1. DUOMO
Even though there are like hundreds of reasons why Florence is an amazing city, I believe that Piazza del Duomo is one of the most popular one. This square has exactly the same structure as Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa. In details, the square surrounds a cathedral Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, a tower Giotto's Campanile and a baptistery Florence Baptistery.
Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore was designed 800 years covered in marbled in gothic style. From the outside, it's one of the most amazing cathedrals. It's still open for religious purposes as much as it welcomes tourists for free in certain timing windows when there is no mass. I should remind you that at the entrance of the cathedral, there is always a security staff that has the right to decline visitors if their clothing is not appropriate, so if you are wearing shorts or short dresses, you might want to pack a long scarf with you to cover up.
I visited inside the Cathedral after living in Pisa for 4 years and visiting Florence more than 10 times. The only reason why I waited all those times to visit inside the Cathedral was the unbelievably long cues. I always went there with daily trips so the earliest I reach Florence was around 10-11 AM, so I always met a huge line of visitors. Keep also in mind that during the day, they close the cathedral for visit in certain time windows to allow people pray. Anyways, I had to wait for about 1 hour to enter and the second I entered, I wished I could take that 1 hour back! I cannot say that I was disappointed, the roof was covered with an amazing mural and the decorations were amazing. But, it was no different than the Cathedral in Pisa or any other Cathedral in that matter. I completely accept that I have no interest, or education about Renaissance art or Christian culture, so maybe that's why. However, outside the square is sooo amazing and there are so many streets to explore, waiting 1 hour for the cue was just not worth for a daily visitors.
Even though entering the duomo was free, climbing up the roof is not. To visit the roof and you need to purchase a ticket in advance and climb 463 steps! Luckily, this ticket gives you the right to skip the cue to enter the Cathedral and gives you a guided tour. Furthermore, the terrace of duomo is not covered with the fish net, so you can get a better view of the city. You might also consider climbing up Giotto's Campanile, which has about 414 steps. The beauty here is that if you are willing to pay a couple of euros and climbing all those stairs, you will get an amazing view. Plus, not all the visitors are willing to visit the tower, so there is not such a big cue to wait. Unfortunately, once you reach upstairs, the terrace is covered with fishnet, so your vision will be limited.
Finally, you can visit the Baptistery, where Dante got baptized! It is decorated with gorgeous doors and mosaics. Dan Brown's Inferno movie version were partially filmed here and this is why the Baptistery was closed to visitors for a couple of years. Then, it was under reconstruction, so it is quite likely that you missed or might miss it.
If you are a budget traveler who doesn't have a lot of time and money, I still suggest you to come here, just keep admiring the outer architecture and the details of these landmarks and watch tourists rushing around. The piazza has such an amazing vibe!
2. PONTE VECCHIO
I grew up in Turkey, so I studied the Turkish/Ottoman history mostly. This is why apart from the Renaissance, I didn't study much about the history of Italy and I almost remember nothing among all the things I studied. The only piece of information that I remember is that Florence was a city kingdom and is very rich and powerful will all the trade routes. This is why I always imagined Florence with narrow streets and busy shops full of diamonds and gold. Ponte Vecchio is the perfect realization of my childhood dreams!
Ponte Vecchio is the main bridge that connects both sides of Florence, which is divided by the river Arno. It was built in the 14th century and it still stands strong despite of all the tourist crowd passing along all day, everyday. In my dream, these wealthy shops were located somewhere on ground, but in reality it's even more fantastic: they are located on both sides of the bridge, since the original construction. Back at the time, the business owners thought that if their shop is located on the river, which cannot be owned by government legally, the owners don't need to pay taxes! I don't know why noone else thought of it tough - it's genius!
Today, the shops on the bridge are still in business and sell jewelry, art pieces or souvenirs. I don't know if the owners still can make it without paying the taxes, but for sure it made an amazing attraction.
3. ART
Florence is where Renaissance happened, so every corner you turn, you will find a masterpiece. The first must-see destination is the Piazza della Signoria, where you can see a copy of Michelangelo's famous David right in the middle of the square. Previously, the original David used to be here, but then they decided to move it to a museum to protect it better. Even though the David here is not original, it's a pretty good replica. In the next building to David, you can see more sculptures in Loggia dei Lanzi to see Rape of the Sabine Women or Perseus with the Head of Medusa, which are pretty famous and realistic sculptures. Also Fontana del Nettuno is worth a view.
