A Fabulous Four Days in Florence

Ah, dreamy Florence, city of artists, cradle of the Renaissance, and an essential stop on the Grand Tour for the 18^th and 19^th century aristocrats. If you are interested in history, art and the history of art then this city is a treasure trove. We recommend spending at least four days in Florence, to make sure that you see the essentials, but also spend some time enjoying its other attractions. A surprising number of foodie treats originated in Florence, nestled in the heart of Tuscany.

Four days in florence: Cityscape of Florence from across the river Arno

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When To Visit Florence

Florence can be visited any time and most attractions are open year round, Christmas holidays excepted. However, the city gets extremely busy during the peak tourist season from March to October. We visited at the end of January which was perfect for us, a great way to see the city and avoid the crowds. We could walk right into the Uffizi and Accademia galleries without needing to buy advance tickets. And our gelati didn’t melt!

If you are visiting during peak season we recommend buying your tickets several months in advance – honestly, as soon as you know you’ll be visiting, book those tickets! Many sites offer refunds up to 24 hours before the visit date, so you can often change your mind or shuffle your itinerary around. But do check the small print as some tours are not refundable.

How To Get To Florence

Florence has its own airport and you can take the T2 tram to get into the city within about 20 minutes.

We were enjoying a train tour of Italy, so caught the train from Rome. It takes around two hours. There are also connections to many other major cities, including Bologna, which is a major hub that easily connects with the rest of the country, especially the cities in the north. Travelling by train is easy and relatively cheap. The trains are mainly reliable.

Florence is also reachable by bus – there are a number of companies that can transport you there from all over Italy.

You could also rent a car and drive yourself. However, we wouldn’t recommend driving in the centre of the city – many of the roads are narrow, parking is difficult and there are one-way systems to negotiate. If you are driving it is worth considering staying in a hotel in the suburbs, then you can catch a bus or tram into the centre.

How To Get Around Florence

The historic centre of Florence is not huge and most of the attractions are easily walkable.

When you arrive we recommend visiting the tourist information office. It is located directly opposite Firenze SM Novella station – just cross the tramlines from the main station exit. The friendly staff can give you a map, show you where the attractions are and, importantly, a ‘what’s on’ listing for museums and galleries. This also shows you the price you should expect to pay for a ticket. Some of the pre-booking sites offer a premium service with premium prices.

Also, when we were researching buying tickets for museums and galleries, there are so many internet sites that appear to be official but – if you read the small print – are not. Some of their ticket prices can be really high. We used GetYourGuide so that we could compare ticket prices for activities. If you need to pre-book please do research the options available.

Where To Stay In Florence

There is plenty of accommodation all over the city. We stayed at the Hotel La Scala, a boutique hotel just a 5-10 minute walk from the railway station. Its location was excellent – a 3 minute walk to the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella and a 10 minute walk to the Duomo. Breakfast was included and the staff were delightful. The only – very minor – disadvantage was the world’s tiniest and slowest elevator to the hotel reception and rooms.

Be aware that there is a tourist tax which applies to all guests staying in the city. It depends on the cost of your accommodation and ranges between €3.50 and €8. We stayed in relatively cheap accommodation but had to fork out €6 per person per night, i.e. €48, in cash for the tax.

Four Days in Florence

Florence is the most glorious city to walk around. It is so very pretty. We recommend taking time just to explore, to wander, to chance upon a piazza or a basilica or to stop for a coffee or gelato. There is a fee to enter most attractions – most range from about €10 to €25 – which can add up if you are visiting several museums or galleries in a day.

Day 1 – Ambling and Art

Make your way to the River Arno and stroll along the bank. You’ll come across the Ponte Vecchio, the city’s most famous bridge, built across the narrowest point in the river.

Ponte Vecchio bridge spanning the river Arno

It is extremely pretty with its colourful shops (mainly bling jewellers) lining each side of the bridge. Above is part of the Vasani Corridor. Cosimo de Medici ordered its construction in 1565 so that the family could move between the Palazzo Vecchio and Pitti Palace without having to interact with the riff-raff.

