TRAIN:
Pisa Centrale to Siena
(1 Transfer at Empoli)
Travel Time: 1h 44min
Total: €21,60
Total per person: €10,80
Our last day trip was to Siena, a small city within Tuscany. We left early in the morning (before 8am) to go to Siena since it take roughly two hours to get there. One extremely special feature of Siena is its cathedral. The Duomo de Siena (Siena Cathedral) is the only black-and-white building in the entire city. Just seeing the Cathedral and going inside made the entire ride worth it!
TIP #1:
“Opa Si” Pass: €13
“Opa Si” Pass + Gate of Heaven: €18,30
We bought tickets to also check out the “Gate of Heaven” which allows you to go to the roof of the Cathedral. Passes to the “Gate of Heaven” is extremely limited because you need to book a time with a guide and they only allow 18 people up at a time. If you buy the Gate of Heaven ticket, you must arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the ticket entrance time! Please do not be late as they can deny entrance. You can buy various passes – the “Opa Si” Pass allows you access to the Cathedral, the Baptistry, and the Crypt. This pass does not include access to the “Gate of Heaven”. There is a separate all-inclusive pass that includes entry to the “Gate of Heaven”. After our visit to the Cathedral, we went to get gelato (we basically ate gelato every day!) and hung out at Piazza del Campo where the Torre del Mangia is located.
TIP #2:
Order wild boar and hare at the Fortress Market
Hours: 07:00-13:00 (Wednesdays only)
There is also the Fortezza Medicea (Fortress Market) in La Lizza that is only open on Wednesdays and is incredibly popular – With medieval city walls, the market has dozens of stalls from clothes, shoes, bags, and, best of all, fresh produce including fruit and vegetable, bread, cakes, meat and fish. We were only in Siena for a few hours; I would definitely recommend at least a full day to explore Siena.
GELATO:
Caribia in via Rinaldini (first road on the left facing the City Hall in the Piazza)
OR
4 Cantoni Gelateria
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