48 Hours in Florence

Planning a trip to Italy and only have time for two days in Florence?

While you probably know you need more time than that to appreciate all that Florence has to offer, there are some popular tourist attractions that you can feel fine skipping on a time-pressed first visit to this incredible city, especially if you’re on a cruise or just passing through. After all, the must-do’s will vary based on your own background and preferences – if you’re not an art person, don’t spend the whole day in the Uffizi because people say you shouldn’t miss it.

Just remember, if you’re going in the busy summer months, definitely buy your tickets in advance – you’ll need to save all the time you can get! And as a tip, Florence is an incredibly walkable city with everything you’ll want to see concentrated near the city centre—don’t waste money or time on cabs! You’ll probably spend more time trying to flag one down (unless you’re at the train station or airport) than you would if you were to just walk anyway. Finally, it’s really important to remember that pretty much all the museums are closed on Monday, the churches will have limited admission on Sundays, and a lot of the city will shut down for riposo from 12:30ish to 3:30ish on any given day. Oh and holidays, including feast days? All bets are off. Bottom line? Check opening hours and local holidays very closely when planning.

Okay, andiamo—let’s go!

Going off my previous post of Things You Might Like and Things You Can Probably Skip for a first visit to this great city, here’s my suggested itinerary for 48 hours in Florence:

Day One:

8:00 – Get to Florence and head towards the city center! Hopefully you’ve booked accommodations either close to the main train station (Santa Maria Novella) or close to the city center – yet another way to save valuable time! Drop your bags and then get ready quickly because our day starts at 9!

9:00 – Head to the Accademia. On the way, stop at a café and grab an espresso and a pastry and eat it while you walk—this is breakfast Italian-style, no sit-down toast and cereal here. Hopefully you have a pre-booked ticket for the Accademia, because you’ve only got an hour. Spend some time admiring the David, and then head out by 10:30.

10:30 – Now it’s time to get some real exercise and climb the cupola of the Duomo.

If you walk in a straight line from the Accademia, you’ll bump right into the Duomo! Again, pre-book your tickets to avoid lines and disappointment – they’ve changed it so that there’s now a cap on the number of people allowed to visit the cupola on any given day. This hike will take 20-30 minutes, and you’ll want to enjoy the view, so once you’re done, head down into the Duomo itself to look around (aim for noonish—you’ll be able to tell because of the bells from the campanile. Trust me. As a plus, it’s a cool experience to be on the dome while the bells in the campanile ring just across from you!). The interior of the cathedral will probably take twenty minutes to a half an hour max, since you’ve already admired it from above in the whispering gallery and seen the frescoes up close.

12:30 – Exit the Duomo and spend a while walking around, admiring the baptistery doors and the intricate simplicity of the Giotto-designed campanile. Let’s head to Santa Croce, but on the way you should stop for lunch at the Osteria Zio GiGi—not only is it one of the best restaurants in Florence (in my opinion), but the proprietor (Zio GiGi himself) is a crazy and dramatic character who will burst out in opera sporadically and cheerfully bellow in Italian across the always-crowded dining space. Better yet, he takes great pride in the food, it’s reasonably cheap (especially compared to the touristy restaurants on the main drag), and you know it’s authentic because the place is always packed with locals. Walk towards the back of the Duomo on the campanile side and keep going straight down the road—Zio GiGi’s is on your first left after you exit the piazza, on Via Folco Portinari. Enjoy your meal, and try to be on the road to Santa Croce by 3:00 (grab a post-lunch gelato on the way! One of the best places in Florence is just around the corner from Santa Croce, called Vivoli – bear in mind that it’s riposo now, or Italian siesta, so don’t be surprised that most shops will be closed, but a lot of the gelaterias stay open).

3:00 – Santa Croce. The amount of time you want to spend here will vary depending on how long you want to stand and admire the frescoes and tombs, but I’d give yourself an hour to an hour and a half to see everything worth seeing. Just bear in mind that it closes at 5!

