How to spend 24 hours in Florence, Tuscany

Where in Italy is Florence?

Florence is the capital of Tuscany in northern Italy, the region to the north-west of Lazio (where Rome is found). The city is around 60 miles from the west coast of Italy, around 45 miles from Siena and around 50 miles from Pisa.

What’s the weather like in Florence?

Florence has hot and humid summers, with temperatures over 30C in July and August, but much colder winters, dropping to near freezing overnight in December and January, with highs of 10C. November and December are also the rainiest months. The best time to visit Florence is April-May and September-October when temperatures hover between 20C and 25C, although October and April can be wetter. Comfortable smart-casual clothing is the best option when you’re packing for Florence, including lightweight layers. You’ll need to have shoulders and knees covered if you’re visiting any churches, including Florence’s Duomo.

How big is Florence?

The city of Florence is around 40 square miles, a similar size to the UK city of Bristol, but its UNESCO-listed historic centre is much smaller at slightly under two square miles, making Florence very walkable. The majority of the city’s attractions are within a relatively small radius, so you’re rarely more than around 20 minutes’ walk from your destination (although do be prepared to walk a lot as you explore the city). The historic centre also has restrictions preventing most traffic apart from residents, buses and taxis which makes it particularly good to explore on foot. While there is a good bus network, as well as several tram lines, you’re unlikely to need public transport.

Is Florence expensive?

Florence is more expensive than cities in southern Italy, but cheaper than Rome or Venice. Prices tend to be similar to other major northern Italian cities, such as Milan, with accommodation costs rising from around May to September. There are savings to be found on attractions if you’re spending more than 24 hours in Florence, with the Firenze card city pass offering access to around 70 museums, galleries, churches and monuments for 72 hours. Eating out needn’t be pricy either, with some lunch deals in trattorias, plus well-priced food in restaurants away from the most popular tourist areas. You can also pick up local wine at bargain rates from an enoteca, one of the city’s wine shops.

Does Florence have a tourist tax?

Yes, Florence has a tourist tax for overnight visitors aged 12+ for up to seven consecutive nights, known as the tassa di soggiorno. The price per night is based on your accommodation, ranging from 3.50 Euros for one-star properties up to 8 Euros for five-star hotels, while holiday rentals and B&Bs have a flat rate of 5.50 Euros per night.

How much time should you spend in Florence?

Around three to four days allows you to explore all the city’s main attractions and sights, although you can easily spend longer and explore the surrounding Tuscan countryside or plan day trips to nearby cities such as Siena and Pisa, and Tuscany’s hilltop villages. If you only have 24 hours in Florence, it’s still possible to see many of the main sights within a day thanks to the city’s compact size.

What to do with 24 hours in Florence

No day in Florence is complete without a visit to the city’s magnificent cathedral, or Duomo, as well as a taste of its wonderful art collections. Here’s how to plan your 24 hours in Florence.

Santa Maria del Fiore

Spending the morning in Florence

Florence’s spectacular Duomo, officially the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, is unmissable. One of the largest churches in the world, its exterior is clad in white, red and green marble, with decorative geometric patterns and flowers, all topped by the spectacular 14th century dome designed by Brunelleschi, the largest masonry vault in the world. If you’re happy to attempt the 463 steps, you can climb the dome, or opt for the 414 steps up the bell tower; both require an additional ticket but also open earlier than the main cathedral, so you can beat the crowds to make the most of every minute in the city.

Then soak up some more of the sights of the city before lunch, including Piazza della Signoria, home to the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence’s Romanesque town hall, plus the imposing Basilica di Santa Croce, where Michaelangelo is buried.

Save time to stroll across the Ponte Vecchio over the river Arno, with pastel-coloured buildings clinging onto the side of the bridge, which are home to goldsmiths and jewellers.

Spending lunchtime in Florence

Get a traditional taste of Florence at lunchtime by picking up a sandwich made with schiacciata bread. Similar to focaccia, these can be stuffed with anything from grilled vegetables and cheese to various meats, and you can pick them up at most bakeries. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could also try lampredotto, a classic Florentine street food made from the cow’s fourth stomach, cooked in broth and served with salsa verde in a bread roll.

If you can’t decide what to eat, head to the Mercato Centrale, where you can pick up food from the many stalls to eat at the central tables, as well as ordering drinks.

Spending the afternoon in Florence

Dedicate your afternoon to art, with a choice of three separate destinations in Florence. The first is the Uffizi Gallery, a Medici palace which once housed the offices of those who ensured that life in the city ran smoothly. Today this huge building has over 100 rooms filled with art, including the world’s top collection of Renaissance paintings, such as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, along with works by Raphael, Leonardo Da Vinci, Titian, Caravaggio and Artemesia Gentileschi among others.

