How to spend a day in Florence – The Ultimate Florence Travel Guide

Adrian O’Hare

Hi, i’m Adrian – I have spent the last 15 years fitting in travel around a 9-5 and want to help you plan your next adventure!

We recently came back from a trip to Rome and while we were there, we decided to spend a day in Florence, which is only an hour and a half away by train. Florence is a really good place to use as a base for your trip to Italy, with lots of major tourist attractions including Venice, Pisa, Rome, Bologna and Verona all within 2.5 hour journeys by train.

Florence is also a really good option for a longer trip in itself, with stunning architecture, beautiful viewpoints and incredible food and drink options – the famous wine windows, affogato (coffee with ice cream) and the variety of sandwich shops amongst the must visit highlights of the city.

While we only got to spend a day in Florence, we packed a lot in to make sure we got a good feel for the city. If you only get to spend a day in Florence, this guide will walk you through the key things you need to help you make the most of it, including a full itinerary; where to eat; must visit places and how to get there.

Ideally, we would recommend staying longer if you can, so we will also include some hotel options based on our research, as well as how to get from the Airport to the city centre if you are arriving by plane.

A Day in Florence – Summary

Where to Stay

• Arte Boutique Hotel
• Numa i Fiore Apartments
• Chic Stay Boutique Apartments

When to Visit

Our favourite time to visit Florence is April and May. During this time, the flowers are in full bloom and it is less crowded.

Must do Activities

• Statue of David
• Cathedrale of Santa Maria Del Flore

A day in Florence – Contents

How to get from Florence airport

1) Tram

It is very straightforward to get from the airport in Florence to the city centre and the easiest method is to take the tram. The tram runs from 5am to 12:30am (2am on Friday and Saturday) and it only takes 20 minutes to reach the city centre, with tickets costing €1.50 each way. Tickets cannot be purchased onboard but there are vending machines at every stop, with the airport only a 2 minute walk from arrivals.

2) Taxi

A taxi will provide you with minimal wait times but naturally will be more expensive than public transport options. There are two main taxi operators, Taxi 4242 and Taxi 4390 – the journey to the city centre has a set fare of €22.

3) Car Hire

If you would like to rent a car, there are numerous car hire operators available at Florence Airport. Details on each of those options may be found here.

Note: It can sometimes be difficult to get direct flights to Florence so you can also fly in to Pisa and get the train across if you are having difficulty finding the flights you need.

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When to visit Florence

Our personal suggestion would be to visit in late Spring (Late April/Early May), particularly if you want to enjoy the best of places like Giardino Bardini, as this time of the year is when you will see the flowers in full bloom, including the beautiful archways lined with wisteria. This time of the year also has the benefit of nice weather (average highs of 20-24 degrees celsius) without being overcrowded, meaning you won’t have to spend as much time queuing, particularly if you are only visiting for a short stay.

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Is a day in Florence enough time?

As with most places, it is very difficult to fully experience a city in just a day but given its proximity to so many other places around Italy, we would strongly advise adding a day in Florence to any trip you take to Northern/Central Italy.

That being said, you can pack a lot in to a day in Florence, particularly as it is a very walkable city and largely flat in the main areas you are likely to visit.

Ideally, if you are visiting Florence as the main part of your trip, we would suggest spending a minimum of 2-3 days to fully get to see the city and appreciate what it has to offer. While a day in Florence won’t be enough time to see absolutely everything, this itinerary will show you how to maximise your time there, taking in the best views, the best food and maybe even a glass of wine straight from a window…or maybe two glasses…

If you want to visit Florence as part of a multi-city trip, our personal suggestion would be to combine a day in Florence with a trip to Rome to get to enjoy the best of two of Italy’s most iconic cities without having to travel too far. You can also read our guide to Rome to help you plan a multi stop trip.

Where to Stay in Florence

If you are planning to stay a little bit longer than a day in Florence, we have put together a list of Florence hotels with really positive reviews across the city for every budget.

Note: Please note that for any bookings made via the affiliate links included within this post, we will receive a small commission from the supplier but this will not affect the price you pay.

Best Things to do in Florence – Overview

• Cathedrale of Santa Maria Del Flore
• Giardino Bardini
• Piazzale Michelangelo
• Galleries Uffizi
• Academia Gallery
• Statue of David
• Ponte Vecchio
• Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
• L’Antico Vinao
• Fotoautomatica
• Vivoli
• Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella

One thing we didn’t get the opportunity to do but would have loved to do with more time was a pasta making course. If you are going to learn how to make pasta you may as well go straight to the source. This course also includes unlimited wine, so it’s a great way to relax and learn how to a master a new skill.

