Florence & Pisa 5-day Itinerary
Italy
Where to go and what to see in Florence to get the most from your trip – a 5-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Nicky Swallow.
Bucket list experience:
Credit Shutterstock.com/Jerome Paris
Named after one of the most famous scientists in history, this museum holds a collection of more than 1,000 scientific instruments and related objects inherited from the Medici family and Lorraine dynasty.
Highlights include Ludovico Buti’s optical trick, a portrait of a man in a ruff that becomes a woman in the mirror; gruesome wax models of foetuses in the womb for 18th-century medical students; and two preserved fingers belonging to Galileo Galilei himself.
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Destination Guide >Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience
Italy
Where to go and what to see in Florence to get the most from your trip – a 5-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Nicky Swallow.
Italy
Where to go and what to see in Florence to get the most from your trip – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Nicky Swallow.
The museum is located behind the Uffizi, on the banks of the Arno. Thankfully, queues are rare.
Clear explanations of exhibits are on offer, and you can interact with exhibits to understand why and how some of the original instruments kept in the museum’s historical collection work. You can also download an app or a PDF from the website, which contains a short introduction to each of the 18 halls inside. If science is your thing, you can book onto a guided tour with an expert for a deeper insight and some fascinating insider facts.
The museum is open all year round, seven days a week.
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
Florence
€86 | Rating 4.77 / 5 [9 ratings]
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.2 miles]
Cool, edgy Ferragamo-owned design hotel by the Ponte Vecchio in the heart of the city – the perfect base for sightseeing.
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Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.3 miles]
This elegant guest house offers warm hospitality and an atmosphere of genteel ‘Old Florence’ steps from Piazza della Signoria and the Uffizi Gallery.
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Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.4 miles]
Set on the south bank of the Arno River, the Ferragamo-owned Lungarno is a central, stylish and luxurious place to be based for a stay in Florence.
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Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.5 miles]
A historic hotel well-deserving of its five-star status, the Helvetia & Bristol enjoys a fabulously central location and offers sumptuous rooms, bags of atmosphere and top-notch service.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Tuscany, Italy
A heady mix of incomparable Renaissance art, gorgeous palazzos, Tuscan cuisine and home-grown haute couture.
Tuscany, Italy
The astonishingly beautiful region of Tuscany has it all: art cities and ancient hill towns, high mountains and long sandy beaches, alongside luxurious hotels and some of Italy’s best food and wine.
Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.1 miles]
The world’s largest and most important collection of Renaissance and Mannerist art, home to 5,400 works spans art history from ancient Greece through to 18th-century Venetian painting.
Best for ages: 18+ | £10
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.2 miles]
Florence’s oldest bridge spans the Arno at its narrowest point and was spared from bombing by the retreating Germans after World War II. Thronged with tourists, it is famous for its glittering gold shops which replaced the original foul-smelling butcher’s shops in the 1590s.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.2 miles]
Dresses to impress at this museum dedicated to 90 years at the forefront of fashion. Admire gowns worn to the Oscars, along with oddities such as Gucci bicycles, sledges and scuba-diving fins.
Best for ages: 8+ | £6
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.3 miles]
An eclectic, world-class collection of sculpture, decorative arts and Renaissance masterpieces, housed in a former fortified prison.
Best for ages: 18+ | £6
Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.2 miles]
This imposing palace on Piazza della Signoria has been at the centre of power in Florence since its construction in 1299 and still functions as the town hall. Now partly a museum, its sumptuously decorated rooms reveal magnificent frescoes, coffered ceilings and hidden chambers. Book skip-the-line tickets online here.
Best for ages: 18+ | £8
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.4 miles]
For centuries, the Oltrarno neighbourhood south of the river has been known for its artisan workshops; it still is today.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free | 2-3 hours
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.5 miles]
This 16th-century palazzo is home to one of Italy’s most innovative public art galleries. Rotating exhibitions showcase artists as diverse as Jeff Koons, Ai Wei-Wei and Bill Viola and Bronzino, Donatello and Pontormo. The ‘Strozzino’ gallery in the basement focuses on contemporary art and peripheral cultural events.
Best for ages: 18+ | £13
Florence, Tuscany, Italy[0.6 miles]
This traditional Easter festival sees a towering cart laden with fireworks pulled through the city by white oxen accompanied by a procession of flag throwers and drummers in colourful Renaissance garb. In Piazza del Duomo, a mechanical dove swoops down from the cathedral to light the blue touchpaper.
Best for ages: 10+ | Free | 1 day