Aerial view of Florence with the red-brick dome of the cathedral

Updated 2026

13 best things to do in Florence

Brunelleschi’s dome, Michelangelo’s David and the Renaissance on foot.

Photo: Raffaella Troiano / Pexels · Pexels License

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These picks cover Renaissance Florence: the Duomo, the Uffizi and David, the Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Vecchio, the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens, the Oltrarno, a food hall and a day trip to Pisa. For each: honest cost, time needed, best time and when to skip it.

Things to do in Florence: tap a number to open it in Google Maps. Out of town (not on the map): 13. Day trip: Pisa.

Tickets & tours in Florence: compare before you buy

Official sites are often cheapest for single museums; resellers are handy for skip-the-line combos, tours and free cancellation.

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Duomo & Brunelleschi’s Dome

Piazza del Duomo

Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore) is crowned by Filippo Brunelleschi’s brick dome, a feat of Renaissance engineering. The square also has Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Baptistery with its bronze doors.

Cost: Cathedral free. Brunelleschi Pass €30 (dome, bell tower, Baptistery, museum, Santa Reparata); Giotto Pass €20; Ghiberti Pass €15. Passes are valid for 3 days (2026, check duomo.firenze.it)
Time needed: 2–4 hours
Best time: First dome slot of the morning

Insider tip: The dome and the bell tower need a booked time slot and have hundreds of steps and no lift. The free cathedral queue is shortest just before opening.

Skip it if: You don’t like heights or narrow stairs – the free cathedral and the outside are still spectacular.

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Uffizi Gallery

Piazzale degli Uffizi

One of the world’s great art museums, in offices built for the Medici by Giorgio Vasari. It has Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera, plus works by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Caravaggio.

Cost: €25 bought on the day, €29 bought in advance; free on the first Sunday of the month (2026, check uffizi.it)
Time needed: 2–3 hours
Best time: Opening time, or late afternoon

Insider tip: Book a time slot on the official site, tickets.uffizi.it. The ticket including the Vasari Corridor costs €43 on the day or €47 in advance (2026).

Skip it if: You only have one day and prefer architecture to paintings.

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Galleria dell’Accademia (David)

Via Ricasoli, San Marco

Home of Michelangelo’s original David, carved from a single block of marble and finished in 1504. It also has his unfinished Prisoners.

Cost: €20, plus €4 for an advance booking; under 18s free; combined Accademia + Bargello ticket €26 for 48 hours (2026, check galleriaaccademiafirenze.it)
Time needed: 1 hour
Best time: First slot of the morning or the last hour

Insider tip: Reservations are strongly recommended; without one, the wait can be long. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing.

Skip it if: You’re happy with the copies in Piazza della Signoria and at Piazzale Michelangelo.

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Piazza della Signoria & Palazzo Vecchio

Piazza della Signoria

Florence’s political heart: the fortress-like town hall Palazzo Vecchio, the Neptune Fountain, a copy of David and the Loggia dei Lanzi, an open-air sculpture gallery.

Cost: Square and Loggia free; Palazzo Vecchio museum €18; Arnolfo Tower €20 (booking required) (2026, check)
Time needed: 1–2 hours
Best time: Early morning or evening

Insider tip: The tower is closed in rain and not open to children under 6. Check the hours, which are shorter on Thursdays.

Skip it if: Never – at least walk through the square.

Tickets & tours

Ponte Vecchio

Over the Arno

Florence’s oldest bridge, lined with jewellery shops. The Vasari Corridor, built in 1565 for the Medici, runs along the top of it.

Cost: Free
Time needed: 20 min
Best time: Sunrise or blue hour

Insider tip: For the classic photo, look at it from the next bridge west, the Ponte Santa Trinita.

Skip it if: Never – you’ll cross it anyway.

Piazzale Michelangelo

San Niccolò, south bank

The classic panorama of Florence: the dome, the Palazzo Vecchio tower and the Arno bridges, with another bronze copy of David in the middle of the square.

Cost: Free
Time needed: 45 min plus the walk
Best time: Sunset

Insider tip: Walk up from San Niccolò via the Rampe stairs. It’s a steep 15–20 minutes. Bus 12 or 13 if you’d rather ride.

Skip it if: Never – it’s free and it’s the best view in town.

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Pitti Palace & Boboli Gardens

Oltrarno

The Medici grand dukes’ palace, with Raphaels and Titians in the Palatine Gallery, and the vast Boboli Gardens behind it, full of statues, fountains and grottoes.