Uffizi Gallery

Just further along the riverbank from the bridge is the Uffizi Gallery, one of the world’s greatest art galleries and we recommend that you spend at least 2-3 hours here.

Its most notable work is Botticelli’s Venus but it is a treasure trove of Renaissance art: Leonardo, Caravaggio, Botticelli, Correggio, Raffaello, Michelangelo and many, many more.

paintings and sculptures at the Uffizi gallery in florence

Ticket tip: We recommend booking in advance if you are visiting during peak season. If you wish to visit the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, you can get a Passpartout ticket which covers all attractions. You enter the Uffizi at a particular time, then you can visit the other attractions any time within the next five days.

We didn’t visit the Vasari corridor – it was closed for several years and since reopening the paintings lining the corridor have not been reinstated. There is an additional fee and the consensus is that it’s not worth it. There were some artist self-portraits in the corridor, these can now be seen in the main gallery.

Palazzo Vecchio

Leave the Uffizi and head towards Piazza della Signoria. There is a free gallery of statues to look at Loggia dei Lanzi…

Violent sculpture in the Loggia dei lanzi outdoor art gallery

…as well as a copy of Michelangelo’s David and an ostentatious Neptune fountain statue.

Neptune statue surrounded by horses in fountain at Piazza Vecchio

Also within the Piazza is Palazzo Vecchio, Florence’s historic town hall. Its name actually means ‘old palace’ because it was used by Duke Cosimo de’ Medici as his palace before he moved across the river to Palazzo Pitti. Palazzo Vecchio has the structure of a fortress and is a great place to learn about the city’s history over the centuries. The Salone dei Cinquecento – Hall of the Five Hundreds – is the largest room in Florence.

Day 2 – Sculpture and Science

Accademia Gallery

The primary draw for this gallery is the actual Michelangelo’s David, a sculpture of marble perfection which is surprisingly enormous. We’d love to have seen Michelangelo’s Goliath but there probably wasn’t enough marble in the world to sculpt him!

Although the marble marvel that is David is the star attraction, there are plenty of other things to see at the Accademia. We loved seeing many of the unfinished sculptures. You can really get to understand Michelangelo’s thought process as half-finished figures emerge from the stone.

Michelangelo’s works in progress unfinished marble sculptures

There is also an interesting musical instrument museum.

Leonardo da Vinci Museum – Museo Leonardo Da Vinci

For a bit of light entertainment, the Leonardo da Vinci museum is a fun and interactive museum where you can learn about the life and works of da Vinci’s endlessly curious mind. You can even have a go on a reproduction of his workout machine! This is a great museum if you are travelling with children.

Leonardo da vinci msueum reproduction of his inventions

Leonardo da vinci museum reproduction of his workout machine

Note that there is also an Interactive Leonardo museum located just around corner. And if you are spending more time in the region, you could do a day trip to the village of Vinci, Leonardo’s home village.

Museo Nazionale del Bargello

The Bargello gallery is housed in a stunning building that used to be a prison.

It contains a number of artistic treasures, featuring works by Michelangelo and Donatello, including a David from the latter.

Galileo Science Museum

Scientists will love this museum dedicated to the amazing Galileo. It houses over 1000 scientific instruments, many from the Medici collections, and also include some of Galileo’s tools.

Day 3 – Churches and Chianti

Florence’s cathedral, known as the Duomo, is surely the city’s most iconic building. A stunningly beautiful construction.

It is free to enter the cathedral – although there is likely to be a queue. Curiously, for such a gorgeous exterior, the interior is relatively plain, although the frescoes on the dome are lovely.

detail of the duomo's fresco in the dome in Florence

If you want to visit the dome, or climb the adjacent tower, Giotto’s Campanile, or visit St John’s Baptistry you will need to reserve tickets in advance.

Duomo Museum

To learn more about the Duomo, there is a museum located at the east end of the cathedral, sited where the cathedral works were undertaken and many of its sculptures were carved. It houses many important sculptures. Michelangelo’s David was commissioned for the cathedral originally, but now rests in the Accademia.

