Florence on a Rainy Day: What to Do When the Weather Turns

Florence in the rain is darker and quieter, and most of what it is famous for is indoors anyway. The trick is to rearrange the day rather than cancel it.

Museums that do not need sunshine

• Museo dell'Opera del Duomo: an hour or two with the cathedral's original sculpture. Included in any Duomo pass.
• Bargello: Renaissance sculpture in a medieval palace. Check its opening days.
• Palazzo Vecchio: the Medici apartments and the Salone dei Cinquecento. Skip the tower in bad weather; it may be closed anyway.
• Palazzo Strozzi: the city's big temporary exhibitions.
• Museo Galileo: telescopes, globes and scientific instruments by the river behind the Uffizi.
• The Uffizi and Accademia, if you can get a slot. Rainy days push more people indoors, so booked slots matter even more.

Churches

Churches make good rain shelters and are often less crowded in bad weather. Combine Santa Maria Novella with the historic pharmacy next door, or San Lorenzo with the market. See our churches guide.

Shopping and browsing

• Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella: frescoed rooms full of perfumes and soaps, free to walk through.
• Scuola del Cuoio: watch leatherworkers behind Santa Croce.
• Artisan workshops in the Oltrarno: many are open on weekdays and happy to let you look.

Eat

• Mercato Centrale's upstairs food hall is open into the evening and entirely under cover.
• A long lunch in a trattoria is the most Florentine thing you can do on a wet day. Order ribollita.
• An afternoon wine tasting in a wine bar fills the gap between museums and dinner.

A rainy-day plan

1. Morning: Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (and the cathedral if the queue is short).
2. Lunch: Mercato Centrale.
3. Early afternoon: Medici Chapels behind San Lorenzo.
4. Late afternoon: Santa Maria Novella and the Officina next door.
5. Evening: wine bar, then dinner.

Practical

• Pavements of polished stone are slippery when wet; wear shoes with grip.
• Umbrella sellers appear the moment it rains; a cheap one will last the day.
• Taxis are scarce in rain. Book by phone or app, or take the tram from the station area.