Discussion
Had a cracking good weekend in Florence, if you have any artistic or historic sensibilities at all I would be heading straight to the Uffizi and Acadammia art galleries, a guided tour is good (we tend to use viator as it always has a lot of user reviews), we're talking Michalangelo's David, Birth of Venus etc etc.
If you do that and the cathedral / Medici connected bits (most of it) then a fantastic breather from the culture is to hire a classic Fiat 500 on a wine and cheese tour in the afternoon (again check Viator), that was brilliant fun.
If you do that and the cathedral / Medici connected bits (most of it) then a fantastic breather from the culture is to hire a classic Fiat 500 on a wine and cheese tour in the afternoon (again check Viator), that was brilliant fun.
If your long weekend includes a Monday, just be aware several places such as the museums close on a Monday.
We took a day trip to Florence from Rome on a Monday, and as such can't give you much by way of advice as everything we wanted to do was closed to we just ended up wandering around eating, drinking and sightseeing all day!
We took a day trip to Florence from Rome on a Monday, and as such can't give you much by way of advice as everything we wanted to do was closed to we just ended up wandering around eating, drinking and sightseeing all day!
Ponte Vecchio
The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy. The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during the Second World War, it is noted for the shops built along it; building shops on such bridges was once a common practice. The present shop tenants are jewellers, art dealers, and souvenir sellers.
The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy. The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during the Second World War, it is noted for the shops built along it; building shops on such bridges was once a common practice. The present shop tenants are jewellers, art dealers, and souvenir sellers.
Trattoria dell'Orto ( http://www.trattoriadellorto.com) was recommended to us on our first visit - we weren't disappointed, and have been back since.
The Uffizi is definitely worth going to. I think it’s almost worth going to Florence purely to see the Statue of David, it’s such an incredible piece of art and the scale is incredible when you see it in person.
We visited a really nice restaurant overlooking the Ponte Vechio (Borgo San Jocopo):
https://guide.michelin.com/gb/en/toscana/firenze/r...
And a massive Bistecca at Buca Mario:
https://www.bucamario.com/en/index.php
This was 12 years ago though, so no idea if these places are still worth visiting!
We visited a really nice restaurant overlooking the Ponte Vechio (Borgo San Jocopo):
https://guide.michelin.com/gb/en/toscana/firenze/r...
And a massive Bistecca at Buca Mario:
https://www.bucamario.com/en/index.php
This was 12 years ago though, so no idea if these places are still worth visiting!
We enjoyed a fiat 500 tour with these guys....
https://www.500touringclub.com/index.php
Absolutely brilliant time. Highly recommended
They do vespa tours too.
https://www.500touringclub.com/index.php
Absolutely brilliant time. Highly recommended
They do vespa tours too.
Panamax said:
Ponte Vecchio
The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy. The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during the Second World War, it is noted for the shops built along it; building shops on such bridges was once a common practice. The present shop tenants are jewellers, art dealers, and souvenir sellers.
This. The highlight of Florence (imo)The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy. The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during the Second World War, it is noted for the shops built along it; building shops on such bridges was once a common practice. The present shop tenants are jewellers, art dealers, and souvenir sellers.
Wacky Racer said:
Panamax said:
Ponte Vecchio
The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy. The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during the Second World War, it is noted for the shops built along it; building shops on such bridges was once a common practice. The present shop tenants are jewellers, art dealers, and souvenir sellers.
This. The highlight of Florence (imo)The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy. The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during the Second World War, it is noted for the shops built along it; building shops on such bridges was once a common practice. The present shop tenants are jewellers, art dealers, and souvenir sellers.
Make sure you look at https://www.visitflorence.com/what-to-see-in-flore...
At this time of the year the crowds will be low, but I would defiantly book tickets in advance. You will need tickets to visit the Duomo and also climb the into the dome and the tower next door.
The museums are great and worth a look.
Book a walking tour as its a great way to see the city. Pop up to the Piazzale Michelangelo as it gives great views of the city.
If you can go south of the River and visit the Ultrano area. Lots of great little restaurants, bars and less touristy.
Are you flying into Florence or Pisa? If Pisa see if you can make time to visit the leaning tower. Worth a look and doesn't take that long.
Any other questions let me know. Its one of my favourite cities, and done most things.
At this time of the year the crowds will be low, but I would defiantly book tickets in advance. You will need tickets to visit the Duomo and also climb the into the dome and the tower next door.
The museums are great and worth a look.
Book a walking tour as its a great way to see the city. Pop up to the Piazzale Michelangelo as it gives great views of the city.
If you can go south of the River and visit the Ultrano area. Lots of great little restaurants, bars and less touristy.
Are you flying into Florence or Pisa? If Pisa see if you can make time to visit the leaning tower. Worth a look and doesn't take that long.
Any other questions let me know. Its one of my favourite cities, and done most things.
RizzoTheRat said:
Flying in to Florence, noon Friday to some point on Monday afternoon, so planning to stick to the Florence area, especially given how many recommendations there are here for things to do in Florence. We'll save Pisa for another trip.
Yeah thats a good idea. Most people fly into Pisa so its makes sense to add it on to the trip. Its about an hour from Florence by train if you wanted to go down that route. Where abouts are you staying in the city?
RizzoTheRat said:
Haven't booked anywhere yet, nothing like leaving it to the last minute 
Intend to stat somewhere within walking distance of the center but will have a hire car anyway as I'm there for a meeting Tuesday/Wednesday but going early.
Nice. To be honest its not a huge place, so anywhere close to the city you can walk everywhere. Intend to stat somewhere within walking distance of the center but will have a hire car anyway as I'm there for a meeting Tuesday/Wednesday but going early.Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff