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Hotel central Siena with car park: the perfect base for visiting Siena in one or two days

When you are on holiday in Siena with a car or motorbike, one of the main difficulties is finding a place to sleep that is convenient for both visiting the city centre and for going on trips in the surrounding area.

There are many car parks in Siena, but they are not cheap and so booking a hotel in the centre of Siena that has parking facilities is definitely a plus.

From this point of view, Hotel Santa Caterina is certainly advantageous: the hotel is located just outside Porta Romana, one of the main entrances to the historic centre, and provides hotel guests with a convenient car park..

The hotel is in the centre but not in the ZTL (restricted traffic zone), so there is no risk of fines or having to make strange journeys in the car to avoid being caught on the city centre video cameras.

This way, both business travellers and those who have chosen Siena as a destination for their holidays can drop their suitcases off at the hotel, meaning that moving around the city's historic centre will be simpler and less laborious.

3 star hotel in Siena:
Porta Romana convenient for the city center and Siena's surrounding area

In fact, to give an example, Piazza del Campo is about 15 minutes away on foot. It is also easy to reach the city centre by public transport from Hotel Santa Caterina; the bus stop is right in front of the hotel entrance.

So from Porta Romana you can easily reach the centre with all the monuments, churches, museums and tourist routes.
However, before arriving at the most famous shell-shaped square in the world, you also pass some very lively areas with many spots such as street Via Pantaneto and some of the most crowded university venues like Palazzo San Niccolò and Palazzo San Galgano, headquarters of the Faculty of Letters.

Hotel Santa Caterina in Siena is a 3-star hotel just outside the walls of the historic centre of Siena: it has comfortable and welcoming rooms, very helpful staff and a particularly good location both for those who want to visit Siena, and on the other hand for those who want to get to know the villages and the beautiful surrounding countryside better.

What to see in Siena from a hotel in Porta Romana

Siena is definitely a jewel of the Middle Ages, preserved almost perfectly from that time in the historic centre.
Even some of its most well-known and popular traditions, such as Palio and actively participating in the life of the city quarters all year round, are certainly very typical and deep rooted elements of Sienese tradition.
So getting to know Siena is not something you can do in just a few hours. There truly are pearls, famous must-see places, that you cannot afford to miss when visiting Siena.

1 day itinerary in Siena

When you only have one day to visit Siena, starting from Hotel Santa Caterina the best way is probably to take an approximate 15-minute walk to Piazza del Campo.
Walking around the pulsing heart of the city you will pass through the Nicchio and Leocorno districts, recognisable by the effigies of fountains that you will find on the road.
Probably shortly before arriving at Piazza del Campo you will be amazed by the beauty of an imposing monument, the Loggia of the Pope commissioned by Pope Pius II for his family, the Piccolomini.

Then we arrive at the truly beautiful Piazza del Campo, home to the most famous Palio in Italy, and the Palazzo Pubblico.
Climb the Torre del Mangia, enjoy all the beauty of the interior courtyard of Palazzo Pubblico and the incredible works preserved there.

If you only have one day to visit Siena, in order to better understand what you are looking at and to know the stories that animated the past of those majestic halls it is probably a good idea to rely on the expert words of an authorised guide.

The Duomo of Siena, another key stop of your holiday in Siena: famous for being an example of the Italian Roman-Gothic, this church is also a central element of the Palio celebrations as well as being probably one of the most ambitious projects, as far as religious buildings are concerned, in all of Europe.
Near the central body of the Duomo you will see what the people of Siena call "facciatone", which you can climb up and get one of the most beautiful views of Siena.

The "facciatone", however, is also the only part of the new Duomo project that has been carried out, of which the present church was to be the central nave. Everything was stopped in the initial stages because of the arrival of the plague in the city in 1348.
In order to better grasp the unique history of this city there are definitely three more things to put in the full immersion programme of one day in Siena:

  • Take a tour of a museum in the districts
  • Enter one of Siena's urban gardens
  • Explore the flavours of Siena's typical cuisine

2 day itinerary in siena

Although Hotel Santa Caterina is close to the historic centre and in a very favourable location for those who want to explore the surroundings, if you have 2 days available, you need to make a choice: get to know this beautiful medieval town better or choose some of the beauties of the surrounding area to discover this part of ​​Tuscany?

If you want to concentrate on Siena these are definitely worth a visit:

  • The botanical garden
  • Fontebranda
  • The Sanctuary of St. Catherine
  • Santa Maria della Scala and the art museum for children that is inside
  • And especially for lovers of classical music, the Palazzo Chigi Saracini, home of the Chigiana Music Academy

For those who want to explore the surrounding area and some of the villages and natural beauties near Siena there are:

  • Monteriggioni, Castellina in Chianti and Gaiole in Chianti
  • San Gimignano, Colle di Val d’Elsa and Certaldo alto
  • Montalcino and Pienza
  • Crete Senesi
  • Val d’Orcia

Some natural parks-museums in the surrounding area of Siena that are particularly fascinating to visit are the Chianti Sculpture Park and Selva di Sogno/Dreamwoods.

“Great location, lovely view, clean and comfortable room, secure parking. But most of all the friendly and helpful staff, for whom nothing was too much trouble. Thank you - we'll be back!”
Gill Booking.com
“Staff was very friendly, bedrooms were nice, great view”
Juliana Booking.com
“We took a weekend in Siena, spent two nights and long mornings in this hotel. The place was peaceful, perfectly clean and cosy. Loved friendly and available personnel and more than anything, enjoyed the morning coffee in their beautiful garden with a view”
Drazen Tripadvisor
“A beautiful hotel with brilliant views of the tuscany region. The staff were incredibly helpful and friendly, particularly Lucho. The breakfast was excellent and all you can eat. Parking is convenient and very safe which was ideal for us.”
Cormac Tripadvisor
“Really friendly staff; beautiful outdoor setting for breakfast; convenient location to access Siena town centre.”
Sophia Booking.com
“Spacious room, lovely bed and bathroom, superb breakfast and friendly staff. Strong WiFi. Views sensational. Extremely good price. No1 hotel I've ever stayed.”
Thomas Booking.com
“Very pleasant staff, fancy hotel, nice breakfast, great location, access to transportation and verrry reasonable priced!”
Jam Hotels.com
“Lucio in reception was extremely friendly and helpful. Could not do enough for us. Lucio was efficient, professional and exceptional at his job and he made our stay an extremely pleasant experience”
Darina Booking.com
“Staff were great and very accommodating. Breakfast was lovely and the view from the garden was increible. Rooms were spacious and clean. 10 minutes walk through the lovely streets to the centre. Great location”
F Booking.com
“The grounds of the property are stunning and the location is perfect, away from the crowds yet near enough to all major attractions and restaurants and shops. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The breakfast is excellent and the coffee is amazing!”
Leanne Booking.com
“The hotel was charming, the staff were exceptional and the rooms were fantastic value. Can't wait to plan another visit!”
Roger Booking.com
“We were very pleased with our 3 night stay at this hotel. We paid a little extra for a superior room, which faced the garden. The king sized bed was very comfortable and the room was nice and quiet. We enjoyed the breakfast, which had considerable variety”
Anna W Tripadvisor