What to See with a 2-Day Florence Itinerary

Florence is widely considered one of the top cities in all of Europe due to its beauty and historical significance as the birthplace of the Renaissance era which brought humanity into the modern age. As such, it can be daunting to plan for with so many world-famous attractions. Make planning your trip just a little easier with this Florence itinerary.

These are all the great things we did during our two days in Florence. Perhaps more importantly, I’ll discuss the one big mistake I made in planning our Italy trip to help you avoid the same issue. Without further ado, from Piazza del Duomo to Piazzale Michelangelo, here’s my two-day Florence itinerary!

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Florence Itinerary at a Glance

Below is a brief summary of my two-day Florence itinerary for easy reference. Keep reading for more info!

• Day One
  • Arrive early and check into your hotel if possible
  • Accademia Gallery
  • Uffizi Gallery
  • Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens
  • San Miniato Church
  • Piazzale Michelangelo
• Day Two
  • Morning walk around Florence
  • Climb Brunelleschi’s Dome
  • Climb Giotto’s Bell Tower
  • Duomo Museum
  • Florence Baptistery
  • Mercato Centrale
  • Medici Chapels
  • Santa Croce Church
  • Il Bargello Museum

This is a bit of a busy itinerary. Day one is particularly busy and museum heavy (day two isn’t as bad as it seems). Keep reading for more info on what went wrong and ways to avoid it!

Florence Itinerary: Day One

We arrived in Florence via train around 8:30 a.m. giving us the whole day to sightsee. We would need every minute of that day to make the most of the itinerary I planned. I had a feeling it would be our busiest day in Italy, and that prediction turned out to be true.

You may want to consider switching one of the art galleries with one or two things from day two or else just skipping the Pitti Palace altogether to make this day easier. I absolutely do not recommend skipping the Accademia Gallery or Uffizi Gallery, though.

So, after getting off the train, we eagerly made our way through the city streets towards the Accademia Gallery to start a day filled with Renaissance art.

If you arrive in Florence before your hotel allows you drop off your bags, there is a place near the Accademia Gallery in Piazza di San Lorenzo where you can store your bags for the day for €5.

Accademia Gallery

Of the three major art galleries in Florence, the Accademia Gallery has the single greatest piece of Renaissance art in the world: Michelangelo’s David. Even if you aren’t an art aficionado, it’s still worth visiting the Accademia Gallery to see David because of how immaculate it is. It’s one of those “ooh-aah” moments that makes travel so rewarding.

In addition to David, the Accademia Gallery contains many other remarkable Renaissance works of art to see including some hauntingly striking unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo. There is also a small collection of Renaissance-era musical instruments to visit.

The Accademia Gallery is a nice, slow introduction to Florence as it’s not as busy as some of the other museums. With the exception of the area right around David, most of the gallery is fairly manageable as far as crowds are concerned. It’s a pleasant warmup for the controlled chaos of what’s to come in the Uffizi Gallery.

For more detail on the Accademia Gallery, read my post on it here!

Uffizi Gallery

Where the Accademia Gallery delights the senses with a more intimate atmosphere and one huge masterpiece, the Uffizi Gallery in Piazza della Signoria bombards them with one iconic work of art after another.

The Uffizi Gallery takes you through the history of Italian Renaissance art as well as some inclusions from other famed artists of the era. As such, it’s annually rated as one of the top art galleries in the world. Whether you’re an art fan or not, a trip to this art gallery is practically a must-do if you’re visiting Florence for the first time.

Besides the highlights I listed above (which, to be clear, are my personal favorites), there are many other important works in the Uffizi Gallery including da Vinci’s Adoration of the Magi, Paolo Uccello’s Battle of San Romano, Titian’s Venus of Urbino, and many more.

It’s impossible to summarize the Uffizi Gallery in just three paragraphs. Give my post on the Uffizi a read to find out everything you need to know!

Explore Piazza della Signoria

After the Uffizi Gallery, we didn’t have any other reservations for the day. With that in mind, now was a good time to rest our legs a bit and do a little wandering around.

