Coach Hire for the Palio di Siena
Siena runs the Palio in its main square twice each year, on 2 July and 16 August, the same dates in 2027. Either race can slip a day, as in July 2026, when the race went ahead on the 3rd. Build a coach plan that survives that.
Coaches in Siena on race day
Coaches need a Siena ZTL permit to enter town, on sale online and at Il Fagiolone, where the check-point is. Groups board and alight only where coaches are allowed to set down, and Il Fagiolone is the one place a coach may wait. Nothing specific to Palio days has been published for coaches, so the operator confirms the stopping point for the day.
Permits are booked online by the day before arrival, then printed and shown on the coach before it enters. On a Palio day, sort this out well ahead.
The Campo, the stands and the day's rules
The middle of the Campo costs nothing to enter, but it is shut once full. Stand seats (palchi) and window places belong to private owners who sell them directly; there is no central box office. Groups that want seats sort them out long before booking the coach.
Follow the day's rules set by the Comune. In 2026 they barred under-10s from the middle of the Campo, accompanied or not, and banned alcohol, chairs, stools and any glass or metal container. A school or family group should read the current leaflet before travel.
Dates and venue
- 2 July and 16 August 2027 (the race is held on these two dates every year)
- Piazza del Campo, Siena
Timing the day
Race day builds slowly. The Corteo Storico, with more than six hundred in costume, starts from Piazza del Duomo in early afternoon, then parades into the Campo ahead of the evening race. The coach leaves Siena late, with the crowd. Allow time to walk out to the pickup point, and plan the driver's hours: a coach that arrived in the morning has a long day behind it by then.
Horses are drawn three days ahead (29 June and 13 August, in the morning), and six trials follow, morning and evening. A group staying several days can plan around those too.
Questions organisers ask
Which airport is closest?
Florence airport, about 87 km from Piazza del Campo, around 1 h 45 min by coach in light traffic.
What if the race is put back a day?
Then it runs the following day. Ask the operator at booking how that would change the coach, the driver and the permit.
Can the coach wait near the Campo?
No. Coaches wait only at Il Fagiolone. Passengers board and leave at the designated stopping places.