How to Spend 3 Days in Florence - A Guide for First-Time Visitors
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Considering it’s one of the World’s most famous cities, you might be surprised that I recommend “only” 3 days in Florence. But although it’s Tuscany’s capital, the birthplace of the Renaissance, and genuinely packed with an absurd wealth of artistic masterpieces and glorious architecture, it’s still relatively small (only about 300,000 residents) and is extremely compact.
This means that for casual visitors who have a passing interest in art, architecture, and the city’s history, but who don’t want to spend 8 hours a day visiting museums and churches, Florence really can be comfortably explored in 3 days.
You could even pack everything into just 2 very busy days, but I don’t think that would be an especially pleasant trip, as you’d basically be rushing straight from one sight to the next, checking off boxes on a to-do list.
And while there are some things that you absolutely must see when here, for me, a lot of the pleasure of being in Florence lies in going for aimless wanders, often outside of the very center of the city, and enjoying the little gems that you unexpectedly stumble on.
To have time for “getting lost”, you need to have some open space in your itinerary, and I think 3 days is just right for that.
It’s the perfect amount of time in that you can spread out your visits to the city’s marquee sites and attractions over 3 days, visiting a couple of them on each day, while leaving ample time for leisurely meals, pleasant wanders, and some “aimless” lounging around.
Check out my detailed itinerary below for step-by-step guide to what I recommend for 3 days in Florence.
For more info on the city, also have a look at our Florence city guide and article on where to stay in Florence.
Table of Contents
Florence planning cheatsheet
Plan your itinerary with expert advice
- Book an Italy travel consultation with a local expert
My favorite hotels in Florence
- Hotel Lungarno - overlooking the Arno river, this is always my top recommendation for true luxury. $500-1,000 USD
- Hotel Bernini Palace - reasonably priced luxury in between San Giovanni and Santa Croce. $350-500 USD
- Hotel Calimala - gorgeous boutique hotel in the absolute city center. $250-450 USD
- La Maison du Sage - with a whole lot of style, this is my favorite hotel in Santa Croce. $250 USD
- Hotel Silla - lovely hotel in a great Oltrarno location for a good price. $150-225 USD
Guided tours and activities
- Private walking tours with Samuele (my favorite local guide)
- Private Tuscany day trips and wine tours with Stefano
- Guided tour of the Uffizi Galleries (max 7 people)
- Small group Chianti winery tour
- Cinque Terre day trip
How to get around
- Car rentals with DiscoverCars
- Train tickets from Trenitalia and Italo
- Urban tram routes at GEST
- Airport transfers via Welcome Pickups
Day 1: The main sights
Florence's Duomo
Morning
Uffizi Gallery
Begin your first day at the Galleria degli Uffizi, the erstwhile headquarters of the Medici banking empire and now a museum stuffed to the rafters with the masterpieces of the Renaissance.
In gallery after gallery you’ll encounter Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo… this is one of the world’s great museums, so take your time and spend the entire morning here.
When you want to take a break from all the saints and swirling angels, head up to the view-filled rooftop café.
I recommend arriving early to try and beat the worst of the crowds (you can never beat them altogether).
For tickets, always purchase on the museum's official website. You'll notice quite a few different options as well as some packages that also include entrance to the Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens, Vasari Corridor, etc. To be honest, there's not much difference in pricing whether you buy separate tickets or a combined one, so don't stress too much.
In the past I wouldn't have considered this, but in recent years guided tours of the museums have become more common. For those who don't know much about art or just aren't familiar with the collection, a brief tour can actually be really helpful.
Although you might not think it, tours are actually often best for people who aren't interested in art. This is because the guide helps you understand what you're seeing and the historical context in which it was made.
Here are a couple of options for tours:
Private Uffizi tour - This is a very good almost 2-hour tour that covers the museum's major treasures. I recommend it because it's always the same guide (Irina), not just a random person assigned on the day of the tour.
Small-group tour - For a group tour, I recommend this one because the max size is 9 people (some tours will have 15, which is too many) and you have the option of either a 1.5 or 2.5-hour tour. The 2.5 hour tour provides a much better experience.
Florence Duomo & Baptistry
Next stop is another one of Florence’s great Renaissance achievements, the Duomo, the largest church in the world when it was completed around 1436, and topped with Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome that was also the largest in the world in its time.
The enormous cupola dominates the skyline of Florence, and climbing up narrow staircases wedged between the inner and outer shells is a not-to-be missed exertion, with acrophobia-inducing views at the top.