If following my itinerary to the letter, you will have more time during this part of the day to relax than it seems. I’ll talk more about this in the next section, but the Pitti Palace does not take as much time as you think it will unless you really like art.

Piazza della Signoria contains some fabulous pieces of art, and dominating the square is Palazzo Vecchio. In front of the palazzo is a copy of Michelangelo’s David (the original stood here before being moved in 1873 to protect it from weather) and another statue depicting Hercules slaying Cacus (this one is original – I guess Hercules just isn’t as important as David).

My favorite thing in Piazza della Signoria is the Fountain of Neptune. It was one of my favorite fountains in all of Italy. It depicts Neptune atop his chariot with various mythological beings spread out around him along the fountain. Neptune strikes such an imposing figure on the fountain it’s hard not to be enraptured by it.

The other highlight is the Loggia dei Lanzi. This outdoor statue gallery features several famous statues all gathered together by the Medicis to impress the public. The individual statues are worth seeing, but to me, it seemed odd to have them all gathered in one place. It’s like how a child will randomly place toys on a shelf to show off to his or her friends. You’re also not able to get particularly close to the statues which is a little disappointing.

Make sure to return at night to see everything lit up!

Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens

The Pitti Palace was originally built in 1458 for a wealthy Florentine banker named Luca Pitti. In the 16th century, it was purchased by the Medicis who expanded its size to make it worthy of their power. Under the Medicis, it became the primary residence of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

Now, tourists can visit the Pitti Palace to visit several museums and its two gardens. Our visit to the palace only consisted of the Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments as these were the only two we were particularly interested in seeing. After an hour in the palace, we walked around Boboli Gardens for about another hour.

It should be noted that our visit was greatly impacted by having just done the Accademia Gallery and Uffizi Gallery. We were both a little tired and definitely experiencing some museum fatigue by this point.

Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments

The Palatine Gallery shows art from the High Renaissance to modern times, effectively picking things up where the Uffizi Gallery leaves off. Art fans should enjoy it. Personally, I’m not as familiar with these eras of art, so I was much less enthusiastic about the paintings on display.

These galleries display much of their art in the cluttered way some older palaces tend to do. The paintings are basically stacked on top of each other. I have a hard time with art galleries like this because it makes it hard to differentiate and focus on any one thing. It does a good job at showing the wealth of the family who assembled this art, but it makes it hard to appreciate the art itself. For this reason and because of our museum fatigue, we went through these rooms somewhat quickly.

The Palatine Gallery flows directly into the Royal Apartments. These apartments are where the ruling families lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. These rooms were much more interesting and easier to take in than the galleries were. Regrettably, there were only a few of these rooms open during our visit.

Boboli Gardens

We took a walk through Boboli Gardens after finishing in the Pitti Palace. Even considering how hot and tired I was at this point, I thoroughly enjoyed these gardens.

We only saw about 25% of the gardens, but what we saw was delightful. Be sure to visit the Boboli Amphitheatre, Cypress Lane, the Neptune Fountain and the Buontalenti Grotto.

Still, there are many things to see tucked away in different parts of the garden. Pick your own path and see what you can find!

San Miniato Church

Staying on the Pitti Palace side of the Arno River, we made our way up the long, steep climb towards Piazzale Michelangelo. First, though, I had one more thing to see. Michelle was done with tourist attractions, so she went on towards Piazzale Michelangelo while I climbed a bit further towards San Miniato Basilica.

San Miniato sits atop the hill about five minutes farther up from Piazzale Michelangelo. The main draw of walking up to see San Miniato is the commanding view of the city of Florence. In one way, this view is better than that of the one from the piazzale below. It lacks a sightline of the river, but the view of the city is more expansive.

In addition to the view, the church with its green and white marble facade done in the Florentine style strikes a lovely image. It’s not worth going to just by itself, but if you are making the trip to see Piazzale Michelangelo, you should go just a bit farther to see San Miniato.

