Stand in the middle of Piazza del Duomo and the cathedral fills your view: white, green and pink marble, a facade that looks far newer than the rest of the building, and Brunelleschi's dome rising behind it. This is the Florence most visitors picture, and it is where almost every first day begins.
The city suits travellers who would rather spend three unhurried hours in one gallery than sprint through five, and who are willing to book ahead so they spend their time looking rather than queueing. It also rewards anyone who leaves room in the schedule for churches, gardens and long walks between them.
This guide covers the sights named in the source material, ordered so the strongest come first, with a one-day plan at the end that uses only those places.
Top things to do in Florence
1. Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore
The cathedral dominates the piazza and the skyline, and it is an early example of building something before knowing quite how it would be finished, until Brunelleschi supplied the crowning dome. The interior follows a basilica pattern and feels vast and at first rather dark; give your eyes time to adjust, then look for the stained glass windows, the funeral monument of Bishop d'Orso and the altar of St Zanobius.
Entry to the cathedral is free, but you need a pre-booked ticket and time slot to climb the dome, and the combined ticket for the monuments of the piazza is worth buying online in advance. The crypt below holds remains of the preceding cathedral of Santa Reparata and the tomb of Brunelleschi.
2. Galleria degli Uffizi
A fine art museum of Renaissance paintings and sculpture from classical antiquity, housed in a late 16th-century palazzo designed by Vasari, with two wings enclosing a long narrow courtyard that works almost like a street. The artworks are on the first and second floors, and highlights include Botticelli's Birth of Venus, della Francesca's Dukes of Urbino, Caravaggio's Medusa, Titian's Venus of Urbino, da Vinci's Annunciation and Raphael's Pope Leo X and family.
Allow three hours. This is the museum that draws the biggest crowds, so book online or by phone for a fixed slot and arrive well ahead, since there is often a line to skip the line. Note that you may not bring in water, and that the collection specialises in the Renaissance rather than later styles.
3. Galleria dell'Accademia
Home to Michelangelo's original David, along with his unfinished Slaves, Florentine painting, a museum of musical instruments and Russian icons. The David standing in Piazza della Signoria is a copy, so this is the one to see if the sculpture matters to you.
Book ahead, as this is one of the busiest museums in the city. No photography is allowed inside, and the "Accademia di Belle Arti" next door is a university department with no connection to the gallery.
4. Palazzo del Bargello
Used as a barracks and prison until the 19th century, this museum now holds some of the best Renaissance and Mannerist sculpture, with works by Michelangelo, Donatello, Ammannati, Bandinelli, the Sansovinos, Desiderio da Settignano, Giambologna and Antonio Rossellino, plus ceramics, textiles and tapestries, ivory, silver, armour and coins.
Allow two hours. It is not nearly as crowded as the Uffizi or the Accademia, so paying a booking fee in advance is likely unnecessary. Check the calendar before you go, as it closes on certain days of the week.
5. Cupola del Brunelleschi
The dome that crowns the cathedral, and the reason the building could be completed at all. Climbing it gives you the view from the top of the church rather than from a hillside, and it puts you close to the structure itself.
You need a pre-booked ticket and time slot for the climb, entering on the north side of the church. Slots are limited and the climb is long, so choose your time of day deliberately rather than leaving it to chance.
6. Campanile di Giotto
The richly decorated bell tower designed by Giotto, topped by an open terrace with a panorama over the cathedral, the city and the surrounding hills. It is a tall climb, but the reward is a view that includes the dome rather than one taken from it.
Entry is by ticket, and it is covered by the same combined ticket as the other monuments of the piazza. Go early in the day if you want the terrace to yourself.
7. Battistero di San Giovanni
The ornate medieval baptistery standing in front of the cathedral, octagonal in plan with a pyramidal roof covering its dome. It is famous for its bronze doors by Andrea Pisano and Lorenzo Ghiberti, and for an interior vault decorated with 13th-century mosaics.
Entry is by ticket. The interior has been under restoration and unviewable, so check the current situation before planning your visit around it; the exterior can be seen regardless, and it sits directly on your route through the piazza.
8. Palazzo Pitti
One of the city's major museums and one of the galleries worth choosing if you plan to do at least one. It is filled with the work of the Renaissance big names, and it combines with the gardens behind it.
Book ahead, as the big-name museums share a booking portal and there are several combi-tickets. A combined ticket with the Uffizi and the Boboli Gardens is available, which is the practical way to pair the two.
