Traveling with limited time? How to visit Florence with only a few days in the city:
Traveling to Italy and trying to decide how many days in Florence to spend? Florence is a wonderful destination for those looking for a walkable city filled with beautiful historical landmarks, bustling city squares, and oodles of delicious food!
Last month I visited Florence for the first time on my 10 day trip to Italy. With limited time to squeeze as much in to my ten days, I settled on a three night stay in Florence. Three days was perfect to see the city’s main attractions without feeling too rushed.
If time wasn’t a factor, I would have loved to spend closer to a week in Florence. However, many of us don’t have the luxury of time on our side! For those trying to see Florence in a short amount of time like me, I’ve put together itineraries for trips as short as two days and as long as five days so you can best decide how many days in Florence you need for your trip.
Deciding How Many Days in Florence You Should Visit:
I would recommend staying in the city for at least 3 nights (2 full days) in order to properly see the city’s sights. When I visited, I spent approximately 2 and a half days in the city. We arrived on a train from Venice mid-morning and after we settled into our AirBnB, we still had the afternoon plus two full days to see the sights.
If you are looking to just see the main sights of Florence, you can definitely get away a 2 day/3 night trip. However, if you can fit another day or two into your itinerary, there are so many more niche places to visit and cool things to do in and around Florence. Plus, an extra day affords you the opportunity to take a trip outside the city center to the surrounding region of Tuscany or one of the smaller cities nearby.
Day 1 Itinerary
Accademia Gallery, Uffizi Gallery, and Santa Maria Perfumery
We kicked off our visit with a trip to two of Florence’s world-renowned art museums: the Accademia and Uffizi Galleries. These museums are brimming with collections from some of the greatest artists of all time so I would consider both of these a must-visit in your Florence itinerary. To round out the day, we popped into the 800 year-old Santa Maria Perfumery located in the heart of Florence.
Accademia Gallery
We started with the Accademia Gallery where we opted for a self-guided tour of the museum. For those unfamiliar with the gallery, this is where you can find the world-famous Statue of David by Michelangelo.
The Statue of David was the main focal point for most visitors. Seeing the statue in person was more magnificent than what I had initially expected. It’s truly a really cool piece of art to see in person so I highly recommend paying this museum a visit.
Uffizi Gallery
From the Accademia Gallery we headed over to Uffizi Gallery which was about a 15 minute walk away.
The Uffizi Gallery was one of the best museums I’ve ever visited. This gem is home to an outstanding collections from artists including Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt, and Caravaggio to name a few.
I would highly recommend purchasing a ticket for a guided tour of this museum. The museum is huge so you could easily spend an entire day in this museum alone. However, most of us don’t have the stamina or time to do that, so a tour guide was helpful in digesting this expansive museum in two hours and making sure we didn’t miss any noteworthy art pieces. Plus, our guide did a fantastic job of explaining the historical significance of the different art collections and how the different artists were connected to one another.
There are a number of third party companies that offer guided tours. We went with this one that we booked through Viator and had a fantastic experience.
Santa Maria Perfumery (Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella)
Santa Maria Perfumery was one of my favorite stops on our trip to Florence. If you are looking for a niche experience in the city, this is a fantastic option.
Santa Maria Perfumery was started in the thirteenth century by Dominican Friars who had started a garden in the attached convent. Historically, they had grown plants for natural remedies which evolved and expanded into modern day fragrances and cosmetics. The perfumery is a historical experience in and of itself!
The inside was beautiful and definitely felt like a luxury experience. There are tables with perfumes, colognes, soaps, and other fragrance products arranged throughout a couple different rooms. Super helpful employees were scattered throughout each room to help you find the perfect scent.
Attached to the shop is a museum that delves into the perfumery’s history and showcases a number of different tools that had been used historically to develop fragrance products. So even if you don’t buy anything, this is a cool and informative place to visit.
I couldn’t help myself and ended up purchasing a perfume bottle for €85 that smells absolutely magnificent and is a great souvenir to remember the trip by!
Day 2 Itinerary
Duomo Complex, Ponte Vecchio, Boboli Gardens, and Piazzale Michelangelo
No matter how many days in Florence you choose to visit, the destinations on day 2 of our Florence itinerary were some of my favorites of the trip. We started the day visiting the Duomo complex which encompasses the Florence Cathedral (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore) and Giotto’s Bell Tower.
Then, we headed across the river over the Ponte Vecchio bridge to take a stroll through the beautiful Boboli Gardens in the afternoon. We rounded out the day by heading over to Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the sun go down over Florence.
