What to Do in Florence: Sights, Districts, Food and Viewpoints

Standing at the foot of Brunelleschi’s dome, steeling yourself for the 463 steps to the top: that’s how a Florence trip often begins. What follows moves fast, three hours at the Uffizi Gallery, a face to face with the David at the Accademia, crossing the Ponte Vecchio at sunset, then an aperitivo on Piazza Santo Spirito, on the Oltrarno side. It all fits into a long weekend: our itinerary for visiting Florence in 3 days strings it all together in the right order.

Florence is not a city with a museum, it is a museum that became a city. The Renaissance was invented here, funded by the Medici, sculpted by Michelangelo and painted by Botticelli, and it all stayed put: you cross paths with an absolute masterpiece every 200 metres, often for free, sometimes outdoors. The centre can be covered entirely on foot, which makes it a perfect city break destination, but also a trap for visitors in a hurry: better to pick your battles. Here, theme by theme, is what genuinely deserves your time.

Unmissable Sights in Florence

The Duomo and Brunelleschi’s dome. Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral and its red brick dome dominate the city’s skyline. The interior is free (dense queues by day, come at opening time), but the main event is the climb up the dome: 463 steps between the two shells, a close look at the Last Judgment fresco, and the finest urban panorama in Tuscany. Booking is compulsory through the Brunelleschi Pass (around 30 euros, which also covers Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistery and the Museum of the Duomo Works), with a fixed time slot for the climb.

The Uffizi Gallery. The largest collection of Renaissance painting anywhere: Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo, Caravaggio. Tickets run around 25 euros in high season, online booking is essential (a two hour queue without a slot in summer), and you should allow at least three hours. Closed on Mondays.

Michelangelo’s David. At the Galleria dell’Accademia, the 5.17 metre original stands at the end of a gallery lined with the unfinished Prisoners. An hour and a half is enough; tickets run around 16 euros plus booking fee, to be secured as soon as your dates are set.

Ponte Vecchio. The medieval bridge lined with jewellers’ shops, the only bridge in Florence spared in 1944, can be crossed for free at any hour. The best viewpoint is not on the bridge itself but next to it: station yourself on the Santa Trinita bridge at sunset.

Museums and Culture Beyond the Uffizi

The Palazzo Vecchio, the city’s fortress standing on Piazza della Signoria, is worth visiting for the Hall of the Five Hundred and the Medici apartments (around 17.50 euros; the climb up the Arnolfo Tower is booked separately and is worth it for the view). The Bargello National Museum is the great underrated stop for visitors in a rush, wrongly so: this former prison holds Florentine sculpture at its peak, including Donatello’s bronze David, for around ten euros and without the crowds. The Medici Chapels, near San Lorenzo, hold the Sagrestia Nuova, entirely designed and sculpted by Michelangelo: quite possibly the most intense place in the city relative to its size. Finally, the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella (facade by Leon Battista Alberti, Masaccio’s Trinity) more than justifies its 7.50 euros entry fee if you are staying near the station.

History enthusiasts should know about the Vasari Corridor, the Medici’s secret passage between the Palazzo Vecchio and the Pitti Palace running above Ponte Vecchio, which reopened in late 2024 after years of works. It can only be visited with a Uffizi ticket; it is expensive, but the experience is unique.

The Best Districts to Explore

The Oltrarno, the left bank of the Arno, is the district where Florence still lives for itself: gilders’ and bookbinders’ workshops in San Frediano, the bare facade of the Basilica of Santo Spirito designed by Brunelleschi, and the square of the same name, the epicentre of Florentine evenings. Santa Croce combines the pantheon basilica (tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli, around 10 euros) with the leather craftsmen’s district: the Scuola del Cuoio, set in the monks’ former dormitory, can be visited for free. Around San Lorenzo, the mood is more scrappy: leather stalls at the outdoor market (haggle, check the stitching) and the gourmet food hall at the Mercato Centrale. One tip that applies everywhere: look up and push open the doors to courtyards, Florentine palazzi hide their luxury behind austere facades.

Where to Eat and Drink in Florence

The absolute local speciality is lampredotto, a sandwich of slow cooked tripe sold for 5 to 6 euros from street kiosks (trippai) and at the Mercato Centrale: try it with salsa verde. At a restaurant, bistecca alla fiorentina is ordered by weight (50 to 60 euros per kilo, meant to be shared between two or three) and eaten rare, no discussion with the chef required. Trattorias serve pasta dishes for 10 to 15 euros; be wary of picture menus around the Duomo, and eat instead around Sant’Ambrogio or the Oltrarno. For gelato, avoid the neon coloured mountains: serious gelato makers keep their tubs under a lid. And keep an eye out for the buchette del vino, the small wine windows cut into palazzo facades back in the 17th century: several have been brought back into use and now pour a glass of chianti straight onto the street.

Experiences to Have and Viewpoints

The evening ritual is called Piazzale Michelangelo: a 20 minute walk up from the river (or bus 12/13) for the postcard view over the Duomo and the Arno, best reached 45 minutes before sunset to grab a spot on the steps. Five minutes further up, the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte, a Romanesque masterpiece, offers the same view without the crowds; the monks sing Gregorian vespers there in the late afternoon, for free. For greenery, the Boboli Gardens behind the Pitti Palace (around 10 euros) unfold cypresses and mannerist grottoes; the lesser known neighbouring Bardini Garden combines a spectacular wisteria tunnel in April with a panoramic terrace that is nearly always empty. Food lovers can also book a Tuscan cooking class (fresh pasta and tiramisu, budget 60 to 80 euros): it is the highest rated activity in the city on booking platforms.

What to Do for Free in Florence

Plenty, and at a very high level. Piazza della Signoria is an open air sculpture museum (Cellini’s Perseus, a copy of the David, the Neptune Fountain). The cathedral’s interior, the Basilica of Santo Spirito and San Miniato al Monte require no ticket. Ponte Vecchio, the banks of the Arno, Piazzale Michelangelo and the markets (San Lorenzo, Sant’Ambrogio) can all be enjoyed without spending a cent. On the first Sunday of the month, the state museums (Uffizi and Accademia included) are free: a great deal off season, and guaranteed crowds in summer.

Around Florence

Fiesole is the easiest day trip: bus number 7 from Piazza San Marco climbs up in 20 minutes (1.70 euros) to this perched Etruscan village, with a Roman theatre, the San Francesco Monastery, and a sweeping view over Florence from Via San Francesco. Half a day is enough. With a full day to spare, Siena (1 hour 15 by direct bus) sets its intact Gothic Middle Ages against Florentine Renaissance, and Pisa is just an hour away by regional train (around 9 euros): the Field of Miracles can be visited in half a day, leaning tower included.

How Many Days to Visit Florence?

Two full days cover the unmissable sights (the Duomo, the Uffizi, the David, Ponte Vecchio); three days add the Oltrarno, Piazzale Michelangelo and a breather in Fiesole or the gardens, without rushing. This is the format we recommend for a first visit: follow our itinerary for visiting Florence in 3 days, built district by district with the bookings to plan ahead and the real visiting times. Beyond that, four to five days open the door to Siena, Pisa or Chianti.

Practical Tips for Visiting Florence

To build your own selection from all of this and turn it into an hour by hour plan, our guide on planning a city break with AI saves precious time. Before you book, get a handle on your spending with our tips on estimating and tracking your travel budget. And if you are still torn on the destination, compare it with our itinerary for visiting Rome in 3 days.