The Siena Overture Tour & The Siena Palio Tour



SIENA OVERTURE TOUR : Half day OR Full day options 

DURATION: 3 hours (half day) or 5-6 hours (full day with a lunch break in the middle)

Siena is an astonishing Medieval city rich in history and art because its incredibly successful merchant society which flourished from the mid -1200s.

They invested in the complete renovation of their religious and political centres and had one of the most innovative artistic schools in Europe in the early 1300s.

However, Siena doesn’t only live alone on the wealth of memories from an illustrious past, it is a lived and fiercely loved city by its current inhabitants with an enviable social support network due to the very active neighbourhood associations. These area divisions date to centuries ago and the ties and local connections are very much alive and strong. This incredible past with the the contemporary sense of present local roots makes visiting Siena a really enriching experience.

The SIENA OVERTURE TOUR (3 hours) covers the highlights of the historical centre including the most important squares (the Duomo square & the town hall square  Piazza del Campo), walking the main streets of the wealthy palaces of the Sienese merchant families and discovering the some of the different 17 neighbourhoods that make up this fascinating Medieval city.

The Siena historical centre is a wonderful out door museum and is a treasure trove of beauty, art and tradition. It is possible (but not necessary) to add in one site (examples below) to the 3 hours walking tour. If interested in adding more than one site, we will lock in a full day tour (5 or 6 hours)!

There are so many fascinating places in Siena one visit is never enough.

Cathedral / this is a true treasure chest of Sienese wealth, genius and beauty with masterpiece painting, fresco, sculpture from great masters such Nicola Pisano, Donatello, Pinturicchio, Gianlorenzo Bernini

Cathedral complex / with this ticket it is possible to visit all the sites in the cathedral square. The Museum of the Cathedral is astonishing with the original altarpiece by Duccio di Buoninsegna (the largest altarpiece in Europe when finished in 1311), works by the Lorenzetti masters, Donatello, Giovanni Pisano and so many more. The building itself is worth visit alone being built into the skeleton of the 1300s architectural dream of the Sienese.

The Baptistery is beautifully frescoed from the 1400s and has the masterwork font & finally there is the newly discovered Crypt with frescoes from the 1200s .

Palazzo Pubblico / nobody avoids studying the Good & Bad Government fresco cycle from the 1340s on the wall of a room inside this building no matter how short the art history course is! This masterpiece of Medieval art is timeless in its message and beautiful in its execution. But there is so much more than this room also, here you will find the masterpiece Madonna in majesty by Simone Martini and more.

Contrada headquarter house / until recently these headquarters of the 17 different neighbourhoods of Siena were private and not open to visits however over the past ten years they have slowly begun to open their doors to outsiders. It is a great privilege to see a space which carries so much history and significance for this most patriotic city both from centuries ago and is more than alive and well today. Discovering the history and sense of community connected to the individual neighbourhoods in Siena behind these closed doors is a memorable experience.

Santa Maria della Scala Hospital / 1000 years of history in healing and supporting not only the Sienese population, but also the foreigners who passed through the gates of Siena. This Europe-wide renowned institution until only recent decades, boasted uninterrupted healing since the 11th century. It is now a museum and we can visit the beautifully frescoed rooms from the 1400s and the astonishing artwork pieces.

TOUR OPTION 2 : THE PALIO TOUR 

DURATION: 3 hours (half day)

This half-day tour is dedicated to walking in the historical centre and discovering the

 

MEETING PLACE: 

The meeting place for the tour will depend upon the time of your tour & how you arrive in Siena.

