A weekend in Florence: 2-day itinerary

Florence rewards a short, fixed list rather than a long one. The city centre is compact and flat, so a weekend works best as two walking loops with one booked museum slot each morning and the rest left open.

Day 1 — the core: Duomo complex and Brunelleschi's Dome climb, then the Uffizi, then Ponte Vecchio and a walk along the Arno at dusk. Day 2 — the other bank: San Lorenzo market in the morning, Accademia for Michelangelo's David, then cross to the Oltrarno for Santo Spirito, Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens, finishing at Piazzale Michelangelo for the sunset view.

If you have a third morning, use it for a half-day trip. Siena is served by bus and regional train (check), Pisa by frequent regional trains (check), and Fiesole by city bus (check) — confirm the current service before you commit. A car is not needed inside the city and is a liability in the centre: the historic core is a restricted-traffic zone.

Museum prices in Florence are tiered and change with the season, and several sites run reduced hours on public holidays. Treat every figure below as a planning band, not a quote, and confirm the exact slot and opening day on the operator's own site before you pay.

The Duomo complex sells a single pass covering the cathedral, Brunelleschi's Dome, Giotto's Bell Tower, the Baptistery and the museum. The dome climb is the part that sells out, and it needs a booked time. The cathedral itself is free to enter but queues form quickly after opening.

State museums such as the Uffizi and Accademia commonly close one day a week, most often Monday, and stop admitting visitors well before closing time. Churches generally open early and shut for a long midday break, then reopen in the late afternoon.

Florence's main station is Santa Maria Novella, on the northern edge of the historic centre — about 10 minutes on foot to the Duomo. High-speed trains from Rome take roughly 1 hour 30 minutes and from Venice about 2 hours (check); regional trains from Pisa run frequently and take about an hour (check). Book high-speed seats in advance for spring and autumn weekends, when trains fill.

Florence airport (Amerigo Vespucci) sits close to the city; a tram line links it to Santa Maria Novella in about 20 minutes (check). Pisa airport is the bigger low-cost gateway, with trains to Florence taking about an hour to 1 hour 30 minutes (check).

Driving into the centre is a bad idea: the historic core is a restricted-traffic zone with camera enforcement, and fines arrive by post months later. If you are touring Tuscany, pick the car up on the way out of the city rather than on arrival.

Book the two big museums and the dome climb before you leave home; on a two-day trip you cannot afford to lose a morning to a sold-out ticket window. Choose the first slot of the day if you want photographs with fewer people in them.

Stay inside the old centre or within a 10-minute walk of Santa Maria Novella. The centre is small enough that you will walk everywhere, and a hotel across the river in the Oltrarno puts you closer to dinner and further from the tour groups.

Eat lunch away from the streets immediately around the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio, where menus are aimed at passers-by. A 10-minute walk in any direction drops prices. Dinner starts late by US or UK standards; many kitchens do not open until around 19:30.

Carry a refillable bottle — Florence has public drinking fountains — and wear shoes you can walk 8–10 km in. In July and August, when the city reaches 35–40 °C, plan museums and churches for the middle of the day and the outdoor sights for early morning and evening; spring and autumn are far easier for walking.