Next door is the octagonal Battistero (Baptistry), where the East Doors, executed in gilded bronze by Lorenzo Ghiberti, depict 10 scenes from the Old Testament with such grace that Michelangelo said “They are so beautiful they would grace the entrance to Paradise.” They’ve been known ever since as the Gates of Paradise. The doors now in place are copies, and the originals are in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, which is often called the “Opa Museum".
Like with the Uffizi, there are 3 different levels of tickets for the complex. The Duomo itself is free to enter, but if you want to climb the dome, visit the museum, or enter the Baptistry, you'll need to purchase entrance tickets. To look at your options, the Opera del Duomo website has a helpful explanation (and is the official place to book).
Afternoon
Palazzo Vecchio
Now do some more art-gazing, along with a late lunch and the best people watching in Florence, from the terrace of Rivoire or one of the other cafes on the airy Piazza della Signoria.
This center of city government, with the Palazzo Vecchio, the Medici’s stronghold, on one side, is filled with statuary - a line-up that includes city fathers, Greek gods, and a copy of Michelangelo’s David.
Accademia Gallery & Piazza San Marco
The original of the city’s most famous sculpture is in the Accademia Gallery, so make your way there next and prepare to spend a couple of hours seeing David and the other great works.
After seeing the David, make the five minute walk over to Piazza San Marco, where you’ll encounter another artistic genius, Fra Angelico, in the monks’ cells, cloisters and chapter house of a former convent that now comprise the Museo Nazionale di San Marco.
The good natured Dominican friar found time between his duties caring for the poor to cover the walls with magnificent frescos depicting religious scenes meant to inspire prayer and contemplation.
To purchase tickets, use the official museum website.
If you'd like a tour, here are two options:
Private city walk and Accademia tour - I really like this tour offered by local guide Francesca because, in addition to the Accademia, you also get a guided tour of the city center included in the price.
Small group tour - Only 1-hour in length, this is a good tour if you've already been to the Uffizi, are feeling a little "museumed-out”, or just want a quick overview of the art here (and the David!).
Michelangelo's David sculpture in the Accademia Gallery
Evening
A night out in Oltrarno
A walk at dusk takes you across the shop-lined Ponte Vecchio bridge and then over it into the Oltrarno, or “other side of the Arno” (across the river from the city center).
You’ll come out in the neighborhood of Santo Spirito. Once a working class area that was popular with craftspeople and artists, it’s changed significantly in the last twenty years and is quite gentrified these days.
The narrow streets are still filled with artists’ studios, workshops, and antiques shops, but they’re now competing for space with boutique stores, trendy restaurants, and hip bars frequented by fashionable people from all over Florence. It’s a fun place to go for an aperitivo and dinner.
Day 2: Markets and gardens
Church of Santa Maria Novella
Morning
Mercato San Lorenzo & Capelle Medici
You can’t come to Florence without shopping, so plunge into the Mercato San Lorenzo. Many of the leather goods here are made in China, but it’s hard to walk away without at least a change purse, for which you should bargain relentlessly.
Nearby are the Capelle Medici in the church of San Lorenzo, housing the sumptuous sarcophagi that Michelangelo created for Florence’s ruling family.
Church of Santa Maria Novella
Another treasure trove at this end of the Centro Storico is the church of Santa Maria Novella, covered with frescoes by Massaccio and Ghirlandaio. When the resident Dominican monks weren’t busy surrounding themselves with great art they were growing herbs with which they concocted similarly transcendent scents and soaps for their wealthy patrons.
Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica
The tradition continues and perfumes and other toiletries based on their recipes are on offer around the corner in the atmospheric Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, said to be the world’s oldest pharmacy.
Now relax over lunch or a snack in the nearby Mercato Centrale, a covered food hall.
Afternoon
Santa Maria del Carmine Church
Spend the rest of the day in the Oltrarno. Make the crossing on the Ponte Santa Trinita, a bridge noted not only for its elegant beauty but also for the fact that what you see is a complete reconstruction.
Retreating German troops blew up the original 16th century bridge in 1944, and in the 1950s workers painstaking reconstructed the span with the original stonework dredged from the river bottom.
Your first stop over here is the church of Santa Maria del Carmine, where Massaccio painted the “Expulsion from Eden” and other frescoes in the Cappella Brancacci that are said to have set the stage for the Renaissance masters who followed him (quite a legacy for a young man who died at age 26).
Palazzo Pitti & Boboli Garden
A ten-minute walk through the streets of the Oltrarno brings you to the monumental Palazzo Pitti, a fitting residence for the Medici dynasty. In the days before Louis XIV built Versailles this was the largest and most opulent palace in the world, and today the grand salons are yet another Florentine repository of works by Raphael, Titian, Rubens, and other European masters, along with the furnishings that Medici dukes left behind.
