The medieval hill town of San Gimignano, Italy, is famous for saffron, Vernaccia wine and sweeping skyline views. This guide covers the best things to do in San Gimignano for a day trip or overnight stay.
By: Paul Healy | Last Updated:
If you’re approaching for the first time, nothing quite prepares you for the sight of medieval towers rising above green fields and pointed cypresses.
It looks like a film set.
That skyline — once made up of over 70 towers, now reduced to 14 — is what earns San Gimignano its nickname: the Manhattan of the Middle Ages.
But the towers are just the beginning.
Inside the walls, you’ll find one of the most ornately frescoed churches in Tuscany, a surprisingly rich collection of Renaissance art, a world-class contemporary gallery and food and wine that you simply can’t find anywhere else.
This guide is designed to help you make the most of your time in San Gimignano, with our personal recommendations on what to see and do.
San Gimignano Map
We have included all the top attractions in San Gimignano on the map below so you can plot your course while visiting Tuscany.
Click on the top right corner to open our map in your Google Maps app. Click the star next to the title to save it to your Google account.
What to Do in San Gimignano
1. Duomo of San Gimignano
For a little Italian hill town, San Gimignano has a very impressive church.
The Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta may look humble from the outside, but inside, it’s wall-to-wall frescoes. Painted in the 14th century, they remain very well preserved to this day.
The north wall tells the stories of Genesis, including a drunk Noah looking slightly too excited, while the south wall has scenes of the New Testament.
At the rear of the church, the stirring image of the Last Judgment was painted by the renowned Sienese painter Taddeo di Bartolo. Underneath, a fresco of St Sebastian being martyred was commissioned by the town after they believed the saint saved them from the plague in 1464.
Entry to the Domo costs €5 (€3 for children). The duomo is included on the 2-day San Gimignano Pass (more about this below)
2. Stroll the Medieval Streets
One of the joys of San Gimignano is simply strolling the streets, keeping an eye out for towers that punctuate the skyline.
At one time, there were 72 towers in the compact old town. Each was built by a noble family to project their wealth and power.
Intense competition to be the best drove them to keep rising. Planning restrictions were eventually introduced to curb the tower building frenzy.
After an earthquake forced many families to move to Florence, jealous rivals demolished most of the towers, and today only 14 remain.
It only takes about an hour or two to wander almost every street in the old town.
We loved the Rocca (the castle), where the remaining tower offers great views; Chiesa San Lorenzo and Chiesa Sant’Agostino; and Museo San Gimignano 1300, which contains a mini-recreation of how San Gimignano looked in the 14th century.
3. Lunch on the Back Streets
With an emphasis on traditional Italian cooking, most restaurants in San Gimignano have similar menus with good quality food.
We found the best way to find a place was to pick the atmosphere we were looking for while strolling around town.
However, three restaurants in San Gimignano stood out to us.
- La Botega (Via XX Settembre, 3) – Small intimate spot with great bubbub and a focus on authentic Tuscan flavours.
- La Vecchia Nicchia (Via San Martino, 12) – A character-packed restaurant with a menu that focuses on a variety of bruschetta, cheese and excellent local wines.
- Ristorante Perucà (Via Capassi, 16) – Set in the cellars of one of the oldest buildings in San Gimignano, this is traditional Tuscan flavours with a modern twist. The faggotini with pears, pine nuts and saffron (for which San Gimignano is famous) was one of the best meals we had in Italy.
4. Galleria Continua
Galleria Continua began in 1990 in San Gimignano and now has 7 galleries worldwide, including Paris, Beijing, Rome, and São Paulo.
It focuses on contemporary exhibitions by living artists across installations, sculptures, and paintings. They have two galleries in San Gimignano, right next to each other, but their works can also be seen dotted around town.
They have a regular rotation of exhibitions, so it’s worth checking what’s on during your visit.
On our trip, we saw Han Op de Beeck’s “The Boatman and Other Stories” – an impressive collection of sculptures and “Unfaithful Images”, a display of iPads on music stands to recreate a concert in the old Art Deco cinema building.
The gallery is open from 10 AM to 1 PM, then from 2 PM to 6 PM daily (but they open until 7 PM on weekends. It’s free to enter.
5. Gelato in Piazza della Cisterna
We loved the ice cream confidence in San Gimignano. Several ice cream stores had signs declaring themselves the best in the world.
We don’t trust advertising, so we tried them all ourselves.
Gelateria Dondoli has several official-looking award certificates on its door attesting to its ice cream-making prowess. They may be from 2006, but that gives them staying power.
Indeed, it was very good ice cream.
But just sitting on the steps of Piazza della Cisterna, surrounded by medieval towers, with an ice cream in hand, was a wonderful experience anyway.
6. Palazzo del Pópolo
The Palazzo del Pópolo (sometimes called Palazzo Communale) was the seat of government for San Gimignano. There are 4 things to see in the building today, which are all included in the one ticket.
The CIVIC Museum (Museo Civico)
The upper floors are dedicated to the Civic Museum. The highlight here is the Madonna in Maestà, a beautiful fresco by the famous Sienese artist Lippo Memmi. He painted the work in 1317, and today it’s still the showpiece in the main hall.
Pinacoteca
This small picture gallery, on the same floor as the Civic Museum, features works by some of the most celebrated Tuscan painters of the 14th and 15th centuries.
Camera del Podestà
A private chamber decorated with frescoes dating back to the 14th century. Scenes depict a couple bathing and going to bed together. Very raunchy for the times.