Or opt for the Accademia Gallery which has the world’s largest collection of Michaelangelo sculptures, including the 17ft statue of David, created from a single block of marble. You’ll also find a collection of artworks from the 13th to 16th centuries, including works by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Uccello.

The final option is to head across the Arno River to the Palazzo Pitti, or Pitti Palace, another Medici palace which houses five museums. The Palatine Gallery holds paintings from the Renaissance to the 18th century, while the Gallery of Modern Art features Italian art from the 18th to 20th centuries. There’s also a silver museum, porcelain museum and costume gallery, which looks at the evolution of fashion over the centuries. Once you’ve had your fill of culture, stroll through the formal Boboli Gardens; created for the Medici family they contain more Renaissance sculptures.

Finish the afternoon with a view as lovely as any artwork, heading to the Ponte Santa Trinita or Ponte alle Grazie either side of Ponte Vecchio to see it illuminated by the setting sun.

Spending an evening in Florence

Start your evening with an aperitivo. While ordering a spritz won’t raise any eyebrows, the classic Florentine aperitivo is a Negroni with its equal mixtures of gin, vermouth and Campari. As with most cities in Italy, you’ll get some kind of salty snack to accompany it, but Florence is somewhere to save plenty stomach room for later.

The city’s most famous dish is Bistecca alla Florentina, a T-bone steak weighing at least 1kg that’s served rare and at least three inches thick. That’s not the only meat-heavy option, with Pappardelle al ragu di cinghiale, a rich wild boar ragu, and Peposo dell’Impruneta, a slow-cooked beef stew made with red wine and black pepper, on many menus.

If you’re looking for something a bit lighter, Pici all’aglione, uses pici pasta, similar to a thick spaghetti, with a tomato and garlic sauce.

You’ll also find plenty of examples of the cucina povera style of cooking, where relatively cheap ingredients and leftovers are transformed (as only the Italians can) into something mouth-watering. Look out for Ribollita, a cross between soup and stew that’s made with white beans, tomatoes, leftover vegetables and stale bread to thicken, while Panzanella teams leftover bread with tomatoes, cucumber and onion for a lighter summer dish. Tripe is another Florentine favourite, and trippa alla Fiorentina combines tripe, tomatoes and parmesan.

Tuscany’s world-renowned wines make the perfect accompaniment, especially Chianti and Brunello, which are ideal with steak and tomato-based dishes.

Top sights in Florence

Lose yourself in art and architecture as you stroll through the city’s historic streets – here are the top sights in Florence.

The Uffizi Gallery

This vast collection of artworks spans centuries from the Middle Ages to the Modern Period, although the Uffizi is most famous for its Renaissance pieces, with paintings from Botticelli, Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Filippo Lippi, Raphael, Caravaggio and Michaelangelo.

Accademia Gallery

Famously the home of Michaelangelo’s David, the Accademia Gallery contains the largest collection of Michaelangelo sculptures in the world, alongside other artworks.

Michaelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo)

One of the treasures of the city, Florence’s cathedral (or Duomo) stands out for the three colours of marble on the exterior as well as its huge 14th century dome. One of the world’s largest churches, you can climb up to both the bell tower and the dome itself.

Ponte Vecchio

This medieval bridge over the river Arno is the only one to survive the Second World war, and known for the shops and buildings which line the bridge. Originally occupied by butchers, for centuries these have housed jewellers and goldsmiths.

Pitti Palace

The Palazzo Pitti, or Pitti Palace, is a grand Renaissance palace created by one of the city’s bankers and later acquired by the Medici family. Now the largest museum complex in Florence, it houses several museums dedicated to art, plus porcelain, fashion and silver.

Boboli Gardens

These formal gardens were designed for the Medici in the mid-16th century following the principles of the Renaissance, and acted as a model for European court gardens, with a mix of the natural and man-made, including fountains, sculptures and grottos.

Basilica di Santa Croce

Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, the Basilica di Santo Spirito contains a wooden crucifix produced by the teenage Michaelangelo, and is also his final resting place, as well as housing the graves of Galileo, Machiavelli and the composer Rossini.

Mercato Centrale

Mercato Centrale is the best place to browse in Florence, whether you’re looking for leather goods at the stalls outside, souvenirs or food inside, with fresh produce on sale and a food court area upstairs.

Explore the Tuscan city of Florence for yourself on one of our escorted tours of Italy