Gathering the gems worth your time…
Destination guide
Florence
Italy
Florence (Italian: Firenze) is the capital of the region of Tuscany in Italy, with a population of about 367,000 (2022). The city is a cultural, artistic and architectural gem, and is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Introduction quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
At a glance
- Best time to go
- February–May and October
- Getting around
- Bus · Tram · On foot
- Vetted picks
- 30 places to see, do, eat, and stay
- Real coverage
- 11 vetted creator sources
AI insights
Tripest editorial research (YouTube travel guides, published guides)
Reserve timed tickets well ahead for the Uffizi, the Accademia (Michelangelo's David), and the Duomo dome climb, or expect multi-hour queues.
Order bistecca alla fiorentina — the thick bone-in Chianina T-bone grilled over coals and served rare — as Florence's must-eat dish.
Shop and snack at Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio where locals actually shop, rather than the now tourist-heavy Mercato Centrale.
Skip restaurants right on Piazza del Duomo and Ponte Vecchio; find a nearby trattoria with handwritten daily specials instead.
Stay alert for pickpockets around the Baptistery, Piazza della Signoria, and outside the Accademia — the busiest hotspots.
Plan around midday closures and Mondays — state museums like the Uffizi and Accademia close Mondays, and many restaurants shut ~3-7pm.
How these 30 picks are sourced
7 of 30 are named by a second, independent source — Gambero Rosso, Michelin Bib Gourmand and Rick Steves — and each card names its own. The remaining 23 rest on the reference article alone: we list them because Wikivoyage or Wikipedia documents them, not because anyone else vouched for them. We also watched 11 creator videos, 2 of them from local channels rather than visiting ones. 22 of the 30 descriptions are quoted word for word from Wikivoyage under CC BY-SA rather than written by us, as is the introduction above — each of those cards says so. What we add is the checking, the corroboration above, and the choice of which places are worth your time at all.What we can't promise is that it's still true. Venues close, hours and prices change, and we don't re-check them — a place here closed for good and sat on this page for a year before anyone noticed. The insights are AI-written from these sources and can be wrong too. Confirm anything you'd be sorry to be wrong about before you set out. Terms.
Watch first
Ranked by views and how well each landed with the people who watched it, judged against the other coverage of this place — plus a local creator where we found one.
A spasso per FIRENZE, cosa fare in un giorno (DA VLOGGER) | Tour Firenze Classica
Diana Barbieri · 4K viewsLocalit
TOP 10 Things to do in FLORENCE | Italy Travel Guide 4K
Hungry Passport · 1.4M views
Cosa vedere a Firenze: 15 luoghi, attrazioni e monumenti da visitare
Guide me Florence · 4K viewsLocalit
FLORENCE TRAVEL GUIDE 🏛️ Top 20 Things to Do, Eat & See in Florence, Italy 🎨 City of Renaissance Art
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The PERFECT 2 Days in Florence, Italy! Best Things to Do & Eat (Travel Guide)
Naick & Kim · 405K views
Florence, Italy: Medici Sights - Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide - Travel Bite
Rick Steves' Europe · 221K views
Italy: Florence – Rick Steves Travel Talks
Rick Steves Travel Talks · 151K views
Visit Florence: 5 Things You Will Love & Hate About Visiting Florence, Italy
Wolters World · 164K views
FIRENZE: Questo è il Momento Perfetto per Visitarla! Curiosità e Luoghi Gratuiti in Città
Sara e Paolo Adventures · 53K viewsit
Florence, Italy: Renaissance Art and Architecture - Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide - Travel Bite
Rick Steves' Europe · 116K views
Florence, Italy: Strolling the Oltrarno Neighborhood - Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Bite
Rick Steves' Europe · 67K views
Best time to go
Best window: February–May and October
No month to avoid, though the shoulder seasons are the pick.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
IdealGoodOkayOff-season
Rated from ten years of daily temperature and rainfall recorded at this destination, via Open-Meteo's ERA5 reanalysis. Hover a month for its real numbers.