Cost: Pitti €16 on the day (€19 in advance); Boboli €10 (€13); combined €22 (€25) (2026, check uffizi.it)
Time needed: 2–4 hours
Best time: Morning

Insider tip: Boboli is hilly; wear good shoes. The 5-day PassePartout (€58) covers the Uffizi, Pitti and Boboli.

Skip it if: It’s very hot – the gardens have little shade in places.

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Basilica di Santa Croce

Piazza Santa Croce

A huge Franciscan basilica with the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli, frescoes by Giotto, and Brunelleschi’s Pazzi Chapel.

Cost: €10 (online booking €1 extra) (2026, check santacroceopera.it)
Time needed: 1–1.5 hours
Best time: Weekday morning (Mon–Sat 9:30–17:30; Sundays from 14:00)

Insider tip: The leather school behind the basilica is open to visitors.

Skip it if: You’ve had enough churches – the square is still worth a look.

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San Lorenzo & the Medici Chapels

Piazza San Lorenzo

The Medici family church, designed by Brunelleschi, still has an unfinished rough façade. The Medici Chapels behind it contain Michelangelo’s New Sacristy.

Cost: Paid entry; the Medici Chapels are a separate ticket (check)
Time needed: 1–1.5 hours
Best time: Morning, before the market gets busy

Insider tip: Combine it with the Mercato Centrale, two minutes away.

Skip it if: You’re short on time – see the façade and move on.

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#10

Santa Maria Novella

Piazza di Santa Maria Novella

A Dominican basilica with a green-and-white marble façade completed by Leon Battista Alberti. Inside are Masaccio’s Trinity and Ghirlandaio’s frescoes.

Cost: Paid entry (check smn.it)
Time needed: 1 hour
Best time: Late afternoon

Insider tip: It’s right by the main station, so it’s good for your first or last hour in Florence.

Skip it if: You only have one day.

Tickets & tours

#11

Mercato Centrale

San Lorenzo

Florence’s 19th-century iron-and-glass market hall. The ground floor is a traditional food market; the first floor is a food hall with Tuscan counters.

Cost: Free to enter; you pay at each counter
Time needed: 1 hour
Best time: Lunch (the first floor is open daily 9:00–23:00, check mercatocentrale.com)

Insider tip: Try lampredotto (a tripe sandwich), a Florentine street-food classic, if you’re brave.

Skip it if: You prefer a sit-down trattoria.

#12

Oltrarno & Santo Spirito

South bank of the Arno

Florence “beyond the Arno”: artisan workshops, Piazza Santo Spirito with Brunelleschi’s last church, and relaxed bars and trattorias.

Cost: Free to explore
Time needed: Half day
Best time: Evening, for an aperitivo

Insider tip: Combine it with the Pitti Palace and walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset.

Skip it if: You’re only here for the museums.

#13

Day trip: Pisa

About 1 hour by regional train

Pisa’s Piazza dei Miracoli has the Leaning Tower, the cathedral and the Baptistery together on a lawn. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cost: Regional train from about €10 each way; the tower climb is a separate timed ticket (check opapisa.it)
Time needed: Half day
Best time: Morning

Insider tip: Regional trains from Santa Maria Novella take roughly 50–80 minutes. Book the tower climb in advance.

Skip it if: You have only two days in Florence.

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Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need in Florence?

Two days covers the Duomo, the Uffizi, David and the Ponte Vecchio. Three days adds the Pitti Palace, the Oltrarno and Piazzale Michelangelo at a relaxed pace, or a day trip to Pisa or Siena.

Do I need to book the Uffizi and the Accademia in advance?

Yes, it’s strongly recommended. In 2026 the Uffizi costs €25 bought on the day or €29 in advance, and the Accademia €20 plus a €4 booking fee. Use the official sites.

Is the Florence Cathedral free?

Yes, the cathedral itself is free. The dome, the bell tower, the Baptistery and the museum need a pass: the Brunelleschi Pass (with the dome) costs €30 in 2026.

How do I get from Florence airport to the city?

Take tram T2 to Alamanni by Santa Maria Novella station, which takes about 20 minutes. A 90-minute ticket costs €2.00 (2026, check gestramvia.it).

Can I see David for free?

The original is only in the Accademia, where under-18s go free. Bronze and marble copies stand for free in Piazza della Signoria and at Piazzale Michelangelo.

Plan your next step

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Tours & tickets in Florence

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