Florence itinerary — 4 days

The Gallery of the Academy is famous for its sculptures by Michelangelo, the great artist of the Renaissance. His Prisoners (or Slaves), his St. Matthew, and above all the majestic statue of David inside the Tribune attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the museum every year. The main halls of the Academy also display paintings by famous Italian artists, including Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pontormo, Andrea del Sarto, Alessandro Allori, and Orcagna, to name just a few. The Gallery of the Academy in Florence is an art school where a large collection of sculptures that served as inspiration for students has been assembled. Besides the famous statues, the gallery also includes a collection of artworks created by students of the Academy, a large collection of paintings by Florentine artists, religious engravings from the Middle Ages, and Russian icons. The most famous statue in the Gallery of the Academy is Michelangelo's original David.

The Florentine museum world-famous for Michelangelo's original marble David, moved here from Piazza della Signoria in 1873 and housed beneath a custom skylit Tribune. The Hall of the Prisoners displays his unfinished Slaves, revealing the master's technique of freeing figures from raw marble blocks. You will also find Giambologna's plaster Rape of the Sabine Women and Stradivari violins. Advance timed booking is essential.

A former Dominican convent rebuilt by Michelozzo in 1437–1444 with Cosimo de' Medici's money, now the museum of Fra Angelico's frescoes. The monks' cells still carry his 1440s paintings, including the celebrated 'Annunciation'; the refectory holds Ghirlandaio's 'Last Supper', and much of the museum is devoted to Girolamo Savonarola, the convent's fiery prior.

Sculpted between 1501 and 1504 from a single colossal block of Carrara marble, Michelangelo's David is widely hailed as a pinnacle of Renaissance art. Standing over five meters tall, the statue depicts the youthful biblical hero in tense concentration before facing Goliath, symbolizing Florentine civic liberty. Relocated indoors in 1873, it is displayed beneath the sunlit skylit dome of the Tribune in the Accademia Gallery.

If you're seeking a serene escape from the bustling streets of Florence, look no further than the Biblioteca delle Oblate. Nestled on Via Oriuolo, this charming library is housed in a historic 14th-century convent and offers an enchanting rooftop café with stunning views of the iconic Duomo. Here, you can savor delicious food and drinks—both alcoholic and non—while enjoying a peaceful atmosphere away from tourist crowds.

The largest Franciscan basilica in the world, founded in 1294 to Arnolfo di Cambio's design on Piazza Santa Croce in Florence. Known as the "Temple of Italian Glories", it serves as the final resting place of Michelangelo, Galileo Galilei, Niccolò Machiavelli, and Gioachino Rossini. Inside, side chapels display masterwork frescoes by Giotto, while its peaceful cloisters frame Filippo Brunelleschi's Pazzi Chapel.

Florence's quintessential viewpoint, set on a hilltop above the south bank of the Arno River. Designed in 1869 by Giuseppe Poggi, it delivers an unobstructed panorama of the city skyline: Brunelleschi's dome, Giotto's Campanile, Palazzo Vecchio, and Ponte Vecchio. A bronze replica of Michelangelo's David anchors the terrace, where crowds gather to watch the sunset.

A basilica of the 11th-13th centuries on the hill above Piazzale Michelangelo, among the purest examples of Florentine Romanesque with a marble facade in white and green. Inside waits a 13th-century apse mosaic, a marble altar from Michelozzo's workshop and a 12th-century crypt. Legend holds that Florence's first martyr, St Minias, was executed on this spot; Benedictine monks still sing vespers in Gregorian chant.

The octagonal baptistery of white and green marble facing Florence cathedral, one of the city's oldest buildings. Dante and the Medici were baptised here. Ghiberti's gilded bronze 'Gates of Paradise' — which Michelangelo called the gates of heaven — are copies, with originals kept in the Opera del Duomo museum. Inside, a 13th-century mosaic ceiling blazes with a giant figure of Christ.