The interior seemed interesting. When I visited there were several baptisms occurring which meant I only took a few brief glances before heading back outside.

When I say it’s a steep climb to this part of Florence, I mean it. If you have mobility impairments or are running short on time, you may want to consider a taxi.

Piazzale Michelangelo

After I had my fill of the views at San Miniato, I met back up with Michelle at Piazzale Michelangelo. I knew I was getting close by the low murmur of people I could hear up ahead.

The first thing I saw was a large crowd of people milling about the edge of the plaza. I was a little nervous about what this could portend for the experience at Piazzale Michelangelo. I knew it would be busy, but I didn’t expect this.

Don’t let the crowd deter you! Once I found Michelle along the wall (with an Aperol spritz waiting for me!) and took in the dramatic view of Florence sprawling away in all directions, I forgot about all the people.

I was afraid going to San Miniato might ruin that first-sight moment at Piazzale Michelangelo, but I needn’t have worried. The view here is magical!

You’re a little closer to the city which gives more detail of some of the buildings while still being far enough away to see everything. The more important thing is you’re able to see the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio from here. I didn’t think seeing the river would make as much of a difference as it did, but wow!

We ended up staying here for nearly 90 minutes. It was too stunning to walk away from. My goal was to see the sunset, but since we went through the Pitti Palace fairly quickly, we ended up getting here earlier than expected. Michelle basically had to pull me away.

There’s a reasonably priced vendor selling beer, wine and snacks. There’s also a cafe if you can get a seat.

Florence Itinerary: Day Two

Our second day in Florence had a busy morning but in general was much more easygoing than the first day. The morning was dominated by visiting the religious sights of Piazza del Duomo. We spent the afternoon visiting a few of Florence’s smaller yet no less meaningful attractions.

While this day may seem busy, it’s nowhere near as packed as day one. There are more things to see, but many of them can be visited in a short period of time. These sights are much more varied than the three straight art galleries of day one, too, which makes it a little less mentally exhausting.

Before beginning your day in earnest, I suggest waking up an hour or so before you’re supposed to start doing anything to explore the city a bit before it gets crowded.

Early Morning Walk Around Florence

Frequent readers know how much I love getting up early to explore new cities. There aren’t any crowds, and you can take as much time as you want to admire the scenery. Florence was no different.

I spent my time taking in the details of Piazza del Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, the Ponte Vecchio and then going for a little run up the Arno River till the buildings started to thin out.

The highlights were easily Piazza del Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio. Watching the sun slowly rise over both was stunning. At Piazza del Duomo I was able to observe the Duomo’s facade with almost no one else around.

More importantly was the opportunity to view the Baptistery’s Gates of Paradise up close and personal. Despite these being a copy (the original is in the Duomo Museum which we’ll get to shortly), it was still great to see this art where it was meant to be.

I made my way to the Ponte Vecchio next. The views here were simply fantastic. It was a clear day, so the river reflected the bridge and all the surrounding buildings perfectly. For a city known for its historic art, this was one of the most perfect things I saw.

Another highlight which isn’t culturally important or even something that can be replicated, was when I came across several Ferraris parked together. I think it must have been some kind of driving club having a meeting. Whatever the reason, it was very cool being able to walk up to these cars to check them out.

Walking around Florence without the crowds was great, but my walk around Venice was even better. Here’s a whole post I wrote on that magical morning.

Brunelleschi Dome Tower Climb

I made reservations to climb the Duomo’s tower as soon as it opened to hopefully visit while it wasn’t too crowded. Doing this early also helps to maximize time for the rest of the day. It’s important to note your reservation only gives you 45 minutes to do the climb which makes it a little easier to plan your next move.

The climb itself takes you up 463 stairs to the walkway around the historic outer dome. It’s not as difficult as it sounds because there are a couple places to pause along the way.

