Things to do in Florence, splurging
The Accademia, Brancacci Chapel and Bargello, dinner at Cantinetta Antinori, then Locale.
This is Florence for the traveller who wants the best table in the room every night, knows the difference between a good espresso and a great one, and will happily spend an afternoon in a Medici palace followed by a well-made Negroni. Three days covers the city's finest restaurants, its most rewarding museums, and the cocktail bars worth staying out for.
Day 1: Accademia, Antinori, Santa Croce
Start with Michelangelo's David in the morning, a long lunch at one of the city's most photographed interiors, and finish with the destination dinner Florence keeps pointing you toward.
- 9:30 AM
Banana Brunch
Relaxed breakfast stop before heading out, good coffee and a proper morning start.
Map - 10:30 AM
Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze
See Michelangelo's David and the haunting unfinished Prisoners up close, the real thing, beyond any photo.
Map - 12:30 PM
La Ménagère
An 1896 homewares shop turned flower-filled dining room on Via de' Ginori; book a table at the back for lunch.
Map - 7:30 PM
Cantinetta Antinori
The Antinori wine family's palazzo dining room on Via Tornabuoni; order the bistecca and a bottle from their estates.
Map - 9:30 PM
Locale Firenze
Cocktails in the vaulted rooms of a medieval palazzo near Santa Croce; let the bartenders pick something off-menu.
Map
Day 2: Oltrarno, Pitti, Santo Spirito
Cross the river to see the frescoes that shaped the Renaissance, spend the afternoon inside the Medici's own palace, and close the night at one of the city's most serious dining rooms.
- 9:30 AM
Caffè Gilli
Florence's grand café since 1733 on Piazza della Repubblica; stand at the bar for an espresso and a pastry.
Map - 10:15 AM
Cappella Brancacci
Timed 30-min slot to see Masaccio's frescoes that taught Michelangelo and Raphael, book a slot in advance, capacity is capped.
Map - 12:30 PM
Il Santo Bevitore
Candlelit vaulted room on Via di Santo Spirito; order the seasonal pasta and a glass of Tuscan red.
Map - 2:30 PM
Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens
Spend the afternoon in the Medici palace, Palatine Gallery's Raphaels and Titians, then wander the Boboli Gardens.
Map - 7:30 PM
Parione
Classic Tuscan dining room on a quiet lane off Via Tornabuoni; go for the handmade pasta and a Chianti Classico.
Map
Day 3: Santa Croce and the old city core
Specialty coffee and pastries, a slow punt under Ponte Vecchio, classic Tuscan plates near the Signoria, and the sculpture museum most visitors skip entirely.
- 9:30 AM
Melaleuca Firenze | Bakery Bistrot | Brunch & Specialty Coffee
Specialty coffee and breakfast pastries at this well-regarded bakery bistrot, the right start before a museum morning.
Map - 10:15 AM
Renaioli Firenze
A boatman poles you under the Ponte Vecchio in a flat-bottomed barchetto; book ahead, rides run spring to autumn.
Map - 12:30 PM
Vini e Vecchi Sapori
Tiny family osteria a step from Piazza della Signoria; order the pasta of the day and the house red.
Map - 2:30 PM
Museo Nazionale del Bargello
Italy's finest sculpture museum, Donatello's bronze David and Michelangelo's early work, all in a medieval palazzo.
Map - 7:30 PM
L'Ortone
Big open-kitchen room on Piazza Ghiberti by the Sant'Ambrogio market; order the Tuscan classics off the grill.
Map
Where to stay
Portrait Firenze
Portrait Firenze sits right on the Arno and puts you within a short walk of every dinner reservation on this plan.
Palazzo Vecchietti
Palazzo Vecchietti is a quietly luxurious small hotel in the centro storico, well-placed for both Oltrarno crossings and Santa Croce evenings.
Make Florence your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Uffizi Gallery: weeks ahead
- Galleria dell'Accademia: weeks ahead
- Brunelleschi's Dome: weeks ahead
- Florence Baptistery: weeks ahead
- Giotto's Bell Tower: weeks ahead
- Museo dell'Opera del Duomo: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Restaurants on Piazza del Duomo, Via de' Calzaiuoli and the Ponte Vecchio ends with photo menus and touts serve the city's worst food at its highest prices.
- Much San Lorenzo leather market stock is imported and low grade at artisan prices; use the Scuola del Cuoio or Oltrarno workshops for real leather.
- Ponte Vecchio gold carries a tourist markup; admire and compare prices elsewhere before buying serious pieces.
- Bistecca is priced per 100g with minimum cuts around 1kg and always served rare; confirm weight and price per etto before ordering.
The full Florence travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around