The palace of Cosimo the Elder, built 1444–1460 to Michelozzo's design, is a textbook of the early Renaissance: a rusticated facade, an arched courtyard with garden and columns. The gem is the Magi Chapel, where Benozzo Gozzoli's frescoes turn the procession of the Magi into a dynastic portrait of the Medici. Later owners, the Riccardi, added the gallery with Luca Giordano's ceiling, the 'Apotheosis of the Medici'. One ticket covers both floors.

Florence's historic central food hall in the San Lorenzo district is a nineteenth-century iron-and-glass landmark designed by Giuseppe Mengoni, architect of Milan's Galleria, and opened in 1874. The ground floor bustles with traditional Tuscan merchants selling wheels of pecorino, cured prosciutto, fresh truffles, and Florence's classic lampredotto sandwiches. Upstairs, a modern gourmet food court offers artisan pizzas, pastas, and Chianti wine.

The Basilica di San Lorenzo is one of Florence's oldest churches and the parish sanctuary of the powerful Medici family. Rebuilt in the 15th century by Filippo Brunelleschi, it stands as a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture with harmonious nave colonnades and a coffered ceiling. Inside, visitors find Brunelleschi's Old Sacristy, Donatello's bronze pulpits, and the tombs of prominent Medici rulers, alongside a peaceful cloister.

Domed landmark containing tombs of the Medici family, including the New Sacristy by Michelangelo.

Florence's principal Dominican basilica, celebrated for its geometric white-and-green marble Renaissance facade designed by Leon Battista Alberti in 1470. The interior preserves milestones of Western art history, including Masaccio's groundbreaking linear-perspective Holy Trinity, Giotto's Crucifix, and Domenico Ghirlandaio's Tornabuoni Chapel frescoes, alongside the serene cloisters of the monastery.

One of the best things to do in Florence is a guided tour. We took two tours while we were in the city, and it was the perfect way to learn about Florentine history and see the sights. A walking tour is a good way to explore the city center, while a driver with a local guide allows you to see more in a short amount of time. Discover Florence through the eyes of experienced guides who will take you through the city's hidden treasures. Joining a guided tour or a free tour will let you experience the true essence of Florence. Private tour of Florence

A 14th-century fortified fortress-palace presiding over Piazza della Signoria, serving for centuries as the political heart of Florence and former seat of the Medici rulers. Crowned by the 95-meter crenellated Arnolfo Tower, the palace contains the breathtaking Salone dei Cinquecento adorned with battle frescoes by Giorgio Vasari, opulent private ducal apartments, and Michelozzo's sculpted courtyard fountain.

The preeminent treasury of Renaissance art, housed in the 16th-century magistrates' palace designed by Giorgio Vasari along the River Arno. Assembled by the Medici family, its collection features iconic masterworks: Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation, and Michelangelo's Doni Tondo, alongside Titian and Caravaggio. Top-floor windows frame postcard views of the Ponte Vecchio.

Florence's oldest and most picturesque bridge, spanning the Arno River since 1345. By decree of the Medici in the 16th century, butcher shops were replaced with goldsmiths and jewelers, which continue trading here today. Above the shops runs the Vasari Corridor connecting Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti, offering iconic river views from the central arches.

A monumental Renaissance palace across the Arno River, purchased in 1549 as the primary grand ducal residence of the Medici family. Its opulent Palatine Gallery displays masterpieces by Raphael, Titian, Rubens, and Caravaggio in their original lavish salon arrangements. The complex also houses the Royal Apartments, the Grand Dukes' Treasury, and overlooks the historic Boboli Gardens.

A monumental open-air museum and quintessential Renaissance park rising behind Florence's Pitti Palace. Commissioned in the 16th century for the Medici dynasty, the gardens showcase terraced gravel pathways, ancient Roman and Renaissance marble sculptures, the Neptune fountain, and Bernardo Buontalenti's fantastical grotto. The highest terraces offer sweeping panoramas overlooking Florence's iconic skyline and Tuscan hills.