Florence is the place where the history was made from art. Renaissance birth place and the home of artworks of Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael and many more, Florence (Firenze) is a truly masterpiece, its historical center belonging to UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Where we stayed
We spent 3 amazing days in Florence and here is my guide for the best sights, including where to find the best spots for panoramic views and photography, to fully enjoy the beauty of Florence.
The hotel we stayed at, The Student Hotel (you can read more, here, in my previous article) is very well located at 15 min walk from Santa Maria Novella and the historical center of Florence, but also a 10-minute walk from the train station. The Student Hotel is a concept hotel addressed to both the students and the tourists and guests, being a university campus, a co-working space and a cool and pleasant hotel. And the best part: they have a rooftop terrace with a pool and with some amazing views over Florence and the Duomo.
Discover the best hotels in Florence with a simple search:
Florence, top sights and things to do
Piazza San Giovanni known also as Piazza del Duomo is the historical center of Florence, which contains the main attractions: The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (or The Duomo), the Baptistery of San Giovanni, Giotto’s Bell Tower and The Opera del Duomo Museum. There is one single ticket to buy, which includes entrance to all of these sights. Even if they are located in the same place, we succeed to visit all during 2 days, since Florence is very popular hence always a bit crowded. If you really want to save time, a good tip is to buy tickets online and to wake up early in the morning to avoid the endless lines to ticket shops.
Santa Croce Church is not so popular like Duomo Square, but it doesn’t mean the facade of the church is less beautiful. Santa Croce hosts the tombs of many prestigious men such as Galileo, and also masterpieces of Donatello and many more. Being less popular it is a pleasant place to sit on a bench and admire the beautiful facade while enjoying an Italian gelato or a take-away pizza.
Santa Maria Novella with its beautiful marble facade is located in a square less crowded, where you will find a little bit more tranquility.
Piazza Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio is a popular square, where beside admiring the David of Michelangelo in copy (you will find the original in the Accademia Gallery) and other masterpieces of Donatello, Michelangelo and many more, people sit and socialize while enjoy an Italian ice-cream or a take-away pizza.
Ponte Vecchio even if it is a busy and crowded place is a must visit place and it makes Florence so romantic with all the colorful houses on both sides of the bridge. During the sunset the views are really spectacular.
San Miniato and Piazzale Michelangelo was one of my favorite places to watch the sunset in Florence. It takes about 30 minutes’ walk from historical center to Piazzale Michelangelo, but the panoramic view over the city is truly breathtaking.
Uffizi Gallery is one of the most important museums in Italy and a well-known and important one among world museums, as it hosts an essential collections of Renaissance artworks belonging to Michelangelo, Donatello, Botticelli, Giotto and many others.
Medici Chapels located near to the Uffizi Gallery, the chapel is the masterpiece of Michelangelo dedicated to the Medici – the most important family in Florence.
Palazzo Pitti belonged to Pitti family, the rivals of Medici family, is an open-air museum with an impressive interior which hosts Renaissance masterpieces and beautiful gardens decorated with statues and fountains, reflecting the beauty of Italian style.
Where to find the best panoramic views
Piazzale Michelangelo, the hilltop square from where you will enjoy the beauty of Florence. The best time to visit is at sunrise, when you probably enjoy it by yourself or at sunset.
Giotto’s Bell Tower belonging to the Opera del Duomo Museum. Climbing the 414 steps will reveal a panoramic view over the Florence, while you will admire the Duomo in all its beauty.
Duomo belonging together with the Giotto’s Bell Tower to the Opera del Duomo Museum, is another spot to admire Florence in all its beauty, after climbing the 463 steps.
I also loved the view from terrace of The Student Hotel over the Duomo and Florence. I recommend this place, if you visit Florence because you can enjoy the most beautiful panoramic view in a tranquil and chic terrace, while drinking a glass of wine. Even if you don’t stay at The Student Hotel, this terrace is a truly hidden gem for views and is open to the public starting from 6:00 p.m.
Where to eat
We enjoyed pizza made from organic ingredients at Simbiosi, so we ate lunch twice there. The place is well located closer to the Piazza del Duomo. Since we love Asian food, even in Italy we found an authentic restaurant with good Asian food which we loved – Le Sorgenti. Also, there are many small restaurants from where we bought take away pannini, and enjoy it while sitting on a bench in the main square, together with other tourists. I believe this is an authentic way to fully enjoy the Italian way of eat on the go.
Definitely have to go back to Florence! Didn’t do even half of the stuff you write about. But to be fair we were there only for day and a half…I have a blog post about best viewpoints in Florence on http://www.agaonthe.run
It is a beautiful destination, Aga. Hope that you will return one day. I will check out your blog 🙂
We go in 2 weeks time. I have booked as much as I can in advance which means it will be a pretty hectic weekend running from place to place but there is so much to see. Thanks for the tips about food. One of my fave parts of a trip.
Great, enjoy your trip in Florence 🙂