Florence travel guide

Florence

Florence is compact enough to walk end to end, so its days are set by reservations and closing days rather than distance. The dome climb needs a fixed slot, the Accademia advises reserving, and the large state museums close on Mondays.

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The Arno and Ponte Santa Trinita between rows of riverside buildings in Florence

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The Arno and Ponte Santa Trinita between rows of riverside buildings in Florence
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Plan Florence by time and budget

One dayOne Day in Florence: €45 or Less?2 to 4 daysFlorence in 3 Days for €250?Free and cheapFree Florence, or Pay about €45?Day tripsDay Trips from Florence, from €8.90Airport to cityFLR or PSA to Florence, from €2Combo ticketsDuomo, Uffizi & Accademia: about €200

Top experiences

Top experiences in Florence

Piazza del Duomo with the Baptistery in front, Giotto’s Bell Tower behind it and Brunelleschi’s dome beside the cathedral façade

Duomo complex and the dome climb

The cathedral’s first stone was laid in 1296 and Brunelleschi’s dome, raised between 1420 and 1436, closed its vault. Around it stand Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistery and the cathedral museum. The dome climb is 463 steps with no lift, entered from the north side.

Best for: First visits, and anyone who wants the view from inside the dome · Area: Piazza del Duomo, historic centre · Time: Dome about 45 minutes; Baptistery 30 to 45 minutes; museum about 90 minutes

Plan for The cathedral itself needs no ticket, but the dome, bell tower, Baptistery and museum sit behind one of three passes, and an identity document is checked at the dome. Bags go to a luggage store first, and the Baptistery’s vault mosaics are not visible during restoration.

See Duomo complex and the dome climb tours

The long street front of the Galleria dell’Accademia on Via Ricasoli, with visitors gathering at the far end

Accademia and Michelangelo’s David

The Galleria dell’Accademia keeps Michelangelo’s David, made in 1501 to 1504, in the Tribuna at the end of the Gallery of the Prisoners. Its other rooms hold Florentine paintings, plaster casts and a collection of musical instruments.

Best for: Sculpture lovers, and visitors who want the original David · Area: Via Ricasoli, San Marco district

Plan for The museum has no cloakroom, so large bags are refused on entry, and it is closed on Mondays. Reserving is advised because the wait without a reservation can be long, and on free-admission days the booking service is switched off and entry is by queue.

See Accademia and Michelangelo’s David tours

Ponte Vecchio from the north bank, with the shops and the Vasari Corridor above the arches

Ponte Vecchio

The bridge stands on the Roman crossing of ancient Florentia and took its present form in 1345 after a flood in 1333. Goldsmiths’ workshops have replaced the butchers’ and fishmongers’ shops since 1593, and the Vasari Corridor runs above them. It was the only Florence bridge left intact in August 1944.

Best for: A walk between the Uffizi side and the Oltrarno at any hour · Area: Arno crossing between the centre and the Oltrarno

Plan for The shops on the bridge are jewellers, so the roadway is a passage rather than a visit. The bridge itself is best seen from the Lungarno or from Ponte Santa Trinita, downstream, because on the roadway you are inside the view.

See Ponte Vecchio tours

Green and white marble façade of San Miniato al Monte, the church above Piazzale Michelangelo

Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato al Monte

Giuseppe Poggi finished the square in 1875 as a terrace above the city, with the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Croce and Ponte Vecchio in view. Higher up stands San Miniato al Monte, a Romanesque church with an early 13th-century marble façade above an 11th-century crypt.

Best for: Late afternoon views over the whole centre, and a Romanesque church on the way up · Area: Hill south of the Arno, above the Oltrarno

Plan for Reaching it means an uphill walk or bus 13. The basilica closes over the middle of the day and opens on Sundays only in the afternoon, so pair the view with a morning or late-afternoon visit to the church.

See Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato al Monte tours

The Kaffeehaus pavilion in the Boboli Gardens above the rooftops of Florence

Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens

Cosimo I de’ Medici and Eleanor of Toledo bought the palace in 1550, and the Habsburg-Lorraine and Savoy courts followed. Behind it the Medici laid out the Boboli Gardens, with grottoes, fountains and an 18th-century Rococo pavilion, the Kaffeehaus.

Best for: A slower south-bank half day with museums and a terraced garden · Area: Oltrarno, south bank of the Arno

Plan for The palace is closed on Mondays, but the gardens close only on the first and last Monday of each month. Palace and garden tickets are separate unless bought as the combined ticket, and some rooms close for restoration from time to time.

See Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens tours

Piazza Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno, with a monument, plane trees, café terraces and a church bell tower

Oltrarno: Santo Spirito and the craft workshops

The Oltrarno, inside the city walls of 1173, grew in the 13th century around two churches, Santo Spirito and the Carmine. Santo Spirito was rebuilt to a design by Brunelleschi, its square holds a monthly market, and the Firenze Creativa circuit links craft workshops with the streets they sit in.

