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Attractions

Florence's Centro Storico, or historical center, is set north of the picturesque Arno River. About twenty-five square blocks in size, it's very easy to get around on foot because it's so flat. Also within walking distance is Oltrarno, the area on the south side of the river; tourist interest, with the exception of the Pitti Palace, is generally limited here, mind you. As for the scenic Arno itself, you'll have to content yourself with a view from one its half-dozen bridges – unlike the rivers that bissect many other European cities, the Arno is not generally accessible to the public.

The best way to get your bearings here is by spending a morning doing a guided tour of the main highlights. Although there are bus tours, they make little sense in this walkable town; what we recommend instead is an instructive morning walking tour offered by Florence City Discovery (http://florence.city-discovery.com); you can opt to take one with or without lunch (€35 and €24, respectively). Other ways of getting around include taxis, but they can be very pricey. While you're unlikely to need to take one, the city also has a very good bus system, with lines that go all over the city. Tickets must be purchased at newspaper stands or tobacco shops before boarding the bus – you cannot purchase a fare on board (€1 usually gets you an hour on any combination of buses, but day-long passes, for €4.50, are also available). The straightforward bus routes are posted at the well-marked stops.

Museums & Galleries
There are over fifty museums in Florence and they range in size from the tiny and specialized — think 13th- to 16th-century silverware – to the huge and famous like the Uffizi Gallery. With the sheer number of art venues here, you could easily spend an entire trip trying to see them all. We've covered the absolute must-sees, below.

Before you go, check FlorenceArt (www.florenceart.it) for opening hours, current exhibits, and to reserve tickets ahead of time, which we definitely recommend you do for the Uffizi and Accademia, as you'll get to bypass the lengthy lines. Once in town, you should also make a point of visiting either the Florence City Tourist Office (www.firenzeturismo.it), at Via A. Manzoni 16, or Florence Province Tourist Office (www.provincia.firenze.it) at Via Cavour 1, to pick up a discounted museum "carnet" that will get you entrance to several museums for up to half-off regular prices. While you will find docents and guided tours offered at many museums, they're often in Italian and German only – not English. If you want a guided museum tour, you can book one through Florence City Discovery (http://florence.city-discovery.com); they offer individual tours of the Uffizi and Accademia (€27; 1–1.5 hrs) and a combo tour of both (€49; 3hrs); all excursions include museum entrance fees. Rest assured, also, that most major museums do offer audio tours in English; we recommend taking at least one during your visit to get a full sense of the works' import.

Once the offices of the Medici government, the Uffizi Gallery (Piazzale degli Uffizi; Tues–Sun 8.15am–6.50pm; €6.50, reservation €3 extra; www.uffizi.firenze.it) is probably your best first museum stop – and, of anywhere, the one place you should get an audio guide. Opened to the public in 1591, and built by Giorgio Vasari for Cosimo Medici in 1560, the Uffizi ranks as the first modern museum in the world. There are so many artworks here, it's easy to get overwhelmed; we recommend putting a full day aside (or two half days) to see everything. By following the historical layout of the place, you'll understand what the Renaissance was all about: low, narrow galleries of small, gold-framed, dark Madonnas and Child suddenly give way to Botticelli's wall-sized triptych, La Primavera, a massive pastel as light, airy, and fresh as spring. From there, the masterpieces continue unabated: you'll see works by Ghirlandaio, Michelangelo, da Vinci, Raphael, Masaccio, and so on, until you're spent.

Next on the agenda, though possibly not on the same day, is the Galleria dell'Accademia (Via Ricasol 60; Tues-Sun 8.15am–6.50pm; €6.50, reservation extra €3; www.sbas.firenze.it/accademia) near the Church of San Lorenzo, which is known primarily for housing Michelangelo's famous David as well as his Slaves. These are definitely the high points of the museum, which has otherwise only passable paintings. If you're a Michelangelo fan, this is a must.

Sculpture lovers should also plan on hitting the Museo Nazionale del Bargello (Via del Proconsolo 4; daily 8.15am–6pm; €4; www.sbas.firenze.it). Originally the headquarters of the town's top magistrate (and a prison with wanted posters on one façade), the Bargello now houses a stunning collection of works by Cellini, Verrochio, et. al. The collection of Donatello works, in the top-floor Salone del Consiglio Generale (General Council Room), are themselves worth the price of admission. It's also here that you can see the bronze bas-relief panels submitted by Brunelleschi and Ghiberti in 1401, when the city fathers were picking a sculptor for the Baptistery doors; the subject was the Sacrifice of Isaac – see if you can pick the winner (it was Ghiberti).

