Planning a trip to Florence? City-Discovery.com presents a Florence trip guide that includes plenty of sightseeing, dining pleasures, and a scenic drive across the Tuscan and Chianti countryside.

At the end of three days, you will feel like you've known Florence for ages! Here's a headache-free itinerary that you can follow on your own. If you really want your trip hassle-free yet affordable, with plenty of time and money saved, click on the links and reserve the activities on City-Discovery.com.


 
People have been known to faint from witnessing too much beauty in Florence. It’s a city of incomparable churches, monasteries, museums, galleries, and palaces. To truly appreciate the best of Renaissance Splendor you’d need at least three days. Make the most of your three days then!

Day 1
Panoramic Tour plus Tuscan Dinner

Do a panoramic tour of the city first. Look for the the hop-on-hop-off bus that stops at most major attractions. When you see something you like get off and wander around. When you've had your fill go back to the stop to wait for the next bus. No need to keep paying every time you hop as your ticket is valid for 48 hours.

Depending on the season, the bus runs daily at 30 to 120-minute intervals from 09:00.

Prioritize the major attractions such as the stunning Duomo, Bartolomeo Ammanati's Fountain of Neptune, the breathtaking Uffizi Gallery, enormous Pitti Palace, gorgeous Boboli Gardens, and the elaborate Santa Croce Church containing the tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Dante.

Spend the day exploring. For dinner, go for a real Italian-style evening dedicated to luxurious wine and Tuscan cuisine.

Florence Hop On Hop Off Tour
Wine and Cheese Tasting in Florence

Day 2
Accademia, Uffizi & a Renaissance Banquet

Immerse yourself in art today. You can’t leave Florence without going inside the Uffizi Gallery, famous for housing masterpieces such as those by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello, Giotto, Cimabue, and Masaccio. Join a guided tour for detailed commentaries about the famous painters and the powerful Medici family who ruled Florence for centuries. Also visit the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo’s most famous sculpture, David.

For dinner, why not go for extraordinary and reserve a place at a Florentine fifteenth century banquet at the Palazzo Borghese? Waiters, musicians, dancers and jester will all be in beautiful Renaissance costumes. If you wish, you can also try on the costumes and learn some fifteenth century dancing steps.

Renaissance Banquet
Skip the Line - Afternoon Guided Visit to the Uffizi Gallery
Skip-the-Line - Original Renaissance and Accademia Tour

Day 3
The Best of Tuscany

Spend this day with the most attractive sights around Florence. A scenic drive across a Tuscan and Chianti countryside lets you visit towns of breathtaking beauty: Monteriggioni, a charming town enclosed by imposing walls; Siena, with paintbox-like houses; San Gimignano, a beautiful medieval hilltop village, and Pisa, of the famous leaning tower.  Wine-tasting is another highlight, so be sure to stop at a wine estate on the Sienese Hills.
 
If you can extend your trip one day, we suggest you go on a full day shopping tour at famous outlets near Florence giving you substantial discounts on big name brands like Prada, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Ferragamo, Y.S. Laurent, Valentino, Ungaro, Zegna, Bottega Veneta, Sergio Rossi, Loro Piana, and many more. Or instead of visits to Uffizi Gallery and Accademia Gallery  on day two, go on this shopping tour.

Below is a list of alternative activities.

Outlets Shopping Tour - Full Day - Private tour
All Florence: Its Great Museums and Hills in One Day
The Secret Passages of Palazzo Vecchio + Lunch
Florence Segway Tour 

The Best of Tuscany

What better way to discover the timeless streets and charming corners of the Renaissance City than by doing so on foot or on wheels?

Day 1
Walk or Glide

You have two options: walk or glide (using a segway). Either way, you’d find exploring Florence is nicest if you’re in a group. Follow this route: Central Market - workshops, colorful stalls, the Medicean Chapels, and Basilica of San Lorenzo; Piazza del Duomo – Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo); medieval quarters where Dante Alighieri and Beatrice lived; Palazzo del Bargello; Piazza della Signoria – open-air sculpture museum—and Palazzo Vecchio; Uffizi Gallery; Mercato della Paglia (Straw market); Ponte Vecchio; then Pitti Palace. Aren’t you thirsty from all that walking/gliding? Some exquisite wine-tasting is in order then—choose wine that represents the finest flavors of the Tuscan countryside. 


