A cultural guide to Florence
As the birthplace of the Renaissance, this fairy-tale city feels like an open-air museum, with artistic and architectural treasures setting the scene for fabulous fashion and food
Your essential guide to the best things to see and do in Florence. Find more travel inspiration for more amazing cities here.
Everyone warns you that Florence is crowded—but frankly, it deserves to be. Filippo Brunelleschi’s iconic Renaissance dome (the Duomo) rises above elegant piazzas, vast palazzos and narrow medieval streets, making the city itself an artistic masterpiece. You’ll never forget crossing the River Arno via Ponte Vecchio, Florence’s most iconic bridge, lined with vendors today just as it was in medieval times; back then it was farmers, butchers and leather-tanners, today it’s art dealers, souvenir sellers and jewelers. Nothing better evokes Florence’s glorious past as a creative and financial powerhouse.
Art & architecture
Great Italian artists such as Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci all left their mark on Florence. Michelangelo’s towering 16-foot David basks under a skylight in the Accademia Gallery, while the former home to the formidable Medici family, Palazzo Pitti, is crammed with Caravaggios, Titians and Raphaels; and the Uffizi Gallery is home to the world’s greatest collection of Italian Renaissance art (see “Hot ticket” below for more). But art is not stuck indoors in Florence: The fountains, statues and ramparts (built by Michelangelo) in the formal Boboli Gardens are a literal breath of fresh air. Convents and churches are where you’ll find some of Florence’s greatest treasures, such as the dreamlike paintings of Fra Angelico in the convent of San Marco and Botticelli’s nativity scene in the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella.
Expert tips
The essentials
The small Florence Airport (FLR) lies 2.5 miles from the center. An often cheaper alternative is to fly to Pisa (PSA), which is about 80 minutes away by car from Florence’s historic heart. The T2 tram line connects FLR to Maria Novella station in 20 minutes and runs from 5 a.m. until just after midnight: Pay on board with a contactless card, or buy a ticket from the machine on the platform—just be sure to validate it in the machine on the tram. For Pisa arrivals, there are frequent buses from the airport to Florence’s Santa Maria Novella station.
Getting around
Florence’s compact center means it’s easy to explore on foot, with most of the main sights within walking distance. For those staying further out, Autolinee Toscane’s buses run between the suburbs and the historic center, with multiple-ride tickets also available. There are various bike-sharing programs available; sign up via each company’s app and use your phone to unlock. Driving into the center is ill-advised: Much of it is a limited-traffic zone, and fines are easy to accumulate.
Accessibility
While the city’s cobbled streets can be challenging for wheelchairs, many top museums and galleries are equipped with elevators, lift and ramps. The Uffizi’s impressive program for the visually impaired includes a tactile tour of Medici sculptures and relief panels for the likes of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.
Family
While it’s possible kids could eventually succumb to museum fatigue in Florence, the Leonardo da Vinci Interactive Museum will likely keep their attention, thanks to tactile exhibits that showcase the inventor’s machines and mechanisms. Little ones will also appreciate taking a break to hop on the historic carousel in Piazza della Repubblica, or stopping for a cool treat at Venchi Gelato and Chocolate. Several kid-focused city tours and museum tours are available, too, including one of the Florence Accademia.
LGBTQ+
Open-minded and welcoming, Florence has some of Tuscany’s best LGBTQ+ hangouts, including the cozy Piccolo Cafe and the Crisco club; the lively Santa Croce neighborhood is a great place to start.
Food & drink
Florentine cuisine is classic Italian soul food, with hearty peasant dishes, stuffed pasta, cured meats, and cheeses galore. Favorites include ribollita (vegetable stew), and bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine beefsteak, served on the bone).
A stroll around Mercato Centrale, a food market dating back to 1874, swiftly explains why the label “Fiorentina” is international shorthand for quality. For one of the best Florentine steaks in the city, venture into the hills to Trattoria Omero, a family-run trattoria entered via a delicatessen draped with curing hams. Or for Tuscan classics, Il Guscio in San Frediano has been serving up pasta, risotto and meat dishes since 1986.
Wine, too, is a major draw to the city, with the most popular varieties being Chianti and Chianti Classico. Atmospheric wine bars abound in artsy San Niccolò and foodie Sant’Ambrogio. Near Ponte Vecchio, queue for a table at the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it wine bar, Le Volpi e l’Uva, for a Chianti Classico alongside cured meats and lardo-topped crostini.
Shopping
Rome and Milan may each claim to be Italy’s original fashion capital, but in the Middle Ages, craftsmanship in Florence was superlative, under the patronage of the wildly wealthy Medici family. During the 20th century, Florence was the epicenter of Italian fashion throughout the 1950s and ’60s (in the 1970s and ’80s focus shifted to Milan) and powerhouse brands Gucci, Pucci, Ferragamo, and Cavalli all originated in Florence. You’ll find all of these along Via dè Tornabuoni, but label lovers in search of a bargain should venture to luxury outlet The Mall for bargains from the last-season’s collections.
The romance of a Tuscan road trip
Hot ticket
Occupying the enormous U-shaped Palazzo degli Uffizi, built in 1560 as government offices, the Uffizi Gallery is now one of the world’s most-visited museums. Bequeathed to the city by the Medici family in 1743 on condition that it never leave Florence, its collection includes a room full of Botticelli masterpieces and Caravaggio’s Medusa. Unmissable as it is, the Uffizi requires some navigating. Wednesdays and Fridays tend to be less busy, but it’s still essential to reserve tickets in advance. If you don’t want to make a full day of it, focus on the second floor; here you’ll also find a “quick exit” to escape the crowds.
Just south of the train station (and convenient for airport trams), Piazza Santa Maria Novella makes a wonderfully central base, overlooking the basilica and a short stroll from the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. For a treat, book into The Place Firenze, one of the most stylish boutique hotels in the city, or opt for the charming Rivoli Boutique Hotel. Book into the much-loved Trattoria Sostanza for tortellini al brodo (Tuscan thick chicken broth) and truly exemplary bistecca alla Fiorentina.
Just east of some of Florence’s heavy-hitting attractions like the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio, locals know Santa Croce—especially the subdistrict the Sant’Ambrogio, for its aperitivo scene (try Caffé Sant’Ambrogio) and picturesque Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio farmers’ market. The lovely Plaza Hotel Lucchesi has a rooftop pool overlooking the river, just south of the piazza.
Quite literally translating as “the other side of the Arno,” Oltrarno is Florence’s traditional artisan district, where the likes of Michelangelo and Galileo once lived. Today you’ll still find leather and craft bottegas (workshops) alongside independent boutiques, and galleries. Piazza Santo Spirito has both a farmers’ market and Brunelleschi-designed basilica, and to the west, San Frediano is where you’ll find more bohemian cafés and bars. The Hotel Lungarno is a fabulous five-star hotel on the banks of the Arno; and nearby, Ponte Vecchio Suites & Spa has one of the best spas in the city.
Anna Hart is a culture writer specializing in adventure travel and positive-impact tourism. Her work has appeared in Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, and she is the author of the travel memoir Departures.
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