Yes, I admit Italy can be as confusing to navigate, I can’t even tell you how many times my GPS has tried to take me into the seven circles of hell (aka on an unpaved road in Tuscany after 10pm) so I decided to provide some useful info this dedicated page for newcomers to Florence to have a base before heading to this awesome city. I keep this update as best I can. Also I get a lot of questions such as ‘Where to Stay in Florence?‘, recommendations for tours and things like that so while you are planning your trip, or perhaps you have just arrived – this page is for you!

Why is this city one of the most famous cities in the world?

Might be a silly question to start with but I strongly think that it’s good to know why you are visiting a famous place and what makes it special.

Fun Facts

 Florence’s population is roughly 370,000 – 375,000 people and it is the esteemed capital of Tuscany with Saint John the Baptist being the patron saint of the city. Founded in the first century before christ, it was also once the retirement area for Roman soldiers during the Roman empire. It developed as a cultural mecca under the Medici family {I linked to one of my favorite books about this famous family} and is also known as the birthplace of the renaissance age.

Some famous characters from Florence (or nearby) include my favorite hook-nosed Dante ALghieri (founder of the Italian language), Brunelleschi {thank him for fixing us up for a convenient place to meet – the Duomo}, Leonardo da Vinci, Galilileo Galilei (from Pisa).

They all did their personal best to put Tuscany on the map well before the movie Under the Tuscan Sun was released. :). I recommend getting a good tour guide in Florence, like Alexandra Lawrence or Molly Mcilwrath to show you around, at least for a half day so you don’t miss out on the valuable history of this amazing city – it’s important. Read about “Tuscans that Made it Big’ here, I made a post just for you guys to help you sound savvy when in Florence.

Famous areas of the city – a little #piazzaporn for you all!

The most famous areas in the city include Piazza del Duomo where the famous church and baptistery San Giovanni are located a must see for anyone, also climbing the cupola is highly recommended, Piazza della Repubblica is one of my favorite places, Piazza Santa Croce which is home to the famous ‘calcio storico’ or historical football matches and may outdoor events, Piazzale Michelangelo (best panoramic view over the city – coupled with the Church of San Miniato al Monte), Piazza Santa Maria Novella, the area surrounding San Lorenzo – you must visit the central food market and primo piano fancy food court, the neighborhood of San Niccolo, piazza della passera and we mustn’t forget the Santo Spirito area which is where I live and where I love wandering. There are a lot of off the beaten paths area of Florence which is why you should definitely not feel forced to visit only the most famous museums, take time to explore the Brancacci Chapel in Piazza del Carmine, or the Santo Spirito Church.

Keep in mind that Florence is extremely walk-able so just take a map and get to know the city the first day on foot, save the ‘hop on, hop off tour’ for Rome ;-).

Famous monuments of the city

The most famous monuments besides the Duomo include the

• Campanile di Giotto (82-meter bell tower next to the Duomo and yes you can and should climb it)
• Galleria dell’Accademia (where the real David is located) – you can have lunch or dinner here after.
• Galleria degli Uffizi & the Vasari Corridor
• Palazzo Pitti & the Boboli Gardens
• Palazzo Vecchio (a visit to the tower is a must – think panoramic views of the city)
• Ponte Vecchio
• Brancacci Chapel, Piazza del Carmine (famous fresco by Masaccio)
• Horne House Museum
• Forte Belvedere
• Santa Maria Novella church
• Santa Croce church
• San Marco church (one of my favorites).
• Bargello museum and this is just a taste* of what exists in the marvelous UNESCO Heritage site that is the Florence historical center.
• I also recommend visiting the Palazzo Strozzi (great exhibits) and the Stibbert Museum, an armory museum a bus ride away – its awesome plus they have a great park!

Emergency numbers:

• Carabinieri – 112
• Police – 113
• Fire department – 115 (in theory you can call them if you get locked out of your house and have no where else to turn).
• Ambulance 118

Information offices in Florence:

• Information Office – Piazza Stazione 4, in front of the Firenze Santa Maria Novella Train station. Open Monday through Saturday 8:30am – 7pm. Sunday 8:30am – 2pm. Tel +39 055 290/832
• Information Office – Piazza Duomo (look under the arches) you will see it! (very new).
• Information Office – Borgo S. Croce 29/r, (behind Piazza Santa Croce). March until October, Monday through Saturday 9am – 7pm. Sunday 9am-2pm. From November until February, Monday through Saturday 9am – 5pm. Sunday 9am – 2pm. Tel 055 234/0444.
• Agenzia per il turismo, via cavour 1/r. Monday through Saturday 8:30am-6:30pm. Sunday 8:30am-1:30am. Tel 055 290/0832.

