How Many Days in Florence? A 3-Day Plan, Costs and Day Trips
The short answer
How many days in Florence you need is three for most first visits: one for the Duomo and the Accademia, one for the Uffizi and Palazzo Vecchio, one for the Oltrarno and the Pitti Palace. A fourth day adds Siena, Pisa or Lucca. Stay near the Duomo or Santa Maria Novella, and travel in April, May, September or October.
Florence looks small on a map, and many Italy itineraries give it a day and a half between Rome and Venice. The walking distances are short, but the museums are long, and the big three all need a booked time slot.
This guide sets out a three-day plan with an optional fourth, the 2026 ticket prices, the city tax, where to stay by neighbourhood and the day trips worth an extra night. Every price was checked against the museum’s or the city’s own site in October 2026.
Before you book: what to sort out first
- Entry rules. Italy is in the Schengen area, so US, UK and Canadian passport holders can visit for up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa. Since 10 April 2026 the EU’s Entry/Exit System records your fingerprints and photo at the first border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation (EUR 20) is due to start in the last quarter of 2026. Other nationalities should check the visa requirements by country first. For the whole country, including routes that combine several cities, see how many days in Italy.
- Timed tickets. Book the Uffizi, the Accademia and the Brunelleschi Pass before you fly, because the dome climb and the two galleries sell out in spring and autumn.
- A data plan. Live maps help in the lanes around the Duomo; check which iPhones support eSIM before you buy one.
- Travel insurance. See whether travel insurance is worth it for a trip to Europe.
- Your route in. Florence airport is about 20 minutes from Piazza dell’Unità on tram line T2. From Pisa airport, take the PisaMover shuttle to Pisa Centrale, then a train of roughly an hour.
How many days in Florence do you need?
Three full days is the comfortable answer. Two days covers the Duomo, the Accademia and the Uffizi, but it leaves nothing for the Oltrarno, the Pitti Palace or the view from Piazzale Michelangelo.
| Days | What you see | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, one gallery | A stop on a rail trip |
| 2 | Duomo, Accademia, Uffizi | A short city break |
| 3 | The above plus Oltrarno and Pitti | Most first visits |
| 4-5 | Add Siena, Pisa, Lucca or Fiesole | A Tuscany base |
One day is a choice between the Uffizi and the Accademia, and either takes two to three hours. If you only have one, start at the Duomo and walk to Ponte Vecchio, then pick one gallery.
A day-by-day Florence itinerary
Each day keeps to one side of the centre, so you spend the time in museums rather than crossing back and forth.
Day 1: the Duomo and San Lorenzo
- Start at the cathedral, which is free to enter, then climb Brunelleschi’s dome at your booked time.
- Walk five minutes north to the Galleria dell’Accademia for Michelangelo’s David.
- Spend the late afternoon around San Lorenzo and the Mercato Centrale food hall, open daily from 9:00.
Day 2: the Uffizi and Piazza della Signoria
- Enter the Uffizi at 8:15, when it opens, before the tour groups arrive.
- Cross Piazza della Signoria to Palazzo Vecchio and its museum.
- Walk over Ponte Vecchio at the end of the day, when the jewellers close their shutters.
Day 3: the Oltrarno
- Spend the morning in the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens behind it.
- Walk through Santo Spirito and San Frediano for lunch away from the main squares.
- Climb to Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset; the terrace is free and open at all hours.
Things to do in Florence: what tickets cost in 2026
Florence’s museum prices rose sharply in 2026. The city’s civic museums went up on 1 February, and Palazzo Vecchio now costs EUR 18 for adults, up from EUR 12.50.
| Ticket | Adult price, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Uffizi, on the day | EUR 25 |
| Uffizi, booked ahead | EUR 29 |
| Galleria dell’Accademia | EUR 20 |
| Brunelleschi Pass (dome, bell tower, baptistery, museum) | EUR 30 |
| Giotto Pass (no dome) | EUR 20 |
| Palazzo Vecchio museum | EUR 18 |
| Pitti Palace | EUR 16 |
| Boboli Gardens | EUR 10 |
The Uffizi’s booked price includes a EUR 4 reservation fee, and the gallery now sells a EUR 16 ticket for entry after 16:00. Its five-day PassePartout costs EUR 40 and covers the Uffizi, the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens, which is cheaper than buying the three separately.
