Florence is walked: the historic centre between Duomo, Ponte Vecchio and Pitti Palace measures 1.5 km in a straight line. Distances deceive given the apparent compactness: the Uffizi need 3-4 hours, the Accademia (David) 1 hour with a 2-hour queue without booking, the Duomo + Dome + Baptistery another 3 hours. In two days you cover the bare minimum: Duomo, Uffizi, Accademia, Ponte Vecchio, Santa Croce, Boboli. Oltrarno (south bank, from Ponte Vecchio onwards) is the artisan side and less touristy: Santo Spirito, San Frediano, San Niccolò. For Fiesole and the surroundings budget another half day. May to September Florence is scorching (35-38°C in the afternoon): start at 8:00 and take a siesta between 14:00 and 17:00.
📜 History at a glance
Florence was founded by the Romans in 59 BC as the colony "Florentia" along the Via Cassia. It rose again after the year 1000 as a free commune, and from the 13th century its banks (Bardi, Peruzzi, Medici) financed European sovereigns with a monetary unit — the gold florin minted from 1252 — accepted from London to Constantinople. Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) wrote the Divine Comedy here in Florentine vernacular, founding the Italian language. In the 15th century the Medici — bankers turned lords — financed Brunelleschi, Donatello, Masaccio, then Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael. The Duomo dome (1418-1436), 45 metres across, was an engineering masterpiece unmatched for two centuries. Between 1494 and 1498 the Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola led a brief theocratic republic, then ended at the stake on the very spot where he had burnt books. The Medici ruled until 1737 as Grand Dukes of Tuscany; from 1865-1871 Florence was capital of the Kingdom of Italy (before Rome). The flood of 4 November 1966 submerged Santa Croce under 6 metres of mud: the "Mud Angels" — students from all over the world — restored the city within months.
📅 Best time to visit
April-May and September-October are the ideal months: 18-25°C, long days, manageable queues (Uffizi and Accademia stay long always). March and November are cool (10-15°C) but with prices 30-40% lower. July-August best avoided if possible: 35-38°C in the afternoon, baking pavement, intolerable crowds, many historic trattorias closed mid-August. The Uffizi cope in the heat (air-conditioned), the Duomo + Dome do not. December-February is low season: 3-12°C, possible rain, but Florence by lamplight in winter has a crowd-free charm. December-January brings Christmas markets in Piazza Santa Croce. Easter is chaotic with the Scoppio del Carro. Also avoid the Florence marathon (late November) if you want calm in the centre.
🏛️ Why visit Florence
Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore) — Cathedral free entry 10:15-16:45 (closed Sundays for worship); combined Brunelleschi Pass €30 (Dome + Baptistery + Bell Tower + Crypt + Cathedral Museum) or Ghiberti Pass €15 (no Dome). Dome climb requires booking, 463 steps, no lift, no luggage. Uffizi Gallery — €25 (€12 reduced, free under 18 and first Sunday of the month), Tue-Sun 8:15-18:30, last entry 17:30. Plan 3-4 hours. Online booking €4 extra essential at weekends. Accademia Gallery — €19, Tue-Sun 8:15-18:50: Michelangelo's David (1504), Slaves, Pietà from Palestrina. Booking recommended. Ponte Vecchio — always open, free; goldsmiths since 1593 (Cosimo I decree, they replaced butchers). Palazzo Vecchio + Arnolfo Tower — €17.50, 8:30-23:00: Vasari's Salone dei Cinquecento, Francesco I's Studiolo, secret passages €4 extra. Pitti Palace + Boboli + Bardini — €22, 8:15-18:30: Palatine Gallery (Raphael, Titian), Modern Art Gallery, Grand Ducal Treasury, historic gardens. Santa Croce — €8, Mon-Sat 9:30-17:30, Sun 12:30-17:45: tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini; Brunelleschi's Pazzi Chapel.
