What are the unmissable attractions and what to visit in Florence in 3 days? How to best organize your visit to the city if you only have 72 hours available?
Florence is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in Italy as well as an authentic open-air museum. Palaces, churches, museums among the most famous in the world await us in its historic centre.
All places of historical, cultural and scenic interest are within walking distance.
Here are all our tips for a 3-day itinerary in Florence!
What to visit in Florence in 3 days: monuments, attractions, museums
Here is our proposal on what to visit in Florence in 3 days with the most important monuments of the city.
Day 1: Florence Cathedral, Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, Rose Garden and Piazzale Michelangelo
Florence Cathedral: Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and Brunelleschi’s Dome
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, better known as the Duomo of Florence, is the main church in the city, the third largest in Europe.
Designed by architect Francesco Talenti, it is in Gothic, Renaissance and Neo-Gothic style.
It houses works by Donatello, Michelangelo, Arnolfo di Cambio, Nanni di Banco, Luca della Robbia, Baccio Bandinelli.
Brunelleschi’s Dome: it is the roof of the cruise of the Florence Cathedral. Even today it is the largest masonry dome ever built. Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, it is considered the most important architectural work ever built in Europe since the Roman era. It is 116 meters high, has a maximum internal diameter of 45.5 meters and an external diameter of 54.8 meters.
Piazza della Signoria: this is the Florentine square, the seat of civil power and the fulcrum of the city’s social life. Some of the most important monuments and buildings of the city overlook it, such as Palazzo Vecchio, Loggia della Signoria, Court of Merchandise, Palazzo Uguccioni, Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali.
Palazzo Vecchio: located in Piazza della Signoria, it is the symbol of the political power of the city and the seat of the Municipality of Florence and the Children’s Museum. It best summarizes fourteenth-century civil architecture. Among the symbolic locations, the Salone dei Cinquecento stands out.
Ponte Vecchio: the first and oldest bridge in Florence is one of the best known and most famous places in the city. Rich in shops of goldsmiths and jewellers, it is surmounted by the Vasari Corridor, which connects Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti.
Giardino delle Rose: park located in the Oltrarno area, below Piazzale Michelangelo. It is built according to the natural French model, with free admission and permanent home to the works of the sculptor Jean Michel Folon. In 1998 it was enriched with a space donated by the architect Yasuo Kitayama, a Japanese Shorai oasis.
Piazzale Michelangelo: it is the most important and famous observation point in the city, from which we can admire Florence in all its beauty. It was built in 1869 based on a design by the architect Giuseppe Poggi. At its centre are the copies of David and the four allegories of the Medici Chapels of San Lorenzo.
Day 2: Uffizi Gallery, Basilica of Santa Croce, Accademia Gallery, Central Market
Uffizi Gallery: is one of the most important museums in the world. It includes the Uffizi Gallery, the Vasari Corridor, the collections of Palazzo Piatti and the Boboli Gardens. One of the most important and visited museums in the world. It houses works by Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Piero della Francesca, Sandro Botticelli, Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, Parmigianino, Tiziano Vecellio, Filippo Lippi, Simone Martini, Lippo Memmi.
Basilica of Santa Croce: located in the square of the same name, it is one of the largest Franciscan churches and the greatest examples of Gothic in Italy. Italian national monument, it has the rank of minor basilica. The construction was completed in 1385 based on a design by the architect Arnolfo Di Cambio.
Galleria dell’Accademia: located in Via Ricasoli, the museum exhibits the largest number of Michelangelo’s works in the world, no less than seven, including the David. It houses the largest and most important collection in the world of pictorial works with a gold background and is home to the Museum of Musical Instruments.
Mercato Centrale Firenze: it is located between Via dell’Ariento, Via Sant’Antonino, Via Panicale and Piazza del Mercato Centrale. Today it extends over 3000 square meters and houses 20 shops with specialties of local artisans, as well as being the venue for events and important initiatives.
Day 3: Medici Chapels, Santa Maria Novella or Bargello, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, Santo Spirito district
Medici Chapels: burial place of the Medici family, today it is an important state museum in Florence. The main parts are represented by the New Sacristy built by Michelangelo, and the large chapel of the Princes where the Grand Dukes of Tuscany are buried.
Santa Maria Novella: is one of the most important churches in Florence. It stands in the square of the same name and it is built in the Gothic-Renaissance style. Inside it houses important masterpieces of art, including Masaccio’s Trinity, Ghirlandaio’s frescoes in the Tornabuoni Chapel and Giotto’s Crucifix.
Palazzo Pitti: located in the Oltrarno area, it was built in 1458 in the Renaissance style and became the residence of the Pitti banker, the Medici family and the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. Today it is a state museum that houses works by great artists, including Raphael and Titian.
Boboli Gardens: is one of the historical parks of the city of Florence. It is one of the greatest examples of an Italian garden in the world and a real open-air museum. Among the architects who contributed to the construction was Bernardo Buontalenti. It is full of lakes, fountains, nymphaeums, temples and caves. Statues and buildings are also particularly important, such as the Kaffeehaus or the lemon house.
Santo Spirito district: the heart of the Oltrarno, it is full of markets and a reference point for Florentine nightlife. Piazza Santo Spirito is full of artisan shops, night clubs, restaurants, cafes. Among the places of interest stand out the Basilica of Santo Spirito, built on a project by Filippo Brunelleschi, and the elegant Palazzo Guadagni.
