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Last updated: 02 March, 2023
Expert travel writer: Nicky Swallow

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.

Editor note – Nicky has not included specific recommendations of where to stay each day unless it’s necessary. Instead, see the ‘Where to stay’ section in our Florence destination guide.

Start your day in Florence with one of the city’s big hitters. Grab a coffee at Café Rivoire before picking up your pre-booked tickets for the Uffizi gallery; allow at least two hours.

Pop into nearby Vini e Vecchi Sapori for a restorative plate of pasta with zucchini flowers before tackling the mighty Duomo. Climb the 400-odd steps of Giotto’s bell tower for a bird’s eye view of the terracotta rooftops.

Sip a sunset aperitivo at panoramic La Terrazza (Hotel Continentale) before a vast T-bone at Regina Bistecca.

Uffizi Gallery

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

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

Hotel Continentale Florence

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Cool, edgy Ferragamo-owned design hotel by the Ponte Vecchio in the heart of the city – the perfect base for sightseeing.

Official star rating:

Start the day at the Accademia Gallery (pre-book) to admire Michelangelo’s David.

Then drop by Benozzo Gozzoli’s tiny Chapel of the Magi en route to the foodie heaven of the Mercato Centrale. Spend the rest of the morning browsing the gourmet offerings and stay for lunch, or sign up for a tour/cooking lesson.

Book a guided walking tour of the centro storico, and wind up with a prosecco at old-fashioned Procacci in Via Tornabuoni.

After a rest, head to hip La Menagere for cocktails and dinner.

Magi Chapel
Experience

Magi Chapel

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Benozzo Gozzoli’s glorious fresco depicting the Procession of the Magi dates from 1459 and covers the tiny ‘Cappella dei Magi’ in Palazzo Medici-Riccardi. Painted in brilliant jewel colours, it shows a procession of richly-attired kings, knights and servants travelling through a fairytale rural landscape.

Best for ages: 18+ | £6

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Florence’s Central Market
Experience

Florence’s Central Market

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

The first floor of Florence’s traditional produce market, Centrale Mercato, was transformed in 2014 into a dazzling food hall where producers offer everything from freshly-made mozzarella, truffle pasta, barbequed ribs, artisan bread and cheeses to hand-made chocolates. Pair a guided tour (to find ingredients) with a Tuscan cooking class after.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free

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MaMa Florence Cooking School
Experience

MaMa Florence Cooking School

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

For visitors who want to learn to make as well as eat the local specialities, this cooking school is a good place to start. Hands-on classes taught by pro chefs include making pasta, pizza, gelato, Tuscan meat and vegetarian. You can opt to tour the Central Market first too.

Best for ages: 13+ | £100 | 3-4 hours

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A day in the Oltrarno…

After a cappuccino in Piazza Santo Sprito, discover the vast, ornate Pitti Palace and wander the shady Boboli Gardens before stopping at nearby Le Volpi e L’Uva wine bar for a lunchtime snack.

Explore the artisan workshops that line the surrounding narrow lanes, and don’t miss a gelato at award-winning Gelateria della Passera.

Squeeze into the tiny Santino wine bar for a glass of fizz before a Tuscan-with-a-twist dinner at Il Santo Bevitore (booking essential).

Pitti Palace

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Housed in the city’s most imposing palazzo, Florence’s second-largest art gallery is home to masterpieces by Raphael, Rubens, Botticelli and Van Dyck.

Best for ages: 18+ | £9

Boboli Gardens

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

This shady green oasis in the centre of Florence is one of the most beautiful gardens in Italy and makes a wonderful escape on a hot, summer’s day.

Best for ages: 13+ | £5

Le Volpi e l’Uva
Experience

Le Volpi e l’Uva

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

This small wine bar specialises in wines from small, independent producers and always has something interesting on offer. Order one of the bubbling, melted cheese-topped crostini to soak it up; the one with truffle-infused sausage is particularly good.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Gelateria della Passera
Experience

Gelateria della Passera

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

This hole-in-the-wall ice cream shop (on pretty Piazza della Passera in the Oltrarno) dishes up some of the best gelato in the city centre, all made in small batches from fresh ingredients and without any kind of artificial flavourings. Think pistachio, pink grapefruit, zabaglione and coffee; flavours move with the seasons.

Best for ages: 4+ | Free

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Time for some frescoes. Start at the church of Santa Maria Novella and then head over to the church of Santa Croce stopping off en route at Santa Trinita. All have magnificent paintings by the likes of Masaccio, Giotto and Ghirlandaio.

Have a quick look around the Sant’Ambrogio market before lunch at nearby Trattoria Cibreo.

Spend the afternoon visiting your preferred museum(s): the Gucci Museum and Ferragamo Museum for fashionistas; or the Galileo Museum and HZERO Model Railway Museum for the more technically minded.

Zip up to rooftop bar Sesto (great views) for a cocktail before taking your seats at the Teatro del Opera for an opera performance or a classical concert; grab a bite at the bar in the interval.

Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
Experience

Basilica of Santa Maria Novella

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Crowned by Alberti’s magnificent, swirling marble façade, this lofty Dominican church with its ranks of striped columns, houses several extraordinary works of art including Masaccio’s seminal Trinità fresco (1424-25), Giotto’s Crucifix (ca. 1300), and frescoes (1485-90) in the Sanctuary. Book a private guided tour here.

Best for ages: 18+ | £6

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Basilica of Santa Croce
Experience

Basilica of Santa Croce

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Built in 1294, Santa Croce is the largest Franciscan basilica in Italy and is famed for its frescoes by Giotto in the Bardi and Peruzzi chapels. It was the favoured burial place of many past illustrious citizens including  Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Ghiberti and Rossini. Book an entry ticket here, or a private guided tour here.

Best for ages: 18+ | £7

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Basilica of Santa Trinita
Experience

Basilica of Santa Trinita

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

The beautiful but little-visited 14th-century Santa Trinita (Holy Trinity) houses several artistic gems. The Sassetti chapel has scenes from the life of St. Francis (1495) by Ghirlandaio while the altarpiece shows his famous Adoration of the Shepherds (1485). Lorenzo Monaco decorated the Bartolini-Salimbene chapel in 1422.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Catch a taxi or the no 7 bus to the pretty hilltop town of Fiesole, once the summer retreat of many wealthy Florentines.

Visit the 11th-century Duomo, the Museo Bandini and the Roman amphitheatre before late lunch at one of the shady cafés in Piazza Mino.

Climb the hill to the old monastery of San Francesco for fabulous views over the city before hopping back on the bus.

Back in town, finish the day with a gentle guided tour down the Arno in a traditional wooden boat; prosecco is included.

Slip into your glad rags and head off for a slap-up last dinner at Michelin-starred Chic Nonna.