The first main stop to rest your legs is the inner dome where you are given close-up views of Vasari’s Last Judgment. This huge ceiling fresco depicts several scenes from the Christian end of days. I loved the ones showing the unfortunate souls who were banished to Hell being punished by various demons. Those Renaissance artists sure knew how to scare people straight!

Of course, the main highlight is the walkway around the outer dome. There are great views in every direction of Florence and the surrounding mountains. If you’re feeling brave, take a look down along the dome to see how high off the ground you are. The dome you’re standing on was built 500 years ago and remains the biggest masonry dome in the world.

Read my post on Piazza del Duomo for much more info on the tower climb and the rest of this religious complex!

Giotto’s Bell Tower Climb

Right after the tower climb, we ran over to the campanile to climb another tower. I wanted to get all the strenuous sightseeing out of the way before either got crowded.

The climb up Giotto’s Bell Tower is much less interesting than Brunelleschi’s Dome. It also felt like a more difficult climb, but that could have been because of just doing the Duomo’s climb. There are a few landings on the way up to rest your legs and take in slightly changing views.

Once you reach the top, you’re treated to a great view of the Duomo. There are also more views of Florence. However, these are relatively the same as what you saw from the Duomo.

While I enjoyed the views from the top of campanile, this experience is skippable to make time for something else as long as you do the better climb up Brunelleschi’s Dome. At the very least, I do not recommend doing them one right after the other.

Duomo Museum

The last stop in Piazza del Duomo is the underrated Duomo Museum. For whatever reason, this museum is notoriously uncrowded despite holding a few masterpieces. If nothing else, it’s worth a quick visit to get away from the crowds and sun.

The Duomo Museum contains a collection of pieces that once sat within or on the facade of the Duomo complex. There are some singular pieces of art that make a visit worth seeing, but one of the best parts of the museum is the Hall of Paradise. This hall shows what the facades of the Baptistery and Duomo would have looked like from 1300 to 1600.

Ghiberti’s original Gates of Paradise from the Baptistery is the highlight. They reflect how Renaissance artists were beginning to portray their subjects using mathematics to show 3D perspectives and realism. Pay special attention to the middle panel on the left side to observe this change.

The other two highlights are the Penitent Mary and the three Pietàs by Michelangelo. All of these can be seen one right after the other after leaving the Hall of Paradise.

You may have noticed a glaring omission on this itinerary: the Duomo itself. You can skip the line with the Brunelleschi Pass, but we decided to skip the cathedral due to time and being exhausted after the two tower climbs.

Florence Baptistery

Take a few minutes to check out the Florence Baptistery before heading over to the Duomo Museum. The most historically significant part of the Baptistery is Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise which you’ve already seen a couple times by now.

Nevertheless, the interior of the Baptistery is impressive enough to warrant a quick visit. There are more ceiling mosaics in here than you can reasonably take in during a single short visit.

The Christ in Judgment mosaic will capture your attention almost immediately upon entering the Baptistery. It shows Jesus passing his judgment on the people of the world. It’s size and opulence are both awesome to behold.

There are three different combined ticket options for the sights of the Piazza del Duomo. Click the links in the tables above for more information. The tower climb requires a reservation, so make sure to purchase that ticket well in advance to guarantee your time.

Mercato Centrale

Once you finish up with Piazza del Duomo it should be about time for some lunch. Mercato Centrale is just a short walk away and is also convenient to the next stop on our itinerary.

Mercato Centrale is a large market contained within an iron-and-glass building constructed during the Industrial Age. It reeks of mid-19th century ambience (and produce, seafood and meat!).

When you enter, you’re met by a cacophony of food and wine stands offering almost anything you could possibly need. Even if you don’t plan on buying anything, it’s fun to just walk around to see and smell everything the vendors have to offer.

I purchased the best focaccia I had in all of Italy here at La Pizza in Teglia (and I had many focaccias to choose from during my 2.5 weeks). It was only cheese, cured ham, thinly sliced potatoes and olive oil. Despite having only those basic ingredients, it was delicious. I never thought potatoes could taste as good as these did!