Torre Grossa
The ticket for the Palazzo del Pópolo also includes access to the tallest of San Gimignano’s medieval towers; see the details about this one below.
7. Torre Grossa
From the top floor of the Palazzo Communale, you can take the narrow spiral steps up to the Torre Grossa.
At 54 metres, it’s the tallest tower remaining in San Gimignano, and the views from the top are some of the best we found in Tuscany.
The other 13 towers rise from the old town, with the tiled roofs of the surrounding houses fading into the beautiful Tuscan countryside.
We got to the top of the tower close to sunset, which is a great time to visit.
There are 200 steps to negotiate and a ladder to climb up at the end. You need to keep your head low as it’s a confined space. But once at the top, the views are worth it, as shown in our images below.
8. Wine Tasting
The area around San Gimignano produces one of Italy’s finest white wines, Vernaccia.
It was the first Italian wine to be awarded DOC status in 1966 and was upgraded to DOCG in 1993.
Since the Renaissance, this crisp white wine has been produced in the sandstone vineyards surrounding San Gimignano; while in the area, it would be a mistake not to try it.
Our favourite spot to sample Vernaccia was Gustavo Mescit Vini. This friendly enoteca has a couple of tables on the street and knowledgeable staff who will help you choose the right wine to pair with the selection of tasty morsels available.
Logistics & Practicalities
Where to Stay
Staying overnight is genuinely worth considering. When the day visitors leave, the town quiets down, and the medieval atmosphere truly comes into its own.
- L’Antico Pozzo ($$$$) — A beautifully restored 15th-century townhouse with frescoed ceilings, four-poster beds and courtyard breakfasts. One of the most characterful stays in town.
- Hotel La Cisterna ($$$) — Right on Piazza della Cisterna in the best location in town. Comfortable, well-run and with excellent views from the terrace restaurant.
- Hotel Leon Bianco ($$) — Also on Piazza della Cisterna, this is a solid mid-range option with simple, clean rooms and an unbeatable central position.
- Agriturismo I Pini ($$) — A well-regarded agriturismo about a 20-minute walk from the walls, with gardens, a pool and countryside views. A good choice if you want a quieter, more relaxed base.
How to Get to San Gimignano
San Gimignano is 37 miles southwest of Florence. It has no train station, so the best way to get there is to drive, but there is a public bus from Florence.
The last time we were in San Gimignano was on a day trip from Florence, which is a great way to do it.
San Gimignano Parking
If you are driving (as we did), San Gimignano is a 45-minute drive from Siena, 1 hour from Florence, and 1 hour and 15 minutes from Pisa.
There are several car parks just outside the city walls. Car parks 2 and 3 are right next to the walls; parks 1 and 4 are a 10-minute walk away. There is ample parking, but it can fill up quickly during peak season, so try to start your day early.
Take care not to accidentally drive into the old walled town, as the roads are narrow and bumpy.
By Public Transport
The nearest train station is at Poggibonsi, 12 kilometres from San Gimignano. The 130 bus from Poggibonsi to San Gimignano takes around 30 to 40 minutes.
From Florence, the 131 bus to Poggibonsi departs from the bus station (right next to the train station) every hour. Change at Poggibonsi to catch the 130 bus to San Gimignano.
Buses from Siena are direct and leave from Via Tozzi every hour, taking 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Tours to San Gimignano
The other option is to go on an organised tour.
This tour from Florence is highly rated, but it also includes Siena, which leaves little time in either city.
This tour also includes Pisa (and Siena), and it’s even more popular. It might be a little rushed, but if you are short on time or don’t want to drive yourself, it’s a good option.
San Gimignano City Pass
If you plan on seeing all the main sights listed in our guide, it’s worth getting the San Gimignano 2-day Pass.
It costs £16 (€18 / $21) and includes San Gimignano Duomo, Museo d’Arte Sacra, Torre Grossa, Civic Museum, Museo Archeologico and Museo Archeologico.
Tips for Your Visit
- Arrive early — by 11 AM the main piazzas are already busy with tour groups. Aim to be there by 9 AM if you can.
- The town is small but hilly, so wear comfortable shoes.
- Thursday is the craft market, and Saturday is the fresh produce market — worth timing your visit around if possible.
- If visiting in July or August, book restaurants in advance — the town gets extremely busy and good tables fill up fast.
When to Go
The best times to visit San Gimignano are the shoulder months of April, May, September and October — the weather is excellent, and the crowds are much more manageable than in the peak season over summer.
San Gimignano gets very busy in July and August, when the narrow streets can feel overwhelmed with day-trippers. If you do visit in summer, aim to arrive as early as possible.
More Italy Guides
- Here are the best things to do in Siena.
- Discover the orange city with our guide to Bologna.
- Read our top things to do in Florence.
- How to spend a day in San Gimignano.
- See Tuscany on these great day trips from Florence.
- Read our guide to the Italian Dolomites.
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Thanks for your support // Paul & Mark
do you know of any tours from Florence where we would JUST spend the day in San Gigignamo? Otherwise i guess public tansport and do on our own but there will be four of us.
Hi Gail, Sorry I don’t. Most tours bundle it in with either Pisa, Siena, or wine-tasting. You could just get a taxi each way, which would not be too expensive between four people. Or get a private tour and just tell the tour guide what you want. Sorry I could not be of more help. Good luck, Mark