Siena Sightseeing Guide to the Main Sights
Sightseeing in Siena
The main sights cluster around two squares, Piazza del Campo and Piazza del Duomo, about ten minutes apart on foot. Two tickets cover most of them: the Duomo’s OPA SI PASS and the city’s Museo Civico tickets. Allow a full day for both, or two relaxed days.
The Duomo complex
The cathedral is a 13th-century Gothic building in black and white marble, with a carved marble pulpit by Nicola Pisano from the 1260s. The inlaid marble floor has 56 panels made between 1369 and 1547, and it is covered for most of the year. In 2026 it is uncovered from 27 June to 31 July and from 18 August to 15 November; check the Opera’s calendar for later years. Other parts of the complex:
- Libreria Piccolomini: Pinturicchio’s colourful frescoes of the life of Pope Pius II, painted in the early 1500s.
- Museo dell’Opera: Duccio’s Maesta altarpiece of 1308 to 1311, original statues from the facade and a bronze Madonna by Donatello. Its Facciatone viewpoint is a climb of 131 steps to a terrace over the roofs.
- Baptistery: a font with bronze panels by Donatello and Ghiberti, set under the cathedral choir.
- Crypt: wall paintings from the 13th century, found in 1999.
The OPA SI PASS is EUR 14 for adults, or EUR 16 while the floor is uncovered, and EUR 3 for children aged 7 to 11. It lasts three consecutive days. The cathedral alone is EUR 7 in normal times. Hours are 10:00 to 19:00 from April to October, with shorter Sundays, and 10:30 to 17:30 from November to 24 December.
Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia
The Museo Civico, in the town hall on the Campo, holds Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Allegory of Good and Bad Government of 1338 to 1339 in the Sala dei Nove and Simone Martini’s Maesta and his portrait of Guidoriccio da Fogliano. Tickets are about EUR 10. The 88 m tower beside it has 400 steps and no lift, costs EUR 10, and is sold only at the ticket office on the day. A combined Museo Civico and tower ticket is EUR 15.
Santa Maria della Scala
The old pilgrim hospital opposite the cathedral has the frescoed Pellegrinaio, the national archaeological museum below, and medieval passages. A standalone price is not confirmed for 2026, but the EUR 14 Museo Civico combination covers it, and it is free on the first Sunday of the month.
Pinacoteca Nazionale
The national gallery of Sienese painting has been closed for renovation since 26 January 2026, with no reopening date. Check the museum site; Palazzo Chigi Piccolomini alla Postierla is open as an alternative from the same state museums.
Solemn places
The synagogue at Vicolo delle Scotte 14, behind the Campo, is an active place of worship with a memorial to the 14 Sienese Jews deported in 1943. Visit with respect, dress modestly and check access before you go. The Misericordia monumental cemetery outside Porta Romana is an active burial ground, so keep voices low and do not photograph for pleasure.
Read more: walking tours in Siena and attraction tours .
Official information: Duomo visiting details and Pinacoteca news . Tours to compare: Siena sightseeing tours on GetYourGuide .