Medici Chapels

A visit to the Medici Chapels isn’t the most important thing to see in Florence. However, for a taste of just how extravagantly Florence’s ruling class lived and then died, a quick visit here is worthwhile.

The crypts are the first thing you see. They’re pretty lackluster to the point you may be thinking why you bothered coming here. But then you enter the Chapel of the Princes and instantly see what the big deal is!

This chapel is incredibly ornate. It’s covered from floor to ceiling and wall to wall with patterned marble. Along its walls are the larger-than-life tombs of six of Italy’s most important people from the Renaissance. On the ceiling is a grand mural showing scenes from the Bible.

After the Chapel of the Princes is the New Sacristy. This room is much smaller and less opulent than the Chapel of the Princes, yet its contents are more artistically significant. The New Sacristy and most of the statues contained within were all designed by Michelangelo.

You can purchase tickets ahead of time to skip the line for the Medici Chapels. At the time of our visit, there was a bit of a line, so it was helpful to have purchased these beforehand.

Santa Croce Church

Dominating Piazza di Santa Croce is this 14th-century church containing the resting place of many famous Florentines. The walk leading up to the basilica and its imposing facade through the piazza is quite lovely. The rest of the buildings around the piazza have an old-world charm reflective of Tuscany’s past.

But you’re not here for the piazza. Santa Croce’s main draw is the people buried in its confines. During the Renaissance, Santa Croce was patronized by many important figures of the day. Today, tourists can walk through this church visiting the monuments left behind by some of Florence’s greatest people. Some of the more impressive memorials are those for Michelangelo, Galileo, Dante and Machiavelli.

An unexpected delight awaits you outside the basilica after you’re done inside. There are lovely cloisters lined with cypress trees and colorful flowers. It’s a fabulous reprieve from the rest of Florence and makes for a nice place to sit and rest for a while before heading back out onto Florence’s busy streets.

Bargello National Museum

The Bargello National Museum is a great addition for art fanatics or for people just looking for a relaxing little museum to escape the crowds. There are a lot of lesser known yet still impressive statues throughout this museum and a handful of classics.

Personally, the main reason I visited was to see Donatello’s bronze David. This statue of David was made a half century earlier than Michelangelo’s masterpiece and is almost its complete opposite. Whereas Michelangelo’s is large, powerful and dramatic, Donatello’s is slender, delicate and almost whimsical in its presentation. Despite its diminutive size, David makes for a moving statue.

In the same room is another, earlier version of David done by Donatello and one other by Verocchio. In addition to this room of Davids, my other favorite part of the museum is the main courtyard where you’re surrounded by many statues of varying quality and size.

You can purchase tickets ahead of time for €12, but from my research and experience, this shouldn’t be necessary.

Other Florence Itinerary Suggestions with More Time

The itinerary as presented includes most of the major attractions in Florence. However, with Florence’s history, there is still much more to see if you have additional time.

Another option would be to substitute the Pitti Palace or Giotto’s Bell Tower – the two most skippable things in my itinerary – with one of these sights instead.

Palazzo Vecchio

Besides simply viewing the outside of Palazzo Vecchio, interested tourists can also tour the inside. You can visit the ground floor for free, but there frankly isn’t much to see. A quick pop-in is all that’s needed.

For a fee, you can tour the rest of the palazzo for a museum with objects from Florence’s past and Cosimo I de’ Medici’s apartments. The apartments are decorated with various paintings and statues by Michelangelo and Donatello. There is also the 13,000-square-foot Grand Hall filled with frescoes and statues.

Santa Maria Novella

If you haven’t had your fill of grandiose churches yet, there’s still Santa Maria Novella. I wouldn’t have minded a visit, but after Piazza del Duomo and Santa Croce, I didn’t see the need to fit one more church in when I’d rather just relax around Florence.

This church contains important artworks from the Renaissance and various chapels with artwork dating back to Medieval times.

