Three Day Florence Itinerary

We love Florence. It may be our favorite place to visit in Europe. We’ve done Florence in both two days and three days. If you want to spend one day touring Tuscany, I recommend spending three days in Florence. If wine isn’t your thing, two days is plenty to see the major attractions. In this itinerary, I’ll be outlining a three-day itinerary, with the option to add a fourth day for a day trip to Venice. Much like my other European itineraries, making dinner reservations and booking tickets for attractions (museums, churches, etc) online ahead of time is equally important here. Also, the museums are closed on Mondays, so keep that in mind when planning.

Day 1

Arrive in Florence this afternoon. After you check in to your accommodation and get settled, head out to the streets of Florence and find a spot for an apertivo. We went to Antica Sosta degli Aldobrandini and had a glass of wine and a charcuterie board which was delicious. 

Check out the Airbnb and hotels we’ve stayed in:

– Airbnb: https://abnb.me/SExKdcSgEtb

– Hotel: http://www.residenzedepocacollection.com/EN/residenzahistoria.aspx

– Hotel: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/flrak-sina-villa-medici-autograph-collection/overview/

After your apertivo, stroll the cobblestone streets. If you have plenty of time, you can walk through one of the leather markets, Mercato del Porcellino, located near the famous bronze wild boar statue, Fontana del Porcellino. If you rub the snout of the boar, it’s said you will return to Florence one day. From the leather market, it’s a short 2-minute walk to Ponte Vecchio, a bridge lined with shops. 

If you’d like, you can now take the 20-minute trek up to Piazzale Michaelangelo for sunset. If you book the same Tuscany tour as we did, they will stop by the Piazzale on your way to the wineries. We never did the walk ourselves, but it’s supposed to be beautiful at sunset. 

You can head back to your accommodation to get ready for dinner. Italians eat late so I recommend adopting this custom to get the most out of your days. Check out Acqua Al 2 for dinner tonight, their pasta sampler was delicious! Now, you’re in Italy so you have a duty to consume as much gelato as possible. One of our favorites is Gelateria dei Neri. 

Day 2

My favorite thing to do in Florence is to get out of Florence and explore the region of Tuscany. We’ve done two different Tuscany tours at two different price points. The first time we booked through Viator and had a group of 25.

Viator winery tour: https://www.viator.com/tours/Florence/Small-Group-Wine-Tasting-Experience-in-the-Tuscan-Countryside/d519-5292P25?pid=P00074192&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector

On our most recent visit, there were 6 of us so we opted to book a smaller group tour. We booked through Tuscany Tour Time and did the group tour with 3 Chianti wineries. It is a maximum of 8 people so it felt much less touristy. 

Small group tour: https://www.angelapersonaltuscantour.com/

You should arrive back in Florence around 5 PM. For dinner tonight, I recommend either Ristorante Il Profeta Firenze or Trattoria Za Za. After dinner, head to Gelateria La Carraia for your obligatory daily gelato. 

Day 3

Today is the day of sightseeing. Start your morning off with coffee and pastries, I recommend Gilli. You can either sit to eat or you can order for takeaway and walk towards the first stop. A good start time would be around 9 AM at the Uffizi Gallery. The lines here can get incredibly long so be sure to book your tickets at least a month in advance to get the day and time you want. If you booked your tickets ahead of time, go to the ticket desk and they will direct you to the entrance line. Spend about 1.5 hours here.

Uffizi tickets: https://www.uffizi.it/en/tickets

The next stop is the Duomo, officially named Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral. Hopefully, you booked your tickets with an entry time a month or so ago (you will need the Brunelleschi pass). I recommend scheduling your entry time for 2-2.5 hours after your entry time for Uffizi, Once inside, you will be able to view the church before climbing the 463 stairs to the top of the dome. Spend about 1 hour here. Your ticket will also give you entry to the bell tower, baptistery, museum, and Santa Reparata within 3 days of your dome entrance. We did not take advantage of any of these extras. 

Duomo tickets: https://operaduomofirenze.skiperformance.com/en/store#/en/buy

Time for lunch! I recommend All’ Antico Vinaio. The line will be long but it moves quickly. Important to note, it is no longer legal to sit on the sidewalk and eat your sandwich in front of the restaurant, so eat on the go to your next stop. 

Now it should be around 2 PM and time for your last museum, Galleria dell’Accademia. This museum houses the famous Michaelangelo’s David statue. Spend about 1-1.5 hours here. 

Galleria dell’Accademia tickets: https://www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.it/en/

If you’re doing good on time and you aren’t exhausted from your day of exploring you can stop at the oldest pharmacy in the world before your last event. The Officina Profumo – Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella was started in 1221 and is more of an apothecary than a traditional pharmacy. This is not a must-do, but if you have the time it was beautiful, interesting, and free to walk through. 

Instead of going out for dinner tonight, I recommend cooking your own. We’ve done two cooking classes in Florence. The first one we booked was through Viator. It was just my husband and I and we were put at a table with 4 others so it was more of a shared cooking experience rather than us getting to make each item. On the last trip, our Airbnb offered a cooking class in the Airbnb. We enjoyed this because it was private, however, we only got to assist with making the homemade pasta and the chef prepared the rest of the meal for us. If cooking isn’t your thing, check out 13 Gobbi for dinner. 

Viator cooking class: https://www.viator.com/tours/Florence/Tuscan-Cooking-Class-and-Dinner-in-Florence/d519-2428C1?pid=P00074192&mcid=42383&medium=link&medium_version=selector

Airbnb with private cooking class: https://abnb.me/SExKdcSgEtb

If you have room, try Vivoli for gelato tonight.

Day 4

Optional day to add on if you would like to day trip to Venice. 

Check out my Venice day trip itinerary here: https://followthefischers.com/venice-day-trip/

When you get back, I recommend ordering from L’antica Pizzeria da Michele for takeaway to eat as you pack up for your departure the following morning. 

Day 5

Travel day! Head out to your next adventure.