Itineraries
Where to stay
Near the Duomo for first-timers, Santa Croce for restaurants and evening life, the Oltrarno for artisans and a quieter feel, Santa Maria Novella for the train station.
The areas: Duomo, Santa Croce, Oltrarno, Santa Maria Novella.
Where to stay in Florence: areas and adviceHotels in FlorencePlaces to see
All things to do in ItalyChurchFlorence Cathedral (Duomo)Brunelleschi's great dome, the bell tower and the baptistery.Entry: Cathedral free; book a slot for the dome
MuseumGalleria dell'AccademiaHome of Michelangelo's David.Entry: Book a time slot
MarketMercato CentraleA food market downstairs and a food hall upstairs.Entry: Pay as you go
MuseumPalazzo Pubblico, SienaSiena's town hall on the Campo, whose museum holds Lorenzetti's frescoes of Good and Bad Government.Entry: Torre del Mangia tickets are sold on the day only
NeighborhoodPiazza del Campo, SienaSiena's shell-shaped square, where the Palio horse race runs each summer.Entry: Free to visit
FoodPiazza del Mercato, SienaThe old market square just below the Piazza del Campo, lined with trattorias.Entry: Pay as you go
NeighborhoodPiazza della SignoriaThe civic square of Florence, with the Palazzo Vecchio and the statues of the Loggia dei Lanzi.Entry: Free to visit
FoodPiazza Santo SpiritoAn Oltrarno square of bars and trattorias in front of Brunelleschi's church of Santo Spirito.Entry: Pay as you go
ViewpointPiazzale MichelangeloThe classic view over Florence, best at sunset.Entry: Free to visit
MuseumPitti Palace and Boboli GardensThe Medici palace across the river, with its terraced gardens.
ViewpointPonte VecchioThe old bridge over the Arno, lined with jewelers' shops.Entry: Free to visit
ChurchSan Domenico, SienaA large brick basilica tied to St. Catherine of Siena, looking across a valley to the cathedral.Entry: Free to visit
ChurchSan Miniato al MonteA Romanesque church with a marble facade on the hill above Piazzale Michelangelo.Entry: Free to visit
FoodSan NiccolòA small Oltrarno quarter of wine bars and restaurants below Piazzale Michelangelo.Entry: Pay as you go
MarketSant'Ambrogio MarketA neighborhood food market where Florentines shop, with a covered hall and stalls outside.Entry: Pay as you go
ChurchSanta CroceThe great Franciscan church where Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli are buried.
ChurchSanta Maria NovellaA Dominican church beside the main station, with Masaccio's Holy Trinity and frescoes by Ghirlandaio.
ChurchSiena CathedralStriped marble, an inlaid marble floor and the Piccolomini Library.Entry: The OPA SI pass covers the whole cathedral complex
MuseumUffizi GalleryBotticelli's Birth of Venus and the masterpieces of the Renaissance.