So…you’re visiting Florence? Great choice! Can’t stay a while? We can help! (Updated April 2022)
Tuscany’s official capital and Italy’s unofficial Renaissance capital has so much to offer the intrepid traveller that it almost feels like an insult to cram all of its sights (and delicious eats) into five days, but if that’s all you got, don’t stress. We’ve thrown together the ultimate guide to the city. Of course, make sure to check out our walking food tours in Florence since they combine art, history, neighborhood exploration and discovering local specialties.
A note before we dive in. Always check the opening hours for museums. Most are closed on Mondays. And while we’re on the topic of museums, if your time is short, you should always buy your tickets online well in advance. (Check out our guide to reserving museum tickets in Florence)
NB: We've adapted this post from 3 to 5 days in an effort to discourage mass tourism. Like a lot of Italy’s most popular cities, Florence is a victim of fly-in fly-out tourism, where many visitors get a shallow experience of the city and fall prey to mass-market traps that don’t benefit them or the local producers, artisans and hospitality purveyors who live, breathe and love this city!
Day 1:
Morning
You have a big day ahead of you, so stock up on coffee and pastries at one of my favourite cafès in the city, S.forno (Via Santa Monaca). There are plenty of bakeries in Florence, but S.forno stands out for its locally grown, stone-milled grains and wild fermentation, which produces a slow-risen organic bread. Go sweet with a panino filled with freshly churned butter and old-style jams or savoury with a salty flatbread filled with hand-cut Tuscan prosciutto.
After breakfast, stroll down Via Sant’Agostino to Palazzo Pitti, Renaissance palace turned mega museum (tickets €16). There is a lot to see here. Four museums to be exact. The Treasury of the Grand Dukes on the ground floor, the Palatine Gallery and the Royal and Imperial Apartments on the first floor, and the Modern Art Gallery and the Museum of Costume and Fashion on the second floor. But if you’re strictly in it for the highlights, don’t miss the exquisite Portraits of Agnolo and Maddalena Doni by Raphael.
Afternoon
Stop for a quick lunch at Il Magazzino in Piazza della Passera- one of Florence’s pride and joys are “lampredotto”, an offal eat of the cow’s 4th stomach! At Il Magazzino, this osteria does gourmet plays with the stuff from lampre-filled ravioli doused in sweet onion sauce and even tempura-fried lampre-sushi! They also have revered Tuscan classics for non-offal enthusiasts like Pici in a tangy tomato and garlic sauce, vegetarian “carbonara” and fried steak.
From here it’s a short walk to the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens (tickets €10), where you can while away the afternoon admiring the incredible collection of statues, Roman antiquities and endless gardens of roses, all designed for Florence’s most famous family, the Medici.
Evening
Head down Via Romana and cross the Ponte Vecchio at sunset. You’ll have to fight the crowds, but it’ll be worth it to snap the pink and yellow tinted Arno River and medieval bridge.
After that, you can unwind with an apertivo before dinner or head straight to one of the many amazing restaurants in the area. My top pick? Ristorante del Fagioli (Corso dei Tintori). Run by the same family since 1966, it’s the place to go for Tuscan cuisine like Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florence’s illustrious t-bone/porterhouse steak) and blue-collar classics like penne strascicate, pasta cooked in a very meaty sugo. Alternatively, consider our Progressive Dining Tour in Florence since we visit 4 eateries in one evening, bistecca alla fiorentina included!
Day 2:
Morning
Start early with a stroll through the Sant’Ambrogio Market. You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to breakfast with plenty of stalls selling fresh fruit, artisan pastries and perfectly brewed cappuccinos, but the market is more than just a place to eat, it’s also a chance to people watch and soak up the atmosphere of the city alongside the locals (For a real insider’s take, join our Cultural Market Walk as we make a beeline for the city’s best market stalls, cheese shops and artisan gelato).
From here, it’s a leisurely 15-minute walk window shopping and selfie snapping to join the masses in Palazzo Vecchio. This fortress palace was built in the 14th century, give or take a year, and is now home to the mayor and municipal council. Art buffs will want to explore the museum, but everyone else should just fork out the €10 to climb the 418 steps up Torre d’Arnolfo for the most striking view of the city.
Afternoon
If you’re starting to feel a little peckish, grab a panino from SandwiChic on Via San Gallo 3 near the Accademia. Despite it’s very central position, the shop is brimming with a wide selection of typical Tuscany delights to build a tasty panino with, including excellent schiacciate (salty Tuscan flatbread) and artisan-sourced ingredients.
After lunch, dive into Florence’s most iconic landmark, the Duomo. It’s staggering pink, white and green marble facade is incredible on the outside, while its cavernous interior is marked by frescoes by Vasari and Zuccari and up to 44 stained-glass windows.
If you’re keen to visit the Cupola del Brunelleschi next door (tickets €18), bear in mind that you can only do so with advance reservations online or at the Piazza di San Giovanni ticket office. Four million bricks went into the construction of the cupola, which was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and inspired by Rome’s Pantheon.
Evening
The fare directly around the Duomo is predictably average, so for dinner, consider hightailing it to Via delle Oche for a glass of wine and platter of charcuterie at Entoeca Alessi, or head straight to Coquinarius, also on Via delle Oche, for a gourmet salad or a hearty plate of wild boar slow cooked in wine or burrata-filled ravioli with onion compote and pistachio pesto. The wine list here is extensive and fascinating, so order a bottle of vino while you’re at it.
