These are the experiences worth building your trip around, from Florence's world-class museums and Renaissance landmarks to its markets, artisan workshops, and the view that ends every great day in the city. Save the ones that appeal to you and slot them into your own itinerary.
The Best Things to Do in Florence
1Must visit
Museum4.9
Duomo & Brunelleschi's Dome
Florence's defining landmark. Step inside the cathedral for free, then climb 463 steps up Brunelleschi's record-breaking dome for the city's best panorama.
Centro Storico
2Must visit
Museum4.7
Galleria dell'Accademia
Home to Michelangelo's David, the most famous sculpture in the world, plus his haunting unfinished Prisoners.
San Marco
3Must visit
Museum4.8
Uffizi Gallery
One of the world's greatest art museums: Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Leonardo, Raphael, and Caravaggio above the Arno.
Centro Storico
4
Photography
Ponte Vecchio at Golden Hour
The medieval bridge of goldsmiths, lined with overhanging shops, glowing amber over the river at sunset.
Ponte Santa Trinita or Lungarno embankment
5Must visit
Scenic Spot5.0
Piazza della Signoria Open-Air Gallery
A free open-air sculpture gallery anchored by Palazzo Vecchio and the masterpieces of the Loggia dei Lanzi.
Centro Storico
6Must visit
Temple5.0
Baptistery of St. John
A golden-mosaic ceiling and Ghiberti's 'Gates of Paradise' bronze doors, among the greatest works of the Renaissance.
Centro Storico
7
Museum4.6
Basilica di Santa Croce
The Gothic basilica where Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli are buried, with frescoes by Giotto.
Santa Croce
8
Museum4.5
Palazzo Pitti
The Medici's colossal palace, with the Raphael- and Titian-hung Palatine Gallery and lavish state rooms.
Oltrarno
9
Park4.4
Boboli Gardens
Terraced Renaissance gardens climbing behind Palazzo Pitti, with grottoes, statues, and rooftop views.
Oltrarno
10
Sunset Spot
Piazzale Michelangelo Sunset Panorama
The quintessential Florence viewpoint, the whole skyline glowing terracotta as the sun goes down.
Piazzale Michelangelo, south bank hillside
11
Museum4.0
Bargello Museum
Italy's foremost Renaissance sculpture collection, with Donatello's bronze David, in one of the city's most atmospheric and uncrowded museums.
Centro Storico
12
Cultural
Oltrarno Artisan Workshop Walk
Wander the left bank's backstreets where gilders, bookbinders, and restorers still practise crafts unchanged for centuries.
Oltrarno district (south of Arno)2-3 hours
FAQ
- What is the one thing not to miss in Florence?
- Michelangelo's David at the Galleria dell'Accademia. No photograph prepares you for the scale and detail of the original. Book a timed entry and go first thing in the morning.
- What can I do in Florence for free?
- Plenty. The cathedral interior, the open-air sculptures of Piazza della Signoria and the Loggia dei Lanzi, the exterior of the Baptistery's Gates of Paradise, most churches, the Oltrarno backstreets, and the sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo all cost nothing.
- Is the Uffizi or the Accademia better?
- Different things. The Uffizi is a sprawling painting collection (Botticelli, Leonardo, Caravaggio) and needs a couple of hours; the Accademia is small and built around a single masterpiece, David. First-timers usually do both.
Make it your trip
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