Getting around
By bus
Another way of getting around is by using the public buses from AutolineeToscane. A single-ride ticket costs €1.70, a carnet of 10 tickets is €14 (as of 2024 these are no longer easily available).
By tram
There are two tram lines in the city. The first one runs from Villa Constanza Park & Ride on the south-western edge of the city, just off the A-1, so most users are commuters.
On foot
Most of the major tourist sights in Florence are within easy walking distance of each other. It is possible to walk from one end of the historic center of Florence to the other - north-south or east-west - in a half hour.
By taxi
Taxis are available, but it may be best if you have your hotel or the restaurant you are eating at call ahead. When taxis are called by phone, the nearest one available is sent to you through the company's radio system with its meter ticking away.
By bicycle
There is a bike rental service organized by the city. Bikes can be hired at several points in the city (and returned to the same place). One of the most convenient for tourists is at the SMN Station.
Transport notes from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What to see
Galleria degli Uffizi
Single sourcePiazzale degli Uffizi· Cheap
Outstanding fine art museum with Renaissance paintings and sculptures from classical antiquity.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Santa Maria del Fiore
Single sourceEnter by right hand door in west facade; disabled access on south flank
The cathedral interior is to a basilica pattern; it's vast and at first feels dark and empty.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Bargello
Single sourceVia de Proconsolo 4· Cheap
Used as a barracks and prison until the 19th century, this museum houses some of the best Renaissance and Mannerist sculpture.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Baptistery
Single sourceOctagonal plan, with a pyramidal roof covering its dome. It's famous for its bronze doors by Andrea Pisano (14th century) and Lorenzo Ghiberti (15th century) and a beautiful interior vault decorated with 13th-century mosaics.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
Single sourceDirectly behind the dome end of the cathedral
This houses original artworks from the Duomo and surrounding religious buildings, including sculptures by Donatello, a Michelangelo Pietà (different from his version in Saint Peter's, Rome) and the losing entries in the 1401 contest…
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Galleria dell'Accademia
Single sourceVia Ricasoli 58-60· Cheap
Highlights are Michelangelo's original David (the one in Piazza della Signoria is a copy) and his unfinished Slaves. It also includes Florentine painting, a museum of musical instruments, and Russian icons.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
What to do
Centro Machiavelli
Single sourcePiazza Santo Spirito 4
Italian language and cultural school for foreigners. The structure and the contents of the programmes for the levels are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Firenze Rafting
Single sourceMeeting point on the Arno riverbank by Torre San Niccolò, about 5 minutes on foot downstream from Ponte Vecchio· Pricey
Guided rafting trips on the Arno through the historic centre, passing beneath Ponte Vecchio.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Florence Photography Workshop & Tour
Single sourceDiscover Florence with your camera and with a professional photography teacher (a Vogue-featured American photographer) and an official Florence guide at your side.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Impruneta spa
Single sourcefrom the city of Florence, take the Autostradale Firenze - Siena and the SR2; the spa is on a lefthand turnoff from the R2, approximately 13 km south of the city of Florence
The thermal waters of Impruneta spring from two sources and are used to treat respiratory diseases, liver, gastrointestinal, and skin allergies.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
ABC School
Single sourceVia dei Rustici 7
Italian language school offering language and cultural courses since 1982.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Enjoy the view from the Piazzale Michelangelo
Single sourceIt's a big square on a hill, but somewhat distant from the traditional tourist sites. It's easy to reach it even on foot using the stairs called "Rampe di San Niccolò".
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
What to eat
Places are listed from Wikivoyage and our own sourced research. Worth it means a second, independent source names the place too; “3 sources agree” means three or more do — and each card names them, so you can check. Single source means the opposite, said plainly: the reference article lists it and nothing else we checked does.
Trattoria Sostanza
Worth itAlso recommended by Gambero Rosso and 1 other
A 150-year-old trattoria whose butter-fried chicken breast is as famous as its bistecca.
Vetted sources
Trattoria Mario
Worth itAlso recommended by Gambero Rosso
Open since 1953 by the Mercato Centrale — ribollita, tripe, lampredotto and bistecca, shared at communal tables.