Note: under-18s enter the state museums free, including the Uffizi, the Pitti and the Accademia.
What a day in Florence costs
A Duomo and Accademia day for one adult, booked ahead, adds up quickly. The figure below assumes a three-star hotel and two bus rides.
| Item | Adult price, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Brunelleschi Pass | EUR 30 |
| Galleria dell’Accademia | EUR 20 |
| Two bus or tram tickets | EUR 4 |
| City tax, three-star hotel | EUR 6 |
That is EUR 60 before your room and food. A single bus or tram ticket rose from EUR 1.70 to EUR 2.00 on 1 August 2026 and is valid for 90 minutes; buying from the driver costs EUR 3.00. Most of the centre is walkable, so many visitors buy no transport at all.
Florence’s city tax
Florence charges every non-resident a tourist tax per person per night, collected by your hotel or host. The rates set by the city council in December 2024 have applied since 1 February 2025.
- Hotels: EUR 3.50 at one star, EUR 4.50 at two, EUR 6 at three, EUR 7 at four and EUR 8 at five.
- Holiday rentals: EUR 6 per person per night.
- The cap: the tax stops after 7 consecutive nights, and children under 12 are exempt.
A couple in a four-star hotel for three nights pays EUR 42 in tax on top of the room rate.
Where to stay in Florence
Four areas suit most visits. The centre is compact enough that any of them puts you within a 20-minute walk of the Duomo.
| Area | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria Novella | Trains, the airport tram | Busy around the station |
| Duomo, San Lorenzo | Walking to everything | Crowds and noise |
| Santa Croce | Restaurants, evenings | Further from the station |
| Oltrarno, Santo Spirito | Quieter streets, local food | Over the river from most sights |
Santa Maria Novella is the practical choice for day trips, since the station and the tram stop at Piazza dell’Unità are both there. The Oltrarno suits a second visit or a longer stay. This guide gives no hotel prices, because rates move daily with demand and we found no official, dated source to cite.
Is it worth visiting Florence?
Yes, for nearly everyone going to Italy. Few cities hold this much Renaissance art in so small a space, from Botticelli in the Uffizi to Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia.
The cost is crowds. In April, May and October the Uffizi and the dome sell out days ahead, so the trip works best when you have booked the big three in advance and left the afternoons loose.
When is the best time to visit Florence, Italy?
April, May, September and October are the most comfortable months. Tuscany’s regional weather service, LaMMA, puts Florence’s average July high at 32.2°C (90°F) and its January high at 11.2°C (52°F), on 1991-2020 normals.
| Months | Average high | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Apr to May | 20-25°C | Mild, busy, Easter crowds |
| Jun to Aug | 29-33°C | Hot, driest months |
| Sep to Oct | 22-27°C | Warm, busy, harvest season |
| Nov | 16°C | Wettest month, quieter |
| Dec to Feb | 11-13°C | Coldest, lowest demand |
July is the driest month, with 26 mm of rain on average, and November the wettest at 118 mm. August is hot and many local restaurants close for part of the month.
What is the cheapest time to visit Florence?
November to February is usually the cheapest, apart from the weeks around Christmas and New Year. Demand is lowest then, and the galleries are easier to book at short notice.
- Avoid Easter week. The city fills with Italian and international visitors, and the cathedral holds the Scoppio del Carro on Easter Sunday.
- Expect closures on 24 June, the feast of San Giovanni, Florence’s patron saint and a city holiday.
- Use the first Sunday of the month carefully. State and civic museums are free, but you cannot book, so the queues are long.