Across the Arno (in Oltrarno), but still accessible on foot, the magnificent Pitti Palace (Piazza Pitti; Tues–Sun 8.15am–6.50pm; €6.50; www.palazzopitti.it) stands next to the Boboli Gardens, one of the finest parks in Italy. Built by a rival of Cosimo de Medici, the Pitti contains several museums, including one for silver, furnishings, modern art (18th-century and later), and yet another for costumes. We prefer the Galeria Palatina, with its unmissable 17th-century art, including several masterpieces by Raphael and Andrea del Sarto and a dozen by Titian. Left as it was in Medici's time, you'll find the Mannerist decor of the Gallery itself either absolutely wonderful or a lesson in bad taste.

Churches
Florence's various churches are as artistically gratifying as any of the city's museums. Few cities in the world can boast the riches of the religious institutions here, and you could easily wander off the street into pretty much any little church in any section of town and come across a perfect Cimabue Madonna or Taddei statue of St. Michael. While we encourage you to stop where you like, several churches are justly famous and are not to be missed; they're covered here.

Chief among them, of course, is the Duomo (Piazza del Duomo; Mon-Wed & Fri 10am–5pm; Thurs 10am–3.30pm; Sat 10am–4.45pm; Sun 1.30–4.45pm; free; www.operaduomo.firenze.it), officially named Santa Maria del Fiore (St. Mary of the Flowers). This is the iconic structure of Florence, built between the 13th and 15th centuries, with Brunelleschi's famous dome added on in 1436. The Duomo was intended to exhibit the city's wealth and power – and it does. From the top of the dome (463 steps up), to the stained-glass windows lining the inner galleries and the dome frescoes themselves, the Duomo is a bona fide show-stopper.

Don't leave the church without visiting the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Piazza del Duomo; daily 9am–7:30pm; €6; www.operaduomo.firenze.it), at the rear; it contains reliefs by Donatello and Della Robbia and the marble Pieta, what many consider Michelangelo's finest masterpiece. Next to the museum is another must: the 247-foot high, Romanesque tower erected in 1337 that's known as Giotto's Campanile (Piazza del Duomo; daily 8.30am–7.30pm; €6; www.operaduomo.firenze.it); it's a colored marble extravanza with sweeping views of Florence some 414 steps above ground.
< Almost as fabulous as the Duomo is Santa Croce (Piazza Santa Croce 16; Mon–Sat 9.30am–5:30pm, Sun 1–5:30pm; €4), a church alleged to have been founded by St. Francis in the 13th century. Inside, every nave, sacristy, and chapel contains masterworks of sculpture, painting, and decoration, including a magnificent hardwood pulpit with carvings and bas reliefs often noted as Maiano's best work; frescoes by Agnolo Gaddi; and paintings and statues by Taddei, Gaddi, Gerini and Giovanni da Milano. Also entombed here are Michelangelo, Rossini, Machiavelli, and Dante, though we'll forgive you if you rush past their mausoleums to the Peruzzi and Bardi Chapels, where terrific frescos – The Lives of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist – were painted by Giotto, the Father of Renaissance art.
< A final must is the Church of San Lorenzo, the oldest church in the city, and the parish church of the ruling Medici family until the 18th century. Most people come to see the Cappelle Medicee (Medici Chapels), accessed from the side of the church; they house the marble Princes' Mausoleum (Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini; daily 8.15am–5pm; €6). The real highlight though is the new sacristy, which holds Lorenzo and Giuliano de Medici's tombs, each topped with a Michelanglo statue (Dusk and Dawn and Day and Night, respectively). Another big draw here is the Biblioteca Laurenziana (Laurentian Library), with its extraordinary marble staircase built by Michelangelo for Cosimo de Medici (Piazza San Lorenzo 9; Mon, Fri–Sat 8am–2pm; Tues–Thurs 8am–5pm; free; www.bml.firenze.sbn.it).

Florence Outdoors
Florence's delights aren't limited to the indoors, mind you. One of the city's best known outdoor spaces easily ranks among the world's most atmospheric (and expensive) places to shop; two other spots make fantastic respites when you're shopped- and arted-out.