Vetted sources
Antico Ristoro di Cambi
Worth itAlso recommended by Rick Steves
Oltrarno trattoria grilling only Chianina beef, brought raw to your table for approval first.
Vetted sources
Da Burde
Worth itAlso recommended by Gambero Rosso
A 120-year-old family trattoria outside the centre, held up as the truest ambassador of Florentine home cooking.
Vetted sources
Il Latini
Worth itAlso recommended by Michelin Bib Gourmand
Boisterous communal-table institution since 1911, built on hearty Tuscan roasts and bistecca.
Vetted sources
Osteria Tripperia Il Magazzino
Worth itAlso recommended by Gambero Rosso
The city's reference point for tripe and lampredotto, served the old way near Piazza Santo Spirito.
Vetted sources
Cibrèo
Worth itAlso recommended by Michelin Bib Gourmand
Reinterprets old Florentine offal-and-vegetable cooking with a modern hand.
Vetted sources
I fratellini
Single sourceVia dei Cimatori, 38R
Good street food: panini (Mar 2024) and wine+ (Oct 2018) from a tiny hole in the wall. Patrons eat on the sidewalk while resting their glass of wine on small shelves nested along the street wall.
Vetted sources
Pescheria Sugarello
Single sourceground floor of Mercato Centrale· Moderate
Seafood. Excellent fried calamari and grilled fish fillet with vegetables. You can find also fresh oysters. Be there early, as it gets packed very easily.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Trattoria Le Mossacce
Single sourceCorner of Via del Corso· Cheap
Reliable local eatery. Local produce and meats are prepared simply using traditional recipes and time-honoured tradition. Some pastas are made fresh daily, so ask for the daily special.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Self-Service Ristorante Leonardo
Single sourceCorner of Via de' Vecchietti· Cheap
Although there is a menu at the entrance, it is better to go straight in and pick what you like. You can also order Bistecca alla Fiorentina.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Tiona Asian Restaurant
Single sourcenear Piazza SMN· Moderate
Not that you'd admit to wanting a break from Italian food, but this small friendly Sri Lankan restaurant makes a refreshing change. Ayubowan!
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Where to stay
B&B Duomo View
Single sourcePiazza San Giovanni, 6· Expensive
Large choice of double bedrooms. Services are in common and some of the guestrooms boast a fantastic view of the Duomo. Internet connection and breakfast also available.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Hostel Archi Rossi
Single sourceClose to SMN train station· Moderate
Never mind the renaissance-kitsch walls. Rooms are clean and rates include breakfast, dinner (except Saturdays) and internet access.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
B&B Giglio Bianco
Single sourceclose to Pitti Palace· Expensive
This B&B has just the one room, the Camera Verde. They feature gourmet meals and cooking classes directed by Chef Vary.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Hostel 7 Santi
Single sourceCampo di Marte, 10 min from the center by bus· Pricey
A converted 19th-century convent. Rooms are clean and quiet. Has dorm bunks and private rooms.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
B&B di Piazza del Duomo
Single sourceVia dell'Oriuolo 49· Expensive
A small B&B, rooms with private bathroom and shower, A/C, LCD TV, free Wi-Fi.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Hostel Florence Experience
Single sourceClose to Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti· Moderate
A hostel in a historic Florentine noble palace built in the 14th century and modified in the 17th century. Rooms are occasionally clean.
Description quoted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA
Vetted sources
Build your day
Pick the places you want in Florence, Italy and we will put them on a map in an order that does not cross the city twice.
Where to next
Nearby cities in Italy we’ve vetted too.
- SienaMedieval Tuscan gem around the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo.
- LuccaIntact Renaissance walls you can cycle around.
- PisaThe Leaning Tower and a lively student city.
- BolognaItaly's food capital — ragù, tortellini, and porticoes.
- ModenaBalsamic vinegar, Ferrari, and Osteria Francescana.
- RavennaDazzling Byzantine gold-tile mosaics.
Travel content from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Encyclopedic context from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Videos via the YouTube Data API.