4:30-5ish – Okay, so you’re done with Santa Croce but there’s still so much to see! We’re off to the Piazzale Michelangelo. Stand on the steps of Santa Croce and face the piazza. You’re going to walk to the far end of the piazza and turn left. Go straight down that street (Via dei Benci) and you’ll bump into the river. Here, you have an option—turn right and go see the Ponte Vecchio in the late-afternoon sun, taking the long way to the next stop, or skip the Ponte Vecchio for now (you’ll see it tomorrow after the Uffizi), take the shorter route, and head straight across the bridge in front of you to the Piazzale Michelangelo. Check out this post on how to get to the Piazzale Michelangelo—follow the Santa Croce directions from the Ponte alle Grazie if you’re skipping the Ponte Vecchio. If you’re checking out the bridge, turn right at the Ponte alle Grazie (don’t cross it) and walk straight along the river. Soon you’ll get a spectacular view of the Ponte Vecchio! Stop, take a picture (the railing leading up to the bridge is a perfect photo op), soak it in, and then cross the bridge. Oooh and aaah at the jewelry in the windows, but don’t bother going in as the shops here are pricey—plus, you’ve got a timetable to keep! Follow the Piazzale Michelangelo directions from the bridge.

5:30 – The Piazzale Michelangelo!

If you’ve timed it right (depending on the time of year), you might just make it up for sunset, which is an incredibly magical sight to witness from the Piazza. Treat yourself to a 5€ bottle of prosecco from the vendor at the top and watch the lights of Florence come alive or bask in the sprawl of the city laid before you in the Tuscan sun. Either way, the Piazza is a treat. Now that you’ve seen the real David, check out the bronze copy of the David in the center of the piazza and laugh at how bad it looks in comparison to the original! Oh ho ho, you’re an art critic now! Sit and enjoy the sights for a while, or grab a cup of coffee in the café at the top—the day’s coming to an end so you’re not in any hurry. If it gets dark, you’re too tired, or you’ve had too much prosecco, remember you can always take a cab or the bus* back down!

*Make sure to buy your ticket at a tabacchi before you go up, if you think this is the option for you, I don’t think there’s one at the top.

7:00 or later – when you’ve gotten back to the city center, have a look at the time: if it’s anywhere from 7 to 9, it’s Italian Happy Hour so you can probably hit up an Osteria or a wine bar for an apertivo—basically, you buy a drink and the buffet-style snacks are free and unlimited! Or, go for a wine tasting at a wine cellar in the heart of Florence; Enoteca Alessi just down from the Duomo is wonderful and fairly priced. Don’t stuff yourself, though, because once 9:00 hits, it’s an appropriate time to find a place for dinner—ask someone for a recommendation that’s not too touristy (although if you’re on the main drag, Mario Batali’s Eataly restaurant is reputed to be authentic and good quality). Remember, you’ll know it’s good if there are other Italians eating there. Eat, drink, and be merry! Then head back to your accommodations to get a good sleep. Tomorrow is a much more relaxing day, now that you’ve got most of the heavy hitters checked off your list!

Day Two:

Day Two has much more of a relaxed schedule, for a number of reasons—some people will have planned to depart earlier in the day than others, some people may have missed things from Day One’s schedule, and some people will want to stay at the Uffizi longer than others or add on an additional sight to see that’s not listed here. That’s great, so for those reasons, the times here are just suggestions—abide by hours of operation though, especially for the Mercato.

Day Two only has two recommended items: The Uffizi and the Mercato Centrale. It’s art, food, and souvenir time, people! Remember, book your Uffizi ticket WELL in advance (especially during busy months) in order to get an early entrance time slot. If you couldn’t get an early time slot, you can switch this itinerary by doing the Mercato first, but you’ll have less flexibility with your day and your time at the Uffizi might be somewhat restricted by your departure plans. Also, ask your accommodation if you can store your bags until it’s time for you to leave! Most places won’t have a problem with it, and you definitely don’t want to lug that around all day.

8:00 – Up and at ‘em! Hopefully you had a great rest. So get up, get ready, grab an espresso and a pastry from a café or enjoy breakfast at your accommodations and hit the road. You’ll want to try to be at the Uffizi by 9. While you’re walking to the Ufizzi, make sure to check out the Piazza della Signoria on the way (if you’re coming from the Duomo area you’ll walk directly through it on your way to the Uffizi). There are some cool things to enjoy here as you stroll—check out the sculptures in the Loggia, the copy of the David (not as bad as the garbage-David at the Piazzale Michelangelo, but still, pretty bad. Why are his hands so out of proportion?), and see if you can spot the bronze disc in the cement that marks the spot where Savonarola, the crazy 15^th century preacher, was burned at the stake after convincing all the rich Florentines to burn their paintings and musical instruments in the Bonfire of the Vanities. Marvel at the Neptune Fountain, which was carved by a sculptor named Ammannati, who was trying to pay homage to Michelangelo. Michelangelo, ever the charmer, took one look at the fountain and told Ammannati that he had ruined a perfectly nice piece of marble! If you’re early birds, check out the frescoes in the courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio before heading over to enter the Uffizi next door.

