margo

Going to Florence(1st time) Travel agent suggests day trip to Siena & San Gimignano, probably with a tour bus.We are not renting a car. Is it too crowded there and worth it for a 1st timer? Or is there a lovlier, easy to get to reccomendation? <BR>thank you.

Todd

Just went to Italy. Siena & San Gimignano are great. Siena is much larger. Don't miss the piazza in Siena.

steve

definitely go to Siena. you may enjoy it more that florence. <BR>if you can, also go to San Gimignano

Diane

Arrange a daytrip through Chianti country -- ask your hotel, I'm sure they can recommend something and even set it up for you. Siena is wonderful. It is a small city. We really thought the area around Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino was fabulous. And while we weren't staying far from San G, and had planned to visit, we never made it this trip. More reason to return!

ja

Most attractions are closed on either Monday or Tuesday (I forget which)in Florence. So take your bus tour to Siena/San Gimignano that day. It would be too difficult to do both of the towns in the same day on your own. <BR> <BR>If there are enough of you, the suggestion to book a private day tour is great. You could then hit the smaller towns in Chianti country. Doing a search here for Tuscany should give you some websites/email addresses to look into.

top

top

Lynn

Both are great, but I actually preferred San Gimingnano because it is smaller and less crowded.

M&J

There is something very special about Sienna. You step back into the 1300-1500s, narrow winding streets with a pretty much all pedestrian city center. The tempo is gentle on the soul. Sit by the Fountain of Joy in Il Campo and just watch the birds dipping for water. <BR>Or count the number of heads of the popes attached tightly to the ceiling of the Duomo. Find a ristorante and drink wine. Sienna is a place to kick back and to be enjoyed slowly.

rlk

I loved Siena as it exudes medieval charm. Definitely do a day trip to that town. <BR> <BR>Yes, San Gimignano is smaller, but I'm amazed at Lynn's comment that it was less crowded. I was in Italy last month (May 3 - May 14) and when we stopped at San Gimmy, it was THRONGED with busloads of tourists. <BR> <BR>Another very do-able day trip without a car would be to visit Lucca. It's an easy train ride from Florence.

Sue

I agree with the above poster. We were in San Gimignano in Sept or Oct a couple years ago and it was PACKED with tourists. There was no way to escape them. I wish that we had gone to Siena instead. We also stayed in Chianti, which was beautiful. I would rent a car if I were you.

K

We were in all the towns mentioned last month and Florence was extremely crowded. We were very disappointed in Florence.

J T Kirk

Have you considered renting a car? I'd skip the whole tour bus thing, if you can. Driving really isn't that much of a problem (just make sure you have a good map). Both Siena and San G. are crowded. San G is smaller and it seems easier to see what you need to see. Both towns are not exactly the easiest places to walk around. Very, very confusing. I like both, but if I only had time to see one, I'd chose San G.

Jim

Luca, Luca Luca... <BR> <BR>MUCH less touristy, and half-way between Pisa and Florence. It's really easy to get anywhere you want to go from there. We did day trips from there to Forence, Pisa, Sienna AND San Gimginano...

Paulo

Margo, San G. is a tiny village IMO with no infrastructure to bear the bus loads of people between about 10:30am and 4:30pm. It's a town that breathes tourism. It has been restored to that effect. Appart from some vine growing and farming, there's nothing there to sustain the economy outside tourism. Even the pottery that's made there is for tourists only ... So, it's a cute village, with relatively few sites that bear artworks, best experienced in the eraly morning, late afternoon and evening. <BR> <BR>Siena, on the other hand, is a "real" city, with loads of art, an university, economic activities of its own and infrastructure perfectly compatible with the number of visitors. As M&J and rlk state, Siena is THE medieval city in Italy. Nowhere the Gothic makes its presence more fully. Piazza del Campo, specially in the early morning when it's completely empty of people, conveys a strange and moving feeling of power, unparalleled elsewhere. San G., on the other hand, conveys a feeling of "fake", a sort of medieval "Disneyland". <BR> <BR>There are indeed organized bus tours that contemplate both cities. There's no way though that these can make Siena any justice. In your shoes, I'd choose one city and use the SITA bus to visit independently. Siena calls for a full day (and then some). San G. may be visited in a half day. Specially if you opt for San G., you should try to take the first bus out from Florence (or return in the evening by taking a taxi to the train station out of town. Return trains run later than buses. <BR> <BR>Paulo

Graziella

Margo, Siena is a must . However I would prefer as a rule to visit the places that are less visited, how about charming Volterra .... <BR>good luck

frank

We were in Florence 4 nights in May and on a Monday, did the tour bus trip (arranged by our hotel - SITA I think) to Siena and SG. I agree with the above posters. SG was worth a quick visit - the hour stop on the tour was fine. We had about 4 hours in Siena. It did look like a place where one could happily spend a few days. But I only had so many days and would not have traded a night there for one less night in Rome, Venice, the Cinqueterre, or Florence. Hopefully, I will have other trips to Italy. This was the only organized tour we did on our 17 day trip, and it was a nice break having a guide and not having to worry about transportation. So, all in all, I would recommend you do the bus tour.

Betsy

Paulo rocks! Because he aggrees with me! I stayed 2 nights in Siena last summer and it was a highlight of my trip. It is unlike any other place in italy I visited. San Gim, seemed made for tour buses. Lucca would be the other town I'd recommend. Very laid back and though there are tourists, not near the number of San G. In fact if I go back I'm going to bas out of Lucca and/or Siena and day trip to Florence. It has increidble sights, but Florence is not a favorite place for me.

joe

Another vote for Siena, But make sure you spend the night.When the tour buses leave you will be transported to the middle ages.

Diane

Be sure to do a tour of the civic (?) museum in Siena. It has been and is still used to hold city hall meetings. The frescos have recently been (or are in the process of being)restored, and are fantastic. We had purchased a Siena guide from a newstand which had very good explanations of what you were seeing in each of the rooms. One of my favorites illustrated the effects of good government on one side of the room versus the effects of bad government on the other. Siena is one place I need to revisit. I know we only scratched the surface in Florence, too.