24-Hour Pharmacies in the center

• Farmacia Comunale – Piazza Stazione 13. Tel 055 289/435
• Farmacia Molteni – Via Calzaiuoli 7/r. Tel 055 289/490

Sexual Health Resources in Florence 

• The greatest list ever can be found thanks to The Florentine (published 2017).

Post Offices in Florence (these are the two main ones, there are many smaller ones throughout the city)

• Biggest post office – Via Pellicceria 3 {Piazza della Repubblica}, a must visit because it is quite beautiful and they are quite competent.
• Post Office – Via Pietrapiana 53. {The immigration help-desk is also located here}.

The bus system in Florence is fairly simple to navigate. ATAF is the main bus company, while SITA and LAZZI focus more on the outskirts of the city. You can buy a ticket  which costs 1.20 at any local tabacchi (look for the blue T), newsstands, or even with your cell phone by sending a sms with “ataf” in the subject to 4880105 which is the easiest way! 

You can buy a ticket on-board from the bus driver but it costs two euros and the bus drivers can be evil. If you are going to be in town for a bit and riding the bus often, I recommend buying the handy “carta agile” for either 10 or 20 euros which you just scan on the bus each trip and which doesn’t expire.

Airport shuttle – called the Volainbus which you can get from the station (near the taxi stand) or from the Sita bus station, behind the central train station. The ticket costs around five or six euros for a single trip.

Here is the official Terravision daily bus hours from Florence (train station & airport) to Pisa airport

Train times are really easy to find using Trenitalia’s english website. If you book a week or two ahead, or even more.. tickets can be heavily discounted to popular destinations like Rome or Florence. You can purchase your tickets online or at the station itself at one of the self-service machines. Be careful to watch out for gypsies or people begging while you are buying your ticket.

I usually end up cursing someone out when they linger around the ticket machines when I am trying to get my ticket, not fun! Trenitalia now has competition with the new train service Italo treno which I have taken and been impressed with, they also have free WIFI. Website here.

Train types include the slow train or ‘regional train’ (R) often called “topo” or mouse and stops at almost every station, intercity (IC) is faster and stops only at a few, while of course the Eurostar and FrecciaRossa are the bomb, superfast with the price to match.

Taxis: main number is +39 055 4242. They come very quick and if you are in the center, just walk to one of the taxi stands in front of the train station to pay less, piazza del duomo, piazza della repubblica and piazza santa croce. No need to call in advance, they normally take 5 minutes to arrive anywhere in central Florence.

Where to stay? 

I recently created a separate page for this, you’ll find it here. Happy booking!

• Apartment stays! Personally I am a huge fan of renting an apartment and feeling like a ‘local’ using the apartment as my cozy base. I recommend going with a company you can trust like ,Go With Oh, which has apartment rentals around Europe and their Florence selection is quite vast. I like that they organize by area which I think is more important for a ‘newbie’. Plus they offer some great three-day suggestions for the city and Fiesole, which is a huge plus.  I also highly recommend AirBnb Just because I have always had good experiences using them while traveling though make sure that the apartment offered isn’t a scam [aka read reviews!].

• Bohemian cool: I can highly recommend Le Tre Stanze which is a stone’s throw from the duomo on Via dell’Oriuolo, 43. Prices start at 110 euros a night (single use) and each of the three rooms offer an original contemporary and vintage vibe. Quite simply, this is a gem. website.

• Oltrarno apartments: I highly recommend Palazzo Belfiore, I wrote about them recently because I truly think this is a wonderful place to ‘call home’ while in Florence. Prices range from 115-220 euros per night (up to six people in some apartments). My family and friends come here.

• The hottest, new trendy boutique hotel in Florence, SorprArno Suites is nothing short of awesome.

• Affordable B&B with wonderful service. For a really nice & affordable B&B located near the Florence center – I highly recommend Villa Landucci – a boutique B&B known for being a gastronomic gem & each room is named after a famous wine {I like the bolgheri room}. They even offer in-house wine tastings and can take you on tours to the places your room is named after! One of the few hotels I know in the Florence center that is pet-friendly and actually wants you to bring your dog/cat!

• One of my favorite three-star hotels is La Loggiato dei Servito, Piazza SS. Annunziata, 3, Firenze located in an ex-monastery in one of my favorite locations in town. Very central and authentic.