For centuries, Florence's tanners and leather makers, dyers and weavers – the commercial heart and wealth of the city – all depended upon water for power and set up trade along the roads leading towards the Arno River. While little is left of that era now, the one place that still evokes that time in the city's history is the 660-year-old open-air Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge). This ancient and scenic spot vies with the Duomo for favored city landmark status – it's also the place to buy gold-jewelery, from high-end retailers that encourage carat-worthy shopping.

Surrounded by cafés and trattorias, and filled with chairs, tables, and ice-cream vendors, the superb Piazza della Signoria is among the largest and handsomest squares in Italy and makes an ideal rest stop between shopping and sightseeing. While the Michelangelo David that used to be here has been moved indoors (for protection), you'll still find the equestrian statue of Cosimo de Medici overlooking one end, near Cellini's amazing bronze Perseus. In the center is the famous Neptune fountain that's both revered and reviled by all; consider it the Florentine equivalent of a White Elephant. An excellent place to take it all in is the Rivoire (Piazza della Signora 5r; closed Mon), one of the most popular cafés on the square, with a superb location and to-die-for cioccolata (hot chocolate); if you need a sugar boost, get it here.

Across the Arno, the remarkable Boboli Gardens (Palazzo Pitti; April–Oct daily 7.15am–5.30pm, Nov–Mar daily 8.15am–5.30pm; €4 includes Porcelain and Silver museums) ranked as the world's finest landscaped gardens long before Versailles. The 79-acre expanse is also noteworthy for holding an amphitheater commissioned by the Medici family to stage Dafne, the world’s first opera, in 1589. You can also while away some time at the bizarre and – and somewhat grosteque – Museo Zoologico La Specola (Via Romana 17; Thurs-Tues 9am-1pm; €5; www.specola.unifi.it), a museum filled with various stuffed animals and anatomical waxes; it's a good stop if you have teenagers with you (younger children may get scared by the waxes). DAY TRIPS
If in Florence for more than three days, we highly recommend taking two trips outside the city itself. If you're limited to local transportation, you can still easily reach the hilltop enclave of Fiesole and a duo of Medici Villas. You can also hop aboard a guided tour with Florence City Discovery (florence.city-discovery.com) to the superlative Villa di Poggio, further afield.

For a taste of Tuscan living on a smalltown scale, you can't do better than charming Fiesole, five miles north of Florence via ATAF's bus #7. The hilltop enclave offers magnificent views of Florence and the Arno Valley, and boasts a centuries-old lifestyle that makes a perfect counterpoint to the bustling (and touristed) streets of Florence. It's not just about way of life here, though, as Fiesole is also noteworthy for being home to a remarkably intact 2000-year-old open-air Roman theater that's still used today for summer concerts. It's located near several picturesque Roman Termi (baths) and the sweet Bandini Museum (Via Duprè 1; Apr–Sept daily 9.30am–7pm; Oct–Mar Wed–Mon 9.30am–5pm; €3, €6.20 including Archaeological Museum), a onetime private home that now exhibits a mixed batch of Faience pottery and 13th- to 15th-century paintings. What's more, in a country where remains of pre-Roman civilization are rare, Fiesole also hosts several Etruscan tombs that are open to the public, free of charge; their faded bas reliefs still give an inkling of the differences between the two cultural groups.

A second trip outside Florence might be to the Medici Villas – the marvelous "vacation homes" of the city's ruling family, set in the hillsides around the city. The Villa di Poggio, in Caiano, 13 miles northwest of Florence, is the grandest Medici villa of them all and can be reached as part of a half-day tour with Florence City Discovery (€33; http://florence.city-discovery.com). Erected by Lorenzo the Magnificent, with handsome frescoes of classical subjects and the Medicis "in excelsis" by Pontormo and Andrea Del Sarto, the Poggio also boasts the largest gardens of all the Medici villas.

Closer to Florence, in Castello, are two other villas that can be visited independently, by taking bus #28 from the main train station. Of these, Villa Petraia boasts a medieval tower, several 19th-century rooms, an excellent bronze statue by Ammanati, and outside frescoes depicting Medici family exploits. The gardens are particularly lush and the views of Florence are superb. About 15 minutes along the same road is the Villa Castello, a medieval castle redone by the Medicis. While its interiors are closed to the public, its lovely gardens are open and include a charming, sculpted animal grotto. You'll also find another outdoor bronze Ammanati statue (Nov–Feb daily 8.15am–5pm; Mar & Oct 8.15am–6pm; April, May, & Sept daily 8.15am–7pm; June–Aug daily 9am–8pm; free).

See Florence Travel Guide