FLORENCECOMPANION

Example trip

The perfect three-day tour of Florence

Three full days: the Uffizi and Santa Croce, Oltrarno and the hill, then David, the Medici palace and Santa Maria Novella.

Add the places to My trip to shape the itinerary around your dates.

Day 1

The Duomo, Uffizi and Santa Croce

Begin with a visit to Piazza del Duomo, which joins Piazza San Giovanni around the cathedral and Baptistery to form the city’s religious centre. Visit Piazza della Signoria, then continue on foot to Uffizi Gallery. Afterwards, a short walk brings you to Santa Croce Museum. You’ll spend about 15 minutes walking across the day.

Visit notes

You’ll begin in Piazza del Duomo, taking a walk around the cathedral, bell tower and Baptistery before heading to Piazza della Signoria. Then you’ll have around three hours at the Uffizi to spend with the paintings rather than hurry through the galleries. After lunch, walk over to Santa Croce for the basilica, tombs and cloisters. If you’d prefer a quieter afternoon, stay over lunch a little longer and leave Santa Croce for another day.

Times and practical details

Outline for the day

Visits, walking and breaks: 8 hr 15 min

An outline, with travel and lunch. Allowances are rounded up to quarter hours; walks may be shorter.

  1. From your accommodation to Piazza del Duomo
  2. Piazza del Duomo45 min
  3. Walk to Piazza della Signoria15 min
  4. Piazza della Signoria30 min
  5. Walk to Uffizi Gallery15 min
  6. Uffizi Gallery3 hr
  7. Lunch break1 hr
  8. Walk to Santa Croce Museum15 min
  9. Santa Croce Museum1 hr 30 min
  10. From Santa Croce Museum back to your accommodation
Time for queues and entry checks
45 min

Start outside the cathedral. Walk around the dome, bell tower and Baptistery rather than treating the whole Duomo complex as one short visit. Continue towards Piazza della Signoria for the palace façade and the sculptures of the Loggia dei Lanzi.

Make the Uffizi the main visit, with time to follow the collection rather than rush from painting to painting. Fit lunch after the gallery and walk east to Santa Croce for the basilica, tombs and cloisters. Admission to the museum complex, not just a look across the square, is included in this budget.

For a slower day, finish after the Uffizi and lunch, and leave Santa Croce for another day. A dome climb or the Duomo museum needs its own time and, where required, a booked slot; replace another visit rather than squeeze it in. The Uffizi normally closes on Monday. Exact admission slots, church access and dated exceptions still determine the order.

Day 2

Palatina, La Specola and the hilltop view

Set out from Palatine Gallery, where Medici paintings are surrounded by furnishings, stucco decoration and Baroque ceilings. Next, visit La Specola before a short stroll to Santo Spirito Square. For your final stop, explore Piazzale Michelangelo.

Visit notes

You’ll spend the first part of the day with the paintings in the Palatina at Pitti, then walk over to La Specola for its natural-history collections. There’s time for lunch and a pause in Piazza Santo Spirito before the afternoon walk. Later, you’ll head uphill to Piazzale Michelangelo and take in the view across Florence. For an easier finish, keep the afternoon around Santo Spirito and save the climb for another day.

Times and practical details

Outline for the day

Visits, walking and breaks: 8 hr 30 min

An outline, with travel and lunch. Allowances are rounded up to quarter hours; walks may be shorter.

  1. From your accommodation to Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments – Pitti Palace
  2. Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments – Pitti Palace2 hr
  3. Walk to La Specola15 min
  4. La Specola2 hr
  5. Lunch break1 hr
  6. Walk to Santo Spirito Square15 min
  7. Santo Spirito Square45 min
  8. Walk to Piazzale Michelangelo30 min
  9. Piazzale Michelangelo45 min
  10. From Piazzale Michelangelo back to your accommodation
Walking
15 min
Time for queues and entry checks
45 min

Start at Palazzo Pitti with the Palatina collection, rather than trying to cover every museum in the palace. The picture-filled rooms are the focus; access to particular royal rooms can vary. Continue to La Specola for its ordinary natural-history collections. Anatomical waxes and other guided-only areas are separate visits, not included automatically.

Lunch and a slower stop in Piazza Santo Spirito break up the museum visits. Walk towards Piazzale Michelangelo in the late afternoon for the city view. Allow more time than the direct walking estimate for the ascent, rests and crossing roads; this is not a verified step-free route.