• Fancy and central! Otherwise if you are looking for a fancy hotel in the center, Antica Torre di via Tornabuoni 1 is gorgeous, smaller luxury hotel and more personal – not to mention they have an amazing 360 degree view above the city.They are super nice and that really counts for a lot in the luxury hotel market.

• Worth every star! Obviously I can’t afford to stay here myself but I really really wish I did. The Four Seasons in Florence is extraordinary luxury, they have thought of every little detail – great spa and outdoor restaurant.

• Another luxury choice that I think is really special is the Relais Santa Croce on via ghibellina, luxury five stars in a beautiful understated location, close to one of my favorite museums in Florence, the Bargello. My bosses at ITALY Magazine loved their experience and I went to a Renaissance party there recently which was a lot of fun. They also have a wonderful restaurant, The Guelfi e Ghibellini restaurant .

• The Hostel Experience. Looking for a hostel? I like Archi Rossi, on via faenza in the center.  Otherwise there is the large Plus Hostel (both camping on the outskirts & a central location.

Outside of Florence {In Tuscany}

• Gorgeous agriturismo Tenuta Lupinari in Bucine (Valdambra) is fabulous! Pool, castle, great food nestled in the middle of the countryside. They also make their own wine & oil!

• Castelfalfi Golf Resort Localita’ Castelfalfi, Montaione, Florence. +39 0571 891000. This place is like Tuscan Disneyland for golfers!

Where to park? 

Florence has several parking garages around the city, they are expensive but at least your car will be safe. They are located at the train station, Piazza Beccaria, Piazza Sant’Ambrogio, Piazza della Liberta and at the Fortezza di Basso. These parking lots are open 24 hours and cost about 1-2 euros per hour and get crazier as time goes on, the people that own the parking lots are satans children because it is ridiculous.

Be careful to avoid driving in the center and getting a fine because of the ZTL system (for your sanity at the same time) but legally, more or less you cannot come in before 7:30pm. They have these restrictions put into place to keep a lot of traffic from the historical center, smartly they have installed handy lights, green means you can enter, red means you cannot unless you have specific access. *Ask your rental agency to give you a map and explain where you can and cannot go.

On Sundays you have free reign. Along the arno river close to Piazza Santa Croce, there are many spaces to park though they go away fast on weekend nights. Just make sure you park only in the blue spaces which are available for everyone. Rules are that you must pay for a ticket until 8pm, after 8pm it is free to park there. The white spaces are for residents only and if you park there, you can (and likely) will be fined. Also be careful to check the signs for street-cleaning which they normally do once-a-week during which no cars can be parked or they will be towed (the signs are always on the street).

For bike rental, read this blog post . This month their will be a new bike-sharing system in the oltrarno area of Florence. I will write about it once I see it in action in person and know that it works ;-), but it does sound pretty awesome. If you buy a bike – get a cheap one because unfortunately they get stolen quote often. Get at least two bike locks and invest in some good ones, most B&Bs and some apartment rentals have bikes available to rent.

Looking for something to eat near the Santa Maria Novella Train station? I have you covered with this post.

Segways – can’t help you there because I think they look stupid. Florence is small – walk or ride a bike.

Need a pet sitter? Here you go, they even have a website! {in English}! Plus Florence (and Tuscany) is very pet-friendly, I have a baby beagle and everyone loves and accepts her in most places. You can get a great list of pet shops in the city via this great blog post by my friend Gina and a lot of them know dog-sitters so you will be in good hands.

Need a House sitter, ask me! I’ve done it before and I love it . references are provided (only in the historical center).

Markets To Visit

Italians love their markets and let’s be honest here, who doesn’t love instagramming a picture from their latest farmer’s market trip downtown, a colorful medley of fresh squash and peaches. Ready for the taking. Well Florence has all of that and more and to get the most out of your holiday make sure to visit a few! Below I have categorized them by type.

Leather goods/scarves/purses/

Porcellino Market – think ‘wild boar’ in piazza Mercato Nuovo, Loggia del Porcellino. Open daily. Here you can get your 5 euros sarves, bags, purses, keychains and take a selfie with the most popular boar in town, don’t forget to rub his nose for good luck!

San Lorenzo Market around Piazza San Lorenzo (has recently been moved), but you can find it still off of via nazionale and the mercato centrale (plus behind). Here you will find a larger selection of tourist goods, not all made-in-italy but definitely fun to walk through. Open Daily.

