3 days in Florence

Day by day

1. Day 1: Florence Cathedral (Duomo) and Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

   Florence Cathedral (Duomo), Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and Uffizi Gallery, then Piazza della Signoria and Loggia dei Lanzi in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Florence Cathedral (Duomo)

      Santa Maria del Fiore's red-brick dome, engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi and completed in the 1430s, is still the largest masonry dome ever built.

   2. Late morning

      Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

      It is included in every Duomo combined pass and is the calmest part of the complex, so give it as much time as the climbs.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Bistecca alla fiorentina

      Traditional trattorias and steakhouses across the centre and the Oltrarno; check the price per etto (100 g) or per kilo before ordering.

   4. Afternoon

      Uffizi Gallery

      The Medici's former government offices hold one of the world's great collections of Italian Renaissance painting: Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo's Annunciation, Michelangelo's Doni Tondo, Titian's Venus of Urbino and a room of Caravaggios.

   5. Evening

      Piazza della Signoria and Loggia dei Lanzi

      Come back after dinner, when the statues are floodlit and the tour groups have gone.

2. Day 2: Galleria dell'Accademia and Museo di San Marco

   Galleria dell'Accademia, Museo di San Marco and Ponte Vecchio, then Piazza Santo Spirito in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Galleria dell'Accademia

      Book the first or last slot of the day; the gallery is small, and an hour is enough once you are inside.

   2. Late morning

      Museo di San Marco

      The Dominican convent of San Marco was decorated by Fra Angelico and his workshop, who painted a fresco in the friars' cells, and the upstairs corridor opens with his Annunciation.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Lampredotto

      Tripe carts (trippai) around the city, including near the Mercato Centrale, Sant'Ambrogio market and the Mercato Nuovo loggia; ask for the bun dipped in broth ('bagnato').

   4. Afternoon

      Ponte Vecchio

      Photograph it from the Ponte Santa Trinita one bridge downstream at sunset, and cross it early in the morning before the shutters open.

   5. Evening

      Piazza Santo Spirito

      The church steps and surrounding bars fill on warm evenings with students, locals and visitors; one of the liveliest squares in the city.

3. Day 3: Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato al Monte

   Piazzale Michelangelo, San Miniato al Monte and Bardini Garden, then Santa Croce and Sant'Ambrogio in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Piazzale Michelangelo

      This terrace above the south bank looks across the whole city, from the dome and the Palazzo Vecchio tower to the hills of Fiesole, with a bronze copy of David in the middle.

   2. Late morning

      San Miniato al Monte

      Arrive for the late-afternoon chant, then walk down to Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Ribollita

      Family-run trattorias from about October to March, especially in Santa Croce, Sant'Ambrogio and San Frediano.

   4. Afternoon

      Bardini Garden

      This terraced garden climbs from Via de' Bardi up to the Villa Bardini, with a baroque stairway, an orchard and a wisteria pergola that flowers purple in spring.

   5. Evening

      Santa Croce and Sant'Ambrogio

      Cocktail bars and pubs along Via de' Benci and Via Ghibellina, and wine bars around Piazza Sant'Ambrogio.

Before you go

• Florence Cathedral (Duomo): Dome climbs need a timed reservation that sells out days ahead in spring and summer; book on the official Duomo site.
• Uffizi Gallery: Timed tickets are strongly advised from spring to autumn; buy them on the official Uffizi site rather than from resellers.
• Galleria dell'Accademia: Timed tickets avoid queues that stretch along Via Ricasoli for an hour or more in high season.

If it rains

• Swap in Palazzo Pitti (Oltrarno): Pair it with the Boboli Gardens on the same visit; the garden entrance is through the palace courtyard.
• Swap in Basilica of Santa Croce (Santa Croce): Leave time for the museum off the cloister, where Cimabue's Crucifix, badly damaged in the 1966 flood, shows how high the Arno rose.
• Swap in Bargello National Museum (Santa Croce): Go when the Uffizi and Accademia queues are at their longest; the Bargello is rarely crowded and sits between the Duomo and Santa Croce.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, Duomo and Piazza della Signoria keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Oltrarno and Santo Spirito ($$$) suits couples, food lovers, nightlife and culture. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 13–17 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.9 hours in December to 15.4 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in Florence
• 2 days in Florence
• 4 days in Florence
• 5 days in Florence
• 7 days in Florence

Questions travellers ask