Florence is a wonderful city to visit at any time of year. With an incredible amount of things to do in Florence within a very small area, it’s certainly a city that can be easily visited on foot. With its stunning architecture and incredible sights, and a host of Florence attractions, from the Duomo to the Uffizi, and from the Palazzo Pitti to the Ponte Vecchio, it’s a city full of wonderful art and architecture and beautiful gardens.
Hopefully our Florence travel guide will help you if you’re struggling to know what things to do in Florence during your stay. This will tell you all about the best Florence attractions along with some of the exciting activities you could enjoy in and around the city. You will probably find you will need more time to make it round all the things to do in Florence so let us know if you need help prioritising your itinerary.
Florence might not be the first destination that springs to mind to take young children to however there are a number of activities to keep them amused during your stay.
One great place for children is the Museo dei Ragazzi (Children's Museum) located in the Palazzo Vecchio. Set up in 2000, the museum includes two small theatres. The first, named 'Bia and Garcia's story telling room' is aimed at children aged 3 upwards. The other, with the more grown up name, 'Renaissance and Civilisation in Florence' is aimed at anyone from 8 to 88! The museum also has a large multimedia room and art studio...
There are plenty of Florence restaurants to choose from in the centre of the city. However, make sure you work your way off the main tourist piazzas to some of the side streets. You'll certainly get much more for your money in the Florence restaurants if you wander off the beaten track a bit. Whilst the situation is improving, all too often, those restaurants in Florence that lie within the main tourist piazzas and streets still demand far too high a price for the most basic food.
One of our favourite places to eat out is definitely the Golden View restaurant and bar. www.goldenviewopenbar.com....
The city of Florence enjoys a number of festivals each year. It's well worth trying to time your visit to coincide with one of the events - they offer a unique insight into the Italian culture and are great fun.
The first major festival of the year is on Easter Sunday. The Scoppio del Carro (Explosion of the Cart) sees two morning parades making their way to the Duomo. At 11 a.m. fireworks are set off from the main square.
From April to June, there is the Maggio Musicale, Italy's oldest music festival. The easiest place to learn more and to find the programme of events held each season...
Most visitors to the city will want to know about the weather in Florence so they can find the best time to visit. Well, the good news is that with it's relatively mild climate, Florence is a great place to visit all year round!
As you would expect, July and August are the hottest months, where it's not unusual to see Florence weather temperatures reach 30 degrees centigrade. Many Florentines actually choose to escape the Florence weather at this time of year. On the plus side, if the city does get hot during your stay, it's a good excuse for lots of stops at the pavement cafes to quench...
There are plenty of opportunities for keen golfers to escape outside the city for a day to play a round of golf. If playing amid olive groves and vineyard covered hills is your idea of the perfect round of golf, then Florence is an ideal destination!
Just 20 mintes south of central Florence, the Ugolino golf course in Grassina is the oldest golf club in Tuscany. Set in the heart of the Chianti region and only a few miles from the centre of the city, the spectacular hillside course has wonderful views over the Tuscan countryside.
Alternatively, in the opposite direction, golfers can enjoy...
Visitors to the city are spoilt for choice when it comes to museums in Florence to visit. We've included information abuot some of the Florence museums you may want to visit during your stay but we certainly don't claim that this is an exhaustive list!
Admission to the state museums in Florence is free for all EU citizens under the age of 18 or over the age of 65. You will need to take your passport with you to qualify for free entry though. 18-25 year olds get a 50% discount on admission prices as do teachers!
For those not lucky enough to qualify for free admission to the Florence museums,...
For those staying in Florence, don't miss out on the opportunity to enjoy the best of the Florence nightlife.
The Italian club scene, and more specifically the Florence nightlife scene, has a much different feel to that in the UK. It's certainly less about drinking and more about being seen! Most clubs charge a high admission fee but this does often include one drink. In the Summer months, there are always lots of open air clubs that spring up on the edge of the city. There are normally plenty of posters in the city with information about what's on and where.
Alternatively, for specific...
Bookings For You work closely with producers of superb extra virgin olive oil in Tuscany, Umbria and Marche.
In Tuscany, we are proud to work with a wonderful estate in the hills outside Florence. Set on top of a hill overlooking the Chianti region, the estate comprises a 15th century villa which once belonged to the Gheradini family, the family of the famous Mona Lisa. The house is surrounded by 30 hectares of olive groves containing 6000 olive trees. For the past 200 years, the property has been in the Calamai family and the current owners, Eleanora and Marco, lovingly look after the property...
Shopaholics will love the wonderful shops on offer in the centre of the city and will certainly have plenty of fun shopping in Florence! The principal Florence shopping street is the Via de' Tornabuoni, where you'll find the showrooms of Italy's top fashion designers including Prada, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, Armani, Vavalli and Ferragamo.
Of course, the city also offers lots of opportunities for cheaper priced Florence shopping, with high street stores in abundance. You'll also find a couple of department stores in the centre of the city too.
For those keen to 'bag a bargain' there are...
Florence is an incredible city with a wealth of sights and attractions to visit and explore. There are so many things to do in Florence and so many places to visit in Florence that it's often hard deciding where to start!
A popular starting point for any trip to the city, however, is the Piazza del Duomo. Here you will enjoy a glimpse of Brunelleschi's dome, dominating the city landscape. For those fit enough, it's worth climbing the 463 steps up the inside of the dome to enjoy the staggering views from the top. Braving the climb will also give you a wonderful perspective on Brunelleschi's feat...
Bookings For You are working hard to share information about spa breaks in Central Florence. Please bear with us while we load the content on to our website.
Including Florence airport and Pisa airport
There are a few different options to consider when flying to Italy to enjoy a city break in Florence.
There are two main choices of airport to fly into - Pisa airport and Florence airport. With budget airlines flying into Pisa airport, many visitors choose to fly there even though Florence airport is nearer. From Pisa airport, they then transfer across to Florence. For those looking to avoid the expense of hiring a car, the public transport links from Pisa's Galileo Galilei airport to Florence are certainly excellent, making this a cheap and easy...
Florence is a fantastic city and, moreover, is great city to walk around.
Grab a street map and plan your own route between tourist attractions. This has the benefit of allowing you to simply stop in one of the many cafes and watch the world go by when your feet get tired! Or if you prefer, there are a number of websites with suggested self guided walking routes in the city. Again, this gives you the freedom to stop as and when you please.
Alternatively, if you're looking for something more formal, there are plenty of companies offering guided walking tours of the city. We work with a...