Traveleriences
Terracotta roofs of Florence seen from the terrace of the cathedral

Florence, Italy

Ideal: 3 daysBest: Apr–Jun, Sep–OctPrice: Expensive
OverviewSeeEatHidden gemsDrinkAreasStayPracticalHistoryNearby

In 60 seconds

Florence in 60 seconds

Florence packs more first-rank art into a walkable centre than anywhere else on earth, and most visitors try to see all of it at once. Don't. Book the Uffizi and the Accademia for mornings, leave the afternoons for walking, and cross the Arno: the Oltrarno is where the city's workshops, wine bars and quieter squares are. The centre is small and largely closed to traffic, so stay inside it and walk everywhere. Climb Brunelleschi's dome with a timed ticket, then watch the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo or, more quietly, San Miniato above it. Lunch on lampredotto from a market stall, as Florentines do. Three days is right; a fourth buys Siena or the hills.

Best for

  • Museums
  • Architecture
  • History
  • Food

Known for

  • Renaissance art
  • Brunelleschi's dome
  • Tuscan cooking

Skip if

Queues and crowds undo you. In high season the centre is packed from mid-morning, and every major museum needs a booking.

Your match

Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Florence fits them. Choose interests

See

Must experience

The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.

The Duomo & Brunelleschi's dome

Expensive

Cathedral · Dome climb

Climb inside the dome itself for the Last Judgement frescoes up close, then the city from the lantern.

Centro StoricoBook aheadStairs

Galleria dell'Accademia

Expensive

Michelangelo's David

Go for David, stay for the unfinished Prisoners in the corridor leading to him.

San MarcoBook ahead

Eat

Where to eat

A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?

Local

Where to eat the food this city is actually known for.

Trattoria Mario

Inexpensive

Florentine home cooking · Lunch only · Since 1953

Three generations of the Colzi family, shared tables, and the menu written on the wall each day.

San LorenzoNo bookingShared tables

Trattoria Sostanza

Moderate

Florentine trattoria · Since 1869

Marble tables and an unchanged menu. Order the butter chicken and the artichoke tortino.

Santa Maria NovellaBook aheadCash

Trattoria Cammillo

Expensive

Tuscan trattoria · Since 1945

A family trattoria on Borgo San Jacopo since 1945, serving classic pasta and bistecca.

OltrarnoBisteccaClassic

Casual

No booking, no ceremony, reliably good.

All'Antico Vinaio

Inexpensive

Schiacciata sandwiches

Hot schiacciata stuffed with Tuscan salumi. The queue moves faster than it looks.

Santa CroceFastQueue

Mercato Centrale

Moderate

Food hall above the market

The upper floor of the 19th-century market hall, turned into a food court of artisan counters in 2014.

San LorenzoFood hallLate

Da Nerbone

Inexpensive

Lampredotto · Since 1872

A market counter serving lampredotto sandwiches with salsa verde to market workers since 1872.

San LorenzoCashStanding

Special occasion

Worth planning the evening around.

Buca Lapi

Expensive

Tuscan · Palazzo Antinori cellars · Since 1880

A bistecca alla fiorentina in the vaulted cellars of a wine family's palazzo.

Santa Maria NovellaBook aheadSteak

Enoteca Pinchiorri

Very expensive

Three stars · Legendary cellar

Annie Féolde's kitchen and Giorgio Pinchiorri's wine cellar, in a Renaissance palazzo on Via Ghibellina.

Santa CroceBook aheadWine

Ora d'Aria

Very expensive

Modern Tuscan · Michelin star

Marco Stabile updates regional dishes in a starred room steps from the Ponte Vecchio.

Centro StoricoBook aheadTasting menu

Coffee & fika

Mornings, and the slow hour between things.

Caffè Gilli

Moderate

Belle Époque café · Since 1733

A literary café since the 18th century, now on Piazza della Repubblica. Have a coffee standing at the marble bar.

Centro StoricoClassicPastries

Rivoire

Moderate

Chocolate café · Since 1872

Thick hot chocolate made to an old Turin recipe, on the corner of Piazza della Signoria since 1872.

Centro StoricoClassicHot chocolate

Beyond the obvious

Hidden gems

Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.

San Miniato al Monte

Romanesque basilica above the city

Climb past Piazzale Michelangelo to the finest church view in Florence; the monks still sing vespers in Gregorian chant.

OltrarnoFreeView

Giardino delle Rose

Terraced rose garden

A free, terraced garden just below Piazzale Michelangelo with the same view and none of the coaches.

OltrarnoFreeSpring

Bardini Gardens

Moderate

Terraced garden above the Arno

Terraces, a wisteria tunnel and a view over the river and the Duomo, quieter than Boboli.

OltrarnoGardenView

After dark

Bars & nightlife

Le Volpi e l'Uva

Moderate

Wine bar · Since 1992

A small wine bar on a quiet piazza just over the Ponte Vecchio. Ask what is open by the glass.

OltrarnoAperitivoWine

Il Santino

Moderate

Small wine bar · Natural Italian wines

A vaulted little wine bar on Via Santo Spirito, with crostini and cheese to go with the glass.

OltrarnoSmallWine

Fiaschetteria Nuvoli

Inexpensive

Old wine tavern

A family wine tavern a minute from the Duomo: house wine, crostini and ribollita.

Centro StoricoLunchWine

Orientation

Neighbourhoods

How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.

Oltrarno

Workshops, Santo Spirito, wine bars

The other bank: artisans' workshops by day and Piazza Santo Spirito at night.

Santa Croce & Sant'Ambrogio

Market, trattorias, residents

The Sant'Ambrogio market and the trattorias around it are where Florence actually shops and eats.

San Niccolò

Below Piazzale Michelangelo

A small quarter under the city walls on the south bank, the start of the walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo.

Stay

Where to stay

Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.

Centro Storico

Very expensive

Between the Duomo and the river

Everything on foot, crowds included. Pay for a quiet courtyard room.

BusyWalkable

Oltrarno

Expensive

Across the Arno

Ten minutes from the Uffizi over the Ponte Vecchio, with better evenings and lower prices.

LocalQuieter

Santa Croce

Expensive

East of the centre

Five minutes from the Duomo, around the Sant'Ambrogio market.

FoodWalkable

Practical

Know before you go

Getting in
Santa Maria Novella is the main station, a short walk from the centre. The tram runs to Florence airport.
Getting around
Walk. The centre is compact, and much of it is closed to traffic.
Money
Euro. Cards are widely accepted; small trattorias may prefer cash.
Booking
The Uffizi, the Accademia and the dome climb all need timed tickets, well ahead in season.

Context

History in 5 minutes

Enough to make what you are looking at legible.

  1. 1296–1436

    The cathedral is built; Brunelleschi's dome, completed in 1436, is still the largest brick dome ever made.

  2. 1434–1737

    The Medici rule, bank and patronise the Renaissance: Botticelli, Leonardo and Michelangelo all work here.

  3. 1865–1871

    Florence is briefly the capital of the newly united Kingdom of Italy.

Further out

Nearby escapes

Worth a day if you have one to spare.

Siena

Gothic hill town · Il Campo

The shell-shaped Campo and the striped cathedral. Stay for the evening if you can.

By regional train or busFull dayHistory

Fiesole

Hill town above Florence

Etruscan walls, a Roman theatre and the whole valley of Florence below. Go for sunset.

By local busHalf dayView

Lucca

Renaissance walls you can cycle

Hire a bike and ride the tree-lined ramparts, then the oval Piazza dell'Anfiteatro.

By regional trainEasyWalls