If ever you are asked what are the best things to do in Florence you will inevitably have to ask, How long have you got? Florence in a day is a possibility but you will find it exhausting. You will also literally have had just enough time to stand in front of a 15th Century statue or church painting and not nearly enough time to look properly at it and appreciate it.
However for many visitors to Italy this is probably as much as you can spare. If your touring itinerary has included Rome, Venice, Siena, San Gimignano, Assisi , Pisa etc in a holiday of a week or so then OK Florence in a day if infinitely better than no Florence at all.
One first tip is how to get to Florence. Touring Italy in a hire car is easy, best book as part of your holiday as costs of car hire in Italy are amongst the highest in Europe. However parking in or more accurately on the perimeter of the major cities is plentiful and inexpensive and fuel costs especially diesel are lower than the UK. Florence’s main railway station - the Santa Maria Novella - is not well situated in Florence. It is not that it is a long walk into the City but is in a poor part of Florence and you may not relish the walk back in the dark.
The first thing which you need to know for when you are in Florence is that if you want to visit the Uffizi Gallery to see Michaelangelo’s David then there is often a queue which can take 2 hours plus to get in. However if you can ring a few days in advance you can book your tour and just walk to the door. Frustrating for those in the queue but great for you - it doesn’t even add to the entrance cost. I am sure many visitors to Florence either waste hours of valuable culture time or miss the Uffizi because of the daunting queues.
From the gallery it is only a short walk along the Arno River to the Ponte Vecchio. I was a little disappointed here. True it is a marvellous site from the banks of the river but once on the bridge apart from occasional glimpses of the Arno it feels like many other shopping areas. It didn’t move me.
Truly if you do want to be moved then you must include the Duomo (Cathedral) in your list of ‘must do’ sites. Again a bit of a queue here but no getting round this one. It is well worth it though. There are two choices at the Duomo for getting higher and view Florence’s majestic panorama. You can use either the Cupola of the Duomo itself or the adjacent tower which has a separate entrance. We chose the tower and were rewarded with great views of the Florentine roof-tops. It’s a hike to the top but there are floors where you can rest. Always make sure you carry a handy bottle of the Aqua Minerale particularly on hot days.
As you walk round try the local food shops. There are many offering everything from a slice of pizza to roast Tuscan boar . Whatever your budget and whether you want to eat a silver service meal or sit on the pavement (weather permitting) Florence has everything. 500ml bottles of water or carbonated drinks are sold ice cold for 5000lire (£1.50) all over the city.
There are many exclusive shops to visit if you wish to buy overpriced designer goods. I’m not one for shopping in Versace or Gucci myself but it is always comforting to know they are there for those who find them indispensable
Better to spend your time in one of the many spectacular churches. There are probably as many art treasures in a Florence church than in all the entire religious buildings in an average English county. You may have your own views on wealth and religion but you have to say they are impressive.
One final tip before leaving is that Tuscany is renowned for the wonderful colours as dusk descends. Florence is no exception so time your departure in the early or later evening so that you can enjoy these colours. The ideal way would be to have you dinner al fresco in the warm evening air.
Don’t have too much to drink and then have a leisurely drive back to your accommodation for a good night’s sleep.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Nov 26th, 2000
very helpful by (100%):
