Stand in the Piazza del Duomo and Look Up
You step out of the narrow streets north of the river and the space opens suddenly: Piazza del Duomo, with Santa Maria del Fiore filling one side of it. The cathedral's facade is a wall of multicoloured marble — red from Siena, white from Carrara, green from Prato — and above it rises Brunelleschi's dome, the cupola that still defines the Florentine skyline. In front of you stands the ornate medieval Baptistery, octagonal with a pyramidal roof over its dome, and beside the cathedral is Giotto's Bell Tower. The piazza is busy, but the scale of the buildings absorbs the crowd. Give yourself a few minutes before you go in.
Inside the Cathedral, Then 464 Steps Up
Entry to the cathedral itself is free, though you need a pre-booked ticket and time-slot to climb the dome. Inside, the basilica is vast, and at first it feels dark and empty — give your eyes time to adjust. Look for the stained glass windows, the funeral monument of Bishop d'Orso, and the altar of St Zanobius. Below the floor is the Crypt, where you can see remains of the preceding cathedral of Santa Reparata and the tomb of Brunelleschi, buried here with a commemorative plaque — an unusual honour for an architect then considered a humble artisan. Giotto is believed to lie somewhere in the cathedral too, though his tomb has yet to be identified. Above it all soars the cupola. If you have booked a slot, you climb the 464 steps to the Dome; Giotto's Tower, nearly 85 m tall, takes 414 steps and rewards you with an open terrace and a panorama of the Duomo, the city and the surroundings.
The Doors, the Museum, and the Art That Came Out of the Buildings
The Baptistery is famous for its bronze doors by Andrea Pisano and Lorenzo Ghiberti, and for an interior vault decorated with 13th-century mosaics; the interior was under restoration and unviewable as of April 2024, though the exterior can still be seen. Much of the artwork from these buildings has been replaced by replicas, with the originals in the Museum of the Works of the Duomo directly behind the dome end of the cathedral. There you can see sculptures by Donatello, a Michelangelo Pietà different from his version in Saint Peter's in Rome, the losing entries in the 1401 contest to design the Baptistery doors, and models and drawings of the cathedral. If you want to see the original David rather than the copy in Piazza della Signoria, that is at the Galleria dell'Accademia; the Uffizi, the Bargello and the Pitti Palace are all within the compact, walkable historic centre.
When to Come, and How to Move Through the City
Florence rewards a slower pace. The cathedral is open Monday to Saturday 10:00–16:30 and Sunday 13:30–16:45; Giotto's Tower daily 08:15–19:00; the museum Friday to Wednesday 09:00–19:00 and Thursday 09:00–17:00; the Baptistery Monday to Friday 08:15–10:15 and 11:15–19:30, Saturday 08:15–18:30, Sunday 08:15–13:30. All of the monuments close on the first Tuesday of the month. A combined ticket bought online covers the monuments, one entry each, valid for 72 hours after first use and bookable up to 30 days ahead. The big-name museums draw the heaviest crowds — the Uffizi is hardest to access, and the first Sunday of the month, when entry is free, is especially busy. Pre-book what matters to you and spread the rest out. The city is small enough to walk, and the classic panorama is from Piazzale Michelangelo on the hillside south of the river, or a little higher up at San Miniato al Monte — though every tour bus pauses there for photos, so it can get mobbed.
Cross the River and Eat Where the Florentines Do
South of the river, the highlights are the church of Santa Maria del Carmine and San Miniato al Monte; north of it, beyond the Duomo, you have San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Trinita, Santa Croce, Santo Spirito, SS Annunziata and Ognissanti. Walk the historic centre — it is small and walkable — and cross the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest stone bridge in Europe. Build your day around a long lunch and an evening passaggiata rather than a checklist, and leave time and energy for just enjoying the ambience. The restaurants around Santo Spirito and the Oltrarno tend to be where you eat alongside Florentines rather than tour groups.
Start with the dome. Book your time-slot for the climb before you arrive, decide which one museum you actually want to queue for, and let the rest of your days be shaped by the streets between the churches. Florence does not need to be rushed — it needs to be walked.