Galileo Science Museum

The Galileo Science Museum is the one museum I most regret not being able to see. When people think of the Renaissance, they often only consider the change in artistic style that occurred during this time. Yet, many other areas also took a major step forward as a result of the newfound appreciation in critical thought and science that the Renaissance brought to our civilization.

The Galileo Science Museum is meant to embody this new way of thinking by showing some of the scientific instruments developed during this time to help us better understand the world around us. In addition to various scientific artifacts, you can also see some of Galileo’s fingers preserved in a jar. Slightly macabre, yet probably the museum’s biggest draw.

Medici-Riccardi Palace

For €10, you can walk around Lorenzo the Magnificent’s former home, Medici-Riccardi Palace. This palace is now a museum showcasing various Renaissance artworks while also giving you a sense of the Medicis’ lavish lifestyle. The name Riccardi reflects the owners of this palace in the 1700s who added more Baroque touches to the building’s style.

Museum of San Marco

This art gallery features paintings and fresco by the monk Fra Angelico. There are two floors filled with art featuring his special mix of Christian and Renaissance styles. Making these artworks even more special is the fact they are all featured in the spaces where they were originally created.

The Museum of San Marco was high on my list of places to visit. However, because the other art galleries we visited were ranked just that much higher, we had to exclude this from our itinerary. It’s one place I will definitely be visiting the next time I’m in Florence.

Will you be in Florence multiple days and are looking for some day trips? Consider visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa or doing a wine tour through Tuscany!

Where to Stay in Florence

The nice thing about Florence is that it is extremely walkable. You can stay anywhere around the city center and be able to walk to almost any major attraction in around 20 minutes.

We chose to stay near the Duomo. You may pay a little extra to stay near the center, but I always think it’s worth it to be as close to the action as possible. It’s also convenient if you need to rest in the middle of the day.

Il Bargello B&B

We stayed at Il Bargello B&B just a very short walk away from Piazza del Duomo. This B&B had several rooms with a common area, kitchen and shared rooftop balcony. Our room came with a private balcony which made it cost a little more than the other rooms.

The host Sharon was very helpful during check-in with lots of advice on places to see and where to eat. She’s a bit on the chatty side, but her tips were genuinely helpful.

The highlight of Il Bargello B&B is the shared balcony with views of some of Florence’s rooftops and a few towers of buildings I couldn’t identify. They weren’t the greatest views, but with a bottle of wine and memories to reflect on from earlier in the day, the balcony was a highlight from Florence.

The room itself was nice. It was quiet which is always a big plus. The only downside was it was a bit hot at night. There was an air conditioner, but we couldn’t figure out how to turn it on, so that’s on us. It’s worth adding that the private balcony didn’t add much to the room. Skip this expense unless it’s the only option.

Finally, the breakfast was functional. It was nothing special. There was cereal, banana bread, various prepackaged pastries and coffee. It was enough to get us ready for the day ahead.

Be warned! If you’re staying at Il Bargello B&B, you have several flights of steep stairs to climb to reach the accommodation. You may want to select somewhere else if you have mobility issues.

Where to Eat in Florence

Letizia Caffetteria

We stopped here after our visit to the Uffizi Gallery since it was right in the middle of Piazza della Signoria. It lacked charm, was a little pricey, and is definitely meant for tourists. Regardless, I was perfectly okay with all of that.

It’s a great spot for people watching while taking in views of Palazzo Vecchio and the surrounding square. We each had Florentine-style sandwiches. They weren’t amazing, but they were good enough to be serviceable. As long as you aren’t expecting Michelin quality, you could do worse than getting a quick lunch here.

Il Grillo

We stumbled upon this restaurant on our first night simply by chance. We were tired, looking for something cheap and happened upon Il Grillo.

Il Grillo has a great location overlooking Piazza Santa Maria Novella and it was cheap. Those are about the only two good things I say about it.

The food was fair when compared to the rest of what we ate in Italy. I had some type of pizza and Michelle had a pasta. If you’re in a pinch, it’ll do. Nevertheless, I recommend finding somewhere else for dinner.

