How Many Days in Florence

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We often visit Florence, the heart of Tuscany. We've been there many times - sometimes for just a day, other times for as long as three weeks. Our best trip was in fall 2024, when we spent two wonderful weeks there.

Every time we go to Florence, we have a great time. We love looking at all the art, eating delicious Tuscan food, and walking through the bustling streets.

Wonder how many days you should stay in Florence? Keep reading and we'll tell you what we think about visiting the city, how many days you might need, what we like to do there, where we stay, and lots more helpful tips.

One important thing: it's best to plan ahead. Make sure to book your museum tickets before you go. Also, if you want to eat at nice restaurants, call or email them 2-3 days before to get a table.

One day in Florence | 2 days in Florence | 3 days in Florence (and more)

Each corner of Florence holds a treasure of beauty

One day visit to Florence

You may visit Florence on a day trip from Rome or maybe Livorno, Lucca or Bologna. Taking the earliest train in the morning from these cities ensures that you seize the day.

If you're planning a day trip to Florence, you might want to do what we did - arrive the night before. We stay at lovely Alba Palace Hotel, and honestly, it couldn't be more convenient. It's literally just around the corner from the Santa Maria Novella train station and right at the doorstep of Florence's historic center. Just outside the train station building, you'll find taxi stand if you need one (they are clean and comfortable).

Getting there was super easy - we hopped on the fast Frecciarossa train from Rome (tickets were only 30 Euros and the ride took 1.5h).

The biggest key to making the most of one day in Florence is getting an early start. Your Florence itinerary, of course, depends on your interest and preferences.

Many major museums offer low-season rates; for example entrance to the Uffizi costs €12 instead of €25.

We listed here our suggestions for your one day visit to Florence, you shouldn't miss:

Major Florence museums - The Uffizi and Accademia

Whether you are the art lover or not, you might love seeing the Botticelli's La Primavera at the Uffizu Gallery (skip-the-line tickets are essential; we recommend a guided tour - we loved City Wonders tour of Uffizi that lasted for 1.5-hour) or Michelangelo's David (these tickets sell out well in advance, so make sure to purchase your skip-the-line tickets several months in advance if visiting at peak times - April until October).

The Duomo Florence

For exploring Duomo Complex you need more days. Choose from exploring only the Cathedral, climbing the Brunelleshi Dome, exploring Opera del duomo Museum or climbing Giotto Tower. Just be sure to buy skip-the-line tickets. The only free thing of these is visiting the Cathedral itself (lines are long, but move quickly).

Ponte Vecchio and the Arno River

On your one day visit to Florence, be sure to see the Ponte Vecchio, the unusual bridge you'll stumble upon on your way from Piazza della Signoria towards Arno River. Capture some photos, walk along the bridge while watching the windows of goldsmith shops. 

Don't skip a pleasant walk along the Arno River until you reach Ponte Santa Trinita, from where you can catch amazing photos. Or continue more further to Ponte alla Carraia, cross the bridge and treat yourself with fabulous gelato from Gelateria La Carraia (we adore their orange chocolate flavour).

Smaller museums in Florence (still interesting)

The the Bargello Museum is ideal if you want to skip visiting the Uffizi (cost of ticket is 10 Euros, buy your tickets at the spot). Spend 1-3 hours here, while looking at beautiful sculptures, such as Donatello's marble statue of David and Bacchus, one of the earliest sculptures of Michelangelo. The museum is set in a beautiful palazzo - we love to sit one one of the benches in the courtyard (you can hide here from the sun or rain). We visited on Saturday, and it was almost empty.

Afterwards, we went to Il Cernacchio in Via della Condotta, to grab a tasty porchetta sandwich (you can sit there or take away).

Looking to make the most of your one day visit to Florence? A guided tour is your best bet - you'll hit all the major spots without the stress of planning, plus get some amazing local tips on where to eat and shop!

Florence one day guided tours we picked as the best ones:

1. Florence in a day: Covers most Florence's sights (plus visit to the Accademia and the Uffizi); starts at 9:45am next to Baptistery of St. John; lasts for 5 hours
   
   
2. Best of Florence group tour: Ideal for seeing a lot in 3 hours! You'll visit the Accademia (Michelangelo's David) and the Duomo, then have a tour of the city; starts at 9am from Piazza San Marco.
   