Duomo Complex (Florence Cathedral, Brunalleschi’s Dome, and Giotto’s Bell Tower)
We will begin day 2 by heading to the heart of Florence where you will find the remarkable Il Duomo complex which can be broken down into 6 different attractions you can visit. These include:
- Florence Cathedral: When the cathedral was initially built in the 15th century, it was the largest church in Europe. Today, it still remains one of the largest cathedrals in the world. Both the interior and exterior artwork are absolutely breathtaking.
- Brunalleschi’s Dome: Atop the cathedral is Brunalleschi’s Dome that you can climb to the top of for stunning views of Florence. To get to the top you have to climb 463 steps (no elevator) so I would only recommend this if you are in good health!
- Giotto’s Bell Tower (Campanile): This bell tower was completed in the 14th century and features 7 bells at the top. Similar to the Dome, you can climb up 414 steps (no elevator) to the top for a fantastic view of Florence.
- The Baptistery: This religious monument is best known for its three large bronze doors (replicas of the original doors) and intricate white and green marble design.
- Opera del Duomo Museum: This museum is dedicated to the cathedral and is home to a number of famous works by artists such as Michelangelo, Pisano, and Donatello. It is also where you can find the original three bronze doors to The Baptistery.
- Crypt of Santa Reparta: Beneath the Florence Cathedral archaeologists discovered remains from the first Cathedral of Florence which was constructed around the 6th century. You can visit the ruins of this archaeological site from inside the Cathedral.
While the Cathedral is free to visit, the other sites require a ticket to enter. We purchased the “Brunalleschi Pass” from the Duomo website for €30. With this pass, you pick a time slot to visit Brunalleschi’s Dome and then you have 3 days from then to visit the other sites. Depending on how many days in Florence you spend, you may not have time to visit everything but even if you just climb the Dome this is worth it!
Brunalleschi’s Dome
We started our day off by purchasing a 9:45 A.M. time slot to the Dome (hoping it would be less crowded but that wasn’t the case). We found the 463 steps climb to sound a lot more intimidating than it was in practice. That were quite a few flat stretches in between some of the staircases which helped to break up the climb. Since its a busy attraction, the crowd moves fairly slow and if you need to take a break you can on one of the flat bits.
Seeing Florence from the top of the Dome was extraordinary. You can see for miles and miles over the surrounding region of Florence. Looking down at all the red rooftops of the buildings of Florence was super pretty and made for fantastic pictures too!
Florence Cathedral
When we visited, we were feeling a bit fatigued and opted to head home for a break before our afternoon activities with the intention of going back to see the other sites later in the day (spoiler alert: we didn’t make it back).
However, we did get a peek inside the Cathedral on our climb to the top of the Dome and it was even more spectacular than what I had envisioned. Given the cathedral’s size, both the artwork and architecture are both so grand and unique.
Giotto’s Bell tower
The other site that I wish we had made it to and that I would prioritize was Giotto’s Bell Tower. We didn’t have the stamina to wait out the line (probably a 45-60 minute wait) but I think this would have been another picturesque view and great photo taking spot!
Since it is a 414 stair climb, I would definitely recommend taking a break at the cathedral or one of the other sites in between.
Ponte Vecchio Bridge
For the afternoon, we are going to head over the Arno River to the other side of Florence. To get there, I highly recommend taking a stroll over the colorful Ponte Vecchio Bridge. This bridge is the oldest standing bridge in Florence and the only one that wasn’t destroyed during WWII.
On the bridge are a number of jewelry, art, and souvenir shops that I highly recommend popping into along the way!
Boboli Gardens
Once on the other side of the bridge, head over to Boboli Gardens which are situated behind Pitti Palace (former residence of the Medici family). The Boboli Gardens were designed for the Medici family in the 16th century. The gardens were so highly regarded that they served as a model for the classic “Italian garden” design which was later popularized throughout Europe.
Throughout the gardens are a number of statues, grottos, fountains among the landscaping. The gardens are big so you can easily spend an hour or two strolling along the different paths. There were also a few lawns that people had spread out on to take a break on as well.
We really enjoyed our visit here and it was a nice way to slow down after an action-packed last couple of days of our itinerary!
To ensure your time slot, I recommend buying tickets in advance for €9/person. Once inside, you can spend as much time in the garden as you would like.
Piazzale Michelangelo
No matter how many days in Florence you end up spending, you have to watch the sun go down over Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo one evening. We headed over to Piazzale Michelangelo from the Boboli Gardens which was about a 20-minute walk. Piazzale is on the same side of the river as the Boboli Gardens so can see the sun go down over the city center (including the cathedral and bell tower).
Piazzale Michelangelo is situated on a hill (make sure you have good shoes on to climb to the top) which makes it a great vantage point for the sunset. It is well known for its great view so it gets pretty busy every night.
If you want to find a seat on the steps in the Piazzale, I would aim to get there 45 minutes to an hour before sunset. Otherwise, there is plenty of standing room with great views!