Day 3:
Morning
Your third morning in Florence is dedicated to the Uffizi Gallery (tickets €20). Hopefully you bought your ticket in advance, so you can skip the crowds. Otherwise get there before 8am if you don’t want to lose your whole day in line.
Home to the world's greatest collection of Italian Renaissance art, it’s intense, so keep your visit under four hours and seek refuge in the rooftop café. It’s not-the-best cappuccino in the city, but it’s one you’ll definitely appreciate after all that art. The highlight for us? Giotto’s Madonna Enthroned with Child and Angels in all its golden glory.
Afternoon
If you can hold off, make the 15 minute walk to the San Lorenzo area and enjoy traditional homestyle food at the 150-year-plus Trattoria Sergio Gozzi or at Da Nerbone inside Mercato Centrale. Gozzi serves one of the best pappa al pomodoro (bread and tomato) soups in town. While you may find the best brisket panino in town at Da Nerbone (if you’re willing to brave the lines). For a lesser sung Trattoria without all the lines/hype, I’d suggest Trattoria Enzo e Piero off of Via Faenza, here homestyle classics like Tuscan soups, pastas and meat mains are reliable and made with top notch ingredients. The local’s number one darling, Trattoria Mario (Via Rosina), is also nearby if you feel like some family-style Tuscan fare like ribollita (kitchen sink veg, bean and bread) soup or potato-filled tortelli. Everyone knows Mario and Gozzi, so be prepared for lines and food-paparazzi travelers.
After lunch, explore the lesser-known, but still spectacular Basilica di Santa Maria Novella (tickets €7.50). The basilica is a treasure trove of artistic masterpieces with frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio, but the entire monastical complex and gardens are a breath of fresh air in the chaotic city.
It just wouldn’t be us if we didn’t mention a gelateria, so before you leave the San Lorenzo area, stop at My Sugar on Via de’ Ginori for a truly artisan gelato. Top flavors include black sesame, green tea and dark chocolate spiked with chianti wine. We have a plethora of picks on our Gelato Guide to Florence
Evening
Spend your evening in Florence people watching or shopping on iconic ‘vie’ like Via del Corso or Via dei Calzaiuoli before unwinding somewhere unusual for dinner like the Club Culinario Toscano da Osvaldo (Piazza dei Peruzzi) where the specialties come from all over Italy. Otherwise if you’ve tired of local fare, try one of Florence’s incredible international eateries like Ristorante Persiano Tehran, a Persian culinary delight on Via dei Cerchi.
Day 4: A trip to the Tuscan countryside
Florence sits within arm’s reach of some of Tuscany’s most beautiful country towns. There are plenty of great day trip tours, but our top pick is our Gourmet Pienza Cheese & Wine Tour in Montepulciano. Not just for vino-lovers, this tour takes you to an organic cheese farm (animals and all) in the Tuscan countryside and tour historic wine cellars in Montepulciano. Get properly introduced to artisanal cheese making facilities, enjoy a several course cheese flight, wine pairings all on a scenic estate miles away from the rumbles of city life.
Afternoon
We'll visit the town of Pienza- a UNESCO site that is one of the greatest representations of humanist architecture! Pienza was designed to be a sort of utopia, and you'll see why when you witness its stunning scenery.
Evening
This day is complete with a visit to a winery in Montepulciano where you will learn and taste exceptional red wines of the area: Vino Nobile and Rosso di Montepulciano.
Find out more about this and our other Tuscan countryside tours!
Mural on Via Toscanella. Photo: Mark Saunders.
Day 5: Discover Florence’s secret places
Morning
If you’ve had enough of tourists and selfie sticks, head to Oltrarno on the other side of the Arno River, the less-crowded and coolest neighbourhood of Florence. Here, on Borgo San Jacopo, a secret street near Ponte Vecchio, you can admire beautiful palaces including towers and take in spectacular views over the old bridge and river.
Another option is to head to Piazza Pitti, where you’ll find a narrow, hidden street with beautiful murals. The name is Via Toscanella, and, for street art enthusiasts, it is a must-see in Florence.
So is the most famous flea market in Florence - the one located on Piazza dei Ciompi. Here, you can buy good second-hand stuff or antiques to decorate your home.
Afternoon
One our favorite haunts in Florence is the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica Di Santa Maria Novella. Founded in 1221 by Dominican friars, this perfume store is located in one of the oldest pharmacies in the world. It came into prominence in the early 16th century thanks to Catherine de Medici, the daughter of the most powerful family of Renaissance Florence. In honor of her marriage to Henry ll, the future King of France, the monks of Santa Maria Novella created a special perfume called “Acqua della Regina“, water of the Queen. You can still buy that same perfume, with the scent unchanged, under the new name of “Acqua di Santa Maria Novella“.
Once you’ve walked around the various rooms and shopped the oils, elixirs, perfumes, make a beeline for Todo Modo - the coolest bookstore in Florence to find a great selection of English and Italian books. Todo Modo is not just an ordinary bookshop but also the perfect place for brunch or a quick lunch.
Evening
For your final dinner, try any place on my Eater (reservations encouraged) list or if you’re feel like ending your week with a bang, a Michelin-star eatery.
