5 Places You Must See In Florence TRAVEL GUIDE
Florence Travel Guide
Florence is undoubtedly a beautiful and lovely city. It has interesting architecture, it is, in fact, a cradle of the renaissance. Above all, it was a center of culture and merchandise couple hundreds of years ago and was even the capital city of the Italian kingdom in time.
The city has indeed a very interesting history. However what EXACTLY is worth visiting while spending your holiday there?
I talked about Florence in the latest post. I suggest you to also read it as I was breaking through some of the main issues while traveling. (Like stay, transport – by train, by car or a bus).
In this article, we will talk about various sights and places that are absolutely worth your visit. I also try to add the most about skipping the lanes and useful tips like that. Welcome to Florence travel guide!
1. Cattedrale Di Santa Maria Del Fiore of Florence
(FLORENCIA'S DUOMO)
Florence’s cathedral is towering the city and became it’s dominant. In other words, it was built by Brunelleschi on a site of an older church of Santa Reparata. In fact, the remains of the old church can still be seen in the crypt. In addition, the structure is predominantly gothic.
What is pretty interesting are the statues. They are located to the right from the cathedral. Each one of the architects has his statue which seems as it was admiring the cathedral. I appreciated the detail and find it pretty interested to know about when I was standing right there.
You can also climb to the top of the red cupola. For travel lovers it’s such a great opportunity.
Artwork
Firstly, the church is more interesting from the outside to most since it has the beautiful pink and green marble panels. The inside’s main attraction are the mosaic pavements.
Secondly, the insides. The biggest mosaic inside is by Giorgio Vasari. In fact, it is the fresco of the Last Judgment. Above all, the most interesting thing is it isn’t painted by Vasari, but by his student Zuccari. In this travel guide we won’t mention it further, but you can check out the links to see more!
Fees
Travel Guide Tip:
The lanes here are pretty long but they move quickly. Besides, don’t wear any knives or similar stuff, because you wouldn’t be able to go in most of the sights!Tickets
Free, audio guide: 2,50€
In fact you can buy a combined ticket that includes Baptistry, crypt, Campanile de Giotto, Museo Del opera Del duomo for 18€
Openings
Week: 10am – 5 pm
Thursday: 10 am – 3:30 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 4:45 pm
Sunday and public holidays: 1:30 pm – 4:45 pm.
2. Uffizi Gallery (Gallery of Offices)
The gallery is also a very prominent art museum with a whole absolutely stunning collection of Italian art. There isn’t much to say, just that the gallery is really for art enthusiasts. Some of (admittedly) the best paintings there are from Botticelli.
Consequently, the problem I had with the gallery was the lane. It was 3 hours (not exaggerating at all) until we got to the ticket office. I highly suggest to buy tickets online OR wait until 3 p.m. (almost no lane). Unfortunately, when I was there nobody told us this information. It is important to note that I traveled with a travel agency.
Besides, you will have a free ticket when you will come on the first Sunday of the month. (Which works in almost every European museum).
Tickets
- from 01/03 to 31/10 = regular 20€, reduced 10€
- from 01/11 to 28/02 = regular 12€, reduced 6€
Openings
- Open Tuesday to Sunday 8:15 – 18:50
- Extraordinary Opening: From 1st July to 22 September on Tuesday and Wednesday will extend opening hours until 22:00.
- Closed: Monday, January 1, May 1, December 25.
Address: Piazzale degli Uffizi 6, Firenze
3. Barrero Di San Giovanni of Florence
(BAPTISTRY OF SAINT JOHN)
Interior
The most interesting of them is definitely Last Judgment by Jacobus.
It shows a Christ and lots of angels. To the right (from the Christ) we can see those who were saved, leaving their tomb with joy on their faces. To the left there are damned with each of their punishments.
4. Galleria Del'Accademia (Academy Gallery)
The gallery I have unfortunately never visited. It was because the lane was so long every day and we were in Florence for only 4 days. This is why it is better to plan your trip and read articles about the city you go to. It may be tiring sometimes but it’s worth it.
The gallery itself is mainly about Michelangelo’s David. The original sculpture is located here. There are also many other sculptures by Michelangelo and other artists from Florence. However this museum is more specialized and if you have a budget or time only for one of them, choose Uffizi Gallery. It’s bigger and has more paintings which are also more variable.
Tickets
The entrance to the Accademia Gallery is allowed every 15 minutes. Adult ticket: 16,00 euro- (includes reservation to skip-the-line and on-line fees 4,00 euro). Reduced ticket: 9,80 euro- (includes reservation to skip-the-line and on-line fees 4,00 euro).
There are always lots of tourists.
Openings
The Accademia is open Tuesday through Sunday, 8:15 am – 6:50 pm. This means it is CLOSED on Mondays. The ticket office closes at 6:20 pm and the museum starts closing down at 6:40 pm.
The museum is closed: every Monday, January 1, May 1, December 25.
Address: Via Ricasoli 58-60 – near Piazza San Marco.
You can find more information on the official website: here.
5. Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace)
The palace is a town hall of Florence. The main attraction for the tourists is, however, a copy of Michelangelo’s statue.
The entrance is located from the Piazza Del Signoria which is ALWAYS full of tourists. There is a very pretty frontispiece above the entrance door.
In the palace, there is also one of the oldest views of Bratislava (Slovakia). Many Slovak people don’t know that and it was quite a surprise for me as well. There are also many other cities from Habsuburg’s monarchy.
The cities are painted there because of the wedding of two ruling families of the time. The wife Johanna Habusrg wanted something that would remind her of the home country, that’s why Cosimo I. decorated the palace this way.
Travel Guide Tips
Also a quick note: Many local sellers will try to sell you a selfie stick or something. If you want to buy, always try the USB connection if it works. And don’t buy anything more expensive than 5€.
On the Piazza, there are also many sellers of art. Their prices are very high but it’s because they want you to negotiate with them.
Tickets
Around 18€
Openings
Offical from the website:
From october to march: Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun 9 a.m – 7 p.m. Thursday 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. From april to september: Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun 9 a.m – 11 p.m. Thursday 9 a.m. – 2 p.m
To Conclude..
So that’s it. I hope you liked the Florence travel guide and felt at least a bit inspired for traveling. Would you like to visit Florence? Let me know!
Wanna stick around?
Check out my pages and other posts!
Check out other posts about florence
You still have some to read!
Read More
- Florence: On the Tracks Of Michelangelo
- You Must Know This About Florence
- What To Buy In Florence
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