History · Florence · Italy
8 historic sites to see in Florence
The places that tell the story of how the city came to be.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Francesco Bini, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Florence Cathedral (Duomo), Uffizi Gallery and Ponte Vecchio. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 13–17 hours across 5 areas; 2 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 2
- Time to see them all
- 13–17 hours
- Areas
- Piazza del Duomo, Piazza della Signoria and Arno riverfront
Historic sites in Florence
Religious site · Piazza del Duomo
1.Florence Cathedral (Duomo)
The nave is free to enter; the dome climb (463 steps, passing close to Vasari's Last Judgement frescoes), Giotto's bell tower, the Baptistery and the cathedral museum are covered by combined passes.
- Time needed
- Half a day with the climbs
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Views
- History
- Kids
.jpg){kind=link}
Museum · Piazza della Signoria
2.Uffizi Gallery
The corridor windows frame views of the Ponte Vecchio and the Arno.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- Rainy day
- History
Landmark · Arno riverfront
3.Ponte Vecchio
The Vasari Corridor, the Medici's private passage between the Palazzo Vecchio and the Pitti Palace, runs along its upper level. It was the only Florentine bridge left standing by retreating German troops in 1944.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Photo spot
- Shopping
- History
Historic site · Piazza della Signoria
4.Piazza della Signoria and Loggia dei Lanzi
A plaque in the paving marks where Savonarola was burned in 1498.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- History
- After dark
- Iconic
Palace · Piazza della Signoria
5.Palazzo Vecchio
Inside, the vast Salone dei Cinquecento is lined with Vasari's battle scenes, and the Medici apartments include the Hall of Geographical Maps with its painted map cabinets and huge globe. The Arnolfo Tower climb gives a close-up view of the cathedral dome.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Art
- Views
- Architecture
- Kids
Palace · Oltrarno
6.Palazzo Pitti
It is usually far less crowded than the Uffizi, and multi-day combined tickets cover the Uffizi, the Pitti and the Boboli Gardens.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Religious site · Santa Croce
7.Basilica of Santa Croce
Giotto's frescoes fill the Bardi and Peruzzi chapels, and Brunelleschi's Pazzi Chapel in the cloister is a model of Renaissance proportion.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
.jpg){kind=link}
Museum · Santa Croce
8.Bargello National Museum
Florence's medieval police headquarters and prison now holds the city's finest Renaissance sculpture: Donatello's bronze David, Michelangelo's early Bacchus and Brutus, Giambologna's Mercury and the two bronze panels Ghiberti and Brunelleschi entered in the 1401 competition for the Baptistery doors.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Piazza del Duomo | Florence Cathedral (Duomo) | Half a day with the climbs |
| Piazza della Signoria | Uffizi Gallery, Piazza della Signoria and Loggia dei Lanzi and Palazzo Vecchio | 3–4 hours + 30–45 minutes + 1.5–2 hours |
| Arno riverfront | Ponte Vecchio | 30 minutes |
| Oltrarno | Palazzo Pitti | 2–3 hours |
| Santa Croce | Basilica of Santa Croce and Bargello National Museum | 1.5 hours + 1–1.5 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 2 free, 2 low cost, 4 mid-priced. Book ahead for Florence Cathedral (Duomo) and Uffizi Gallery. The longest visit is Florence Cathedral (Duomo); group the rest by area to save travel time.
- 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.
How to fit them into 5 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Piazza del Duomo): Florence Cathedral (Duomo), at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Piazza della Signoria): Uffizi Gallery → Piazza della Signoria and Loggia dei Lanzi, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Piazza della Signoria and Arno riverfront): Palazzo Vecchio → Ponte Vecchio, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Oltrarno and Santa Croce): Palazzo Pitti → Basilica of Santa Croce, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 5 (Santa Croce): Bargello National Museum, at least 1 hour.
The quietest months for queues
- January: highs of 11°C (52°F), about 7 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cold, often bright days with morning fog in the valley; queues at the Uffizi and the Accademia are at their shortest of the year.
- February: highs of 13°C (55°F), about 7 rainy days, quiet crowds. Quiet and inexpensive with mild afternoons; bakeries fill with schiacciata alla fiorentina for Carnival.
- November: highs of 15°C (59°F), about 9 rainy days, quiet crowds. The wettest month, with short days, but quiet museums and peppery new-season olive oil (olio nuovo) on bruschetta.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Duomo and Piazza della Signoria — The historic core between the cathedral, the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio
- Santa Croce — Franciscan basilica, leather workshops and late-opening bars east of the centre
- Oltrarno and Santo Spirito — Artisan workshops, a church square full of bars and the Pitti Palace across the river
- Sant'Ambrogio — Local food market, Piazza dei Ciompi and neighbourhood trattorias
More of Florence
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Florence?
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.
+Which of these are free in Florence?
Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria and Loggia dei Lanzi.