Florence Itinerary: Planning Your Time
By Rick Steves and Gene Openshaw
So much to see, so little time. To help you plan your sightseeing, I've listed my ideal itineraries for Florence, whether you're going for one day, two days, or more.
Florence deserves at least one well-organized day: see the Accademia (David), tour the Uffizi Gallery (Renaissance art), visit the Duomo Museum (original bronze Baptistery doors) or the underrated Bargello (best statues), and do my guidebooks' self-guided "Renaissance Walk" (also available as a free audio tour). Art lovers will want to chisel out another day of their itinerary for the many other Florentine cultural treasures. Shoppers and ice-cream lovers may need to do the same.
Set up a good itinerary in advance. Check online with the tourist information office for the latest opening hours and make sure you know which sights are open on which days. In general, Sundays and Mondays are not ideal for sightseeing in Florence, as many places are either closed or have shorter hours. Sights may also have shorter hours off-season.
For most of the year, on the first Sunday of the month it's free to enter state museums, including the Uffizi Gallery, Accademia, Pitti Palace and gardens, and Bargello. Free days are actually bad news — they attract even more crowds, especially at the Uffizi and Accademia, and it's not possible to reserve an admission time on free days. Make a point to avoid these days.
Most importantly, use my strategies to avoid wasting hours in long lines. This is especially true for peak season (April–Oct), holidays and weekends, and for the big attractions: the Uffizi, Accademia, and Duomo complex. For the first two, make reservations as soon as you know when you'll be in town.
The following day plans are jam-packed but doable if you're well-organized. With more time, spread out these priorities to give yourself some breathing room. No matter how you plan your visit, unless you're here for only one day, do my Renaissance Walk either in the morning or late afternoon to avoid heat and crowds.
Florence in One Brutal Day
8:15 Uffizi Gallery (finest paintings) — with a reservation
11:00 Bargello (great statues) or explore and shop San Lorenzo/Mercato Centrale area, lunch
13:00 Follow my self-guided Renaissance Walk through the heart of the old town
15:00 Duomo Museum (great bronze work)
17:30 Accademia (David) — with a reservation
19:30 Cross Ponte Vecchio for dinner and take my guidebooks' self-guided Oltrarno Walk
Florence in Two Days
Day 1
9:00 Accademia — with a reservation
10:30 Museum of San Marco (art by Fra Angelico)
12:00 Explore Mercato Centrale and have lunch nearby
14:00 Tour Church of Santa Maria Novella for its art
16:00 Free time (or tour Palazzo Vecchio)
18:00 Follow my self-guided Renaissance Walk through the heart of the old town
20:00 Dinner in the old center
Day 2
9:00 Bargello
10:30 Duomo Museum (statues by Donatello and Michelangelo), or Galileo Science Museum (if art's not your thing)
12:30 Lunch, then wander and shop
14:00 Take a bike or walking tour
16:30 Uffizi — with a reservation
19:00 Cross Ponte Vecchio for dinner and take my guidebooks' self-guided Oltrarno Walk
Florence in Three (or More) Days
Day 1
8:30 Accademia — with a reservation
10:00 Museum of San Marco
12:00 Medici Chapels (Michelangelo) or explore San Lorenzo Market area, have lunch near Mercato Centrale
14:00 Basilica of San Lorenzo
16:00 Free time or Baptistery and Duomo interior, or climb the dome (reservation required) or Campanile
18:00 Follow my self-guided Renaissance Walk through the heart of the old town
20:00 Dinner in the old center
Day 2
9:00 Bargello
11:00 Duomo Museum or Galileo Science Museum
13:00 Lunch, then wander and shop
15:30 Uffizi — with a reservation
18:00 Cross Ponte Vecchio for dinner and take my guidebooks' self-guided Oltrarno Walk
Day 3
10:00 Tour Church of Santa Maria Novella
12:00 Free time for shopping and wandering
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Pitti Palace and gardens
17:00 Tour Palazzo Vecchio or taxi to San Miniato Church and Piazzale Michelangelo (city views), walk back into town
Day 4
Side-trip to Siena (sights open daily; 1.5 hours away by bus or train)
Gene Openshaw is the co-author of the Rick Steves Florence & Tuscany guidebook.