A Romantic City Guide to Florence

Last month I spent 2 dreamy days exploring Florence with my boyfriend Scott. During this time we ate, drank, shopped and soaked in all the culture and history of this world-famous Italian city. Based on my experience, I have created this city guide to Florence, packed full of recommendations which have been tried and tested by yours truly! So if you’re planning a trip to Florence, let this post be your definitive guide for everything from culture to coffee.
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A City Guide to Florence

If you only have time for one thing?
Cathedral di Santa Maria & Piazza del Duomo

Florence’s most iconic building is the Cathedral di Santa Maria, which is located in the Piazza del Duomo. Al fresco cafes and caricaturists surround the Cathedral enticing tourists but further adding to the European charm of the piazza. Once inside visitors can walk the whole way around the Cathedral with the paintings of the Duomo being the focal point.

Top Tip: General entry to the Cathedral is free but queue jump and access to the top of the Duomo comes at an extra cost. We did the general entry which was great and the entry queue moved very fast.

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For art lovers and creatives…
Galleria Dell’Acaedmia

Address: Via Ricasoli 58-60 – near Piazza San Marco.

The Galleria Dell’Academia is the central Florence art gallery that is famously home to Michaelangelo’s David. This towering sculpture is the art gallery’s main attraction, which is showcased in pride of place in the most central point of the museum. I would recommend allowing 1-2 hour to get round the gallery.

Top Tip: Tickets for the Galleria Dell’Academia must be bought in advance and are assigned different entry times in to control the crowds. You can buy tickets online, from the on-site ticket office or from third party tour operators and hotel concierges. We booked through our hotel concierge but ended up paying a little extra for the convenience.

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For the best photo opportunities…
Ponte Vecchio

The Ponte Vecchio is likely to pop up in every City Guide to Florence, and for good reason. The Ponte Vecchio is a unique medieval stone bridge that is lined on either side with historic jewelery shops that have been there since the 13th century. Traditional Italian jewelers and goldsmiths share the bridge with international brands including Cartier and Chanel. The bridge is extremely well preserved with all original structures and there are endless photo opportunities both on and of the bridge itself!

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For the ultimate culture vulture Museum Day…
Uffizi Gallery

Address: Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6, 50122

The Uffizzi Gallery is a museum that spreads throughout various historical buildings in the centre of Florence and houses one of the most important collections of Italian Renaissance art in the World (including works from Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo). I would recommend allowing a full day to visit the entire museum or if you were more keen to visit certain galleries you could allow half a day.

For the best views of Florence…
La Torre di Palazzo Della Signoria
If you fancy getting a bit active, take on the challenge to climb the 416 steps to the top of the Palazzo Vecchio Tower. Standing at 95 meters, the tower is the highest civic symbol in the entire city and promises spectacular views over Florence and the entire valley.

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Where to Shop in Florence…

For souvenirs and Italian leather…
San Lorenzo Market

I loved stumbling across San Lorenzo market, which is a long pop-up walk way lined with market stalls selling Italian leather products from handbags and jackets to belts and notebooks. It’s the perfect place to pick up some souvenirs and gifts. San Lorenzo market is located right outside Central Market, so I would recommend visiting both in one go.

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For designer labels…
Via de’ Tornabuoni

The Via de’ Tornabuoni is arguably the most famous street in Florence and is lined with international and Italian designer boutiques including Gucci, Emilio Pucci, Hermes, Versace and Roberto Cavali. It’s not really a place where most people can shop til they drop, but it’s a beautiful street to stroll down and a bit of wishful window-shopping never hurt!

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Where to Eat in Florence…

For a friendly, atmospheric and affordable Italian restaurant…
Osteria di Giovanni Restaurant
Address: Via del Moro, 22, 50123

Undoubtably the best foodie recommendation in this City Guide to Florence. This place was recommended to us from our hotel’s Head Concierge, who knew Florence like the back of his hand. Down a quiet side street, it’s not the type of restaurant tourists could stumble across. Once inside the restaurant is warm and inviting with a brilliant evening atmosphere and a great menu of meats and pastas.

The best bit about Osteria di Giovanni is that they present you with a complimentary welcome glass of prosecco and the most delicious deep-fried bread (sounds strange but utterly delicious when dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar). We were even given complimentary biscotti and aperatifs when it came to paying the bill.

For the best Gelato in town?
Festival del Gelato
Address: Via del Corso, 75, Firenze FI

This walk-in dessert parlour is a 5-minute walk from Piazza del Duomo and was just around the corner from our hotel, so it was our daily gelato stop whilst in Florence. The gelatos are piled high and have all the classic flavours as well as chocolate favourites like Nutella and Kinder Bueno. You can get a generous 2 scoops and waffle cone for only 3 Euros, and don’t even get me started on the crepes!

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For a Firenze foodie experience away from the tourist crowds…
Central Market
Address: Piazza del Mercato Centrale, 50123

I discovered the Central Market just after lunch and was kicking myself that I didn’t find it a few hours earlier as it’s the perfect place to go for a foodie lunch experience. On the ground floor of the building is a traditional food market where you can pick up delicious pizza slices, pastries and panninis all for a couple of Euros.