Particularly if you are limited for time, two other things we would suggest is to purchase skip the line/time visit slots for the Duomo, Galleria Uffizi and the Statue of David. And if you really want to make sure that you get to see all of the main attractions around the city, a guided walking tour from a local expert is the way to go to avoid the fallout of Google maps sending you down a wrong turn or two during your stay. Alternatively, you could also use the Florence Hop on/Hop off tour, which is a great way to see all of the main attractions and not worry about how to get to each location. These tours also provide great flexibility as there are pick up points all over the city, making it easy for you to pick and choose when and where you want to use it.

How to spend a day in Florence

Morning

The Duomo and Galleries

Okay you’ve arrived in Florence, where to first? Well, there’s only one place to start. When you picture Florence, there is one place that stands out above all the rest – Cathedrale of Santa Maria Del Flore. This cathedral really does live up to the hype – as you approach from Piazza del Duomo, the cathedral emerges from the corner, towering over the main square, it is such an impressive and iconic site that really defines the city. To fully appreciate he cathedral, we would suggest getting tickets for the inside, which provides access to Brunelleschi’s Dome as well.

For us though, no morning really gets started until we’ve had our coffee so after spending some time admiring the Duomo, we checked out Caffe Gilli to get a coffee and to give ourselves a chance to get settled before exploring the rest of the city.

After the coffee kicks in, take a trip to Galleria Ufizzi, a beautiful art museum in the historic centre of the city. The museum can get quite busy at peak times so we would recommend purchasing skip the queue tickets, particularly if you only have a day in Florence. Alternatively, we would suggest getting tickets to visit the Academia Gallery of Florence instead to see the iconic Statue of David.

Once you’ve seen the statue of David, you could try out creating your personalised perfume scent at Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, a unique perfumery and herbalist shop, whose origins date back to the 1200’s. Even if you don’t want to get yourself a new perfume, we would strongly advise visiting to see (and smell) the place alone.

Afternoon

Lunch and Affogato

As you head into the afternoon hunger will naturally start to kick in and Florence is known for producing some of the best lunch foods that are universally loved – sandwiches. You really are spoilt for choice when it comes to incredible sandwich shops in Florence. Naturally, the queues at L’Antico Vinao are quite long but they move very quickly so don’t be discouraged if you have your heart set on getting one of their sandwiches. If you want an alternative option, we would also suggest trying out Sandwichic or else Antico Noe.

And what about an afternoon dessert? Again, Florence has you covered. If you’re a coffee fan, you have to go to Il Gelato Vivoli for an affogato, a local coffee with an ice cream base – it is INCREDIBLE!! Again, the queues here can be quite long but they are very used to it and the line moves quite quickly. If you are visiting as part of a group and are restricted for time, we would suggest one person queuing for sandwiches while the other waits for the affogato, that way lunch and dessert are ready to go without the additional wait time.

Giardino Bardini and Ponte Vecchio

Now that you’ve refuelled, you’re ready to do a little bit of walking – head across Ponte Vecchio and up to Giardino Bardini – a beautiful elevated garden with stunning views overlooking the city. If you are lucky enough to visit in late Spring (April time) you will get to see the beautiful wisteria lined arches from the upper part of the gardens, where you will find a cafe at the top for a quick drink with a view. Entry to the gardens is €10 and it’s definitely worth the visit.

As you make your back down to the city centre, you could stop off along the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest stone bridge in Europe and the only bridge in Florence to survive World War II. The bridge is usually bustling with people and market stalls as you make your way back into the centre.

As you make your back down to the city centre, you could stop off along the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest stone bridge in Europe and the only bridge in Florence to survive World War II. The bridge is usually bustling with people and market stalls as you make your way back into the centre.

Evening

The Wine Windows and Piazzale Michelangelo

Most of your exploring is done for the day, it’s time to relax and enjoy one of the most unique experiences and one of the things we would recommend adding most to a day in Florence – the Wine Windows. These iconic windows date back to the plague in the 1600’s and there are still at least 150 wine windows spread around the city. We chose to visit Babae as it was really easy to find but you will never have to venture too far before you stumble (figuratively) across one.

Grab a glass of wine or aperol spritz, take a seat if you can get one along the window sills etc. and just watch the world go by with a glass in hand. This is such a nice way to ease your way into the evening and to enjoy the natural atmosphere and energy of the city. This was one of our favourite things to do in Florence – as we had spent so much of the day there trying to see everything, finally getting to sit and enjoy the surroundings was the perfect way to start the evening and get talking to other tourists and locals about the city.

However, if wine isn’t your thing, then we also have you covered. If you want a great way to start the evening, head to Piazzale Michelangelo where the crowds will be gathered to watch the sunset. This is a hill located on the South of the Arno river with stunning panoramic views of the city. It takes around 10-15 minutes to walk to the viewpoint but it is worth every step – this is a must for the perfect way to finish your day in Florence.

where to eat in florence