Best for: Unhurried afternoons and evenings between the timed sights · Area: Oltrarno, around Piazza Santo Spirito

Plan for There is no headline ticket, so workshops keep their own hours, and on the third Sunday of the month the Fierucola market takes over Piazza Santo Spirito. Reaching the Duomo side means crossing the river on foot.

See Oltrarno: Santo Spirito and the craft workshops tours

The iron and glass hall of the Mercato Centrale with street stalls in front

San Lorenzo and the Mercato Centrale

Giuseppe Mengoni designed the iron, cast-iron and glass Mercato Centrale, opened in 1874, soon after Florence’s years as capital of Italy. Produce, meat, fish and bread sell on the ground floor, food counters fill the first floor until midnight, and leather and souvenir stalls line the streets outside.

Best for: Food-focused visitors, and anyone who wants a market morning · Area: San Lorenzo, near the Duomo

Plan for The ground floor closes by mid-afternoon and all day on Sundays, so it is a morning stop; the first-floor food hall is where the evening goes. The street stalls sell leather goods and clothing rather than food.

See San Lorenzo and the Mercato Centrale tours

Medieval stone towers of San Gimignano above olive trees and Tuscan hills

Tuscan day trips: Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa and Chianti

UNESCO lists the historic centres of Siena and San Gimignano and Pisa’s Piazza del Duomo, each a different kind of day. Siena is a Gothic city on three hills, San Gimignano a town of tower houses 56 km south of Florence, and Pisa four medieval monuments on one green square. The Chianti wine villages lie between Florence and Siena.

Best for: Visitors with a third day who want countryside or a medieval town · Area: Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa and Chianti, outside Florence

Plan for Siena and San Gimignano need an intercity bus rather than a city bus, Pisa Centrale has train links to Florence, and Cinque Terre lies on the Ligurian coast, a separate region, and makes a very long day. Combining two places in one day shortens both.

See Tuscan day trips: Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa and Chianti tours

Plan one, three or five days in Florence

One day: the dome slot, then one bank of the Arno

Take the dome slot first, then give the rest of the day to one bank: the Uffizi and Piazza della Signoria, or the Oltrarno and Piazzale Michelangelo.

Ponte Vecchio and Ponte Santa Trinita link the banks on foot, and each side holds a morning of museums.

The trade-off A Monday removes the Uffizi, the Accademia and Pitti, leaving the Duomo complex, the Oltrarno, Piazzale Michelangelo and, on most Mondays, the Boboli Gardens.

Three days: one anchor for each day

Give day one to the Duomo, day two to the Uffizi and the Signoria, and day three to the Accademia and San Marco.

The Duomo pass allows three calendar days, so the Baptistery, museum and bell tower can be taken outside the dome day.

The trade-off The Mercato Centrale ground floor closes by mid-afternoon and on Sundays, so a market stop belongs in the morning of the Accademia day.

Five days: add the south bank and a day outside

Use a fourth day for Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens, ending at Piazzale Michelangelo, and a fifth for one destination outside the city.

The gardens keep their own calendar, and gates at Pitti, Annalena, Porta Romana and Forte di Belvedere let a visit end elsewhere.

The trade-off Fitting Siena or Pisa into the same day removes Piazzale Michelangelo, which is best kept for a clear late afternoon.

Costed plans: One Day in Florence: €45 or Less? → · Florence in 3 Days for €250? →

Sources

checked 2026-09-19. Recommendations are editorial judgements based on the cited sources below.

Choose a Florence base and explore nearby

Duomo and San Lorenzo: the walking base

Base near the cathedral when the dome slot, the Accademia and the Mercato Centrale are the fixed points of the stay.

The cathedral complex, the market and Via Ricasoli lie within a short walk of one another.

The trade-off Inside the ZTL a hire car becomes a problem: gates read number plates, the hotel registers the vehicle and a luggage drop lasts three hours at most.

Santa Maria Novella: the rail and tram base

Base at the station when trains to Pisa, Rome or Milan and the tram lines matter more than an evening walk.

Regional, high-speed and international trains use Santa Maria Novella, and tram lines T1 and T2 both call there.

The trade-off Every historic sight is its own walk from here, and the Oltrarno adds a river crossing to it.

Oltrarno: the slower base

Base around Piazza Santo Spirito when afternoons are for workshops and gardens and mornings can begin with a bridge.

Pitti, the Boboli entrances at Annalena and Porta Romana, and the Firenze Creativa workshops are all on this bank.

The trade-off The Duomo and the Uffizi are across the river, so a dome slot means crossing before the morning opening.

Sources

checked 2026-09-19. Recommendations are editorial judgements based on the cited sources below.

Airports and getting around

Florence Airport (FLR) is about five kilometres from the centre, and tram line T2 reaches the city in about 20 minutes. Pisa Airport (PSA), the second airport used for Florence, lies about one kilometre from Pisa Centrale by the PisaMover, and trains run on from Pisa Centrale to Florence.

Within the historic centre, walking is the transport. Trams T1 and T2 call at Santa Maria Novella, city bus 13 climbs to Piazzale Michelangelo, and Siena and San Gimignano are reached by intercity bus.