Venture upstairs and you’ll find a buzzing food hall full of different eateries with live show cooking, tasters and cookery classes. Groups of trendy locals were sat enjoying drinks and street-food style food. I would recommend turning up hungry and ordering little bites from each of the stalls for a real foodie experience until you can eat no more!

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Where to Drink

Antica Sosta Degli Aldobrandini
For amazing, cheap coffee…

 It’s not hard to find great coffee in Florence but this casual cafe gets everything right. It’s low key, friendly and as it’s slightly less central, it’s very very cheap. It’s a hit with students as it offers a generous student discount and great Wi-Fi. Grab a table for 2 on the street side, sip a cappuccino and watch the world go by.

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For a prestigious piazza drink in the sunshine…
Rivoire
Location: Piazza della Signoria

Rivoire is somewhat of an institution in Florence. Sitting in prime position on the Piazza della Signoria, it’s one of the most favoured spots to sit and enjoy lunch, dinner, afternoon tea or drinks. Of course, such a prestigious location comes at a price, but with attentive service and a beautiful view overlooking the Palazzo Vecchio, you can’t expect much less. We stopped for an afternoon glass of wine and were brought complimentary crisps, olives and toasted Panini bites. Belissimo!

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Where to Stay in Florence…

For a luxurious 4* hotel in the heart of Florence…
Hotel Brunelleschi

Location: Piazza Sant’Elisabetta, 3, Florence

Located in a walled piazza just 5 minutes from the Piazza del Duomo and the Cathedral di Santa Maria, the historic Hotel Brunelleschi is first and foremost in an amazing location. Along with luxurious rooms, two great restaurants and wonderful staff, it’s the perfect base for a Florence city break. Check out my full Hotel Brunelleschi hotel review.

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What did you think of my Romantic City Guide to Florence? Are you planning to visit Florence soon or have you been to any of the places in the guide? I would love you to comment on this post and let me know! x

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Jessica Ruth Gibson is the Founder and Editor of Travelista and an award-winning travel content creator of 10 years. She lives in York, UK with her son and has travelled to over 50 countries; her favourites being Italy, Canada and Vietnam.

15 Comments

  • Great blog…in Florence at the moment and will use your guide as a must to do list for the next 2 days x

    • Amazing ! I’m so pleased. Please do and let me know what you think of everything X

  • Hey there! I’m a food blogger and culinary tour guide in Florence- next time you’re in town I’d love to show you some more culinary nuggets!

  • Some great tips here, we went to Florence for our first wedding anniversary but didn’t climb to the top of the Palazzo Vecchio Tower, did you get breathless?

    Suze | LuxuryColumnist

  • Love the guide Jess! Florence is one of my favourite cities in the world and was also for my poppa whom visited during WW2. I’m going to be struck down by lightning but I didn’t enjoy the Uffizi Gallery, I thought it was rather over rated; eek! The last time I visited Florence we were there on the night of the museums so every museum was open through the night and they were all free; saved so many pennies that I bought myself a lovely leather carry on bag. I think I need a little bit of Italy in my life soon….one can never have enough Gelato in their life!

  • Thank you so much for such a wonderful guide, Jess! We have three days in Florence at the end of our honeymoon and despite the fact I’ve been before, I’ve been struggling with what I think we should prioritise. This is extremely helpful 🙂

    Polly xx
    Home

  • Great guide Jess, I was there this time last week, aww memories! You definitely managed a lot in 2 days! For the Gallerie Dell’Accademia you can also turn up and queue for tickets without pre-booking, we queued for around an hour and the queue of people with pre-booked tickets didn’t seem much quicker at the time we were there!

  • I absolutely love 48 hour guides, and I’ve never been to Florence so I’ll definitely be bookmarking this one. I’m glad you had a lovely time, thanks for sharing!

    Happy travels 🙂

  • Such a great guide to florence! If you ever go back you should take a bus up to Fisole – its got loads of Roman ruins and a fantastic view over Florence!

  • This is lovely, Jess and it really takes me back to my mini-moon in Florence. We stayed at Il Salviatino which about 15 minutes out of town. The food is wonderful in Florence, but I agree it’s definitely advisable to get your concierge to recommend somewhere as there’s loads of tourist traps. That’s what we did and found some wonderful places off side streets. I’m going back in April for a friend’s wedding and I’ll definitely refer to your guide.
    Lots of love,
    Angie

  • I just came home about a month ago after having lived in Florence for nine months (for study abroad during my first year in college). Not going to lie, this post made me hyperventilate and on the verge of tears, especially after seeing photos of my favorite place in Flo, aka the Centrale Mercato. However I quite liked your guide, and definitely think you got all the main places down! I miss the Ponte Vecchio. I also miss the chocolate mousse gelato from Festival Del Gelato. If you head back anytime soon, I would love to give you some ideas on where to go! 🙂 I’m still in the process of creating my blog, but maybe when I’m done I’ll do some Flo posts. It would be great closure. Again, loved your Florence City Guide! Hope to see more. 🙂

  • Ahh I’ve wanted to visit Florence for so long! I’m squirreling this post away on my Bloglovin and hopefully will get to use it soon! Thanks for the tips!

    Lauren xx
    The Lifestyle Diaries

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