After this city was the setting for "Hannibal", I thought I'd write and tell you all that it is even more beautiful than it is portrayed in the film.
I went last September, for a week. As Florence (or Firenze as it is called in Italy) has no airport, we flew, from Manchester, to the Galileo Gallilee airport in Pisa. The flight was as comfortable as you would expect with British Midland and took around 2 hours.
The first thing I was greeted with when I got off the plane was a life size poster of Pavarotti! Still, Customs were O.K. and we caught a bus to Florence right outside the airport. This took around an hour and cost the equivalent of 4 quid. So the city itself is quite accessible.
The first place I wanted to go was the Ufizzi gallery. Unfortunately, when we got there, the queue was an estimated two hours long! We beat this by booking reserve tickets, although the earliest date available was four days later. These tickets came at no extra cost (around eight pound per adult). If you are a student, obtain an ISIC card as this will give you half price entry, not just to the Uffizi, but to many other places too. For those who dont already know, the Uffizi contains spectacular works of art from the 14th and 15th century, 'Primavera' and 'Birth of Venus' by Botticelli and the 'Venus de Medici'. It is well worth booking an advance ticket for the Uffizi, I would recommend this to be one of the first things you do when you get to the city, especially if you are only visiting for a few days.
The other most obvious sight in Florence id that of 'David'. He is exhibited in the Galleria dell'Academia and again the queues are unbelievable! Entry fees are expensive too, but it is worth it as David is, well, colossal!
Unsurprisingly, there are many churches in Florence worth visiting, most notably the Duomo and Santa Croce. Michaelangelo, Machiavelli and Galileo are buried in the Santa Croce, and these two chirches are unmissable! I wont bore you with a load of cliches, but remember , if you do visit, be sure to cover your arms and legs up or you will be refused entry!
If you have the time, try and see the leaning tower of Pisa. as I explained earlier, Pisa is an hour away by train and the service is regular. You will not believe how far the tower leans, it looks like it is about to topple over at any moment!
You can read about all else that Florence has to offer in any guide book, so I won't reiterate on what you might have already read. Ill just tell you that I found the city easy to navigate, the women are friendly and the men are over friendly!, service in restaurants etc is nowhere near as efficient as England or the USA, but I think thats just their way, you will get your meal eventually!
Prices are cheap too, especially leather, clothes, meals, wine and linen.
I would not recommend Florence for a family holidat as there is simply too much walking to do, plus the children may well get bored looking at " a load of boring old statues of naked men"!. If theres just two of you or even if you are a lone traveller then Florence has plenty to offer and I personally would love to go back, particularly as I thoght it impossible to see everything in just one week!