   
3. Florence private tour (choose from 3 different themes of the tour - Renaissance, Famous families & Hidden gems): Spend a pleasant time exploring Florence in a company of a guide, learn about the history, culture and everyday life of Florentines. Meet your guide at Piazza della Repubblica! Lasts for 3 hours.
   
   

Visiting Florence in 2 days - itinerary

Visitors usually fit a visit to Florence, in their longer Italian itinerary or just a made. 

Here is itinerary for your 2 days in Florence. There is no more central location than those of Globus Urban Hotel (stayed here and loved modern rooms, rich breakfast and friendly staff). In only a minute walk you'll be at Piazza del Duomo. So just start from this beautiful square!

Florence in 2 days (day 1)

Get into line to visit the Florence Cathedral (the Duomo) from inside (it's free). Or you can skip this and climb to the Brunelleschi Dome, you'll need to book tickets in advance. To access to visit the Dome, go to the north side of Cathedral (Porta della Mandorla), at least 15 minutes before the start of the booked time slot).

We loved to popped into Caffè Scudieri Firenze to grab a piece of panpepatto, dense Tuscan sweet (so yummy).

You probably get hungry until now. Walking down Via Calaziouli and then turning left to Via dei Cimatori, you'll find I' Giorene de' Ghiotti. We love this cute eateries, where you can grab generous crunchy schiacciata sandwich filled with various goodies (pretty affordable - start from 6 euros). You'll eat it quickly as it's so delicious!

Next, you'll come across beautiful Piazza della Signoria. You'll recognize it by Pallazo Vecchio and Loggia dei Lanzi (arcade with beautiful sculptures). Admire to the beauty here and snap some great photos here, or just sit on the benches beneath the Loggia dei Lanzi for some people watching.

Take Via Por Santa Maria (dotted with various stores), and you'll arrive to Ponte Vecchio. Walk along the bridge, look at goldsmith stores, snap some photos. Walking along Lungarno degli Acciaouli to Ponte Santa Trinita is among our favourite acitivities in Florence. From there take more scenic photos of Ponte Vecchio.

Nearby you'll find Piazza Santa Trinita and Basilica Santa Trinita. It's beautiful church you can visit for free, and sit shortly inside.

Cross the bridge, and you'll find yourself in Oltrarno, authentic part of Rome with local trattorias, handcraft stores and charming streets. Take your time here, looking a the shops, buying unique souvenirs. Have a dinner at one of the local trattorias. Taste amazing dishes, such as Florentine steak with potatoes or soups like ribollita.

Trattorias that we love to eat in:

• Trattoria Marione
• Trattoria Anita
• Trattoria La Stracotto (love their lasagna)
• Osteria dell'Enoteca
• Il Latini

At any of the above, places, you’ll want to make reservations ahead of time (or in a pinch, show up right at opening).

Florence in 2 days (day 2)

Start your day with a visit to Mercato Centrale, a place featuring the most freshest and the best quality food in the city. We adore browsing through the stalls here. A bunches of zucchinis, tomatoes and artichokes, all kind of salami and cheeses. This is place for trying lampredotto sandwich or have a platter of salami for a brunch or lunch. We bought sliced salami and some schiacciate here to take back to Casa di Chiara apartment, our base in Florence. Spend an hour or so here, then continue your exploration of Florence. Choose among these 3 Florence museums:

1. Academia Gallery - it's always crowded (even if you have skip-the-line tickets, you may wait for hour or so). Opt for this if your priority is to see Michelangelo's David.
   
   
2. The Uffizi Gallery - We love visiting it, as there is so much to see inside. You'll see here art pieces such as "The birth of Venus" from Botticelli or Doni Tondo (The Holy Family) from Michelangelo. We recommend these skip the line tickets. If you want to squeeze everything in 1.5-hour, we recommend this guided tour (we took it and liked it). You go straight inside without waiting. Close to the Uffizi, you'll find Coin department store (we love their kitchen department with many affordable kitchen staff). 
   