9. Giardino di Boboli
The garden attached to Palazzo Pitti, and the natural counterpart to a morning spent indoors among paintings. It is one of the sights covered by the combined booking portal and the combi-tickets.
Pair it with Palazzo Pitti on the same ticket, and treat it as the slower half of the day rather than an afterthought. Comfortable shoes matter more here than in the galleries.
10. Basilica di Santa Maria Novella
One of the fine churches north of the river, and a sensible choice if you want to spread your time across churches rather than queue for the biggest sights. It sits on the north side of the centre, which makes it easy to fold into a walking day.
Combine it with the other churches north of the river if you have the appetite: San Lorenzo, Santa Trinita, Santa Croce, Santo Spirito, SS Annunziata and Ognissanti are all named among them. South of the river, Santa Maria del Carmine and San Miniato al Monte are the highlights.
11. Piazzale Michelangiolo
The classic panorama of Florence, on the hillside just south of the river, and the view most people have in mind when they picture the city from above. San Miniato al Monte, a little higher up, offers another.
Every tour bus pauses here for photographs, so it can get mobbed; go outside the busiest hours if you want space at the railing. It pairs naturally with a walk up from the river rather than a single-purpose trip.
12. Museo di San Marco
One of the museums named among the city's collections, and a quieter alternative to the headline galleries. It suits a day built around churches and smaller collections rather than the blockbuster sights.
If you are choosing between museums, remember that the Uffizi, Pitti Palace, Accademia and Bargello are the ones that reward booking ahead, while others can be visited more spontaneously.
13. Palazzo Strozzi
A museum in the centre of the city, and one of the options if you want a gallery visit that is not on the main tourist circuit. It fits easily into a walking route through the streets between the cathedral and the river.
Treat it as a flexible stop rather than a fixed appointment, and use it to fill the gap when a booked slot elsewhere falls later in the day.
14. Casa Guidi
A museum in the city, and one of the smaller collections worth considering when you have already covered the major galleries. It is the kind of stop that suits an unhurried afternoon.
Check before you set out, since smaller museums keep their own schedules, and build it into a day that already has you walking through the centre.
15. Giardino Bardini
A park in the city, and a green counterpart to the Boboli Gardens. It is a place to slow down rather than to tick off, and it works well at the end of a day spent on your feet.
Pair it with the south-bank sights, including Piazzale Michelangiolo and San Miniato al Monte, so you are not crossing the river twice for single stops.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore while the piazza is still manageable, and use your pre-booked slot for the Cupola del Brunelleschi or the Campanile di Giotto rather than trying to do both. Look at the Battistero di San Giovanni on the way past, since it stands directly in front of the cathedral.
Afternoon: Take your booked slot at the Galleria degli Uffizi and give it the three hours it deserves, then walk to the Palazzo del Bargello, which is far less crowded and does not usually require a booking. If you have energy left, the Galleria dell'Accademia is the other museum worth a fixed slot, but do not attempt it on the same afternoon as the Uffizi unless you have booked both.
Evening: Cross the river to Piazzale Michelangiolo for the classic panorama as the light goes, and continue a little higher to San Miniato al Monte if you still have the legs for it. If your day has run long, the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella on the north side is an easier close to the evening.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to book Florence's museums in advance?
For the big-name museums, yes. The Uffizi is the hardest to access, and without a booking you may wait hours or be turned away. Book online or by phone for a fixed time slot, and arrive well ahead, because so many people are skipping the line that there is a line to skip the line.
Which day of the week should I avoid?
The first Sunday of the month is especially crowded because entry to the Uffizi is free, and Tuesday is also busy since the museum is closed on Monday and demand builds up. The monuments of the cathedral piazza are all closed on the first Tuesday of the month.
Is a combined ticket worth it?
If you plan to see several sights in the same group, yes. A combined ticket covers the monuments of the cathedral piazza with one entry per monument, and there are combi-tickets linking the Uffizi with Palazzo Pitti and the Giardino di Boboli. A Firenzecard is another option if you want to skip the usual line.
How much can I realistically see in a day?
Less than you think. The advice in the source material is to learn from Stendhal and not try to see too much: a long weekend comfortably takes in a sprinkling of old churches and a couple of museums or galleries, leaving time and energy for simply enjoying the ambience.
Decide which two or three sights matter most to you, book those slots now, and let the rest of your days in Florence fill themselves in around them.