🗓️ Suggested itineraries
1 day: morning Duomo + Dome (booked 8:15) + Baptistery (3h total), lunch Central Market, afternoon Uffizi (14:00 slot, 3h), aperitivo on Ponte Vecchio, dinner in Oltrarno (Santo Spirito or San Frediano). 3 days: day 1 as above; day 2 Accademia (David, 9:00 slot, 1h), then Palazzo Vecchio + Piazza Signoria + Santa Croce, lunch Santa Croce, afternoon Bargello (Renaissance sculpture) + Santa Maria Novella, evening Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset; day 3 Pitti + Boboli + Bardini all morning (4h), lunch Oltrarno, afternoon Medici Chapels + San Lorenzo + Oltrarno craft shopping. 7 days: the 3 above + day 4 Fiesole (half day) and Palazzo Strozzi (temporary shows); day 5 Siena (train+bus 90 min, Piazza del Campo, Cathedral, Palazzo Pubblico); day 6 Lucca (1h20 train, city walls, Torre Guinigi); day 7 Chianti tour by car (Greve, Castellina, Radda, tastings). In 7 days you cover Florence + northern Tuscany without rushing.
🍽️ Local cuisine
Tuscan peasant cuisine, sharp flavours. Starters: crostini di fegatini (chicken liver), fettunta (Tuscan bruschetta), cured meats (finocchiona, Tuscan prosciutto). Pasta: pappa al pomodoro, ribollita (bread and black-cabbage soup), pici cacio e pepe, pappardelle with wild boar. Mains: bistecca alla fiorentina (3 cm thick, Chianina T-bone, rare, salt and raw olive oil, €5-6/100g, one portion 1-1.2 kg for 2-3 people, €60-80), tripe, lampredotto (cow-stomach sandwich, €5 at the historic stalls Nerbone in Mercato Centrale or Da Sergio Pollini in San Frediano). Desserts: schiacciata alla fiorentina (Carnival), cantucci with vin santo, zuccotto. Historic trattorias: Sostanza (1869, butter schiacciata), Trattoria Mario (San Lorenzo, lunch only, no reservations), Il Latini (long communal table), Trattoria Marione, Sabatino in Oltrarno. Wines: Chianti Classico Black Rooster, Brunello di Montalcino, Nobile di Montepulciano. Avoid: restaurants near the Duomo with €15-20 tourist menus. Trattoria lunch €25-35, good dinner €40-55 with wine.
🗺️ Neighbourhoods to explore
Historic centre (Duomo-Signoria-Uffizi): tourist heart, high prices, always crowded, unmissable. San Lorenzo + Central Market: historic covered market (8:00 to midnight upstairs, food court), Medici Chapels, popular trattorias. Santa Croce: lively square, Sant'Ambrogio market, honest restaurants. Santa Maria Novella: train station, Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica (1612, the world's oldest pharmacy), luxury shopping on Via de' Tornabuoni. Oltrarno-Santo Spirito: artisans, historic workshops, local life, Pitti, Boboli, Piazza Santo Spirito with evening bacari. San Frediano: once working-class now trendy, Lonely Planet's "world's coolest neighbourhood" 2018. San Niccolò: climb to Piazzale Michelangelo for the panorama. Fiesole (8 km north): bus 7 from San Marco, 25 min, view over Florence + Etruscan ruins.
🎭 Events and festivals
Easter Sunday: Scoppio del Carro, an antique pyrotechnic cart in Piazza del Duomo, a mechanical dove sets off fireworks. 2 June: Republic Day, parade at Piazzale Michelangelo. June: Calcio Storico Fiorentino, brutal tournament between the 4 quarters (green San Giovanni, white Santo Spirito, blue Santa Croce, red Santa Maria Novella), final 24 June in Piazza Santa Croce. 24 June: St John the Baptist patron saint, fireworks over the Arno from Piazzale Michelangelo. May-July: Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, opera-symphonic festival at the Teatro Comunale (since 1933). September: Rificolona (7 September), procession with paper lanterns in Piazza Santissima Annunziata. 30 November: Florence Marathon, 42 km through the historic centre. December: Christmas markets in Piazza Santa Croce (German market) and Central Market; Pitti Uomo (January and June, fashion fair).
