Best Things to Do in Florence

Florence packs Renaissance Italy into a city small enough to cross on foot in under an hour. The historic centre holds more UNESCO-listed art and architecture per square kilometre than almost anywhere in Europe, and most of it sits within a short walk of the Duomo. Anyone planning things to do in Florence will find the choice isn’t whether there’s enough to fill a trip, but how much of it fits into the days available.

That density is the appeal and the challenge, and it’s why most Florence holidays go more smoothly with a little planning built in. The Uffizi and the Accademia both sell out timed slots in high season, and the best viewpoints get crowded fast once the sunrise tour buses arrive. Spread the big sights across a couple of mornings, and the city stops feeling rushed.

Must-Visit Attractions

These seven sights form the core of any first visit, and most sit close enough together to link on a single walking loop through the centre.

Florence Cathedral

The Duomo dominates the skyline long before you reach it, its red-tiled dome the largest masonry dome ever built. Brunelleschi finished it in 1436 without modern scaffolding, using a design nobody has fully replicated since. Entry to the cathedral itself is free, though climbing the 463 steps to the top of the dome requires a timed ticket and a head for tight, spiralling stairs. The adjoining Baptistery, with its bronze doors nicknamed the Gates of Paradise, is worth the extra few minutes.

Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi holds one of the world’s great collections of Renaissance painting, including Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Titian. The building itself was designed as government offices in the 1560s before becoming a gallery. Book tickets online well ahead; walk-up queues in summer can run past two hours, and the museum caps daily entries.

Ponte Vecchio

This medieval bridge over the Arno has carried shops since the 1300s, though butchers and tanners gave way to gold and jewellery merchants centuries ago. The upper corridor, built for the Medici family to cross the city without touching the street is now open for guided tours. Sunset here draws a crowd, but the bridge is wide enough that it rarely feels packed.

Piazzale Michelangelo

Set on a hillside across the river, this square delivers the single best panorama of Florence. The Duomo, the Palazzo Vecchio tower and the red rooftops all line up in one uninterrupted sweep. A bronze replica of Michelangelo’s David stands at the centre of the square. It’s a 20-minute uphill walk from the Ponte Vecchio, or a short bus ride, and it’s busiest in the hour before sunset.

Boboli Gardens

Behind the Pitti Palace, these formal Renaissance gardens spread across 45,000 square metres of terraces, fountains and cypress-lined avenues. They were laid out for the Medici in the 1550s and later copied by garden designers across Europe. The amphitheatre near the entrance and the upper terrace, with its own view over the city, are the two spots worth budgeting extra time for.

Palazzo Pitti

Once the main residence of the Medici grand dukes, this palace across the river from the old town now holds several museums under one roof. The Palatine Gallery’s dense hang of Raphaels and Titians is the highlight, alongside a costume gallery and a porcelain museum. It sees far fewer visitors than the Uffizi, which makes it one of the more relaxed ways to see comparable art.

Piazza della Signoria

This has been the political heart of Florence since the 14th century, fronted by the Palazzo Vecchio’s fortress-like tower. The square doubles as an open-air sculpture museum. A copy of the David, Cellini’s bronze Perseus, and the Fountain of Neptune all stand in the open, free to view at any hour. The Loggia dei Lanzi along one edge shelters more statues from the weather.

Local Experiences You Shouldn’t Miss

Beyond the landmark sights, Florence rewards slower, smaller detours. Mercato Centrale, the covered food market near San Lorenzo, mixes fresh produce stalls downstairs with an upper-floor food hall built for a long lunch. The San Lorenzo street market outside sells leather goods at prices well below the boutiques near the Duomo, though quality varies stall to stall.

Across the river, the Oltrarno district holds the city’s working artisan workshops: bookbinders, leather crafters and goldsmiths who still make pieces by hand in studios open to the street. A short cooking class here, usually built around fresh pasta or a Tuscan menu, tends to be the most memorable few hours of a Florence trip. It also gives structure to an otherwise unplanned afternoon.

A short train or bus trip into the Chianti countryside adds vineyards and hilltop villages to a Florence base, and most day tours include a wine tasting and lunch. Closer to home, an evening walk along the Arno as the light drops is a low-effort way to end most days in the city. Follow it with gelato from one of the artisanal shops near Santa Croce.

One-Day and Three-Day Itineraries

One day in Florence: Start early at the Duomo before the queues build, then walk to the Uffizi for a pre-booked morning slot. After lunch, cross the Ponte Vecchio and head up to Piazzale Michelangelo in time for sunset. It’s a full day on foot, but it covers the essentials.

Three days in Florence: Day one follows the one-day route above at a slower pace, saving the dome climb for a quieter mid-morning slot. Day two moves across the river to the Oltrarno: Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens in the morning, artisan workshops and a cooking class in the afternoon. Day three works well as a half-day at the Accademia and Piazza della Signoria. Spend the afternoon on a trip out to Chianti or to a nearby town such as Siena or Pisa.

Either version works well as a base itinerary, and Travelodeal packages flights with a central Florence hotel, so most of the logistics are settled before the plane lands.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)