Florence has been on my bucket list for years: it’s inspired writers, artists and composers for years and definitely somewhere worth visiting.
Planning your visit:
When to go:
Florence does get very busy in the summer with tourists so it’s worth considering when to go. August is generally the month to avoid in terms of crowds but it can also be pretty busy in July. The best time to visit in the summer is May and June time (you’ll even get to enjoy the flowers left over from spring). I ended up going in April because it was the only time I could do and it was rather grey and cloudy (and ironically still very crowded!).
Booking tickets:
We were slightly caught out by this! – Because of the crowds you’re going to want to buy tickets in advance for most of the sights (or else queue for around 3 hours!) – this includes the Duomo, Galleria dell’Accademia and Uffizi.
In terms of the Duomo, you need to reserve a ticket to see the dome of the cathedral – and you should plan this weeks (or even months if it’s high season) in advance! – when we arrived the tickets were sold out for the next 2 weeks and we ended up missing out! Check out the websites for more information so you don’t miss out.
Other:
do be aware that there are dress codes in some of the churches – generally no shorts, sleeveless tops or plunging necklines so make sure you’re dressed accordingly so you’re allowed in!
DAY 1: Walking tour of Florence
Our first day in Florence, we decided we’d explore the city by foot before going back to our apartment. (We stayed at an airbnb apartment just outside the city centre to cut down on cost). We decided to follow the “heart of the city walking tour” and found it made for a lovely introduction to the city. The main sights include:
- Piazza della signoria
- Piazza della repubblica
- Battistero di san Giovanni
- Basilica di Santa Maria Novella
- Ponte Vecchio bridge
- Chiesa di Santa Trinita
DAY 2: Florence Duomo and Statue of David
We woke up rather leisurely, innocently believing we had plenty of time to see the statue of David and the Duomo and ended up queuing at Galleria dell’ Accademia for 3 hours (!) to see David. In terms of cost, the gallery do amazing student discounts at the museums – we got in for 3 euros each so make sure to bring your student ID if you have one!
Since our trip was rather spontaneous, we weren’t able to reserve a ticket in time to see the Cathedral dome, but the cathedral itself was amazing and very worth seeing. Just make sure you’re aware of when the cathedral closes (we only just managed to get in before the doors shut!)
DAY 3: Uffizi, Palazzo Vecchio and Fountain of Neptune
After the stress we’d had queueing in the intense heat outside Galleria dell’ Accademia, we decided to find out more about the tickets for Uffizi and see if they sold a ‘fast track’ ticket. And they do! We found a very helpful information desk which told us we could pay a little more to get a timed ticket – which meant we could do some other sightseeing and come back for our timed slot, rather than queuing the whole day.
Once we had our Uffizi ticket we went went on a walk to seek out a hearty Italian lunch at the nearby food market and then slowly made our way back to Uffizi which is home to some beautiful Botticelli paintings.
After we’d finished the Uffizi (it’s a lot bigger than Galleria dell’ Accademia so do leave half a day for this), we went to Palazzo Vecchio (which is pretty much next door), mainly to go up the tower and have an amazing view of the city. Again, for this you need a ticket, and although the queue to get this isn’t very long, the queue inside to get up the tower takes ages (they only let a few people up at a time).
After Uffizi and Palazzo Vecchio we were pretty tired so we just had a short stroll around the Piazza and Fountain of Neptune (which is just outside Palazzo Vecchio) and made our way to Basilica di Santa Croce before heading on home.
DAY 4: Day trip to Siena, Tuscany
On the 4th day we decided it would be nice to explore some of Tuscany, after some rather intense cramming of Florence! We decided to visit Siena which was 1hr30 train journey away.
Siena is a beautiful medieval town with narrow rustic winding streets and Tuscan hills. When here, really take the time to soak up the atmosphere and just walk down some of the cobbled roads away from the crowds.
After that there are some amazing sights to see: in particular the cathedral, piazza del campo (one of Europe’s greatest medieval squares) and the Torre del Mangia.
DAY 5: Medici Chapel and Pisa
Day five and we’d reached our final day in Florence and Tuscany but we made sure to get up early and hit the final sights on our agenda: the Medici Chapel and Pisa.
The Medici Chapel ended up being one of my favourite sights of this trip so it’s well worth a visit but do be aware of their early closing times, and get there early – especially as it gets very crowded later on in the day!
After our visit to the Medici Chapel we headed over to Santa Maria Novella train station to catch our train to Pisa. If your aim is to see the leaning tower of Pisa, cathedral and Baptistry I suggest you take the train to Pisa San Rossore instead of Pisa central since it gets you within an 8min walk of the sights. The sights are certainly amazing to see, although I found the setting rather strange. It’s so separate from the rest of Pisa, and so full of tourists and souvenir booths (including rather random t-shirts of micky mouse and pinocchio) that it felt a lot more like a theme park than a place to sightsee. Nevertheless, it was fun to see.
Pisa marked our final destination, so after arriving back in Santa Maria Novella Station, we grabbed our suitcases and headed back home.
