Siena Guided Walking Tour with Skip-the-Line Cathedral Tickets

The Basilica of San Domenico

The tour begins at the Basilica of San Domenico, a vast brick Gothic church built from 1226 on the Camporegio hill, on the western edge of the historic centre. Its plain exterior hides a single huge nave and the Chapel of Saint Catherine, dedicated to the 14th-century mystic who was born a few streets away, became patron saint of Italy and whose head relic is kept here.

From the square in front of the church you enjoy one of the best views in Siena, across the valley to the Duomo and its striped bell tower. Your guide uses this first stop to tell the story of the medieval republic, its rivalry with Florence and the religious life that shaped the city. It is the ideal starting point for anyone on a Siena day trip, as coaches and the Fontebranda escalators bring visitors here.

Piazza Salimbeni and Palazzo Tolomei

From San Domenico the walk follows Via dei Banchi di Sopra, part of the old pilgrim road to Rome and the commercial spine of medieval Siena. It opens onto Piazza Salimbeni, framed by three palaces; the Gothic Palazzo Salimbeni at the centre is the seat of a bank founded in 1472, the oldest bank in the world still in operation. Siena's merchants and bankers lent money across Europe, and their wealth paid for much of the city you see today.

A few steps further stands Palazzo Tolomei, built in the early 13th century for one of the great banking families and among the oldest private palaces in the city. Its stern stone facade with narrow windows looks more like a fortress than a residence. Your guide explains how families like these built towers and palaces to show their power, and how their feuds marked city life for centuries.

Piazza del Campo and the Palio

Piazza del Campo is the heart of Siena, a sloping, shell-shaped square paved in red brick and divided into nine sections in honour of the Council of Nine that governed the republic. At its lowest point stand the Palazzo Pubblico, the town hall, and the slender Torre del Mangia, 102 m high, while the marble Fonte Gaia fountain decorates the upper edge. Many travellers say this is the most beautiful square in Italy.

Twice a year, on 2 July and 16 August, the square becomes the track of the Palio, a bareback horse race between the contrade, the historic neighbourhoods of Siena. Your guide explains the flags, rivalries and traditions of the contrade, and points out the bakeries where you can try panforte and ricciarelli, the city's famous almond sweets. You will want to come back to the Campo after the tour to sit on its warm bricks.

Siena Cathedral and the Unfinished New Cathedral

Siena Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, was built mainly between the 12th and 14th centuries on the highest point of the city. Its facade of white, pink and dark green marble is crowded with sculpture and gold mosaic, and the black and white stripes of its walls and bell tower repeat the colours of the city's coat of arms. Is Siena Cathedral worth visiting? It is one of the masterpieces of Italian Gothic architecture.

In 1339 the Sienese began to enlarge it into the biggest church in Christendom, but the plague of 1348 stopped the work. The walls and the huge empty facade of this New Cathedral still stand beside the Duomo, and your guide shows you how ambitious the plan was. Siena Cathedral tickets often have long queues in high season, and your skip-the-line entry saves that wait.

Inside Siena Cathedral: Floor, Pulpit and Chapels

Inside, the striped columns lead your eye to an extraordinary floor of inlaid marble scenes, created over almost two centuries; most panels are protected for much of the year and fully uncovered only for limited periods, usually from late summer into autumn. The octagonal marble pulpit, carved between 1265 and 1268, is one of the finest works of Gothic sculpture in Italy.

Your guide leads you through the chapels, including the Renaissance Chapel of Saint John the Baptist with its bronze statue of the saint, the marble altar of a noble Sienese family with early statues by a great Florentine sculptor, and the richly decorated Baroque Chapel of the Madonna del Voto. The tour ends inside the Duomo after about two hours, and you are free to stay and explore further at your own pace.