ARRIVING TO SIENA FROM FLORENCE with public transport: 

There are two options to arrive to Siena when staying in Florence using public transport:

  1. Bus :  the Autostazione (bus station) is located opposite the Santa Maria Novella train station where you purchase a ticket for the bus to Siena which you validate when boarding the bus in the machine close to the driver. For convenience we recommend buying two tickets so that you are prepared for the return journey). The buses take either 1 hour 15minutes or 1 hour 30minutes each way, depending (rapida or diretta). The bus terminates in the centre of the historical centre of Siena.
  2. Train: there is a local train that leaves from Santa Maria Novella train station to Siena train station direct without changing. This journey takes circa 1 hour 30 minutes. The train station in Siena is located slightly outside of the historical centre. A 15minute walk, straight road, will lead you to the historical centre entering the city through the old Camollia gate of the original Medieval walls. Train ticket can be purchased on-line through the trenitalia website or directly from the machines in the train station, they are regional trains with no assigned seating. It is necessary to validate the ticket before boarding the train in the machines located at the head of the train track in the station .

All tours that we organise are private. We do not organise group tours.

The cost of the 3 hour tour (half day)

€420 for parties of 1-5 people (excluding admission fees)
€480 for parties of 6-9 people (excluding admission fees)
€540 for parties of 10 people or more (excluding admission fees)

The cost of the 5 hour tour  (full day)

€700 for parties of 1-5 people (excluding admission fees)
€800 for parties of 6-9 people (excluding admission fees)
€900 for parties of 10 people or more (excluding admission fees)

The cost of the 6 hour tour (full day)

€840 for parties of 1-5 people (excluding admission fees)
€960 for parties of 6-9 people (excluding admission fees)
€1080 for parties of 10 people or more (excluding admission fees)

ADMISSION FEES & RESERVATIONS to sites are not included in the above prices. Admission fees to be paid on the day at the ticket office with the guide unless it is necessary to reserve & purchase in advance. If reservation is necessary in advance we will do this and add admission payment to the payment link we send through before the tour.

Tickets will be purchased after payment has been received. Once tickets have been purchased from various museums, they are non-refundable & non-transferable.

There is a break for lunch in the middle of the 6 hour tour. If interested, we will make a lunch reservations at a nice local place that we like.

Guides do not stay for lunch with guests.

Admissions

Cathedral admissions in Siena vary throughout the year depending upon whether the church floor is uncovered or not. However, the standard admission to the cathedral only is €7 per person & for the cathedral pass for multiple site in the square (called OPA SI Pass) €16 per person, includes access to the cathedral + the baptistery + museum of the cathedral + crypt.

Palazzo Pubblico (town hall square) €6 per person

There are reduced admission costs at museums, the reduction varies in price and conditions from museum to museum & is only available showing proof of age (keep a digital photo of the ID page of the relevant passport on your phone).

Contrada headquarters donation: cash only & paid on the day directly to the contrada. Minimum payment €20, otherwise €10 per person.

Headsets 

Groups of 4 or more people will require headsets in order to hear the guide well both when walking in the city centre and in the museums due to surrounding noise.

Freya’s Florence will book these in advance and they will be distributed at the beginning of the tour and used for the entire duration of the tour.

For parties up to 12 people the total cost for a half day hire is 30€ or for a full day tour the cost is 50€.
For parties greater than 12pax the cost of the individual headset hire for the half-day rental is 30€ + 2€ per person or for the full day rental the cost is €40 + €5 per person

Payment

Pre-payment is required for guided tour costs. This is company policy implemented as a security measure so that large sums of cash are not carried or exchanged on the day of the tour. We use a secure payment system provided by SumUP. An active SumUP account is not required to use it, you sign in as a guest and use a credit card.

SumUP charges a 2.5% handling/service fee which will be added to your invoice.

 

Dress code

Appropriate clothing for entering the churches during summer months: Shoulders must be covered & skirts or shorts should be no higher than the top of the knee in churches.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations or date changes made less than 1 week prior to the tour start time require full payment. Cancellations or date changes made within 2 weeks of your tour date will require half payment.

Tours proceed in inclement weather.

Museum reservation fees and pre-purchased tickets are non-refundable.

SumUP handling/service fees are non-refundable.