Prefer art and gardens? Replace La Specola with a separately arranged Boboli visit of about 2 hours rather than add a third long visit. For a gentler day, omit the hill and remain in Oltrarno. Pitti normally closes on Monday; La Specola and special rooms have their own access conditions.

Day 3

David, the Medici and Santa Maria Novella

Make Accademia Gallery your first stop. Afterwards, a short walk brings you to Medici Riccardi Palace, whose Magi Chapel was frescoed by Benozzo Gozzoli in the mid-15th century. Visit San Lorenzo Market / Central Market, then continue on foot to Santa Maria Novella.

Visit notes

You’ll start at the Accademia with Michelangelo’s David and the other galleries, then walk to Palazzo Medici Riccardi for the courtyard and Magi Chapel. Around lunchtime, wander through San Lorenzo and browse the Mercato Centrale before choosing somewhere to eat. The afternoon takes you to Santa Maria Novella, with time for both the church and the cloisters. If two morning museums feel like too much, choose the Accademia or the Medici palace and enjoy a longer lunch.

Times and practical details

Outline for the day

Visits, walking and breaks: 8 hr

An outline, with travel and lunch. Allowances are rounded up to quarter hours; walks may be shorter.

  1. From your accommodation to Accademia Gallery of Florence
  2. Accademia Gallery of Florence1 hr 30 min
  3. Walk to Medici Riccardi Palace15 min
  4. Medici Riccardi Palace1 hr 15 min
  5. Walk to San Lorenzo Market / Central Market15 min
  6. San Lorenzo Market / Central Market45 min
  7. Lunch break1 hr 30 min
  8. Walk to Santa Maria Novella Museum and Monumental Cloisters15 min
  9. Santa Maria Novella Museum and Monumental Cloisters1 hr 30 min
  10. From Santa Maria Novella Museum and Monumental Cloisters back to your accommodation
Time for queues and entry checks
45 min

Begin with the Accademia and Michelangelo’s David, allowing time for the other galleries rather than only the sculpture. Continue to Palazzo Medici Riccardi for the courtyard and Magi Chapel; the small chapel has a limited visit, so the palace allocation is not all time inside that room.

Walk through the San Lorenzo area towards the Mercato Centrale. Leave room for browsing and lunch, without assuming that every stall shares the same opening hours or dietary options. This is the day’s unhurried middle, not another museum appointment.

Finish with the church and cloisters of Santa Maria Novella, looking at the architecture as well as the art. For less indoor time, keep just one of the morning museums and use the extra time around San Lorenzo. The Accademia normally closes on Monday and Palazzo Medici Riccardi on Wednesday; these days can be reordered around your stay.

Landmark

Landmark

Piazza del Duomo

The city’s religious centre consists of the Cathedral and Baptistery complex and the two squares around them, Piazza del Duomo and Piazza San Giovanni. In Roman and early medieval Florence this area lay at the edge of the settlement. From the eleventh century, as the city expanded, it became a focal point. The decisive moment came in the late thirteenth century, when Florence decided to rebuild the Cathedral of Santa Reparata on a larger scale befitting its growing power. Piazza del Duomo, Firenze
Landmark

Landmark

Piazza della Signoria

Piazza della Signoria took shape in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries with the construction of the Palazzo dei Priori, renamed Palazzo Vecchio in the sixteenth century. It immediately became the city’s political centre and a space for civic life. The symbolic building, still home to Florence’s municipal government, offers several museum routes: the monumental apartments, the archaeological area with the remains of the Roman theatre, and the Tower of Arnolfo with its splendid panorama. Piazza della Signoria, Firenze
Market

Market

San Lorenzo Market / Central Market

The San Lorenzo Market, also known as the Mercato Centrale, stands in the square of the same name a short distance from the famous basilica. It is also popular with tourists seeking food and wine experiences. The ground floor brings together sellers of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and bread, with opportunities to eat on the spot. Upstairs, the Mercato Centrale gathers delicatessen shops and restaurants with different specialities in a space open all day until midnight. Piazza del Mercato Centrale, Via dell'Ariento, 50123 Firenze FI, Italia

These are starting ideas. Visit lengths, opening times, tickets and travel still need to fit your dates and needs.

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