Florence Travel Guide: Plan Your Days, Where to Stay
Florence is small enough to cross on foot in half an hour and packed enough that three days still leave a list. This guide says what to book first, where to sleep, and how to build days that do not end in a queue.
The city in short
Almost everything you came for sits on the north bank of the Arno: the Duomo, the Accademia, the Uffizi, Santa Croce, and Santa Maria Novella next to the main station. The river separates the old centre from the Oltrarno, where Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens stand and where the climb to Piazzale Michelangelo begins.
The real planning problem is not distance but entry. The Uffizi, the Accademia and the dome of the Duomo all work with booked slots or long lines, so the order of your days should follow your reservations, not the map. Book those three first, then fit churches, bridges and meals around them.
How many days
- Two days: Duomo with the dome, the Accademia, the Uffizi, and a walk over Ponte Vecchio at the end of the day.
- Three days: add the Oltrarno with Palazzo Pitti and Boboli, Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, and sunset above the city.
- Four days or more: give one whole day to Siena, Pisa or San Gimignano and keep the rest slow.
A three-day plan
Day 1: Duomo and David
Take the earliest dome slot you can book and climb before the heat and the tour groups arrive. Walk through the Baptistery and the Opera del Duomo museum afterwards, then queue-free into the Accademia with a reserved time. Finish the afternoon in Santa Maria Novella, which opens late on Fridays and Sundays, so check the day.
Day 2: Uffizi and the Oltrarno
Spend the morning in the Uffizi, then cross Ponte Vecchio on foot for lunch on the far bank. The afternoon belongs to Palazzo Pitti and, if the weather is kind, the Boboli Gardens behind it. Walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo for the evening light.
Day 3: Santa Croce or a day out
Santa Croce deserves a slow morning, with the cloister and the Pazzi Chapel. If you have had enough of stone and paintings, take the train to Pisa or Lucca instead and come back for dinner.
When it rains
Florence copes with rain better than most cities, because its best sights are indoors. Wet days also thin out the crowd on the squares, if not in the Uffizi.
- Morning: the Uffizi or the Accademia, both closed on Mondays.
- Afternoon: the Palatine Gallery and the Royal Apartments in Palazzo Pitti.
- Evening: a long dinner, booked a day ahead if you care about a particular place.
- Any time: Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce, where frescoes fill the chapels.
Where to stay
- Around the Duomo
- Every sight is a few minutes away, which is the point and the price: the lanes fill with day visitors and the nights are louder than elsewhere.
- Near Santa Maria Novella station
- The practical choice if you arrive by train, tram from the airport or bus to the day trips. The streets right at the station are plain; go a few blocks toward the river.
- Santa Croce
- East of the Duomo, with more locals in the evening and a square in front of the basilica. The station is about twenty minutes away on foot.
- San Marco and the Accademia
- North of the Duomo, near David and out of the main crush. A good fit for a stay built around museums and weekday lunches.
- Oltrarno
- Across the river by Palazzo Pitti, with workshops and quieter nights. You cross a bridge to reach most sights, and you are close to the hill with the best view.