✈️ How to get there
Florence has one airport, but it is small. Peretola (FLR), 4 km from the centre, handles legacy flights: ITA Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, Swiss, Vueling. Limited domestic flights: from Rome €40-90 (50 min), Cagliari €70-130, Palermo €80-150, Catania €80-160. From Europe: London 2h20 €50-180, Paris 1h45 €60-200, Amsterdam 2h €70-220, Frankfurt 1h30 €80-220. Few direct intercontinental flights (connect via Rome/Milan). Pisa (PSA), 80 km west, is the low-cost alternative (Ryanair, Wizz Air): flights often €30-60 cheaper but extra transfer needed. Bologna (BLQ), 90 km north-east, is the Marconi alternative (Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air, Lufthansa). Useful alternative: high-speed Frecciarossa/Italo trains from Rome 1h30 €25-65, from Milan 1h50 €25-80, from Venice 2h €30-75, from Naples 2h45 €40-95.
🚇 Getting around
Central Florence is walked: everything within 1.5 km. Public transport ATAF (buses) + GEST Tramvia. Tram: 3 lines (T1 Careggi-Villa Costanza via Stazione, T2 Airport-Unità via Stazione, T3 under construction), ticket €1.70 valid 90 min, multimodal tram+bus. From Peretola: T2 tram €1.70 in 22 min to Santa Maria Novella station, every 5 min; flat-rate taxi €25 to the centre. From Pisa: Pisamover + train €13.50-15 in 65-80 min to SMN; Autostradale direct coach €15 in 70 min. From Bologna: high-speed train €15-30 in 35 min, an excellent alternative. Shared bikes: Mobike and Ridemovi, €0.30/15 min. Taxis: only official whites (4242, 4390), metered, appTaxi app. ZTL active 7:30-19:30 Mon-Fri, 7:30-16:00 Sat (summer nights Thu-Sat 23:00-3:00): fine €88. Park-and-ride lots: Villa Costanza (T1 terminus, first hour free with tram ticket), Parterre (San Marco) €1.50/h.
💰 Budget and prices
Return flight from Italy €40-130, from Europe €70-250 in low season, up to €400 in August and Easter. Hotel: hostel/B&B €25-50/night shared dorm or budget private; 3-star historic centre €80-150 low season, €150-280 peak; 4-star €150-280 / €280-500; historic palazzi above €400. AirBnB studios in Oltrarno/Santa Croce €70-130. City tax: €1-8/night by hotel category. Meals: lampredotto from a stall €5-7, trattoria lunch €18-25, good dinner €35-50 with wine, Michelin restaurant €80-200. Bistecca alla fiorentina €5-6/100g, 1 kg portion for 2-3 people. Coffee at the counter €1.20-1.50. Sights: average ticket spend for 3 days €100-130 per person (Uffizi €25, Accademia €19, Brunelleschi Pass €30, Pitti €22). Transport: 5-7 tram/bus rides a week €8-12 (almost everything on foot). Weekend total for two (excluding flights): €350-550 in low season, €550-900 in high.
📋 Practical info
Currency euro. Italian language, Florentine dialect (the aspirated C: "la hasa di hoca-hola"). English widely spoken. Tipping not mandatory: the €2-3 coperto is on the bill, 5-10% only for exceptional service. Bistecca: order it rare ("al sangue") — those asking for well-done get shown the door (semi-joke). Tap water safe but chalky; sparkling-water fountains at Piazza San Lorenzo, Settignano, Parco Cascine. ZTL: 1,000+ fines a day. Do not drive in the centre, park at Villa Costanza (T1) or Parterre. Pickpockets: bus 7 (Fiesole, San Marco) and SMN station area at dusk. Plugs type F/L 230V. Public WiFi Firenze WiFi free after registration. Useful apps: ATAF (buses), Tramvia GEST, the Uffizi and Accademia have official booking apps.
💡 Practical tips
- Book Uffizi and Accademia 30 days ahead: without booking, queue 2-3 hours in summer.
- Duomo Dome: the only climb that cannot be replaced for the view from the city centre — 463 steps, mandatory booking.
- Lampredotto from Nerbone stall in Mercato Centrale: €5.50, closed first Sunday of the month.
- Sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo, climb on foot from San Niccolò in 15 min, the cliché photo but magical.
- Bistecca alla fiorentina: 1 kg for 2 people, never salted before cooking, never beyond rare.
- Vasari Corridor reopens in 2025: aerial link Uffizi-Pitti, extra ticket €43.
- Aperitivo in Oltrarno: Santo Spirito at sunset, half the centre's prices.