Mercato Centrale

I already talked about this dining option in my itinerary, so it doesn’t need to be written about much more. Check out this large market for your lunch during one of your days in Florence. There’s a ton of variety to suit whatever you’re looking for.

My recommendation is La Pizza in Teglia for the best focaccia you’ll have in Italy!

La Spada Bisteccheria

We ate a lot of fabulous food in Italy, but La Spada was the best meal either of us had. Our B&B host strongly recommended it, and now I’m strongly recommending it to all of you.

We had a classic Florentine steak and the Tortellini alla Medici. Both were absolutely perfect. The steak was wonderfully tender with just enough salt to give it some seasoning. The tortellini were served with ham, mushrooms and peas in a cream sauce. It makes my mouth water thinking about it.

La Spada is a bit on the pricy side, but it’s worth it for a splurge!

Tips for Florence

Get Advance Reservations for Everything

Almost everything in the above itinerary can and should be reserved ahead of time. With how busy many of these attractions are, booking a ticket and time once you know your itinerary will make your trip much smoother by letting you skip the lines of the more popular places.

You should definitely book ahead of time for the Duomo and its accompanying attractions, the Accademia Gallery, the Uffizi Gallery, the Pitti Palace and the Medici Chapels. Everything else you should be okay waiting till your visit to purchase tickets. If you purchased the combined Uffizi Gallery and Pitti Palace ticket, you can skip the line at the palace without reserving a time.

Take screenshots of all your tickets the night before you plan to do a lot of sightseeing! This eliminates any stress of having to find your tickets as you approach the entrance to attractions.

Free Water

Every place we went in Italy had free public water fountains for tourists and locals to use. These fountains are an excellent resource to help save money and keep hydrated in Italy’s hot weather. Take your reusable water bottle and take advantage of these fountains!

You can find water fountains near most popular tourist attractions throughout the city.

Be Wary of Scams

Regrettably, Florence had the most pervasive issues with scam artists of any city we visited in Italy. The most prevalent scam was found by the Accademia Gallery and the Duomo.

Scammers set up their areas with cheap oil prints laid out flat all over the ground in high traffic areas. If an unsuspecting tourist steps on one, they’re accosted by the vendor who demands payment for ruining their art. The payment is, of course, much higher than what these prints are actually worth.

Make sure to pay attention where you’re walking if you see these scammers to prevent being one of their victims!

Another common scam we saw in Florence was people walking around with flowers or some other trinket to sell. They try to get people to hold whatever it is they’re selling as if they’re getting it for free, but then once the tourist walks away, they’re confronted for payment. The scammers talk fast to try to confuse the tourist.

If you see these people about, simply ignore them and keep walking. If you do get stopped by them, keep your hands in your pockets so they can’t ensnare you with their cheap baubles.

Here are some of my general tips and thoughts to help you plan a trip to Italy!

Take Time to Enjoy the City

This isn’t so much a tip as it is a bit of a warning. Florence was the only city during our 2.5-week trip to Italy where I felt like we missed out a bit on the ambience of the city itself.

Because of how much there is to do in Florence, our itinerary was packed. It’s certainly doable if you love museums, and we did have some downtime, just not as much as we did in other cities. Take a look through my itinerary and see what you think will interest you most, and then remove at least one thing from each day. Doing so should give you more than enough time to simply wander about Florence’s streets to see what you can find.

More Posts to Plan Your Trip to Italy

Here are my other guides to the other cities we visited in Italy!

• Campania (Pompeii and Herculaneum)
• Capri
• Cinque Terre
• Orvieto
• Pisa
• Siena
• Venice
• Volterra

Here is my Venice itinerary if you will be traveling to or from this wonderful city!

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Resources to Book Your Trip to Florence

Whether you’re looking for tours, hotels or flights, here are some tools to help get you started planning your trip to Florence!

Look for activities and tours offered through GetYourGuide or Viator!

Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Check out my travel essentials pages for more of my recommendations.

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