Florence
Florence is compact enough to walk end to end in 30 minutes, which makes 2–3 days genuinely enough for the city itself — the Uffizi Gallery, the Duomo, the Accademia (home of Michelangelo's David), and the Ponte Vecchio. It's also the best base in Italy for day trips: Chianti wine country, Siena, and Pisa are all under 90 minutes away. Book the Uffizi and Accademia online well ahead — same-week walk-up tickets routinely sell out.
Florence is the one Italian city that's genuinely small enough to walk across before your coffee gets cold, and dense enough with Renaissance art that it barely matters — you could spend three days just standing in front of paintings and still miss things.
How many days in Florence?
Two to three days covers the city itself comfortably: one day for the Uffizi Gallery and the historic center, one for the Duomo complex and the Accademia (David), and a third if you want a Tuscany day trip without feeling rushed. Florence rewards a slower pace more than most Italian cities — it's genuinely walkable, so resist the urge to Uber everywhere.
The essentials
- The Uffizi Gallery — one of the world's great art museums (Botticelli's Birth of Venus, works by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael). Book a timed entry online; same-day tickets are a real gamble in peak season.
- The Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore) — free to enter the cathedral itself; climbing the dome (Brunelleschi's engineering marvel) requires a separate timed ticket and 463 steps.
- The Accademia Gallery — home to Michelangelo's David, and worth the separate ticket for that alone.
- The Ponte Vecchio — Florence's medieval bridge, lined with jewelry shops, best seen at sunset from the Ponte Santa Trinita just next to it.
Day trips into Tuscany
| Trip | Travel time from Florence | Why go |
|---|---|---|
| Chianti wine region | 30–45 min by car | Vineyards, hilltop towns, wine tastings |
| Siena | ~1 hr by train or bus | A medieval rival city with its own stunning cathedral and piazza |
| Pisa (Leaning Tower) | ~1 hr by train | The famous tilt, best as a half-day trip, not a full one |
| San Gimignano | ~1.5 hr by car or bus | A walled medieval hill town, less crowded than Siena |
Book Uffizi and Accademia tickets at least a few days ahead in shoulder season, and 2–3 weeks ahead for summer (June–August). Both museums cap daily entries, and walk-up tickets can mean a multi-hour wait or simply no availability.
What it costs
| Item | Approx. cost |
|---|---|
| Mid-range hotel, per night | $100–170 |
| Uffizi Gallery ticket | $27 (peak season, with booking fee) |
| Bistecca alla Fiorentina (for two, by weight) | $60–90 |
| Day trip to Chianti (small-group tour) | $90–150 per person |
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Showing up at the Uffizi or Accademia without a booked time slot in peak season — you'll likely be turned away or wait hours.
- Trying to fit in a Tuscany day trip on your only full day in Florence — pick either the city or the countryside for each day, not both.
- Ordering bistecca alla Fiorentina for one person — it's traditionally sold by weight and meant to be shared by two or more.
Where to stay in Florence — hotels
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