Discover the best of Florence in your own time with this easy to follow, relax, beautiful itinerary though Florence city center (with attraction info)
Florence is an incredibly walkable city.
Despite being bigger in size than many other Tuscan towns, Florence has a very compact historic center with most of Florence’s top attractions clustered so close to one another, you are hardly ever more than ten minutes walk from any of them, no matter where in the city center you are!
This is one of the many reasons why Florence city center is UNESCO World Heritage Site as a whole, its many landmark coming together to form something unique, with a value that goes beyond that of the sum of its parts.
The proximity of landmarks means you can easily explore Florence in your own time and without a guide.
If you just take a stroll, you’ll easily find yourself seeing the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria and Ponte Vecchio without even trying.
However, if you want to make sure you see the main Florence landmarks and like a little guidance, i can help!
Today, I share with you my favorite Florence city center walking itinerary, with the top things I recommend you to seek out and some background information about each. I hope you enjoy it!
How long to follow this Florence walking itinerary
The itinerary on this page takes as little as few hours, if you only stay on ‘this side’ of the river or a full day if you want to explore Oltrarno.
Going with kids? Read this!
A fun way to use this Florence city center itinerary with kids is to complement it with this Florence printable scavenger hunt so they have things to spot along the way and fact cards to learns quick facts about what they are seeing! I made it with my daughter and it’s an easy and fun way to explore Florence without a tour!
Stop 1: Santa Maria Novella Church and Square
I recommend you start your itinerary from the church of Santa Maria Novella, one of the most beautiful and significant in Florence.
The church is close to the station and therefore works well even if you’re in Florence for a few hours by train.
Founded by monks of Dominican Order in the first half of the thirteen century, Santa Maria Novella is beautiful outside and out.
From outside, it is worth noticing its beautiful facade, made of colorful marbles in a style that is typical of Tuscany.
Inside, the most famous artworks of Santa Maria Novella include the Strozzi Chapel, the Tornabuoni chapel, and Masaccio’s Trinity.
The basilica is always open for worship, but requires ticketed access for all other types of visits.
Tickets are available on the day at the basilica complex on, in advance, from the Santa Maria Novella official website.
Dress code: due to the religious nature of the place, modest clothing is required (no bare shoulders, shorts/skirts above the knee / revealing clothing, etc). The dress code is not as strict for little kids; however, tweens and older kids should dress to respect the spirit of the rule.
| Good to know! Santa Maria Novella overlooks a large, beautiful piazza with plenty of seating space, cafes and gelato places; a lovely spot, even if you’re not intending to enter the church. |
Walk about 7 minutes to reach
Florence Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore)
A short walk along via dei Banchi or busy Via Panzani/Cerretani will bring you to the Duomo of Florence, one of the most famous and recognizable landmarks in the city.
The complex of the Duomo is a fantastic example of Medieval and Renaissance art and is made of three parts: the Duomo itself (the church, Santa Maria del Fiore), its bell tower (Giotto’s bell tower, Campanile di Giotto), and the Baptistry (il Battistero).
All the three parts of the Duomo are open to visitors, but the dome, tower and baptistry are ticketed and require booking.
If you intend on visiting, I recommend you plan this first, as tickets are timed and the slot you get will affect the order of the rest of your itinerary.
The climb up to Brunelleschi’s Dome is popular and advance booking is a must.
If you just want to take a stroll, I recommend you pay special attention to the outside of the baptistry and its golden doors.
The Eastern one is by Ghiberti and it is so stunning, it even impressed Michelangelo, who apparently though it looked so beautiful, it was ‘suited to be the ‘Gate to Paradise’ (Porta del Paradiso)!
Drink/snack idea: on Via dei Calzaiuoli stop in Venchi chocolate and gelato shop for a treat!
walk for 4 mins to Piazza della Repubblica
Piazza della Repubblica
Piazza della Repubblica is now an elegant square with shops, cafe, a carousel and street performers but has a very long and meaningful history, which goes all the way back to the foundation of Florence.
Florence is originally a Roman town and modern Piazza della Repubblica was no less than the town forum.
