Florence why visit

GetYourGuide is a reputable company and we use them when we need tickets to skip-the-line. You can book your Dome tour here.

The San Lorenzo market is a good place to see the variety of food available in Florence. Locals come here to shop. This market is also a great place to have lunch and taste local food.

The focaccia with a variety of toppings like sausage, artichoke and potato with pork were delicious! This is an ideal place to experience local life. The Galleria degli Uffizi is a museum situated next to the Piazza della Signoria in the heart of Florence. They display the art of some of the best artists like Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Giotto, Da Vinci … the list is long! It is one of the best places to go and visit.

As mentioned above, we highly recommend that you consider buying your tickets in advance with GetYourGuide. GetYourGuide offer this as they are confident that they will offer you the best experience.

Check the link below for more information. To have a local guide is the best option because the museum is so big. Local guides will explain all you need to know, avoid you getting lost in the museum and will share secret areas which most tourists miss. Built in , the Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge in the city of Florence. This bridge is unusual as there are shops and houses on it.

Long ago, the shops were Butchers and Fishmongers because they could throw the leftovers from the windows directly into the River Arno. On top of the bridge, you may spot a hidden passage called the Vasari Corridor which is one kilometre long. In Florence, everything is art even the gardens! The Bardini Gardens will reconnect you with nature and natural beauty.

If you want to escape the crowds of the city, this garden will bring you peace and silence. If you have time, it is a good idea to visit the Bardini Gardens. There is no queue and it is free.

You can enjoy an hour walking around this beautiful garden. At the same time, you will enjoy some of the best views of Florence!

Surrounding this statue is the Piazzale Michelangelo which is simply one of the best places to gain breath-taking panoramic views of Florence. Look out for a small terrace just below the main viewing area, as we think this offers the best views of the city. To reach the Piazzale Michelangelo, you can either drive there is a car park , take a bus Number 12 or 13 or you can enjoy the pleasant walk. The walk takes about 20 minutes from the Ponte Vecchio along the river and then up the hill.

Be warned that there are some steps to climb! Whilst you are here, make sure you also visit the ancient Abbey of Santa Miniato al Monte see number How to describe the Basilica de Santa Croce? It is an impressive Basilica with Gothic architecture and beautiful frescoes. It is also the largest Franciscan church in the world and is the final resting place of some of the finest artists, sculptors, poets, writers and composers.

Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Dante, Rossini and Gallileo all have graves or memorials here. The Basilica is also a museum. Inside, there are works of art by Donatello, Giotto, Brunelleschi, Vasari and plenty of others. With so much history inside and outside, the Basilica is another must see place to visit in Florence.

The Palazzo Pitti or Pitti Palace houses a few museums. The palace is the largest architectural monument in Florence. You can buy a combined ticket which will also allow you to visit the Boboli Gardens well worth a visit. Oltrarno means beyond the Arno River and is a quarter of Florence on the other side of the river.

This area is one of our favourite places to stay and eat as it reminds us of the Travestere area in Rome. For more information about Rome, you can check our article Is Rome worth visiting? Tourists usually stay on just one side of the river, but we love to explore and find hidden gems.

Comfortable shoes are therefore a good idea during the day as well as a refillable water bottle cut down on plastic and fill up at the many free public fountains. Of course, in the heat of the peak summer months, walking too much may not always be ideal, so just be sensible and give yourself plenty of breaks in the shade.

We find a cold beer or Spritz helps too! The following have fantastic reviews:. They also offer longer tours. Walking Tour Two An excellent alternative to the one above, covering the same Florentine highlights.

Bike Tour For something a little different, consider this hour cycle tour through Florence. The north is home to the vast majority of the best - or at least most popular - things to do in Florence , whilst the south known as Oltrarno has a more relaxed, bohemian, artistic vibe in certain quarters.

We chose to base ourselves in Oltrano and would hang out there most evenings. That you have to see it all in 48 hours with a finely tuned hour-by-hour schedule. That all your time is going to be spent in a museum or a church. Further, your bank balance may also present a natural barrier to attempts to do all the very best things in a short space of time. Florence changed our perspective and appreciation of art, and it can do the same for you.

However, everyone else also wants to spend time viewing the many masterpieces on display. Despite being British, even that amount queuing puts us off. In Florence, simply turning up and queuing for popular attractions is the surefire way to lose a few hours of your days. Either you force yourself to get up early and be the first in line, or you casually arrive later in the day and find yourself at the back of a long line of people without tickets.

It costs a little extra to skip-the-queue, but that smug feeling of turning up five minutes before you enter is worth its weight in gold…. Just remember to turn up minutes before your time slot begins or earlier if you want to be at the start of that queue. Fashion and shopping. An art and cultural hub. Give us feedback. Read Next View.

Buonanotte Garibaldi. Renascentia in Florence. Venice Heaven Apartments Biennale. La Boheme di Ortigia Luxury Living. Lemon Factor Sorrento. Colazione da Augusta. Le Nicchie luxury rooms. Show More. Cookies Policy We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements. Whenever we go on holiday, shopping for bringing back home a local souvenir is a MUST, especially if we're vacationing in a city like Florence!

From artisan typical workshops to the most famous brand-name boutiques, from local markets to jewelry and luxury shops, Florence is a sort of wonderland for everyone who loves shopping! Consider churches in Florence as museums where you can see the magnificent works of art that were commissioned by wealthy local families during the course of the centuries, both to "atone" for their wealth but also to show off to their fellow citizens their power and influence.

Many paintings are in museums, but frescoes are still in their original places. There are many things you should book ahead before coming to Florence, from accommodation to museum tickets to tours to your car rental. Take a look! Questions about where to stay, what to see or how many days to stay in Florence? Whether to rent a car or not? Post your proposed itinerary and questions on our Forum and we will give you our ideas and suggestions!

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