Florence

An independent guide to a small city with too much art in it: how to see the Uffizi, eat well and find the quiet streets.

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Guides

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landmarks

Florence Duomo: Dome Climb, Bell Tower and Tickets Explained

How to visit Florence's cathedral: what is free, which pass you need for the dome climb, how the time slots work, and the order that saves you queuing.

museums

Uffizi Gallery: Tickets, Timing and What to See

museums

Accademia and Michelangelo's David: How to Visit Without the Queue

museums

Florence Museums: Which to See, Which to Skip, and How to Book

culture

Ponte Vecchio and the Oltrarno: Crossing to Florence's Working Side

Landmarks

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Brunelleschi's dome on Florence Cathedral

Duomo di Firenze (Santa Maria del Fiore)

Florence's cathedral, finished with Brunelleschi's dome in the 1430s, the largest brick dome ever built. Entry to the cathedral itself is free, with a queue that moves; the dome climb, bell tower, baptistery and museum need a pass from the Opera del Duomo, and the climbs need a booked time slot.

Giotto's Bell Tower

The free-standing bell tower beside the cathedral, begun by Giotto in 1334. The climb is a little over 400 steps with no lift, and the view includes the dome itself, which you cannot see from the top of the dome. Included in the Brunelleschi and Giotto passes; a time slot is required.

Baptistery of San Giovanni

The octagonal baptistery opposite the cathedral, one of the oldest buildings in the city. Its bronze doors are the reason most people stop: the east doors, Ghiberti's 'Gates of Paradise', are copies on the building, with the originals in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. Check whether the mosaic ceiling is under restoration before you pay to go in.

Ponte Vecchio

The medieval bridge lined with jewellers' shops, the only Florence bridge not destroyed in 1944. Free to cross at any hour; it is at its emptiest early in the morning, before the shutters open. Above the shops runs the Vasari Corridor, which can be visited on a separate booked ticket from the Uffizi.

Piazza della Signoria with Palazzo Vecchio

Piazza della Signoria and the Loggia dei Lanzi

The city's political square, in front of Palazzo Vecchio. The open-air Loggia dei Lanzi holds original sculptures, including Cellini's Perseus and Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women; the David by the palace door is a copy. Free, and best early in the morning or late in the evening.

Palazzo Vecchio

Florence's town hall since the 1300s and still in use. Inside, the museum covers the Medici apartments and the vast Salone dei Cinquecento; the Arnolfo tower is a separate, shorter climb with its own rules and is closed in bad weather. Often open later in the evening than the state museums.

Piazzale Michelangelo

The terrace above San Niccolò with the classic view of the city, the river and the dome. Free and open at all hours. Walk up from Porta San Niccolò in about 15 minutes, come for sunset, and expect company; for a calmer version of the same view, continue up to San Miniato al Monte.

Basilica di Santa Croce

The great Franciscan church of Florence, with the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli, Giotto's frescoes in the Bardi and Peruzzi chapels and Brunelleschi's Pazzi Chapel in the cloister. There is an entry fee; allow at least an hour and a half.

Museums

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Uffizi Gallery

The great collection of Italian painting: Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo, Michelangelo's Doni Tondo, Caravaggio. Book a timed ticket, arrive at the first slot or late in the afternoon, and give it at least three hours. Closed on Mondays.

Michelangelo's David in its tribune at the Accademia

Galleria dell'Accademia

Home of Michelangelo's David, and of his unfinished Prisoners lining the corridor towards it. The museum is small; most visits take about an hour. The queue is the problem, so book a time slot. Closed on Mondays.

The courtyard and outdoor staircase of the Bargello

Bargello Museum

The national sculpture museum, in a fortress-like medieval palace. Donatello's bronze David, early Michelangelo and the two competition panels for the Baptistery doors are here, usually without a crowd. The best-value museum in Florence for anyone who cares about sculpture.

Palazzo Pitti

The Medici's later palace on the south bank, now several museums: the Palatine Gallery's Raphaels and Titians hung frame to frame, the royal apartments and the modern art gallery. Part of the Uffizi Galleries, with combined tickets that include the Boboli Gardens behind it.

Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

The cathedral's own museum, and one of the best in the city: Ghiberti's original Gates of Paradise, Donatello's Mary Magdalene, Michelangelo's late Pietà and a reconstruction of the cathedral's original facade. Included in every Opera del Duomo pass and often half empty.

Museo di San Marco

A Dominican convent where Fra Angelico painted a fresco in each friar's cell, including the Annunciation at the top of the stairs. Quiet, contemplative and a few minutes' walk from the Accademia queue. Opening days are irregular; check before you go.

Medici Chapels

The Medici mausoleum behind San Lorenzo: the marble-encrusted Chapel of the Princes and Michelangelo's New Sacristy, with his tombs and the figures of Night, Day, Dawn and Dusk. Part of the Bargello Museums.

Palazzo Strozzi

A Renaissance palace used for the city's major temporary exhibitions, usually modern or contemporary. The courtyard is free to walk into. Worth checking what is on; quality is high and it opens later than most museums.

Food & Drink

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All'Antico Vinaio

The schiacciata sandwich shop with the famous queue on Via dei Neri: warm Tuscan flatbread filled with cured meats, cheese and spreads. The sandwiches are huge and good; whether they are worth a long wait is your call. Go mid-morning or mid-afternoon to avoid the worst of it.

Trattoria Mario

A family-run lunch trattoria beside the San Lorenzo market, with shared tables, a handwritten menu and a reputation for bistecca at fair prices. Lunch only, Monday to Saturday, no reservations, cash only (check before you go). Get there before it opens.

