yeah! i spent two days there, kind of wish i spent a third there. it’s impossible to soak up all the history (art-related) of florence without spending lots of time there!! :)

Hello Kara!

2 1/2 days in Firenze 1/2 day in Fiesole very near of Firenze.

That’s the amount of time I spent in Florence, as well – three days. I did feel like I saw everything I’d wanted to see and then some, but I also know that I passed by loads of things that looked interesting, without having time to visit them. But depending on where else you want to go, three days is probably enough to get a sense of the city. :)

Three day is enough for Florence, as long as you promise yourself you’ll come back some day.

Have your hotel get you reservations for the Uffizi gallery, and plan around that. On a trip of three days, in addition to the Uffizi, I’d see the Duomo, climb the bell tower, see the Bargello, see the David (ignore everything else in that museum, except for a quick look at the unfinished Michelangelo’s in the main corridor), and cross the river for the Brancacci Chapel.

I worked in Florence for a time and lived right downtown, and I still didn’t get to do everything.

I’d recommend three full days. Make sure you take time to spend some time walking through the city center and on the south bank (the Oltrarno). Make sure you walk up to the Piazzale Michelangelo for a few amazing pictures on a summer afternoon (the sun will be at your back in the afternoon).

If I had to pick churches, the Duomo and Santa Croce are the best. The Uffizi is a must, as is the Academia for the Michaelangelo. If you have time, the Duomo’s attached museum is also worthwhile. Take the #7 bus up to Fiesole at/near sunset too, get off, then walk up the hill to the convent, it’s a beautiful sight.

Also take time to enjoy the food. Florence is one of the best places to eat in all of Italy. I’d recommend Boccanegra (Via Ghibellina), Maso (my neighborhood restaurant on Via Maso Finiguerra), and Trattoria Sostanza (Via Del Porcellana). For more ideas, look at the $40/day listing on FoodTV—all of those places are great.

For bars, check the Fiddler’s Elbow, the Public House, Kikuya, and Rex. Late night parties are at Blob or Loch Ness.

All in all, you can’t go wrong in Florence.

I did spend 3 days in Firenze and managed to see all important/must-see places. Three full days is minimum. Less than that, it wouldn’t be enough.

Ditto on the comments so far. Three days is a good amount of time to take in Florence, though I wish I had had more. itshea05 was right – spend the 3 days and promise yourself you’ll return.

My three days looked like this:

Day 1 – (after the train trip from Rome): sightseeing, Ponte Vecchio, shopping in the markets, leisurely stroll through the squares.

Day 2 – the Accademia (for David) in the morning and the Uffizi in the afternoon. Reservations are key for both, even if you go to the Accademia just to see David. We also went to, I think it’s called Santa Croce where Michelangelo is buried, between the Accademia and the Uffizi and we had a nice sunny day to walk along the Arno and stop for gelato.

Day 3 – the Pitti Palace in the AM, the Duomo in the PM, a little more shopping.

We went back to Rome in the morning.

So, you can be as leisurely or as go-go-go as you want. You’ll love it there! Have fun.

With only 8 days to spare in Italy, I wouldn’t spend more than 2 days in Firenze, and I would go to Pisa on the second day. It was way too hot and tourist-filled in the summer, I couldn’t wait to get out of there…maybe it’s better during a different season.

Hi Kara!

I think Florence is rather small. You can actually visit all the “must-see-by-default” sites within one day because everything is within walking distance. But you should prepare yourself for a long queue at the uffizi where you will see the real David statue. All in all, I think you should give yourself at least 2 days 1 night. Go for a tuscan-flavour dinner too!

I think in general, for Italy, you should check the opening days/hours of the places/museums you want to visit, especially the more famous ones, like the Vatican Museum (the queue is notorious!) and plan your days around that.

Enjoy Italy! It’s beautiful! But you should be alert at all times :)