FLR or PSA to Florence, from €2 →

Best time to visit

Spring (March–May)

Daytime highs climb from about 16 °C in March to about 24 °C in May in the 1971–2000 normals, and April is the wettest spring month at about 86 mm over roughly ten rain days. The dome and Piazzale Michelangelo are open-air, so keep a wet-weather museum slot in reserve.

Crowds
Varies by event and attraction

Summer (June–August)

June to August daytime highs average about 28 to 31.5 °C, and July is the driest month at about 37 mm. The dome climb, the bell tower and Boboli are exposed, so take the earliest dome slot and leave the middle of the day for a museum.

Crowds
Varies by event and attraction

Notable events

  • Calcio Storico matches in Piazza Santa Croce in June
  • Fireworks on 24 June for the patron saint

Autumn (September–November)

September still reaches about 27 °C, then rainfall rises: October averages about 104 mm and November about 114 mm, the wettest month of the year. Autumn favours indoor days at the Uffizi, Pitti and the Accademia, with the hill views kept for clear afternoons.

Crowds
Varies by event and attraction

Winter (December–February)

December to February daytime highs sit near 11 to 12.5 °C, with January nights near 2 °C. Museums and the Mercato Centrale carry the day, and the Boboli Gardens close by half past four from November to February.

Crowds
Varies by event and attraction

Markets and local life

The Mercato Centrale works as a two-part food stop. Produce, meat, fish and bread sell on the ground floor, which closes on Sundays and by mid-afternoon on other days, while the first floor holds food counters open until midnight. The street stalls around it sell leather goods and clothing rather than food.

On the south bank, Piazza Santo Spirito hosts the Fierucola market on the third Sunday of each month. The Firenze Creativa circuit links craft workshops with the streets they sit in. Neither needs a museum-style time slot, so both suit the hours between museum entries.

City profile

  • Population (Comune di Firenze (the municipality only, not the metropolitan city), resident population at 31 December 2025, 2025): 363,249

Florence was built on an Etruscan settlement and the Roman colony of Florentia, founded in 59 BC.

The cathedral’s first stone was laid on 8 September 1296, and Brunelleschi’s dome completed the church, which was consecrated in 1436.

Florence was capital of Italy from 1865 to 1871, and Piazzale Michelangelo and the Mercato Centrale date from the years that followed its redesign.

Famous for:

  • A historic centre of 505 hectares, inscribed by UNESCO in 1982, that holds the cathedral, Santa Croce, Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti.
  • Bridges and a corridor across the Arno: Ponte Vecchio, Ponte Santa Trinita and the Vasari Corridor join the centre to the Oltrarno.

What makes Florence work as a trip

The historic centre covers 505 hectares inside the line of its old walls, so the cathedral, the Uffizi, the Accademia and the Arno bridges are all a walk apart. What fills those streets is seven centuries of commissions, from Giotto’s bell tower to the Medici palaces across the river.

Florence gives a short stay little middle ground. One afternoon holds a single timed entry and a walk across the Arno, and a wish for coast or open countryside means leaving the city for a day rather than adding it to this one.

Plan around
Dome slot · Museum closing days · Oltrarno evenings
Good first stay
Two full days, three with Boboli or a day outside
Museum closing day
Mondays for the Uffizi, Accademia and Pitti
Airports
FLR by tram T2 · PSA by PisaMover and train

Planning your Florence visit: FAQs

Which Duomo pass includes the dome climb?

Only the Brunelleschi Pass. It covers the dome, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistery, the museum and Santa Reparata within three calendar days, with the dome climb fixed to a time slot on the first day. The Giotto Pass omits the dome, the Ghiberti Pass has no climbs, and Giotto’s Bell Tower is being restored over several years while it stays open.

Which day of the week should I avoid for museums?

Monday. The Uffizi, the Accademia and Palazzo Pitti are closed then. The Boboli Gardens are the exception, opening on Mondays other than the first and last of the month, and the Duomo complex stays open on Mondays, so Monday suits the cathedral, the dome and the Oltrarno.

Can I drive into central Florence?

Much of the historic centre is a ZTL, a restricted traffic zone. It runs on weekdays from 7:30 to 20:00 and on Saturdays until 16:00, is off on Sundays and holidays, and adds a night zone from Thursday to Saturday, 23:00 to 03:00, in summer. Gates read number plates, so hotels register a guest’s plate, and a luggage drop may last up to three hours.

Is there a tourist tax in Florence?

Yes. The city charges it per person per night for up to seven consecutive nights, with the amount set by the type and class of accommodation, and children under 12 are among those exempt.

Where can I see the David without entering the Accademia?

Copies stand outdoors: one in front of Palazzo Vecchio on Piazza della Signoria and a bronze copy on Piazzale Michelangelo. The original is inside the Accademia, in the Tribuna.

Which viewpoint gives the best look over Florence?

Piazzale Michelangelo shows the whole centre, with the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio and Ponte Vecchio in one view. The dome climb looks across the roofs from the cathedral itself, and the tower of Palazzo Vecchio is a further climb.

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