Discovering Florence Walk morning + Light Lunch
Florence Segway Tour
Wine and Cheese Tasting in Florence

Where did people get the idea that Florence isn’t a great family destination? Its thrills are actually more memorable for kids than the topsy-turvy ones from roller-coasters and other carnival rides. It’s just a matter of choosing the right attractions. Let this day be a fun example. 

Day 1
Secrets & ice Cream

Explore the secret passages of Palazzo Vecchio, a Gothic fortress in which time seems to stand still. Inside the solid walls are lovely courtyards, massive staircases, and chambers decorated by incredible frescoes depicting scenes of battles. Follow this adventure with a treat: scoops of sinfully delicious ice cream with flavors found only in Florence.


Florence Family Vacation Package - 2 Nights

As the cradle of the Renaissance period, Florence is replete with beautiful buildings, monuments and churches. The cathedral of T, popularly known as The Duomo, remains the largest dome in the world built in brick and mortar, 600 years after its completion. In 1982, the historic center of Florence was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Florence receives millions of tourists every year; tourists outnumber local population from April to October. The Uffizi and Accademia museums remain the most visited places in the city while large groups regularly flock the basilicas of Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella . In 2007, Travel + Leisure magazine readers ranked Florence as their favourite tourist destination, followed by Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Rome, Sydney and New York City.

With plenty of beautiful sights in Florence, a well-planned itinerary is recommended when visiting the city. A three-day tour should be enough to see most of the must-see attractions in Florence and nearby cities like Pisa, Rome and Venice.

Here’s a suggested three-day itinerary for visitors but more options are available on City-Discovery.com.

Day 1
City Tour in the Morning, Accademia and Ufizzi in The Afternoon, Concert and Dinner At Night

Immerse in the beauty of Florence in the morning with a panoramic tour of the city on an air-conditioned coach. A guided tour of the Duomo complex takes visitors to the Giotto bell tower, the Baptistry and Porta del Paradiso and the cathedral with the magnificent dome Cupola del Brunelleschi.

In the afternoon, visit the Accademia and Uffizi, two of the most famous museums in the world. The Ufizzi Gallery houses numerous works of art by Paolo Uccello, Fra Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, da Vinci and Michelangelo. The Accademia Gallery, on the other hand, is home to the original David, the famous sculpture by Michelangelo. No need to wait in the long queues with the Skip the Line access included in this tour.

Cap the day with a typical Tuscan dinner and Chianti wine at a local restaurant. After dinner, listen to beautiful opera songs by Puccini, Verdi, Rossini and other Italian musicians performed by professional singers.

Florence Morning City Tour
Florence Morning Tour + Light Lunch
Skip the Line - Accademia Gallery + Uffizi Gallery
Skip the Line - Morning Guided Visit to the Accademia Gallery
Skip the Line - Afternoon Guided Visit to the Uffizi Gallery
Skip the Line - Morning Guided Visit to the Uffizi Gallery
Concert and Dinner in the Heart of Florence

Day 2
Pisa Excursion

After seeing the beauty of Florence, it’s time to visit the city of Pisa, famous for its Leaning Tower. From Florence, visitors travel by bus along the picturesque banks of Arno River. A walking tour takes visitors to Piazza dei Miracoli, with the famous Leaning Tower, Baptistery and other important monuments. Don’t miss to visit the interior of the cathedral, a masterpiece of Romanesque art, and the Scuola Normale (Normal School), one of the most famous universities in the world.

Excursion to Pisa

Day 3
Handmade Pasta Cooking and Shopping Spree

Spend the third day learning to make real handmade pasta with the guidance of an Italian chef. Participants will cook three different pastas which they will serve for lunch, accompanied by Tuscan wine.

Don’t leave Florence without going on a shopping expedition in the city’s fashion districts. Florence is home several shopping outlets of high end fashion brands like Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and the Mall outlets where visitors can buy fashion brands like Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Ferragamo and many more at discounted prices.

Handmade Pasta Cooking Course and Lunch
Prada and the Mall Outlet Shopping Half Day Private tour
Prada, Dolce and Gabbana and the Mall Private Full Day Shopping Tour