If you are more into art, you have to visit Uffizi museum, which is right next to the Piazza della Signoria. The museum has the collection gifted by the Medici, who was the masters of the Renaissance art world! There are works of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Caravaggio, Mechelangelo , Botticelli and many other heroes of Renaissance. As you might expect, entrance to the museum is always extremely crowded if you don't have the ticket. You can skip the line at the Uffizi by purchasing your ticket in advance. While buying the tickets, you should actually choose a time slot during which your ticket will be valid. Since this is Italy and Italians are the completely opposite of punctual; you might still end up waiting for certain delays, especially if your ticket is for the afternoon. I suggest you to plan your visit in the morning, so you will not waste time waiting and spend your afternoon freely.
Another must-see location for art-lovers is Accademia. After removing original David from Piazza della Signoria, this is his home now. Today's museum was actually the first drawing school in Europe. The down side of Accademia is the location: compared to Uffizi, it's a bit off the center. The bright side is that since it's a bit off the center, there are less people trying to enter. Still, I would say the same thing as Uffizi: try to purchase your ticket in advance and try to plan your visit early in the morning.
PS: If you have the time/money to spend only for one museum, I would suggest Uffizi, as many others do. Besides all the collections to see, you can also have an amazing view of Arno and Ponte Vecchio from the windows.
4. SQUARES TO VISIT
Living or visiting in Italy is amazing as long as you know which squares you should visit and for what. There are many squares that are amazing to visit, walk around and take pictures, but not to eat/drink. Then, there are some squares that you might expect to find a flee market, especially during the weekends. Finally, there are squares you should go especially to eat/drink. Let's start.
First, let's complete Piazza della Signoria. In the square, you will find amazing pieces to see located outside. On the back of David statue, you might visit Palazzo Vecchio, which was the home to Florentine rules and today is used as the city hall. If you walk to the other side of the square, you will find San Lorenzo Market and Central Porcellino, where you might see some shops to buy some souvenirs or leather products. I would suggest to hang around here just to enjoy your time and walk around, but that's it.
PS: Right in the corner, you will see a sculpture of a big pig (porcellino), which is believed to give you very good luck if you rub his nose 3 times!
You will obviously also spend a lot of time in Piazza del Duomo and you must! But, if I were you, I wouldn't have high expectations of high quality food or friendly prices.
Right next to the train station, you will find Piazza Santa Maria Novella, which gave its name to the train station. In the center, there is a big church, which is a lovely visit for those who love the religious sites. The entrance is not for free. It has a pretty similar characteristics to the duomo, with much less people around because both churches are actually designed by the same architect. Anyways, in this piazza, you might find much local restaurants than the center if you can make it up to here. I've also seen many street food festivals here, so try your chances!
PS: If you want to do some souvenir shopping, this might be a good place. Extend your search also to the station, you might find magnets for about 1euro!
Another favorite Piazza in Florence is Piazza Santa Spirito. To reach this square, you will need to pass Ponte Vecchio, reach Palazzo Pitti. Turn right and you will find yourself right in front of Basilica di Santa Spirito and in the middle of Piazza Santa Spirito. Compared to all the other squares, this is much more local! In fact, you can understand it from the prices of restaurants surrounding the square. On Sundays, you might get lucky and find a flee market here - and let me tell you that Italian flee markets are just sooo cool! If you want to grab a glass of wine and enjoy a good lunch, this should be your place!
If you are searching for cheaper options, check out for Porta Romana, 5 minutes walking distance from Palazzo Pitti. In the center Florence, the price of a cup of coffee is about 3-4$, while in Porta Romana, that's the price of an amazing spritz!
5. PANORAMIC VIEWS
Since Duomo and Ponte Vecchio are the most important landmarks of Florence, you can see these views the best if you go further and up. Being built on the hills kinda give many options for travelers for panaromic views, but I will mention two here.
The first and the most famous one if Piazza Michelangelo. You can consider getting the bus service, but I highly suggest to walk up there, depending on your shoes. The square is very well-known and free, which means it's ALWAYS crowded with tourists and a couple of locals trying to enjoy the view. The place is pretty amazing to have your own aperitivo at the sunset. There are some restaurants and food trucks, but the prices are not very charming.
Alternatively, consider visiting Forte di Belvedere. Something I could never understand about travel guides of Florence is that all of them kept suggesting visiting Boboli Gardens. Sure, if you have a lot of time, Boboli Gardens might be an amazing atmosphere and incredible gardens, but the entrance cost about 15$ and to me, it's just not worth. You might appreciate it better if you buy 15$ worth wine and appetizer plate. Even though I might suggest to skip Boboli Gardens, consider visiting Belvedere Fort. It's a star shaped fortress built by Medici family to be protected from potential attacks and this is why it has an amazing view! For the fort itself, you can buy entrance tickets for about 3$, which is not a bad investment at all. The fort is right across the Duomo, and it's much less crowded than Piazzale Michelangelo.