Behind the massive palace stretches the Boboli Gardens, a lovely place to close out a day of sightseeing among ponds, fountains, and grottoes.
For tickets, if you didn't already buy the package that includes Uffizi, Pitti, and Boboli, you can look on the official website. If visiting the Palace and Garden, buy the combined ticket which will save you a few euros.
The Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens
Evening
Sunset views from Piazzale Michelangelo (and San Miniato al Monte church!)
While you’re still in Oltrarno, plan on catching an incredible sunset over the city. You have two main viewpoints, one very popular and one much lesser-known, but equally impressive.
For the shortest walk, climb the elegant staircase up to Piazzale Michelangelo, the city’s favorite spot for watching the sunset - and with the Duomo gleaming in the slanting rays, what a sight it is.
For a less-known viewpoint (i.e. less crowded), consider heading deeper into Oltrarno and making your way to the church of San Miniato al Monte. This viewpoint is higher up, so offers an even more expansive panorama over the city.
Dinner in the San Frediano neighborhood
For dinner, walk into San Frediano, a neighborhood within the larger Oltrarno area just slightly west of Santo Spirito.
While gentrifying, this area has changed less than Santo Spirito and is still home to lots of actual Florentines. It has a very local feel and is a nice place to have dinner without the tourist crowds.
Day 3: More art followed by some fresh air in Fiesole
The Piazza della Signoria
Morning
See the statues at Il Bargello
Begin the day looking at statues. The Bargello, a couple of blocks south of the Duomo, was the city’s medieval police headquarters and prison, where the corpses of the condemned were hung from the tower windows.
Today the cells and torture chambers are filled with some of the city’s finest examples of Renaissance statues, and the Bargello is to statuary what the Uffizi is to painting. Pride of place belongs to Donatello, whose boyish David and other works made him the star of 15th century Florentine art.
Piazza della Signoria
With your newfound appreciation for statuary take another walk through the statue-filled Piazza della Signoria, just a few blocks west of the Bargello.
Just beyond the square is what might be the most charming church in Florence, Orsanmichele, occupying a converted grain warehouse. The doors are usually locked, but the show is on the exterior, where the Renaissance trade guilds filled the niches with statues of their patron saints.
Climb to the top of the Campanile bell tower
Since you are in the neighborhood, stroll up the street to the Duomo, and this time set your sights on the Campanile that Giotto designed for the church. A climb of 400 steps brings you to another amazing city view, all the better here because you’ll get a close-up look at Brunelleschi’s dome.
Afternoon
Head out to the hills in nearby Fiesole
Enjoy a well-deserved leisurely lunch then take an outing to airy Fiesole, an ancient town that despite the proximity to the Tuscan capital feels like another hilltop village.
The pleasant bus ride up green hillsides takes less than half an hour and at the end of the road are sweeping vistas over the valley below, cooling breezes, and even some Roman ruins.
Looking out from the Fiesole hills
Central Fiesole
Evening
Sunset cocktail in Fiesole, dinner back in Florence
Return to Florence for you final dinner, but don’t rush away from Fiesole. Enjoy a cocktail on a breezy café terrace and watch the sun set over the city below.
In fact, many Florentines make the trip up here at the end of a work day for the lovely end-of-day experience.
Day 4 bonus - a day trip
Montefioralle, in Greve in Chianti
If you have a fourth day or if you pack the itinerary I've listed into just 2 days, then I think taking a day trip into the countryside is a great idea.
Florence is in an excellent location for day trips, with a whole host of wonderful places within an hour's drive or train ride.
Below, I've listed a few places that I think make for the best day trip choices. You'll note that I have not included Montepulciano or the Val d’Orcia, which is because they're simply too far away and not a good use of time.
Chianti & Siena
Beginning right on the outskirts of Florence (to the southwest and northwest) is the wonerful Chianti wine region, one of the most beautiful areas in Tuscany. It's a hilly landscape of vineyards, olive groves, dense forests, and pretty stone villages.
The main road that cuts through the region is the SR222, also called the Chiantigiana, and all along it are dozens of wineries where you can stop to taste the Chiantis and Super Tuscans that put the region on the wine map.
The city of Siena is at the far southwestern edge of Chianti, and is easy to include in a full day of touring. You could spend an entire day in just Chianti or just Siena, but if you won't otherwise be visiting, I really think getting to see both is ideal. Read more about it in my guide to Siena.
