3 Days in Florence: First-Timer Itinerary
Three days is the first version of this trip that doesn’t feel rushed. Day one takes the Duomo complex and the historic core, day two splits between the Uffizi and Santa Croce, and day three closes with the Accademia, San Lorenzo and a proper Oltrarno afternoon. Tighter on time? Drop to the 2-day version . Have a bit more? Step up to 4 or 5 days .
Book these before you go
- Duomo dome climb: lock your timed slot at the official Duomo site
- Uffizi Gallery: reserve a slot on GetYourGuide , about a month ahead in peak season
- Accademia Gallery (David): book through b-ticket.com 3-8 weeks out depending on season, it fills up faster than the Uffizi
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Duomo complex, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio |
| Day 2 | Uffizi, Santa Croce, Oltrarno evening |
| Day 3 | Accademia, San Lorenzo, Mercato Centrale, Piazzale Michelangelo |
Day 1: The Duomo Complex And The Historic Core
- Start with your booked Brunelleschi Pass slot up the dome, 463 steps, no lift, and add the Baptistery and Giotto’s Campanile with the same three-day pass afterward
- Wander Piazza della Signoria, the free open-air sculpture gallery around Palazzo Vecchio, Loggia dei Lanzi included; the David here is a 1910 replica, the original is in the Accademia
- Lunch at a trattoria off the main piazza, prices drop noticeably one street back from the cathedral
- Cross Ponte Vecchio, goldsmiths and jewelers since 1593, before an evening stroll along the Arno
Day 2: The Uffizi And Santa Croce
- Morning timed slot at the Uffizi, EUR 25 standard, budget three hours minimum to do the Botticelli rooms and the rest of the chronological circuit justice
- Afternoon at Santa Croce (EUR 9.50-10), the Gothic basilica holding the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli, open Mon-Sat 09:30-17:30; the Pazzi Chapel behind the main cloister is worth the extra 20 minutes
- Evening in the Oltrarno, dinner on or near Via Santo Spirito where prices and crowds both drop once you cross the river
Is 3 days enough for Florence? It covers the Duomo complex, both major galleries, Ponte Vecchio and a real Oltrarno evening without sprinting, but Santa Croce and San Lorenzo share the schedule with everything else rather than getting a full day each. Five days is the version where nothing feels compressed.
Day 3: The Accademia, San Lorenzo And The Oltrarno
- Morning slot at the Accademia for Michelangelo’s David and the unfinished Prisoners, the smaller of the two galleries but the harder ticket to get, browse availability on Viator if your official-site window has closed
- Walk to San Lorenzo, the street market for leather goods, and Mercato Centrale for lunch, ground-floor market only runs until 14:00 Mon-Sat, the upstairs food hall stays open until midnight daily
- Spend the afternoon back in the Oltrarno, Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens (EUR 22 combined same-day) if museums still have room in the budget, or just the artisan streets if not
- Finish at Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset, free, arrive 45 minutes early, walk up from Ponte Vecchio in about 30 minutes or take bus 12 or 13
Skip the reseller sites entirely, every one of these tickets, Duomo, Uffizi, Accademia, routes through an official domain, and the markup on third-party sites runs 40-80% for the same timed slot.