9:00 – The Uffizi. This museum is Italy’s Louvre, the mecca of Renaissance masterpieces and important Italian art, the reason many people want to travel to Florence in the first place. There is something for everyone here, and for those who get through a little quicker than their friends, there’s a lovely café on the rooftop where you can see the Palazzo Vecchio next door and little glimpses of the Duomo a block away. Revel in the art for as long as you like, making sure to check out the Giotto paintings, the Botticelli room, and the Da Vinci Annunciation with its optical illusion that makes it look like Mary’s facing you no matter which side of the room you’re on (my personal favorites). Once you’re done, you’ll probably be pretty hungry. Let’s head over to the Mercato San Lorenzo and the Mercato Centrale for some great food and some souvenir shopping!

1:00 – Head out of the Uffizi and walk along the river towards the Ponte Vecchio for one last look at the beautiful bridge (or first look, if you took yesterday’s shortcut). Instead of crossing the bridge, turn right and head down the busy, commercialized Via Por Santa Maria. Don’t get distracted by the restaurants and high-end shops, it’s all stuff that you can get at home (including the food, which is touristy and not as authentic). Keep walking and you’ll see a little covered market, this is the Mercato Nuovo. Still not our main destination, but you can take a minute to go rub the snout of the boar statue there, it’s a schtick but the legend has it that if you rub snout of the porcellino, you’ll return to Florence. Don’t get distracted by the vendors, though, San Lorenzo will have plenty of that!

Whether you rubbed the boar snout or not, keep going straight down Via Por Santa Maria and the road will turn into Via Calimala. You’ll pass the Piazza Della Repubblica on your left. Don’t bother stopping except to take a photo, this place is beautiful but kind of weirdly imposing and very touristy—it is an area with a rich history dating back to the Romans, and used to be the site of the Jewish ghetto until it was unceremoniously demolished in the 19^th century to make room for this Piazza. So in that context, it’s kind of a weird vacuum of a space, the conspicuous absence of a rich history which was erased in order to make room for the new age of 19^th century tourism—I think tourists enjoy it more if they don’t know that bit of history, which is kind of sad. Also, the cafés and restaurants here are very ‘high end’ and super overpriced. However, if you have time, you can stop for a (very) expensive coffee on an outdoor terrace with a great view of the Duomo if you head to the top floor of the Rinascente department store on your right hand side.

Keep following the road (it turns into Via Roma after you pass the Piazza della Repubblica) and you’ll come out in the Piazza del Duomo, which should look familiar by now. Go straight through the Piazza to the other side, where the street should continue on as Borgo San Lorenzo. At the end of the block, the Basilica di San Lorenzo will be on your left! Turn left at the church and walk straight into the bustling, vendor-lined San Lorenzo market. Depending on what time you left the Uffizi and how long it took you to walk here, the market might still be closed for riposo, but if you keep walking, a big building will be on your right hand side with big red doors. Go up into this covered market building, which is called the Mercato Centrale.

If you got here before 2:00, the bottom floor of the market will still be open for you to check out different stores (just about all the shops here will vacuum seal things for you to take home, including cheese, which is perfectly fine unrefrigerated in the vacuum seal for up to 3 months. It’s my go-to souvenir!). If you got here after 2:00, never fear—there will be plenty of vendors outside eager to sell you their wares to take home after you grab a bite to eat. Head up to the second floor (open all day until midnight) and get yourself some grub! This is one of my favorite places to eat in Florence. It’s kind of hard sometimes to figure out where to pay (sometimes you order, then pay at the stall, sometimes you pay first at the main cash desk and then go to the stall to order) but most of the staff speak English and will be happy to help you out! Eat to your heart’s content, have a few glasses of Italy’s best Chianti (if wine tasting in Florence was on your to-do list, there’s a great little place on the top floor that does tastings!) and, when you’re ready, head back out into the street to shop the rest of the day away.

I’m sporting that ‘new leather jacket’ glow here at the San Lorenzo market!

That’s about it for my itinerary here—if you have extra time, you can walk around Florence some more and soak it in, shopping and stopping for a glass of wine when you get tired…ahh, la dolce vita. Don’t forget to collect your bags before you go! Hopefully you’ve gotten a taste of what this magnificent city has to offer—I’m sure you’ll be back!

What do you guys think of this itinerary? I’d love your feedback. If you think I’ve left anything essential out, let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

-Meghan-