Florence: How to Visit and What to Know
Florence packs more essential art into one walkable square kilometer than almost anywhere else on earth, and the only way to actually blow the trip is to show up with a checklist and sprint it. Book the big three tickets weeks out, walk everywhere else, eat where the market workers eat, and this stops being a queue-management exercise and starts delivering nonstop.
Florence at a glance
| Best time to go | April-June or September-October, mild weather and noticeably thinner crowds |
| Time needed | 3 nights minimum, 5 to cover every neighborhood properly |
| Getting around | Fully walkable center, T2 tram EUR 1.70 from the airport in about 20 minutes |
| Typical cost | EUR 60-90/day budget, EUR 150-220/day mid-range, before museum tickets |
The ticket that sells out first is the Accademia, not the Uffizi, so start there: browse Accademia and Uffizi slots on GetYourGuide before you finalize a single hotel night.
Getting in and around
FLR (Amerigo Vespucci) sits about 5km northwest of the center, and its short single runway means no scheduled widebody flights land here directly, so plenty of international travelers connect through Pisa Airport instead, about 90 minutes door-to-door via the PisaMover shuttle and a regional train. From FLR itself, the T2 tram runs nonstop to Piazza dell’Unità , right by Santa Maria Novella station, in about 20 minutes for EUR 1.70, dramatically the best option over a taxi at roughly EUR 22-25.
Do I need a car in Florence?
No, and bringing one into the historic center is actively risky. The ZTL, a camera-enforced restricted zone with no physical gates, covers the entire centro storico, and fines run EUR 80-335 per camera crossed, billed by mail weeks after you’ve flown home. The city itself is flat and compact enough that most sights sit 20-30 minutes apart on foot. A car only earns its cost for Chianti or Val d’Orcia day trips outside the city, which belong to a separate leg of the trip entirely.
What to see and do
The Duomo complex, Santa Maria del Fiore’s dome, the Baptistery, Giotto’s Campanile, sells three ticket tiers through the official tickets.duomo.firenze.it , and only the EUR 30 Brunelleschi Pass includes the 463-step dome climb itself; our Florence Cathedral guide breaks down all three. The Uffizi (EUR 25, or check current tiers directly ) and the Accademia, home to Michelangelo’s David, both need timed slots booked weeks ahead, the Accademia further out than the Uffizi despite being the smaller museum. Ponte Vecchio is free and has held goldsmiths since 1593, not the butchers some old guides still mention, and the David standing outdoors in Piazza della Signoria is a 1910 replica, the original has lived in the Accademia since 1873. Piazzale Michelangelo, free and best at sunset, is a 30-minute uphill walk from Ponte Vecchio or a short bus 12/13 ride, arrive at least 45 minutes early for a spot at the rail.
Is 3 days enough for Florence?
Barely. Three days covers the Duomo complex, the Uffizi, the Accademia, Ponte Vecchio and a real afternoon in the Oltrarno without sprinting, but Santa Croce and San Lorenzo end up rushed rather than properly seen. Our full Florence travel guide covers the complete sight list, prices and the order to book everything in.
Where to eat
Bistecca alla Fiorentina is priced by the kilo, not the plate, EUR 45-70/kg at solid spots and EUR 70-95/kg for aged Chianina, meant to be shared and served rare by default; anything under about EUR 35/kg isn’t the real thing. Mercato Centrale in San Lorenzo is two markets stacked on each other, ground-floor produce and butchers Mon-Sat 07:00-14:00, the upstairs food hall 10:00 to midnight daily, and Nerbone inside it has done a EUR 4.50 lampredotto sandwich since 1872. Standing at the bar for your coffee sidesteps both the coperto (EUR 1-5 cover charge) and the servizio (10-20%) that sit-down tourist spots tack onto the bill.
Where to stay
Duomo/Centro Storico puts everything within a 20-minute walk at the highest price point; San Lorenzo is nearly as central and closer to the station; the Oltrarno is quieter, more local, and meaningfully cheaper at the cost of crossing a bridge to reach the Uffizi side. Compare current rates across all three on Booking.com before you lock in a neighborhood.
Straight talk
Skip the reseller ticket sites entirely, every genuine Duomo, Uffizi and Accademia ticket routes through an official domain, and anyone charging 40-80% more for the same timed slot is counting on you not knowing that. Book the Accademia first, walk everywhere you can, and save the rental car for the Tuscan countryside, not the city that punishes it with cameras on every corner.