Siena and San Gimignano For the Day - HELP PLEASE!!!

[MalibuCA]

My husband and I will be on the Crystal Symphony, docked for one day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Livorno in April 2014. We've been to Florence, and this time, we plan to visit Siena and San Gimignano with a private driver. I have done preliminary research on Siena, and I know that we will visit the Duomo (including the Picolomini Library), enjoy the Piazza del Campo (hopefully soaking up the Tuscan sun), and we would like to wander the winding, narrow alleyways off the Piazza to explore the shops and see wherever the streets lead us. From Siena, we will be driven to San Gimignano. I confess that I have not yet researched San Gimignano, but have concentrated thus far only on Siena. Nonetheless, I have questions . . .

 

1) Can you give me some guidance on which streets we should wander to explore the alleyways and the shops? Whatever specifics you can provide would be very helpful. I know that these alleyways are there because I've seen them on YouTube Videos, but I'm just not sure where to access them.

 

2) How long should I expect to spend visiting the Duomo and the Library? I'm not planning to visit the Baptistry or the Crypt simply because I do not think I will have enough time and still get to San Gimignano and back to the ship before the sail away.

 

3) How many hours should I allow for Siena before I get back in the car for the driver to take us to San Gimignano? How many hours can I expect to have for San Gimignano? I know that this combination must be doable in one day because Crystal offers this as a shore excursion, and I know that it always takes longer to move 30-40 people + an extended Tuscan lunch than it will take for two of us with just a light snack (gelato!) to move.

 

4) Are there any "don't miss" sights that I am missing from my list of sights for Siena given our time limitations?

 

5) What are the "don't miss" sights in San Gimignano that I must see given our time limitations there?

 

Thanks for your insights!

 

Shelley

[euro cruiser]

Let's back into this.

 

You're looking at approximately 175 miles of driving, which will take about 5.5 hours in normal traffic. (For those who use google maps for estimates, know that google way underestimates driving time - check tuttocitta.com or viamichelin.com for more accurate times.)

 

You're in the car and on the road by 7:30, and aim to be back by 6 PM. The driver will pad things a bit to ensure you'll be back on time, so that leaves you with about four hours to visit these two locations. That's not a lot to work with.

 

Siena is much larger and requires more walking, so I'd allocate more time there, at least two and a half hours.

 

You'll find the streets and alleys you are looking for everywhere you turn, there's no need to make yourself crazy building specific maps. Just walking to and back from the sites you want to see will deliver the goods, so to speak.

[Chloe1500]

In San Gimignano the town itself is the main attraction. You can climb around the city walls and visit the cathedral and the medieval town well, but mostly, it's a good place for strolling, shopping for ceramics, eating gelato and capitalizing on all the photo ops.

[ollienbertsmum]

When we went to San Gimingano and a wine tasting lunch we went to SG first and it was clearly a good move. We had about an hour to wander up the shopping street, eat a gelato and climb the main tower. As we left we saw lots of coach tours arriving. We had experienced the place without crowds. A we were dropped off I thought " oh gosh how will we know what to do" but we just walked past the shops and it was obvious that we were just there to see the lovely town. On the way out we spent a bit on Tuscan food and nice stuff.

 

I want to go back but this year we are going to cinque Terre.

 

 

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[4774Papa]

These are wonderful cities, but consider visiting something closer to Livorno. Have you considered Lucca and Pisa?

 

We stayed in Sienna on a land trip years ago and did not find walking in the city to be problematic. You can explore the city quite well in 2-3 hours. Climbing the bell tower is a must. San Gimignano is small and an hour will do there.

[wisteria1019]

When we went to San Gimingano and a wine tasting lunch we went to SG first and it was clearly a good move. We had about an hour to wander up the shopping street, eat a gelato and climb the main tower. As we left we saw lots of coach tours arriving. We had experienced the place without crowds. A we were dropped off I thought " oh gosh how will we know what to do" but we just walked past the shops and it was obvious that we were just there to see the lovely town. On the way out we spent a bit on Tuscan food and nice stuff.

 

I want to go back but this year we are going to cinque Terre.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

I agree with flipflopping the cities - visit SG earlier in the day before the tour buses arrive. Both are beautiful and unique cities to visit. Don't get too caught up in the must see sites, wander and absorb all that is around you.

 

Dawn

 

As a side note, the day that we visited Siena, they were filming the then latest James Bond movie - made for a different day. Still, exciting.