You can walk to Santa Maria Novella via Basilica de San Lorenzo which is the oldest church in Florence. It dates back to the 4th century.

The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella

This Basilica, located a short walk from the Duomo, is known for its detailed frescoes.

Afternoon – Chianti wine tour

After all the art and culture, why not indulge in an afternoon of local wine tasting? Florence is located in Tuscany, the region that gave us chianti. There are loads of trips that will take you into the beautiful countryside, meet some winemakers and enjoy tasting some of the local tipples.

Many also offer some foodie treats as well – cheeses and salami. Many of the winemakers suggest wine and food pairings. And, of course, you are welcome to purchase some bottles to take home with you.

Day 4 – Palaces and Panini

Pitti Palace and Boboli gardens

If you bought a Passpartout ticket at the Uffizi gallery, you can use it up to 5 days later at the Pitti Palace and adjacent Boboli gardens. (NB – many websites indicate that the Passpartout ticket will also get you into the National Archaeological Museum and/or the Bardini gardens, just down the road from the Boboli. This is nonsense.)

To visit the palace, cross the river along the Vecchio bridge and walk up the hill.

The Palazzo Pitti, a grand Renaissance palace, was Cosimo de’ Medici’s ducal residence purchased in 1550. These days the Pitti Palace advertises itself as a modern art gallery but that is modern compared with Renaissance art. The galleries here feature 18^th and 19^th century artworks, set within a stunning and opulent building.

interior of Pitti Palace showing grand chandaliers in a large room

The palace also hosts a costume museum and a small exhibit showcasing Russian icon art.

At the back of the Pitti, the adjacent Boboli gardens climb the hillside and afford views across the city.

Piazzale Michelangelo

You can walk from the Boboli Gardens to Piazzale Michelangelo in around 30 minutes. It’s quite hilly so be prepared for some steep slopes, both down and up. If you wish, you could spend some time at the Bardini gardens on the way to get another view across the river. A fee applies.

For the free quintessential cityscape view of Florence Piazzale Michelangelo is the place to be. There are some more lovely gardens to wander through as you climb up the hill.

When you reach the Piazzale, you’ll see yet another David.

And also the most splendid view of the city, even on a cold, grotty day.

Four days in Florence - view from Piazzale Michelangelo

Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio

It will probably be early afternoon by now, so we suggest grabbing a sandwich at the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio.

Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio stall with lots of bottles and jars of goodies

After crossing the Ponte alle Grazie bridge, keep going until you pass Santa Croce, then turn right at the second road junction onto Via dell’Agnolo. You’ll reach Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio. This is a terrific covered market where you can not only buy all sorts of gourmet ingredients you can eat at some of the stalls. We enjoyed delicious panini at Panificio Chicco de Grano – they make up a focaccia and prosciutto sandwich on the spot – best ham sandwich ever! Seating is available at the market.

Church Basilica of Santa Croce

The Church Basilica of Santa Croce is an absolute must-visit, although there is a fee (currently €10).

It contains the tombs of so many artists, politicians and scientists, that it is almost a who’s-who of famous Italians.

Church Basilica of Santa Croce interior showing the altar

Here you can see the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli and Rossini many more. Unsurprisingly, there is also some interesting art and historic artefacts to view as well. There is a guide to the tombs and artwork so do pick one up when you get your entrance ticket.

tomb in the Church Basilica of Santa Croce

Florence for Foodies

Italian cuisine is one of the best in the world and the city is a fantastic place for foodies. There are restaurants that serve a huge variety of fantastic dishes.

High-end beef steaks make for a splendid splurge meal or you can opt for traditional rustic Tuscan cuisine.

And did you know that gelato and negroni were invented in Florence?

Watch out for our forthcoming post about Florentine food.

Final Thoughts

Visiting Florence you might feel that you have seen more annunciations, crucifixions, resurrections, ascendancies, and, indeed, Davids than anywhere else you might visit. But, while Florence does have some absolute must-see artworks, there are many other lovely places to visit in the city. It has a rich history, astonishingly beautiful architecture and a great food scene. It is absolutely not a cheap place to visit but four days in Florence will definitely give you a flavour of its wonders.