   
3. The Bargello Museum - This is our favourite Florence museum, as we prefer sculptures than paintings. We are amazed with the palace where the museum is set, especially with a courtyard. It's not crowded and you don't need to wait in lines to get in. Plus, it's more affordable than the other ones, costing 10 euros (buy tickets on the spot).

Continue your day with strolling the charming streets. On every corner you'll stamble upon small stores where you can shop for unique products you won't find anywhere else in the world. Walk along Via Porta Rossa and then continue to Via del Parione, for great shops.

For sunset go to the Piazzale Michelangelo, for stunning views of the city, then walk down and spend time at trattoria enjoying Tuscan food and wines.

Eco Urban B&B, boasting spacious rooms and tasty breakfast, can also be a great base on one day visit to Florence.

Visiting Florence in 3 and more days...

Our visits to Florence and usually longer and we always stay at Casa di Chiara apartment.

In this case, make your day schedules according to your interests, combining visits to museums, churches, then enjoying views, tasting delicious foods and other activities. When visiting Florence for 3 or 4 days, you'll have time for including more sights in your schedule. These are the ones that you shouldn't skip:

• Palazzo Vecchio: Beautiful palace on Piazza della Signoria; you can visit the large hall called the Salone dei Cinquecento, where you can admire the beautiful frescoes, paintings, decorations and statues by Michelangelo, Donatello, Verocchio, Vasari... From the top of Arnolfo Tower (223 steps) you can enjoy a spectacular view on the city (buy your tickets in advance). For something unique, go to visit secret passages inside the palace (book a tour for this). Or you can just visit the amazing courtyard, it's completely free.

However, our first suggestion would be to spread out the above one day itinerary and take things at a slightly slower pace. We generally don’t recommend multiple big sights on the same day, and you’ve got three in one day here. 

Take your time wandering around the Accademia and Uffizi Galleries, explore more of the Oltrarno district, and enjoy a slow leisurely lunch or mid-afternoon aperitif in one of the city’s charming piazzas.

With 3 days or more in Florence, a day trip out to wider Tuscany is also a must. Be sure to check out our 3 day Florence itinerary for a more detailed guide.

If visiting for 3 or 4 days, we usually love to fit activities such as a food tour or cooking class, a day trip to Tuscany... Here are activities that we can recommend as worth the time and the money.

Taking a food tour in Florence

If you're someone who loves food and wants to really get to know the amazing food scene in Florence and Tuscany, going on a food tour is a fantastic way to do it.

On this foodie walk with Secret Food Tours, you'll follow a friendly local guide who really knows his stuff, as he takes you through Mercato Sant'Ambrogio and other cool spots that most tourists don't know about. He'll tell you all about how people in Florence eat and what makes their food culture special.

The best part? You get to try 20 different local treats along the way! You'll taste everything from schiacciata (which is this really good Florentine sandwich) to olive oil, truffles, cheese, gelato, coffee, wine, prosecco, and lots more.

Which months are the best for visiting Florence?

Our opinion is that Florence is amazing all-year round, but you need to plan your visit ahead (to book tickets to sights/museums and book accommodation at least 4-5 months in advance).

Our favourite months for visiting Florence are May and October, when the weather is enjoyable and the city is not so crowded as peak summer months.

We found July still good to visit, but you should avoid sightseeing in the afternoon hours, when it's too hot in the city and so crowded. You may still schedule your days, with sightseeing in the morning, having rest in the afternoon. Evenings are pleasant and ideal for walking and dining.

From mid-October and November, the crowds thin out, and the city’s atmosphere is relaxed. You can enjoy local harvests, like truffles and new wines, especially in September and October. The fall foliage also adds to the beauty of the landscape.

The winter months offer fewer crowds and lower prices, but shorter days and chilly weather might restrict some activities.  If you're looking for a more tranquil experience and fewer tourists, winter is a good choice. Florence also has beautiful Christmas decorations and events. Though it’s not very cold, the weather can be unpredictable, so it’s best to pack accordingly.

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