Trattoria Sostanza

A narrow, old-fashioned trattoria near the river, known for chicken breasts cooked in butter and served sizzling in the pan, and an artichoke tortino. Small, popular and hard to get into: book by phone well ahead.

Buca Lapi

A vaulted cellar restaurant under Palazzo Antinori, open since 1880 and decorated with old travel posters. Traditional Tuscan cooking with the bistecca as the main event. More of an occasion than an everyday trattoria, and priced accordingly.

Trattoria Zà Zà

A big, busy trattoria on the square in front of the Mercato Centrale, with outdoor tables and a long menu of Tuscan classics. Popular with visitors and reliable rather than surprising; book for dinner in high season.

The Mercato Centrale market hall in San Lorenzo, with stalls outside

Mercato Centrale (San Lorenzo market)

The 19th-century iron-and-glass market hall. The ground floor is a working food market for butchers, cheesemongers and greengrocers; the upper floor is a modern food hall with counters for pasta, pizza, lampredotto and wine, open into the evening. Good for groups who cannot agree.

Da Nerbone

A counter inside the ground floor of the Mercato Centrale, serving market workers since the 19th century. Order a bollito (boiled beef) or lampredotto (tripe) sandwich, dipped in the broth, with green sauce. Mornings and lunchtime only, and usually closed on Sundays like the market floor; order and pay at the till first.

Gelateria dei Neri

A small gelateria on Via dei Neri with a long list of flavours, including some dairy-free sorbets and unusual combinations. A reliable stop between Santa Croce and the Uffizi.

Nightlife

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Volume

A bar on Piazza Santo Spirito in the former workshop of a craftsman who carved wooden hat forms, with the old tools and machinery kept as decor. Casual, cheap by Florence standards and busy from aperitivo until late; drinks often end up on the church steps.

Le Volpi e l'Uva

A small wine bar in Piazza dei Rossi, just across Ponte Vecchio, focused on Italian wines from small producers by the glass, with cheese and cured meats. A good antidote to the crowds a minute away.

Il Santino

The tiny wine bar of Il Santo Bevitore, a few doors away on Via di Santo Spirito, with a short list of natural and small-producer wines and plates to share. Standing room spills onto the street.

The houses facing Palazzo Pitti across Piazza de' Pitti, where Pitti Gola e Cantina is

Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina

A wine bar and small restaurant facing Palazzo Pitti, with a deep Tuscan list and tables on the piazza. Sources disagree on opening days; check before going.

Ponte Vecchio at night. La Terrazza is the rooftop bar of the Hotel Continentale, at the north end of the bridge

La Terrazza at Hotel Continentale

A rooftop bar on a medieval tower at the north end of Ponte Vecchio, with views along the river to the dome. Seasonal and weather-dependent; outside guests have generally needed a booking with a minimum spend. Check current terms with the hotel.

The Bargello tower from Via Ghibellina. Locale is a few streets away, near the Bargello

Locale Firenze

A cocktail bar inside a medieval palazzo near the Bargello, with elaborate drinks and a dramatic interior. Expensive, dressy by Florence standards, and best booked.

Rasputin

A speakeasy-style cocktail bar in the Oltrarno with no sign outside and a 1920s look inside. Reservations are needed and the booking process is part of the act; check the official site.

Activities

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The bell tower and Florence seen from the top of the dome

Climbing Brunelleschi's Dome

About 460 steps up between the inner and outer shells of the dome, past Vasari's Last Judgement frescoes, to a terrace above the city. Only the Brunelleschi Pass includes it, the time slot is fixed, photo ID is required, and there is no lift. Not for anyone uneasy in tight spaces.

Boboli Gardens

The Medici's formal garden behind Palazzo Pitti, climbing a hillside of avenues, fountains, grottoes and statues to views over the city and the countryside. Bring water and sensible shoes; it is steeper and bigger than it looks. Combined tickets with Palazzo Pitti are available.

Bardini Garden

A terraced garden on the slope above the Oltrarno, smaller and much quieter than Boboli, with a wisteria pergola that flowers in spring and one of the best views of the city from its belvedere.

Terraces of the Rose Garden below Piazzale Michelangelo

Rose Garden (Giardino delle Rose)

A free public garden just below Piazzale Michelangelo, terraced with roses and with a view across the rooftops. Best in May and June when the roses are out; a useful quiet stop on the walk up to the piazzale.

The entrance to the Scuola del Cuoio on Via San Giuseppe

Scuola del Cuoio leather school

A leather school founded after the Second World War in the former Franciscan dormitory behind Santa Croce. You can watch artisans and students at work and buy their goods; prices reflect the quality, and it is a good way to see what proper Florentine leatherwork looks like before shopping at the market stalls.

Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella

One of the oldest pharmacies in Europe, grown out of the Dominican friars' herb garden at Santa Maria Novella. The frescoed shop rooms are free to walk through; the perfumes, soaps and herbal waters are not cheap, but browsing costs nothing.

The Roman theatre in Fiesole's archaeological area

Fiesole and its Roman theatre

The hill town above Florence has a Roman theatre, baths and Etruscan walls in a single archaeological area, plus views over the valley from the path up to the convent of San Francesco. Take the city bus from the centre and allow half a day; summer concerts are held in the theatre.

A wine window (buchetta del vino) in the wall of Palazzo Baldi, Florence

Wine windows walk

Small arched hatches in palace walls, used for centuries to sell wine straight from the cellar. There are well over a hundred in the city; a handful have reopened to serve wine or gelato. A free, self-guided walk around Santo Spirito and the centre; the Buchette del Vino association maps them.