Things to Do in Florence: Art, Architecture & Tuscan Experiences

Florence is small enough to cover the main sights in two or three days but rich enough that a week barely scratches the surface. The city’s museums are among the finest in the world, the architecture is consistently beautiful, and the Tuscan countryside begins almost immediately outside the city limits.

The must-sees

Uffizi Gallery

Required. Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo’s Annunciation, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio. The collection spans from the 13th to the 18th century across 45 rooms. Allow 3–4 hours minimum. Entry approximately €25 (full price) or €2 (EU citizens 18–25) as of 2026. Timed entry only — book at uffizi.it at least 2 weeks ahead for peak season (April–October). Same-day tickets in July and August are essentially unavailable. Audio guide approximately €6. Open Tuesday–Sunday 8:15am–6:30pm, closed Monday. The Vasari Corridor (connecting passage to Palazzo Pitti) reopens periodically for special tours.

Galleria dell’Accademia

Primarily to see Michelangelo’s David (1504). At 5.17 metres tall, it is much larger than most visitors expect. The museum also holds Michelangelo’s four unfinished Prisoners (Prigioni), which give remarkable insight into his carving technique — the figures appear to struggle free from the marble. Entry approximately €16 (full price) as of 2026. Book ahead at galleriaaccademiafirenze.it. Open Tuesday–Sunday 8:15am–6:50pm, closed Monday. The queue without a reservation can exceed 2 hours in summer.

Duomo complex (Santa Maria del Fiore)

The cathedral, Giotto’s Campanile, the Baptistery, the crypt, and Brunelleschi’s dome. A combined ticket covers all elements — approximately €30 as of 2026, valid for 72 hours. The cathedral itself is free to enter. Brunelleschi’s dome (completed 1436) is an engineering marvel — the largest masonry dome ever built. Climbing inside between the inner and outer shells (463 steps, no lift) gives you a close-up view of Vasari’s Last Judgment fresco and ends with panoramic views from the lantern. Timed entry required — book at duomo.firenze.it. Giotto’s Campanile (414 steps) offers slightly better views because you can see the dome itself. The Baptistery’s bronze doors by Ghiberti (the Gates of Paradise) are outside; the originals are in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo behind the cathedral.

Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens

The Medici’s main palace, housing five museums: the Palatine Gallery (Raphael, Titian, Rubens), the Royal Apartments, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Silver Museum, and the Costume Gallery. Entry to the Palatine Gallery approximately €16 as of 2026. The Boboli Gardens behind the palace (approximately 4.5 hectares of formal Italian gardens) cost approximately €10 separately. Allow 2 hours for the Palatine Gallery and 1–2 hours for the gardens. Open Tuesday–Sunday 8:15am–6:30pm, closed Monday.

Piazza della Signoria

The political heart of Florence, dominated by the replica David (the original is in the Accademia), Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa in the Loggia dei Lanzi (open-air sculpture gallery, free), and Palazzo Vecchio (the city hall since the 13th century — entry to the museum approximately €14 as of 2026, tower climb approximately €12 for panoramic views). The Fountain of Neptune by Ammannati marks the piazza’s northwest corner.

Ponte Vecchio

The medieval bridge lined with jewellers’ shops. Historically it held butchers, but the Medici found the smell objectionable and in 1593 had them replaced with goldsmiths. The Vasari Corridor runs directly above the shops, connecting the Uffizi to the Pitti Palace — built in 1565 so the Medici could cross the river without mixing with the public. Free to walk across at any time.

Beyond the main circuit

Museo del Bargello (Via del Proconsolo 4) — Florence’s sculpture museum in a 13th-century palace. Donatello’s David (the first freestanding nude male sculpture since antiquity), Verrocchio’s David, and works by Michelangelo, Cellini, and Giambologna. Entry approximately €9 as of 2026. Open Wednesday–Monday 8:15am–2pm. Often uncrowded — one of the best museum experiences in the city.

San Miniato al Monte — A Romanesque basilica on a hill above the city with the best panoramic view of Florence. The green-and-white marble facade (12th century) and the interior with its raised choir and mosaic apse are exceptional. Free entry. Often overlooked because it requires a 20-minute uphill walk from Piazzale Michelangelo. Gregorian chant vespers at 5:30pm daily.

Boboli Gardens — Formal Medici gardens behind the Pitti Palace with fountains, grottos, and an amphitheatre. Entry approximately €10 as of 2026. A peaceful escape from the summer heat. Open daily 8:15am–sunset (closing time varies seasonally).

Brancacci Chapel (Piazza del Carmine, Oltrarno) — Masaccio’s frescoes (1424–1427) in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. These paintings effectively invented Renaissance perspective. Entry approximately €10 as of 2026 — timed visits of 30 minutes, book ahead. Closed Tuesday.

Mercato Centrale — The iron-and-glass covered market near San Lorenzo. Ground floor for produce and butchers (open Monday–Saturday mornings); the upper level is a food hall with prepared food for lunch (open daily until midnight). A good midday break between museums.

Neighbourhood walks

Oltrarno artisan walk — Cross the Ponte Vecchio and turn right along Borgo San Jacopo, then explore Via Maggio (antique shops), Via Santo Spirito, and Piazza Santo Spirito (daily market, bars, the Brunelleschi-designed Santo Spirito church). Continue to San Frediano for artisan workshops — bookbinders, leather workers, frame-makers. Allow 2–3 hours.

San Lorenzo to Santa Croce — From the Mercato Centrale through the leather market stalls around San Lorenzo, past the Medici Chapels (entry approximately €9), east along Via dei Servi to the Piazza Santissima Annunziata (the most proportioned Renaissance piazza in Florence), then south to Santa Croce basilica (entry approximately €8 — tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli inside).

Day trips

Siena (75 mins by bus, approximately €8 each way), San Gimignano (the medieval tower town, 2 hours by bus), Chianti wine region (car recommended — tastings from approximately €20–30 per person, or join a guided Chianti wine tour from Florence that handles transport and visits two or three estates), Lucca (walled town, 90 mins by train, approximately €9 each way), Pisa (1 hour by train, approximately €9 each way), and Bologna (35 mins by Frecciarossa, from approximately €15). For a full breakdown of the best excursions from the city, see our Florence day trips guide.

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Back to the full Florence travel guide for context on the art, architecture, and city logistics. For booking tickets to the Uffizi, our Uffizi tickets guide covers the booking system, skip-the-line options, and best times to visit. For the Duomo dome climb, our Florence Duomo tickets guide explains the timed-entry system and what to book in which order. Interested in the Renaissance art you’re seeing? Our guide to the Italian Renaissance provides the historical context that makes the museums significantly more rewarding. Planning to eat well? See the Florence food guide.