This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Siena.
Siena is in the north of Italy, in the Tuscany Region; the famous and well-known city of Florence is not far from here and in fact you can reach it on a day trip from there. For its location, Siena is pretty easy to get to -- even from other big and popular cities like Rome and Perugia. There are regular trains and buses going to Siena. The bus from Florence takes more or less one hour and thirty minutes and from Rome it's about three hours.
Siena is a medieval city and you can still see its typical medieval architecture, houses, palaces and squares. It is very unique city; it used to be a rich city and you can still see that nowadays. The streets are quiet apart from high season, when they are very crowded with tourists. There is another occasion when Siena is packed with people -- the very famous horse race called "Il Palio" takes place in July and August. This horse race is between the various contrade (districts) of Siena; the people living in the city are associated with different ones and compete very passionately. Other events include the Siena Jazz Festival that is usually on during the summer time.
Regrading accommodations, there are various options for every kind of budget from hotels, apartments, a lot of nice and not too expensive bed-and-breakfasts, and a campsite; budget travelers have limited options for hostels in Siena. Hostels in Siena have private and dorm rooms all with a sink in the room; the bathrooms and showers are shared. A hostel in Siena is a good value for the money paid.
For multi-day stays in Siena, there are plenty of beautiful towns close by that can be visited, including San Gimignano and Arezzo. The surrounding countryside, with its vineyards, is also stunning.
Written by local enthusiast for Siena hostels
ANGLOITALIAN
