For couples · Florence · Italy
Romantic things to do in Florence
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
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Quick answer
Florence is small enough to stroll everywhere, and its most romantic moments cost nothing: sunset over the Arno, the evening passeggiata and floodlit piazzas after the day-trippers leave. Add a Chianti tasting or a long Tuscan dinner in the Oltrarno. Couples tend to stay in Duomo and Piazza della Signoria.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 6
- Couple-friendly sights
- 4
- Area for couples
- Duomo and Piazza della Signoria
- Best months
- October
Romantic ideas
1.Sunset at San Miniato
Skip the crowd at Piazzale Michelangelo and watch the sun drop behind the city from the terrace of San Miniato al Monte, then walk down through San Niccolò for dinner.
2.Ponte Santa Trinita at dusk
The elegant bridge downstream of the Ponte Vecchio gives the best view of the old bridge as the sky turns pink and the lights come on.
3.Wisteria in the Bardini Garden
In late April and early May, the flowering pergola frames a view of the dome; arrive early on a weekday for some quiet.
4.Wine through a wall
Order a glass from one of the reopened wine windows in the Oltrarno and drink it in the street, as Florentines did in the 1600s.
5.A day in Chianti
Hire a driver or join a small-group tour to taste Chianti Classico around Greve and Panzano, with a long lunch among the vineyards.
6.Piazza della Signoria by night
After dinner, the floodlit statues of the Loggia dei Lanzi and a near-empty square feel like a private open-air gallery.
Sights couples love
Viewpoint · San Niccolò
Piazzale Michelangelo
Continue five minutes uphill to San Miniato al Monte for the same view with far fewer people.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Iconic
- Kids
Garden · Oltrarno
Boboli Gardens
Wear proper shoes for the steep gravel paths and head for the top terrace by the Porcelain Museum for the widest view.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Views
- Couples
Religious site · San Niccolò
San Miniato al Monte
Arrive for the late-afternoon chant, then walk down to Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Couples
Garden · San Niccolò
Bardini Garden
Time a spring visit for the wisteria, usually late April to early May, and come early on a weekday for some quiet.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
- Photo spot
Where couples should stay
$$$$ · Best for first-timers, couples and culture
Duomo and Piazza della Signoria
The streets between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Signoria hold most of the headline sights, the main pedestrian street Via de' Calzaiuoli and the medieval tower houses around Via Por Santa Maria. Staying here means walking everywhere and seeing the dome floodlit at night, but rooms are small, many buildings have no lift and the main squares stay crowded from morning to late evening.
- Good
- Every major sight within 10 minutes on foot; Lively evening passeggiata; Easy walk from Santa Maria Novella station
- Watch out
- Highest room prices in the city; Crowds and tour groups all day; Restaurants on the main squares are overpriced
- Nearby
- Florence Cathedral, Uffizi, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio
Romantic day trips
- Siena (About 1 hour 15 minutes by bus) — Siena's shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, the Gothic cathedral with its inlaid marble floor and the frescoes of the Palazzo Pubblico make it the classic day trip from Florence.
- Lucca (About 1 hour 20 minutes by train) — Lucca's intact Renaissance walls carry a tree-lined path of about 4 km that you can walk or cycle all the way round.
- San Gimignano (About 1.5–2 hours by bus) — A walled hill town of medieval tower houses, more than a dozen still standing, above vineyards producing the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
- Chianti (Greve and Panzano) (About 1 hour by bus or 40 minutes by car) — The hills between Florence and Siena are planted with Sangiovese vines and olive groves.
- Fiesole (About 20–30 minutes by bus) — The hill town above Florence was an Etruscan settlement long before Florence existed and keeps a Roman theatre and baths in its archaeological area.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Bistecca alla fiorentina, Ribollita and Pappardelle al cinghiale. Book dinner a day or two ahead for popular trattorias in Santa Croce and the Oltrarno, especially on Fridays and Saturdays.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Florence romantic?
Florence is small enough to stroll everywhere, and its most romantic moments cost nothing: sunset over the Arno, the evening passeggiata and floodlit piazzas after the day-trippers leave. Add a Chianti tasting or a long Tuscan dinner in the Oltrarno.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Florence?
Sunset at San Miniato: Skip the crowd at Piazzale Michelangelo and watch the sun drop behind the city from the terrace of San Miniato al Monte, then walk down through San Niccolò for dinner.
+Where should couples stay in Florence?
Duomo and Piazza della Signoria: The historic core between the cathedral, the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio.