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Il Palio.

Wed 30 June – Sat 3 July 20274 days8–16 peopleNo driving · hosted
Dates & booking →Day by day
Dates30 Jun–4 Jul 2027
Duration4 days
Fly intoFlorence (FLR)
Group8–16 people
StayHostel or hotel twin

The trip

Ninety seconds of bareback horse racing round the Piazza del Campo, the most intense event in Italy. With medieval pageantry, a contrada dinner in the streets, a long lunch in Chianti and a final evening in Florence.

Siena → Chianti → Florence

The festival

Key dates.

There's a second Palio on 16 August. July is less hot and a little less crowded.

29 JunLa TrattaHorses are drawn by lot for the ten racing contrade.
29 Jun – 2 JulLe ProveSix trial races in the Campo. Free to watch.
Evening 1 JulCena della Prova GeneraleEach contrada holds a huge outdoor dinner in its streets.
Fri 2 Jul, afternoonCorteo StoricoHistoric parade of the contrade in medieval costume.
Fri 2 Jul, ~19:30Il PalioThree laps, about 90 seconds.

Start to finish

Day by day.

Timings are a guide; your host adjusts on the day for the festival, the weather and the group.

01Wednesday 30 June

Arrive & first look

Day 1

  • Morning · Land at FLR — Private minibus to Siena through the Chianti hills.
  • Afternoon · Check in & the Campo — First look at the piazza with its dirt track laid down.
  • Evening · Evening prova — Watch the trial race in the Campo.
  • Dinner · Trattoria Papei — Pici all'aglione and grilled cinta senese pork.
02Thursday 1 July

Siena's treasures & a contrada dinner

Day 2

  • Morning · Duomo & the Facciatone — The striped cathedral, the Piccolomini Library and the view from the unfinished façade.
  • Late morning · Torre del Mangia — 400 steps above the Campo. Go early.
  • Lunch · Enoteca at the Fortezza — Tuscan wines and salumi.
  • Afternoon · Contrada museum visit — Most contrade open their museums during Palio week.
  • Evening · Contrada dinner — The Cena della Prova Generale in the streets. Book through a contrada office.
03Friday 2 July

Palio day

Day 3

  • Morning · Provaccia & blessing — Final trial, then each horse is blessed in its church.
  • Lunch · Osteria Le Logge — Elegant Tuscan cooking off the Campo. Book well ahead.
  • Afternoon · Panforte stop — Nannini: panforte and ricciarelli.
  • From ~16:00 · Corteo Storico — Get into the piazza early: once in, you can't leave. Or book balcony seats for the group.
  • ~19:30 · Il Palio — Then the winning contrada celebrates all night.
04Saturday 3 July

Chianti lunch & Florence

Day 4

  • Morning · Private minibus north — Through Chianti on the SR222.
  • Lunch · Antica Macelleria Cecchini, Panzano — Dario Cecchini's famous butcher's. Group menus. Book.
  • Afternoon · Florence — Drop bags at the hotel, then the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio on foot.
  • Evening · Street food or Sostanza — Lampredotto and a schiacciata, or butter chicken and bistecca.
  • Sun 4 Jul · Fly home — From Florence airport.

Base camp

Where we stay.

Without bikes we stay central and walk everywhere. Two options on every trip, both booked through Fora at cost:

Option 1 · Hostel (best value): a hostel or budget guesthouse just inside or outside the walls. Siena has few hostels, so book early or take a group apartment.

Option 2 · Hotel, twin rooms shared by 2: a hotel inside the walls, so everything is on foot. Palio week sells out months ahead.

Airport: fly into Florence (FLR), or Pisa for more flights. Private minibus to Siena takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. The bus works too but is slow with luggage. For 8–16 people, a private 16-seat minibus from the airport is usually cheaper per head than taxis and keeps the group together.

The details

What's included.

Included

  • Your host with the group 24/7 from start to finish, all their own costs included
  • Your choice of hostel (private group rooms) or hotel twin rooms, booked at cost through Fora
  • Airport transfers and the private minibus legs in the itinerary
  • Festival planning, timings and the best spots to watch
  • Restaurant reservations and the tickets listed in the itinerary, at cost

Not included

  • Flights
  • Meals and drinks
  • Optional extras and personal spending
  • Travel insurance

The table

Eat like a Senese.

Eat & drink

  • Pici all'aglione — Trattoria Papei: Hand-rolled pasta, garlicky tomato sauce.
  • Cinta senese — Papei / Le Logge: Local heritage pork, grilled or as salumi.
  • Pecorino di Pienza — Siena delis: Sheep's cheese, fresh or aged.
  • Chianti Classico — Fortezza enoteca: The local red.
  • Panforte & ricciarelli — Nannini, Siena: Spiced fruit cake and almond biscuits.
  • Bistecca alla fiorentina — Cecchini / Sostanza: Thick T-bone, served rare.
  • Lampredotto — Florence street stalls: Tripe sandwich with green sauce.
  • Schiacciata — All'Antico Vinaio: Huge stuffed flatbread sandwiches.

Good to know

  • Book accommodation, contrada dinner and Le Logge early. Palio week sells out.
  • Balcony seats for the race can be bought for the group.
  • In the Campo for the race: bring water, no toilets for hours.
  • Don't wear a contrada's colours unless you mean it.
  • The Palio can be postponed for rain.

2027 departure

Save your spot.

One departure, built around the festival. Runs with a minimum of 8 people, maximum 16. Everything booked at cost through Fora; your host fee is shown as its own line on your quote.

Departure30 June – 4 July 20278–16 people · min 8 to runRequest a spot →

From €1,095 per person in a hostel group room, or from €1,295 in a hotel twin room shared by 2. Based on 8 people; bigger groups pay a little less. Flights not included. Asking is free and doesn't commit you to anything.

Your host fee: €85 per person per day

One simple line on your quote (4 days × €85). It covers a dedicated host who's with the group 24/7 from start to finish, all the planning and bookings (beds, tables, tickets and transfers at cost through Fora, no mark-up), and all of the host's own expenses: their room, meals, travel and tickets. You never pay extra for your host.

Photo: Piazza del Campo 2014 01.jpg by Perituss, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.