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:
Containing some 5,400 works, the Uffizi’s collection spans art history from ancient Greece through to 18th-century Venetian painting. But most of all, it is known as the world’s largest and most important collection of Renaissance and Mannerist art.
You could spend all day wandering the galleries, but the best bet is to pick out the works you want to see beforehand and head straight for those. The website has helpfully selected 14 must-see masterpieces and provided some useful background information on each – worth reading before you go.
Must-sees include Botticelli’s Primavera and The Birth of Venus, Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation, Caravaggio’s Bacchus and Medusa, and Michelangelo’s Holy Family.
There is a café-restaurant on the first floor at the end of the tour with a fabulous terrace offering magnificent views of the city.
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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 queues are legendary, so if you want to skip the worst of them it’s essential to pre-book tickets at least a week in advance via the official website of Florence Museums, entitling you to enter via a reserved entrance, or book onto a guided tour where all tickets are organised for you. If you don’t pre-book, you may not get in. This is one place where it is definitely worth investing in a pass. Pre-book a Firenze Card or Uffizi Card Amici degli, and you go to the front of the line. You may still have to wait a few minutes, though. Audio guides in six languages are available from the desk inside.
Expert-led guided tours are strongly recommended here. Aside from organising skip-the-line tickets, they’ll help you navigate the galleries, show you the greatest works that you really should see, give you the background and insight that bring the artworks to life. See our recommendations below.
The museum is open all year round, Tuesday-Sunday. Closed Monday. The quietest moments are first thing in the morning, during lunchtime and the hour before closing.
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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[0.3 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]
Named after one of the most famous scientists in history, this fascinating museum holds a collection of more than 1,000 scientific instruments and related objects inherited from the Medici family and Lorraine dynasty – including two fingers belonging to Galileo.
Best for ages: 8+ | £9
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[0.3 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]
A ride down the river Arno in a traditional wooden boat or ‘barchetto’ is one of the more unusual ways to see the city.
Best for ages: 4+ | £45 | 1 hour
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
Round-ups that include this experience
Multiple countries
From New York to London, Paris to Berlin, here’s our round-up of the must-see art galleries and museums around the world that should be on everyone’s travel bucket list.