A traveler's guide to Florence
Florence is small enough to walk and crowded enough to plan. Reservations are not a personality flaw. They are how you see the city.
Florence is compact, beautiful, and full of people who had the same idea. Book the few rooms that matter. Then let the rest be ochre streets, a market lunch, and the hill across the river at the end of the day.
When to go
Spring and fall are the balance of light and crowds. Summer is hot and the center is a slow shuffle. Winter is quiet, cold, and kind to anyone who booked the Uffizi. August is sticky.
Neighborhoods
The Duomo and the museum you chose, then leave the densest streets. Oltrarno for workshops and dinner. Santa Croce for a slightly easier evening. The hills for the view you do not have to pay a rooftop bar to see.
Eating
A bistecca is a commitment for two. Lampredotto, a schiacciata, and a simple trattoria will make a better day than three famous restaurants. Book dinner. Gelato from the bright shop on the square is optional.
If you only remember this
- Book the Uffizi or the Accademia before you fly.
- The city is walkable. The stones are slick in rain.
- Day-trip buses arrive late morning. Be elsewhere.
- Aperitivo can be dinner if you are honest about it.