants might not be very budget-savvy!
After you’ve spent the day in Siena, walking around the city to see things like Piazza del Campo and the Duomo di Siena and filling up on wine and cheese from the region, it will be time to head back to the train station. Since now the walk is downhill to the train station, go ahead and take a leisurely stroll back to wait for the train.
As your day trip from Rome to Siena has come to an end, I hope you now agree with my Siena Bella statement from earlier. Enjoy the trip back to Rome and be sure to visit my other posts on Rome for additional budget-savvy tips for your trip:
Cheers!
I loved Siena! Such an enjoyable town to just simply walk around. It’s one of my favorite towns in Italy. But I think I took a bus from Florence to get there…did you see St. Catherine of Siena while there?
Isn’t it just the cutest town?! Yes it’s definitely easier to visit Siena from Florence since it’s so much closer. I didn’t see St. Catherine of Siena since we were short on time coming from Rome for a day trip. Next time!