The column in the square still marks the spot where the two main Roman streets in Florentia, the Cardus and Decumanus used to meet.
In later times the piazza developed with the rest of the city and became a market square.
Then, when Florence became capital of Italy, in 1865-71, the decision was made to embellish and enrich it and it assumed the appearance we see now
Drink / food break suggestion: at the top of the Rinascente department store there is a lovely terrace bar!
Walk along Via Calimala for 2 mins to
Fontana del Porcellino
A short walk from Piazza della Repubblica you find a fun, cute fountain close to an outdoor market: Fontana del Porcellino.
Porcellino in Italian means piglet and indeed the fountain has the shape of a pig or rather, of a wild boar!
The fountain is fun to see and comes with a legend: rub a coin on its tongue then let it drop. If it falls in the grooves on the ground, you’ll have good fortune!
Walk 2 minutes to
Piazza della Signoria
Piazza della Signoria is one of the best-known piazzas in Florence.
It has been the seat of the rulers of Florence for centuries, who administered the city from historic Palazzo Vecchio, one of the most recognizable buildings in Florence, still overlooking the piazza.
There is plenty to see in the piazza, all easily enjoyable just by walking around.
Not to be missed are:
Palazzo Vecchio, the tall, towered building dominating Piazza della Signoria. It is the historic center of Florentine administration and power and historic residence of the Medici family
The replica of Michelangelo’s David, right in front of Palazzo Vecchio (the original now being preserved in the Accademia Gallery for safety reasons)
La Loggia dei Lanzi
Loggia dei Lanzi, an open air art space with stunning sculptures of mythological heroes, free to visit.
The Loggia itself dates from the XIV century and originally worked as a covered area for public gatherings; however, it has been in use as a free exhibition space since the 1500s!
Fontana del Nettuno is a large fountain sculpted by artists Bartolomeo Ammannati and Giambologna in the years 1563-65.
The central male figure is Neptune, God of the Seas, who stands tall surrounded by marine deities and creatures.
Fun fact: Since the statue is so tall and so white, the Florentine people often refer to it as ‘Il Biancone’ = The Big White!
LUNCH Break
Florence has amazing food and it is hard to go wrong, no matter where you go.
Walk 3 mins to
Ponte Vecchio
Ponte Vecchio is a historic bridge connecting the two sides of the Arno river.
On one side you have Florence city center; on the other, the Oltrarno neighborhood (Oltrarno means ‘beyond the Arno’)
The bridge is one of the main Florence’s landmarks, and it is world famous. It is indeed not a standard bridge!
Ponte Vecchio is very much like a road, flanked by shops on both sides.
When you look at it from the river banks (Lungarno) you see clearly the bridge is full of colorful buildings, with windows looking over the water: these are the back of jewellery shops opening onto the bridge main walkway.
Ponte Vecchio as we see it now dates from the 1300 and it is said to have been spared during WWII by Hitler himself, who had visited Florence and found it exceptional
Oltrarno
Oltrarno is the large and beautiful Florence district on the ‘other side’ of the Arno from the Duomo and the city’s main landmarks (Oltrarno means ‘beyond the Arno’).
It is a pleasant, quiet area with a quintessential Florentine atmosphere that, despite the many places to eat and hotels, always managed to retain a calm and local feel.
It is also one of the greenest areas of Florence since it is home to several gardens such as Boboli, Bardini, Rose and Iris Garden. So, if you feel like a quite afternoon in a park, this is a good place!
The area of Oltrarno has some of the best artisan shops in the city, including prints, wood inlay, handmade jewellery, leather goods, marbled paper and more.
Option for good walkers! Piazzale Michelangelo
Piazzale Michelangelo is a large, panoramic square where to catch beautiful views over Florence.
If you are a good walker, you can easily by climbing up to it from Oltrarno or you may decide to get a bus or taxi up… or down!
Piazzale Michelangelo is the panoramic terrace from where you get the iconic photo of Florence with the Arno River and Brunelleschi’s Dome and while it is a tourists’ favorite, it is wonderful and a perfect way to conclude your Florence city center adventure.