Typically, I recommend spending the morning visiting a few vineyards, a couple of the pretty medieval villages (Greve and Castellina make for a nice mix), and driving around Chianti's gorgeous scenery. Then, in the late afternoon you can visit Siena, making sure to enter the Duomo and go for an evening walk in the center when it becomes its most atmospheric.
While you can reach Siena by bus, you'll need a car to see any of Chianti. If you won't have one, here are some tour options:
Private Chianti day trip with Stefano - Sommelier and outdoors guide Stefano Mazzantini runs great day trips to Chianti, including visits to vineyards you'd never be able to visit on your own. He has all different tour options, ranging from walking winery tours (my favorite), to e-bike tours, and then more standard ones by car. You always have the option to add on a visit to Siena.
Small group Chianti wine tour - This tour visits 3 wineries, stops in the town of Greve, and includes lunch. It's a bit more expensive than some group tours, but it caps group sizes at 15 instead of the 25-50 people that many allow.
San Gimignano
San Gimignano is a lovely little town about 1 hour from Florence. It's famous for its many towers which were built in the Middle Ages by noble families who were each trying to one-up each other in a show of wealth and power.
Because the town itself is very small, most tours here also stop at a few other places, usually Siena and Monteriggioni, both of which are close by.
You can read more about Siena in my guide to Siena.
Public transport to San Gimignano is quite poor, so you'll need a car or to book a tour. Here are some options:
San Gimignano, Siena, and Pisa - This is an absolutely packed day, with a duration of almost 12 hours. You first visit Siena, then have lunch in the countryside, before heading to San Gimignano. In the late afternoon, you visit Pisa and then return to Florence. I personally think it's too much for a single day, but if you have limited time in Tuscany, it lets you see many of the highlights. Group size is capped at 15.
San Gimignano and Siena - Also a small group tour, this cuts out Pisa, allowing you to have a more relaxed experience and better enjoy these two gorgeous towns. Lunch at a winery is included in the cost.
Lucca
The wonderful walled city of Lucca is just 1.5 hours from Florence by direct train. It has a lovely pedestrianized city center, Renaissance architecture, and some pretty churches. The city's walls have also been turned into a park, so you can stroll atop them.
Because it's right on the train line, this is one of the easiest places to visit from Florence, and you could realistically even visit in a half-day. I don't recommend taking a tour to visit as there's just no need.
Cinque Terre
The Cinque Terre is a national park on the coast of the region of Liguria, which borders Tuscany to the northwest. There are 5 colorful fishing villages within it that have become world famous, as have the stunning hikes overlooking the sea that connect them all.
To visit the Cinque Terre, you really should spend a minimum of 2 days there, staying overnight. Even that is short and 3-4 days would be much better. However, it is doable as a (very long) day trip from Florence.
To get there, you'll want to take the train to the city of La Spezia (you'll need to make a change in Lucca) and then switch to the local "Cinque Terre Express” train that will bring you into the national park. You can then walk between the towns, take the train between them, or, if the weather permits, use ferries to get around.
If you don't want to go on your own, lots of tours leave from Florence. All day trips from Florence last, at the minimum, 12 hours. Here are a few to consider:
Private Cinque Terre day trip - Run by local guide Stefano (the same guide I recommend for Chianti day trips) this is an expensive, but very exclusive way to visit the region. Stefano is a licensed hiking guide, so can suggest good walks and routes to do together, and you can customize the day to your preferences.
Small group day trip - This is a good option at a reasonable price. You get a guide on the bus and for a section of [optional] light hiking, some free time in a couple of towns, and a train/boat ride in the national park.
Small group day trip with Pisa - This is almost identical to the above tour, but also includes a stop at the Leaning Tower of Pisa on your route.
Arezzo or Cortona
These two cities lie to the south of Florence, both reachable by direct train. Arezzo is less than an hour away, while Cortona is 1.5.
Of the two, Cortona is undoubtedly the prettier city, but it's also much more touristy. It's located on the top of a hill overlooking the agricultural Valdichiana valley and shimmering Lake Trasimeno. It's a really pretty place to walk around.
Arezzo is not as impressive as Cortona, but is still lovely. It's a medieval city with stone walls and a lovely center. Although tourists have started to visit, it receives a fraction of the attention of other cities, so it's a nice place to visit if you want to see somewhere a bit more local.
Like with Lucca, there is no reason to book a guided tour to visit either place.
More Tuscany travel info
For more advice on planning your trip to Florence, Tuscany, and Italy, have a look at some of our other guides and itineraries!
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Serena Baglioni
Tuscany Expert based in Montepulciano
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Hi, I'm Serena, and I've been a tour guide and travel consultant here in Tuscany for the last 25 years. If you're looking for some local advice on your trip, I'd love to help!
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