Day trips from Florence worth an extra day
Florence is the rail hub of Tuscany, so a fourth or fifth day opens most of the region without a car.
| Day trip | From Florence | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Fiesole | About 20-30 min, bus 7 | Hill town, Roman theatre |
| Bologna | About 37 min, Frecciarossa | Food city, porticoes |
| Pisa | About 1 hour, regional train | Leaning Tower, Piazza dei Miracoli |
| Siena | About 75 min, bus | Piazza del Campo, cathedral |
| Lucca | About 1 hr 20 min, train | Walls you can cycle on |
| San Gimignano | About 2 hours, bus via Poggibonsi | Medieval towers |
Siena is the strongest single day trip, and the bus is usually quicker than the train because it stops near the centre. The Leaning Tower in Pisa sells timed tickets on its own site, opapisa.it, and children under 8 may not climb it. Venice is better as its own stop than as a day out; see how many days in Venice. Rome is just over 1 hour 30 minutes south by Frecciarossa, and our guide to how many days in Rome plans three days there. For mountains rather than cities, how many days in the Dolomites plans four days from Ortisei and Cortina. Milan is 1 hour 54 minutes north by Frecciarossa, and how many days in Milan plans two or three days there.
What goes wrong on a Florence trip
- Monday closures. The Uffizi and the Accademia are both closed on Mondays, so do not plan your gallery day for one.
- The cathedral on Sunday. The Duomo is closed to visitors on Sundays and religious holidays, although the passes still cover the other monuments.
- Driving into the centre. Most of the historic centre is a camera-enforced restricted traffic zone (ZTL), and fines reach rental car customers by post months later.
- Unofficial ticket sites. Many resellers charge well above the museum price; buy from uffizi.it, the Accademia’s own site or duomo.firenze.it.
If your plan falls apart on the day
- Swap the days if a gallery slot is sold out, moving the Oltrarno day forward and checking again the next morning.
- Try the Uffizi after 16:00, when the cheaper afternoon ticket applies and the groups have gone.
- Put the dome on a dry day, since the climb is 463 steps with open sections at the top.
- Ask the tourist information office opposite Santa Maria Novella station, or check the museum’s own site for closures.
Frequently asked questions
In short
Three full days in Florence covers the Duomo, the two great galleries and the Oltrarno, two is a rush, and a fourth adds Siena or Pisa. Stay near the station for day trips or by the Duomo for walking, book the big three before you fly, and go in spring or early autumn.
Prices, opening hours and rules change without much notice. Everything here was checked against official sites in October 2026. If something no longer matches what you found on the ground, tell us and we will correct it.
Planning the flight? Our guides to checked bags on international flights and the carry-on luggage checklist cover what to pack, and how many days in Japan uses the same approach for a longer trip.
Sources
- European Commission: The Entry/Exit System became fully operational on 10 April 2026
- European Union: ETIAS, travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors
- European Commission: ETIAS will cost EUR 20
- Uffizi Galleries: Tickets for the Uffizi, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens
- Uffizi Galleries: Vasari Corridor reopening
- Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze: Tickets
- Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore: Pass prices and opening hours
- Comune di Firenze: Civic museum prices from 1 February 2026 (in Italian)
- Comune di Firenze: Tourist tax rules (in Italian) and council resolution 535 of 10 December 2024 (PDF)
- Autolinee Toscane: Urban fares from 1 August 2026 (PDF, in Italian)
- GEST Tramvia: Line T2 to Florence airport
- Toscana Aeroporti: Pisa airport
- LaMMA Toscana: Florence climatology, 1991-2020 (in Italian)
- Mercato Centrale Firenze: Hours
- Opera della Primaziale Pisana: Leaning Tower tickets
- Trenitalia: Timetables and tickets
- Autolinee Toscane: Fares and tickets
- Visit Tuscany: From Florence airport to the city centre
- Visit Tuscany: Mercato Centrale
- Italia.it: Mercato Centrale in San Lorenzo
- Featured photo: Sunil Bhardwaj on Pexels. Inline photos: Efrem Efre, Bingqian Li and Petr Ganaj on Pexels.
