Things to Do in Florence
Prices, opening hours, best times to visit and the stuff nobody tells you, everything you need for a first trip to Florence, Italy, plus one pigeon's opinions on all of it.
Right, Florence. Art capital, this one, don't touch anything, a city that produced a few centuries of humans suddenly getting very good at painting and sculpture, and somehow never once thought to ask a pigeon to sit for anything. This is the proper, no-nonsense guide to things to do in Florence: what things actually cost, when to go, what to skip, and which bits are worth the queue. Six main stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site to see if you were paying attention.
Florence's Renaissance Legacy
Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, a few centuries of humans suddenly getting very good at painting and sculpture, and never once was a pigeon asked to model, frankly, a real oversight given how much of this movement played out in these exact streets. Understanding this concentrated burst of artistic and intellectual achievement, roughly 14th through 16th centuries, funded substantially by the Medici family, properly changes how you experience the city, this isn't a scattered collection of old art, it's one place where an entire cultural movement happened.
Walking through the historic centre with this context, past the workshops, churches, and palaces where this actually took place, adds real weight to the visit beyond just ticking off individual museum stops.
The Duomo
An enormous dome, an engineering marvel for its time, tops Florence's cathedral, built without scaffolding from the ground, somehow, Brunelleschi's dome remains one of the great engineering achievements of the Renaissance, a self-supporting brick dome built using techniques that were properly revolutionary for the era and are still studied today.
Climbing the dome, over 450 steps, rewards you with the best view over Florence's terracotta rooftops, still the best view in the city, if you can manage the climb. Book ahead, this consistently sells out, particularly in peak season, and the climb itself is narrow, hot, and not for anyone with claustrophobia concerns.
Hours Daily, roughly 8.30am–7pm, dome climb has separate timed slots
Address Piazza del Duomo, Florence
The Uffizi Gallery
A world-famous gallery in Florence houses Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, queues out the door most mornings, one of the world's greatest collections of Renaissance art, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and countless other major works spanning the movement's full development, housed in what was originally the Medici family's administrative offices.
Book timed entry well ahead, this consistently sells out, and allow a proper half-day if you want to see the highlights without rushing through one of the densest concentrations of masterworks anywhere.
Hours Tue–Sun, roughly 8.15am–6.30pm, closed Mondays
Address Piazzale degli Uffizi 6, Florence
Michelangelo's David (Galleria dell'Accademia)
Michelangelo's David, the famous marble sculpture, stands at the Accademia Gallery, one of the most significant sculptures ever produced, and considerably more imposing in scale (over 5 metres tall) than most reproductions suggest. The gallery is smaller than the Uffizi, a more focused visit, though David alone justifies the trip.
Book ahead here too, particularly in peak season, the queue for a walk-up ticket can easily eat a significant chunk of a day.
Hours Tue–Sun, roughly 8.15am–6.50pm, closed Mondays
Address Via Ricasoli 58-60, Florence
Ponte Vecchio
A medieval bridge lined with jewellery shops, the only bridge across the Arno in Florence to survive World War II bombing intact, apparently retreating German forces destroyed the others but spared this one specifically, a remarkable historical detail. It's one of the most photographed spots in the city, particularly from the neighbouring bridges looking back at it.
The shops today are almost entirely jewellers, a tradition dating back centuries when the bridge's original butchers and tanners were replaced with more 'refined' trades by decree.
Best time Early morning or sunset for the best photos and fewer crowds
Address Ponte Vecchio, Florence
Piazzale Michelangelo
A hilltop square across the Arno offering by far the best panoramic view over the whole city, the Duomo's dome, the Arno, and the terracotta rooftops all laid out below, particularly striking at sunset when the whole scene turns golden.
It's free, a proper walk uphill (or a short bus ride), worth the effort or the fare, this is one of the essential Florence views and costs nothing beyond the climb.
Best time Sunset
Getting there A 20-25 minute walk uphill from the city centre, or a short bus ride
Best time to visit Florence
April through June and September through October give the most comfortable weather for the amount of walking this list involves, mild without summer's intense heat and peak crowds.
July and August bring both the highest temperatures and the biggest crowds at the major museums, worth targeting the shoulder seasons if you have flexibility, or booking everything well ahead if summer is your only option.
Getting around Florence
Florence's historic centre is compact and easily walkable, most of the sights on this list sit within a comfortable distance of each other, one of the more manageable major Italian cities to cover entirely on foot.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Florence worth visiting?
- Yes, unquestionably, the Uffizi, the Duomo, and Michelangelo's David together represent one of the greatest concentrations of art and architecture anywhere in the world.
- How many days do you need in Florence?
- Three days covers the Uffizi, the Duomo, and the Accademia comfortably without rushing.
- Is Florence expensive?
- Moderate to expensive, particularly for the major museums, though walking the historic centre and viewing the Duomo's exterior and Ponte Vecchio cost nothing.
- What is Florence famous for?
- Being the birthplace of the Renaissance, Brunelleschi's dome atop the Duomo, and housing masterworks including Botticelli's The Birth of Venus and Michelangelo's David.
That's everything I've got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
