Florence Travel Forum

I am headed to Florence for the first time and will be there for just about 3 whole days. I definitely want to spend some time in museums -but not overboard. Which ones should i not miss?

What else would you recommend for a short stay?

I am staying with a local -a friend- so i am counting on him to show me "off the beaten trail" things...but i would like some tourist must-sees.

Also, i will be there saturday -monday...i have read that some places are closed Sunday & Monday. Is this true? What should i plan to see on Saturday?

Hi - yes most museums are closed on Monday so maybe you can use that for your off the beaten trail day. Sundays museums are open. My personal favorite sights would be the Accademia, the Museo Dell’Opera DelDuomo, the Loggia Dei Lanzi, and the beautiful Basilica di Santa Croce. Although the Cathedral of Florence - Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo) was a disappointment, I would recommend climbing to the top of the cathedral bell tower. Florence is a fanstastic city! Enjoy!

Florence has one of the best paint museums in the world: Galleria degli Uffizi with the famous Botticelli's.
Often long lines.
See www.firenzemusei.it > Uffizi Gallery

There will be queues, so allow for that.

The Baptistry is worth a visit, especially if the Duomo/Campanile are packed. Consider visiting other churches (e.g. SM Novella, S Minatao al Monte) instead of the overly-crowded Duomo: there are lots, with much to see inside all of them.

Wak over the Ponte Vecchio, but don't be tempted to buy anything nearby (that includes gelati); it's all more expensive than a couple of streets away!

Explore the markets around S. Lorenzo, both the inside food one and the outside clothes/leather/other stuff one.

Take the bus to Fiesole (a short trip, maybe in the evening if there is still light) for wonderful views of Florence (and the remains of the Etruscan city).

Spend some time just wandering the streets, especially in the Bargello area.

Eat lots of gelati and enjoy!

Hello! I'm surprised no one mentioned Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens. You can purchase your tickets online and find more information for the Uffizi and Accademia galleries, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, and many other sites within florence. The website is www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei.asp. If you purchase your tickets in advance, you won't have to stand in the long lines which always build up at the touristy spots--always a plus. (There is a 3 Euro surcharge for booking in advance.) Enjoy your trip!

I was there a few weeks ago for Easter - definitely the Uffizi,and Palazzo Pitti, the Cappelle Medicee (chapel of the princes)(next to the Basilica di San Lorenzo), after seeing the Accademia - apart from seeing David and a few things I felt the other museums were higher priority, I loved the view from Piazza Michelangelo -at any time and also the recommended visit for sunset- and the rather lovely church San Miniato al Monte above it - with its green marble and very interesting interior - also the monks sing (gregorian chant) the evensongs at 5/5.30pm each night in it,

I also enjoyed the visit to the church Santa Croce where you find tombs and monuments of famous Florentines and frescoes done by Giotto, also the Museo di San Marco(around the corner from the Accademia) which is actually in the convento di San Marco interesting to see the works of their friar artist Fra Angelico.
also enjoy a wander around the Piazza della Signoria and the streets around it with interesting medieval buildings down to the Ponte Vecchio.

If the inside of the Duomo is a let down - and i didnt get inside it - the outside is stunning and well worth a good look at. i would say the view from the top would have to be excellent.

but a recommendation would be to take care and plan your 3 days - theres quite a lot to see and its a big help to know what you want to see. most places have queues but theres a shop near the Accademia - and probably elsewhere - where for 13 euro you can pay to jump the queues! and go straight into the other doors for prereserved tickets - worth it when you see some of those queues and the value of time!take the voucher into the ticket desk and buy your tkt and youre in up to an hour before the others!

some places are shut on mondays but not as many as my books said. theres a tourist office on Via Cavour that can give lists of when whats open.

Slightly less travelled is one of the larger collections of Sacred Art at Museo San Marco with Ghirlandaio Last Supper, all sorts of beautiful Beato Angelico works including the Annunciation, and the original rooms occupied by Savanarola, the heretic priest.

You should visit Palazzo Vecchio. It is located in Piazza della Signoria. The visit should take around 2 hours.

trust your friend. he'll show you what's up.

you've seen recommendations for about every museum and church in town so i doubt you'll have narrowed down your choices any. i recommend that you get a book with pictures or peruse photos on the internet and find what you really want to see.

my favorites are:

for statues - Medici Chapel in San Lorenzo church, The Borgello.

for painting - San Marco monestary; Uffizi rooms 7 to 17, 25, 26, 44; Santa Maria del Carmine.

general churches - Orsanmichele, Santa Croce.

public spaces - Piazza del Duomo, Piazza Signoria, Boboli Gardens.

these are opinions like all the others. if you want more advise i lived there for about a year.

Actually Gfinesilver if you actually read our replies they are all quite similar in narrowing down the top recommendations for a 3 day budget and dont differ much from yours and I reckon are therefore all pretty sound replies.

in amongst the posts only the additions of Palazzo Vecchio and your Orsanmichele (which has as much right to be in the list) - if you consider my Miniato del Monte as adding every church and museum to decrease the value of the list well thats a shame as its written as one of the most beautiful romanesque churches in Italy and is just there at Piazza Michelangelo which is a must see in a 3 day stint.

Seeing Fra Angelicos stuff at San Marco was well worthwhile as great and well regarded art and artist but also culturally as a local resident.along with the chance to see Michelozzo and Ghirlandaio's stuff.

Reading over and over the what to sees in my guidebooks (I was also there for the Explosion of the Cart and medieval procession which were excellent but took time) and then talking to my hotel manager who seemed a pretty cool young guy his recommendations were pretty much that - the Uffizi, the Bargello, Palazzo Pitti and Galleria Palatina (not all the other little museums there at the Pitti though), Cappelle Medicee - he hadnt been into the Miniato and didnt know that Santa Croce has all the bigwigs buried in (Michelangelo, Gallileo, Machiavelli...)

so i reckon its rather good to see that the replies above really dont stray off that possibly mindboggling must see list!

(I could add after being in Europe 7 years travelling so frequently Im surprised its taken me this long to get to such a city!I really had no idea there was so much stuff and excellent stuff!)