In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Florence
Firenze
Give Florence 3 nights: two for the Uffizi, Accademia and Duomo, one for the Oltrarno and a hill town. Book the big museums before you fly.
Florence is the Renaissance city: the Uffizi, the Accademia's David, Brunelleschi's dome and a walkable centre you can cross in half an hour. Three nights covers the art and the Oltrarno; a fourth buys a Chianti or Fiesole day. The trap is arriving without timed tickets and spending your days in queues.
- Country
- Italy
- Local name
- Firenze
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (33 °C (91 °F) days, crowds), Easter weekJul–Aug (91 °F (33 °C) days, crowds), Easter week
- Stay
- 3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–95 excl. bed · Mid €95–170 excl. bed · High €170+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- All emergencies 112 · Police 113 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Espresso at the bar | €1.20–1.80 |
| Panino or slice of pizza | €5–8 |
| Pasta or a main at a trattoria | €10–18 |
| House wine, glass / bottle at a trattoria | €4–7 / €15–25 |
| Museum entry (Uffizi, Accademia, Pitti) | €15–25 (check) |
| Bus or tram single ride | €1.70 |
| Taxi across the centre | €10–18 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FLR · Amerigo Vespucci (Peretola)
- 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest; tram T2 to Santa Maria Novella, about 20 min2.5 mi (4 km) northwest; tram T2 to Santa Maria Novella, about 20 min
- BLQ · Bologna Guglielmo Marconi
- About 1 h to Florence by train or car; more flights and cheaper fares than FLR
- PSA · Pisa Galileo Galilei
- About 1 h 30 min by train; fewer flights than Bologna
Typical fares
- FLR airport → Santa Maria Novella, tram T2
- €1.70, about 20 min (check)
- FLR airport → historic centre, taxi
- flat rate about €25 plus €1 per large bag (check)
- Florence → Rome, high-speed train
- about 1 h 30 min; fares vary, book early (check)
- Florence → Bologna, high-speed train
- about 35–40 min (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk. The historic centre is flat and crossable in about 30 minutes end to end; buses and cars cannot use many streets. AutolineeToscane buses and two tram lines cover the edges: a single ride is €1.70, valid 90 minutes with re-boarding, or tap a contactless card on the reader. Trams run to the airport (T2) and to the Villa Costanza park-and-ride (T1). Taxis are called, not hailed: use a stand at Santa Maria Novella or ask your hotel, and carry cash.
See and do
Known for
- Uffizi Gallery
- Michelangelo's David at the Accademia
- Brunelleschi's Duomo
- Ponte Vecchio and the Oltrarno
- Tuscan day-trips (Siena, Chianti, Fiesole)
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Fiesole | Bus 7 from Santa Maria Novella, about 25 min | About 40 min |
| Greve in Chianti | Bus 365 from the bus station, about 1 h | About 1 h 15 min |
| San Casciano in Val di Pesa | Bus from the bus station, about 40 min | About 55 min |
| Scandicci | Tram T1 from Santa Maria Novella, about 20 min | About 30 min |
| Reggello | Train toward Arezzo, about 30 min, then local bus | About 1 h |
| Incisa Val d'Arno | Train toward Arezzo, about 25 min | About 45 min |
Sleep
- Santa Maria Novella / station
- Best for arrival and departure days: tram from the airport, trains to Rome and Venice, and most of the centre within a 15-min walk.
- Duomo / San Lorenzo
- Dead centre, walk to everything, highest prices and street noise; ask for a room away from the piazza.
- Oltrarno (Santo Spirito, San Frediano)
- South of the river: quieter, artisan workshops, better-value restaurants; 15–25 min walk to the Uffizi.
- Santa Croce
- East side, close to the basilica and the river; a middle price band with more locals than the Duomo grid.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | ScusiSKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsyeh |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fah-VOH-reh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-soh pah-GAH-reh kon lah KAR-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAH-nyoh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- The historic centre is a ZTL camera zone: driving in without a permit brings fines of around €100 per camera passed. Park at the edge and take the tram.
- Uffizi and Accademia sell timed entries: without a pre-booked slot you may queue for hours or not get in. Book on the official sites weeks ahead.
- The Duomo complex is ticketed by monument, not one ticket: decide whether you want the dome climb, the bell tower or the museum before you buy.
- Pickpockets work the station underpass, bus 7 and the crowded Ponte Vecchio and San Lorenzo market lanes.
- Restaurants on the Piazza del Duomo and around the market often post no prices: ask the total before you sit.
- Summer afternoons hit 33 °C with little shade in the piazzas: do museums at midday and walk in the early morning or evening.
Florence is a safe city by day and night; the real risks are pickpockets in crowds and buses, ZTL driving fines, and restaurants with no posted prices. Keep bags zipped in front on bus 7 and around the market.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Florence yet. Suggested stay: 3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Uffizi Gallery
- Michelangelo's David at the Accademia
- Brunelleschi's Duomo
- Ponte Vecchio and the Oltrarno
- Tuscan day-trips (Siena, Chianti, Fiesole)
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Feel Florence — official tourist information: www.feelflorence.it/en
- AutolineeToscane — Florence buses: www.at-bus.it/en
- Gestramvia — Florence tram lines: www.gestramvia.it/?lang=en
- Wikivoyage: Florence, revision 5328732 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5328732
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
FlorenceFirenze
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
The US consulate-general is in Florence; the UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland have embassies in Rome (check addresses).
Coperto (cover charge) is normal on the bill; tipping is not expected.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/florence). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.