3 Days in Florence

Dec 23

Written By C Wang

Exploring Florence:

According to UNESCO, Florence has nearly one third of the world's art treasures residing here. So if that's what you're looking for, this is the place for you.

Where to stay

Everything that you want to do is located in the heart of the city (District 1) so staying anywhere near the central area would be convenient. I stayed near Le Cure metro station area, which wasn't too far from the central area, via Airbnb. The apartment was lovely but there was no stairs up, so some guns had to be put to use.

Making your way there

Taking the Metro to get around or even going on foot is fine.

Note: One-way ticket cost €1.50 and is valid for 90 minutes from the time you valid it. You can purchase it at any Tabacchi (convenient stall) that has the T sign as shown below. Purchasing it onboard the bus itself is possible but it'll cost €2 and the driver may have run out of tickets.

First day (half/full day)

We started with San Lorenzo Market/Mercato Centrale, where we saw many stalls selling food, tshirts, leather goods and souvenirs and as you walk more, it's basically all they sell.

Moving on to Piazza del Duomo, where the majestic Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore, an Italian gothic cathedral, stands alongside the Giotto's Bell Tower and Baptistery of San Giovanni Battista. I think it was worth the hike up the many flights of stairs cause the view up there was nice but because it was caged up, you do feel a lil trapped but all is well.

Note: Entering the cathedral is free but you will need to queue to get in. However, climbing up the Duomo is chargeable and I would suggest booking your tickets in advance. The dress code to get into these places are very strict so please dress appropriately (no knees or shoulders shown).

Next, we made our way to Piazza della Repubblica, where the carousel can be found and it is known as the center of the city, for a quick picture stop before moving on to find the Fontana del Procellino. This bronze statue of a boar is said to make your wishes come true if you put a coin in its mouth and let it slide down into the grate. But if you rub its snout, traditionally it would mean that you'll be coming back to Florence. After that, we did some shopping around the Piazza della Signoria area.

After getting some shopping done, we made our way to Santa Croce Church, but there was an event going on just in front of the church so we didn't stay long.

The last stop for the day was Piazzale Michelangelo, where the copy of the Statue of David is, for those who aren't willing to pay for the entrance fee into Galleria dell'Accademia (sadly, we didn't manage to check out) where the original statue is at. Also, you can have a good view of Florence from this hill, where many locals come here to drink, enjoy buskers music and watch the sunset. You could also check out Basilica di San Miniato, a peaceful hilltop church.

Note: Tickets sell out fast so I would suggest booking them months in advance.

Second day (full day)

We started at the Florence National Central Library, which I would not go into detail since it can be found in the highlights below. After which we walked to Loggia della Signoria, an open-air sculpture gallery, with its beautiful arches leads you right into Piazza della Signoria and Uffizi Gallery. From there we headed to Uffizi Gallery area, where we walked around and took pictures. It is the Louvre of Florence so I would suggest at least setting 2hrs aside to see it. Next was the Vasari corridor, which would lead you to Ponte Vecchio Bridge. This 'old bridge' has many goldsmith and jewelry shops only.

Once we have crossed the bridge, we made our way to Piazza Santro Spirito, where the locals love to hang out here and people watching or just relaxing here is possible. There are flea markets held every second Sunday of the month too!

After hanging around, we decided to head towards Palazzo Pitti, where you will find Palentine Gallery, Royal Apartments, The Gallery of Modern Art, Silver Museum, Museum of Costume and Fashion and Boboli Gardens where the Porcelain Museum can be found as well. I would suggest at least setting 3hrs aside to see it. More information can be found here.

Third day (half day)

You can do a day trip to Pisa!

The iconic Leaning Tower can be found in Piazza dei Miracoli along with Pisa Cathedral, Baptistery of Saint John, Campo Santo, Opera del Duomo Museum and Sinopie Museum. Entrance into the cathedral is free but everything else is chargeable, more information can be found here.

Other places of interest includes: Knight's Square, Ponte di Mezzo and Botanical Garden of Pisa.

Another day trip worthy place - Siena!

We accidentally booked the museum pass for Sienna’s cathedral so we ended up taking a bus out to Siena, which was about an hour away, and we were pleasantly surprised. It was not as crowded as Florence and the museums and cathedrals there were just as lovely! We also managed to get a quick bite at this cute bread shop: Du’ Cose da Berna.

Highlights

Florence National Central Library!

The free guided tour was from 11.30am-12.30pm each day but sadly it was only in Italian. What made up for it was that you get to go behind the scenes of a library! (Nerd alert)

Note: You cannot enter the library freely like the locals so joining the tour is the only way.