+Itineraries for Days 3, 4, and 5
Choose Your Own Adventure: Visit a Winery, Go on a Tour of Tuscany, Take a Cooking Class, and more!
If you have 3+ days to spend in Florence, there is still so much more to do and see! Below are some ideas of memorable experiences I considered for my third day in Florence. We decided on visiting a winery for our last day, but if I had a fourth or fifth day, I would have loved to try all of these!
Visit a Winery in Tuscany
For our third day in Florence, we booked a vespa and winery tour through TripAdvisor which was the highlight of our entire trip to Italy! We met our tour group in Florence where we all boarded a bus that took us about 20 minutes outside of the city to Chianti wine country.
From there, we all took vespa driving tests to make sure we were comfortable operating them before going out on the road. Some members of our tour group weren’t quite ready to hit the streets of Italy at the end of the test but that was okay because they were able to ride on the back of the instructor’s vespas or in tuk-tuks (similar to a golf cart).
We drove our vespas to the town of Greve (about a 45 minute trip) where the tour provided us with sandwiches and gave us the opportunity to explore the town’s shops and cafes..
Then, we got back on our vespas and headed back to Diadema winery (another 45 minute trip) where we got to sample a variety of different wines and were served a multi-course meal.
This adventure was an incredibly fun way to experience Tuscany. Plus, what’s more Italian than visiting a winery? I highly recommend this experience to anyone looking to try a unique experience.
If you want to skip the vespa but still want to go on a winery tour, here are some options I would look into:
- Chianti Wineries Tour with Food and Wine Tasting
- Small Group Wine Tasting Tour to Tuscany
- Tuscan Villas with Vineyards, Cheese, Wine & Lunch from Florence
Adventure to the Smaller Cities around Florence
There are a number of different tour operators that curate day-long bus tours to cities around Florence such as Pisa, Sienna, Assisi, or Cinque Terre. Many of these tours leave the city early in the morning and stop at 2 or 3 different cities. Once you arrive in the city, they usually give you an hour or two to walk around on your own. Some of the tours provide food and drinks throughout the day as well.
Here are some tours I would check out if you are interested in doing a city tour:
- Cinque Terre Day Trip from Florence with Optional Hiking
- Day Trip Pisa, Siena & San Gimignano w/Lunch
- Siena, San Gimignano & Monteriggioni Tour
- Pisa & Lucca Day Tour with Buccellato Tasting
If you are interested in venturing outside of the city for longer than a day, check out these weekend trips from Florence for extended itinerary ideas!
Chef it Up in a Cooking Class
What better way to take advantage of being in the heart of Tuscany than with a cooking class with authentic Italian chefs. You can learn how to make ravioli, fettucine, pizza, and more! Here are a few classes to check out to get you started:
- Learn How to Make Gelato and Pizza
- Small-Group Pasta Class from Scratch w/ Seasonal Ingredients in Florence, Italy
- Cooking Class and Lunch at a Tuscan Farmhouse with Local Market Tour from Florence
Take a Day Trip to Venice
If you are feeling extra adventurous and want to hit up another big city in Italy- I highly recommend taking a day trip to Venice! Venice is a beautiful city and incredibly digestible in just one day. Be prepared to wake up early to catch a train out of Florence to maximize your day in Venice since it is a 2-hour train ride.
If you are interested in this option, check out my Florence to Venice Day Trip guide that goes over everything from transportation, the major sightseeing spots you need to check out, and my food recommendations!
Check Out the Rest of Il Duomo
Another option is to check out the other sites at Il Duomo that you didn’t get to on day 2 of our Florence itinerary. You can spend some time in the museum and go down to the crypts if you haven’t already! Plus, the surrounding piazza around Il Duomo has tons of cute eateries, gelaterias, and shops that you can pop into when you are done.
I recommend eating lunch Mister Pizza located just steps away from the cathedral. This casual eatery has both indoor and outdoor seating and some very delicious pizza (as you may have guessed from the name).
Looking for More Italy Guides?
Check out my other itineraries and guides to seeing Italy:
- How Many Days in Venice is Enough? Itinerary + Recommendations for a 1, 2, or 3 Day Stay
- How Many Days in Rome is Enough? The Perfect Itinerary for 2, 3, or 4 Days
- Ultimate Florence to Venice Day Trip: 5 Major Sites + Food Recommendations for the Perfect Day
Gluten Free like Me?
It’s uber important to always travel prepared! No matter where you are going, it’s important to always travel with some gluten free snacks on hand!
Click here to learn more about my favorite gluten free travel snacks!
Travelling Gluten Free in Italy? Read on more here:
Looking for more gluten free travel inspiration? Check out my other posts!
Don’t Stop Exploring Here!
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