Florence, Italy

Travel Dates: December 2024

Things to do in Florence

Piazzale Michelangelo – To get the best view of Florence, you’ll need to take a short trip outside the city center, but it’s definitely worth it. There’s also a replica of Michelangelo’s David statue at the spot, adding to the experience.

Piazza della Signoria – Florence’s main square is home to the Fountain of Neptune, Palazzo Vecchio, another replica of Michelangelo’s David, and a free, small open-air sculpture gallery. It really feels like stepping back into the Renaissance era.

Palazzo Vecchio – The town hall of Florence, this place is perfect for history buffs. I did a guided tour more than 10 years ago and would recommend it. They took us to some hidden, inaccessible parts of the building which was quite remarkable (especially if you’ve read Dan Brown’s “Inferno”). Dante’s death mask is also on display at Palazzo Vecchio. It costs €23.50 for the guided tour and €17.50 for a regular ticket online.

Ponte Vecchio – The Ponte Vecchio is the main bridge in Florence, and during the holidays this year, they had a beautiful light show in the evenings. Fun fact: the top floor of the bridge once served as a “secret passage” (the Vasari Corridor) for the Duke to travel between Palazzo Vecchio and his residence at Palazzo Pitti without stepping foot on the streets. You can now visit the corridor through the Uffizi Museum.

Uffizi Museum – A visit to Florence isn’t complete without experiencing its art. If walking the Vasari Corridor on the Ponte Vecchio isn’t enough to tempt you into buying a pass to the Uffizi Museum, then you absolutely have to come here to see Botticelli’s famous The Birth of Venus. Online tickets are €25 for museum access alone, or €58 for both the museum and the Vasari Corridor.

Boboli Gardens – Behind Palazzo Pitti is the Boboli Gardens, which is vast and beautiful. I definitely recommend taking a stroll here. Online tickets are €10, and if you want to see Palazzo Pitti as well, it is a total of €22.

Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze – The gallery houses the original David statue by Michelangelo. As a classic masterpiece, I wouldn’t miss this. But if you only have time to visit one art museum in Florence, I recommend the Uffizi instead. Tickets are €20 online (including booking fee).

Piazza del Duomo – You can’t visit Florence without seeing these iconic landmarks: the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto’s Campanile (Bell Tower), and the Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistry), all located in Piazza del Duomo. Take time to soak in the stunning grandeur of these buildings. While entry to the church itself is free, there’s a fee to visit the top of the dome, the bell tower, and the baptistery. I recommend doing all of them, which costs €30 if you book online.

Basilica di Santa Croce – Another beautiful church in Florence. I haven’t been inside, but it’s worth admiring from the outside, and makes for a nice, quick stop.

What to eat in Florence

All’Antico – The hype is definitely worth it, especially if you build your own sandwich. There are two storefronts across from each other—one only has set-menu sandwiches while the other (the larger one with the longer line) allows you to also customize your order. We opted for the latter and waited about 15 minutes. We ordered porchetta, pecorino cheese and spread, piccante spread, truffle spread, and sun-dried tomatoes, and it was absolutely delicious. We also tried the original set-menu sandwich but preferred the custom one. The total for both sandwiches was €17. Just a heads-up, it gets really packed and there are no seats—only standing tables.

Venchi – Known for its chocolates, this place also serves delicious gelato. A few years ago, I tried gelato at other spots like Perché No, Carabè, and Grom. I can’t remember if any of them stood out, but they were all pretty solid.

Da Nerbone – Located in il Mercato Centrale Firenze, this eatery is known for its beef sandwiches. They close at 3pm everyday (except Sunday when the store doesn’t open at all) but I recommend you coming earlier because we got here a little before 2pm and had to wait 30 minutes. By the time we ordered, they ran out of their main beef sandwich so we got something else, which was okay.

Bufet F. lli Perini – Instead of waiting on the long line at Da Nerbone, I recommend you go next door to this underrated eatery. A lot of locals were eating here and the porchetta sandwich was mouthwatering. And if you like tripe, their tripe dish was good.

Trattoria Dall’Oste – A chain store in Florence known for its steak, it felt more like a tourist trap. It wasn’t that great and was a bit pricey. Previously, I went to Trattoria Mario for Florentine steak. Though I can’t remember if it was great, I think it’s worth trying that over Trattoria Dall’Oste. Reservations are reccomended for both restaurants.

La Milkeria – A nice, quick breakfast spot that sells delicious crepes.

Melaleuca Firenze – This breakfast spot was completely packed, with people waiting outside at 10:30am on a Monday. Everyone here seemed to be tourists. We decided to get coffee and a few pastries to go. It was just mediocre, but perhaps the sit-down menu is better.

Where to stay in Florence

Hotel Renaissance – We chose this hotel because of the convenient location and it has parking. We didn’t realize the parking is through a parking garage a few blocks away. At the parking garage, we had to tell them we were from the hotel, how many days we needed to park the car, if we needed to use it any time throughout the duration, and what time we expected to pick up the car. We also had to call the garage one hour before pickup time so they could prepare.

The hotel was no-frills, had poor Wi-Fi, and you had to key yourself in, then climb one set of stairs to access a small elevator that could only fit 2-3 people. But the bright side was the hotel staff was friendly and helpful, and they upgraded us to a larger “spa” room for free.

Shopping in Florence & vicinity

Florence is known for its leather goods. We recommend the following places:

• Scuola del Cuoio – A bit pricey, but the quality of the materials here is top-notch. They offer some bags that you can purchase and take home the same day, though many are made to order and can be customized. In addition to bags, they also sell jackets, wallets, belts, and more.
• Moretti Walter – Some of the goods are made directly by Moretti himself. Quality seems good and prices are fair. He is very friendly, and it’s his family business that has been passed down for generations.
• Massimo Leather – Honestly I’m not too sure about the quality here and where Massimo gets his goods from, but I did buy a jacket from him more than 10 years ago and it seems to be holding up. Prices are okay.

*Do not go to leather market unless you’re looking for something cheap. The quality is most likely not genuine leather here and these are with street vendors where you would haggle.

If you’re looking for brand name products, there is an outlet store ~40 minutes outside of Florence, Mall Firenze. You’ll find Prada, Gucci, YSL, Burberry, and more. The luxury brand prices here are 20 – 50% off retail price but items are from previous seasons.