Five centuries ago, in this Tuscan city no bigger than a Paris district, a handful of men reinvented art, architecture and the very way of seeing the world. Florence is the cradle of the Renaissance, and you feel it at every corner: here a revolutionary dome, there a statue that changed the history of sculpture, everywhere the guardian shadow of the Medici.
Two days are enough to grasp its magic, because everything is done on foot. Here's our itinerary — find the visits on our what to do in Florence page.
Day 1 — The Duomo and Florentine art
Look up at Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral and its immense red-brick dome, an engineering feat signed Brunelleschi in 1436 — no one at the time knew how to build it, and it still stands. Climb to the top for the view, if you don't mind heights. Then reach the Uffizi Gallery, one of the world's greatest museums, home to Botticelli's Birth of Venus and masterpieces by Leonardo and Raphael.
Don't miss the Accademia Gallery either, which houses Michelangelo's David. Facing these five metres of perfect marble, carved from a block others had deemed unusable, you understand why the whole world makes the trip.
Uffizi, Accademia & Duomo
Skip-the-line tickets for the Uffizi Gallery, Michelangelo's David and the Duomo dome.
Day 2 — Ponte Vecchio, Oltrarno & panoramas
Cross the Ponte Vecchio, Florence's only bridge spared by the war, lined since the 16th century with goldsmiths' shops. On the other side of the river, the Oltrarno district cultivates a more artisanal, authentic feel, between workshops and family trattorias.
End by climbing to the Piazzale Michelangelo at sunset: from up there, Florence spreads at your feet, dome and bell towers bathed in gold. It's the perfect finale to a Tuscan stay.
Tours & trips in Tuscany
Guided tours of Florence, wine tastings and day trips into the Tuscan countryside.