Flower Market: Piazza della Repubblica, every Thursday morning (halts in August). I adore this market, not only because its vibrant atmosphere is like a Tuscan dream, also because prices are cheap. Allowing me to replace the plants I kill regularly.

Lets Talk Food!

Mercato Centrale in the San Lorenzo Neighborhood, open daily until around 2pm. An institution of a place, with vendors hawking all sorts of products, from fish to exotic fruits. Upstairs you will find the fancy food court I adore which makes this area even more awesome!

Sant’Ambrogio Market, east of the city in Piazza Ghiberti. Open until around 1pm, here is where I normally shop for fruits & veggies., plus meats, fish and cheeses. There is something about this place that makes you want to embrace a healthy lifestyle once and for all. Plus everything is really really nice.

Fierucola market, Piazza Santo Spirito – every third Sunday of the month. The organic lover’s dream, this market has all sorts of local bio-products, including quality honey’s, cheeses and olive oil.

The Antique Lover’s Kryptonite

The city’s flea market has now been moved to Largo Pietro Annigoni, and takes place every day but Sunday (except for the last Sunday which makes for a huge extension of the regular market). A fun place that I love to walk through and search for vintage sunglasses, old city keys, maps, record players that I cannot afford and you get my drift.

Antique Market at the Cascine park, not far from the Santa Maria Novella Train Station. This market is held on the third saturday and sunday of the month and is the mother of antique markets in Florence. You can find some real gems here, just check out the photos from Birgitte’s Blog ‘A Dusty Olive Green’ (when it was hosted at the Fortezza di Basso).

Santo Spirito Market, Piazza Santo Spirito, every second Sunday of the month. I love this market because it’s in the oltrarno and I have often found cool stuff here to boot.

The ‘Everything’ Market

Le Cascine market at Le Cascine Park every Tuesday from 7am to 2pm. This market has been here as long as I can remember and combines everything from old sweaters, farmer’s market products, shoes, scarves, anything you didn’t know you needed.

Tours I recommend

• I highly recommend hiring a local expert to help you explore Florence since the history is so rich and you don’t want to wander with just a guidebook. While there are many tours in the city, my favorite are run by Context Travel, which used docents who are highly-educated and really know their stuff, I enjoy every tour I have been with them, especially if Alexandra Lawrence is leading the way. Email Alexandra to plan your tour here [email protected].

• Looking for a foodie tour? The best experience I have had is with experienced gourmet tour leader Curious Appetite Travel, check options here. Think an imaginative aperitivo tour that takes you on a taste journey through some of my favorite places in Florence, including wine & food pairings from an experienced expert who also knows how to make it fun. I highly recommend Coral. 

• Tours with Kids: Look no further than Molly McIlwrath, American by birth but based in Pistoia, she is kind, funny and offers wonderful family tours. She also can take you around the artisan quarter in the oltrarno. Read about one Anything Tuscan’s recent experience on a tour here, Email her at [email protected]. Also ask her to show you around Pistoia, neighbor of Florence and a small, vibrant little town well worth a visit! 

• Vintage Fiat 500 Tours in Tuscany, I’ve done this ans had a wonderful time. More details here.

• Ape Tours in Tuscany, I know you have seen these little ‘Tuk Tuk’ trucks, can you imagine taking a tour in Florence in one? It is possible! Ignore the hard-to-see-site and give a twirl. I love this idea. website.

Cooking Classes in Florence I Recommend

• Food For Friends is the brainchild of two friends, Italian and English who operate cooking classes out of a beautiful home in the center of town.What I like about them is the fact that this is not a cooking school but more like meeting someone who truly is passionate about food, teaches you in a gorgeous but casual environment and they have vegetarian options, Plus I adore Francesca and Jaqueline Facebook, website.

• Another great choice in Florence is the MaMa Florence Cooking School by lebaccanti.com, Viale Francesco Petrarca, 12, 50124 Firenze + 39 055 220101. I have sent a lot of friends there and everyone always has a great time. Website.

• DESINARE Cooking school & shop @ Riccardo Barthel is a good choice as well (in the oltrarno too!). They are not the cheapest option but I’ve heard good things. Via dei Serragli, 234, Firenze, Phone:055 221118. The location I should mention is absolutely beautiful. website.

 

Free Wifi – Where to connect! 

 

[googlemaps https://mapsengine.google.com/map/u/0/embed?mid=zRZap7wFjadE.kocFpMSJPvDQ&w=640&h=480]

View map in google maps here

SaveSave