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Full of museums, culture, art, and the spirit of the Renaissance without the hustle and bustle of a big city, Florence captivated our hearts during our first evening stroll. We only really had two full days in Florence, because our last day in the Tuscany region was spent on a day trip to Cinque Terre! Our two-day visit to Florence quickly turned into full days of enriching exploration in museums and churches!

Compared to other cities in Italy, Florence seemed to have a more relaxed pace compared to Rome or Venice. We also found it to be less painfully touristy.

If you’re going to visit Florence, here is your sample two days in Florence Italy itinerary that includes all the top things to do in Florence! We hope this guide can help you chose what to do in Florence during your trip!

Two Days in Florence: Top Things To Do in Florence, Italy

Practical Information for Visiting Florence

Getting Around Florence

If you’re staying in central Florence, it’s very easy to walk everywhere! Many of the highlights of Florences are within a 20-minute walk of one another! You can actually walk from one end of the city to the other in about 30 minutes!

Looking to find your perfect place to stay in Florence? Check out Hotels.com: The Obvious Choice. Book now and save!

Getting to Florence

There are multiple efficient ways to get to Florence. If you’re coming to Florence from another Italian city, Florence can be accessed via bus, train, or car.

The most accessible airport near Florence is the Pisa International Airport.

Florence – What You Need to Know Before You Go

Day One: Florence Italy Itinerary

Morning: Start with a Tour of the Duomo

Touring the Duomo in Florence is a must-do in Florence! Construction of the Duomo in Florence began in 1296 in the gothic style and was completed in 1436. For almost 100 years, the church didn’t have a dome! Architect Filippo Brunelleschi made a feat of engineering by constructing an octagonal dome that could withstand centuries of wear and tear. The dome vaulted without any scaffolding by using a double ceiling with space in between.

The Duomo, Baptistery, and Bell Tower are UNESCO World Heritage sites worth visiting in Florence! If you’re going to tour the Duomo, Baptistery, and Bell Tower, get tickets ahead of time. The line was very long!

If you’re looking to get a more in-depth and local experience in Florence, consider booking a local guide!

• Admission: Church- free, Museum with all other monuments €18
• Hour: Variable by the time of year

For those with more time in Florence, check out this post by Minute by Minute Traveler for a full 4 day Florence itinerary!

Walk Across Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio, Florence’s famous bridge, was constructed in the 13th century. Today it’s full of luxury jewelry shops, but it used to be a meat market! In 1565, a corridor was built connecting Ponte Vecchio to the town hall so the Medicis could get back to Pitti Palace. To ensure the prestige (and rid the smell from Ponte Vecchio) the butchers were ordered to leave and they were replaced by gold merchants.

Stroll Through the Piazza della Signoria and See Palazzo Vecchio

Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy and overlooks the Piazza della Signoria. Here you can see a copy of Michelangelo’s David statue (if you want to get a sneak peek and compare it to the original!) and an outdoor gallery of statues.

If you feel like you’ll have time to tour the inside of the Palazzo Vecchio, do it!

Afternoon: Stop for Lunch and Eat Gelato 

Some people say the gelato in Florence is the best. You can be the judge of that! We went to Festival de Gelato for gelato and it did not disappoint. Gelato in Italian simply means ice cream! It’s interesting how different gelato shops have a different taste and texture to them! So that just means you have to try all of the gelato places in Italy right?!

Afternoon: See David at the Academia Gallery 

If you’re going to visit the famous original David statue at the Academia Gallery, book ahead of time! By booking ahead, you get an entry time to the museum. If you don’t you might get inside after waiting a few hours. Michelangelo sculpted David between 1501-1504 in the traditional Renaissance style. David is considered a masterpiece because he is depicted in the traditional contrapposto stance before his battle with Goliath.

Typically, heroes are depicted after the battle as prideful, strong, and heroic, but David is shown as tense and ready for combat. You might also notice that the proportions of David are off, this is because the sculpture was meant to be displayed on a church roofline. Michelangelo accounted for this in designing David so when looked at from below, the proportions would appear normal.

Interestingly, you can see two replica David Statues in Florence. One bronze replica David is located at Piazza Michelangelo and the other is at Palazzo Vecchio. If you visit the replicas and then see the original, you can really tell the difference!

• Admission: €2–12
• Hours: 8:15AM to 6:50PM Daily except Mondays

Get your timed tickets and tours to the Academia Gallery ahead of time!

Evening: Eat Dinner at the Central Market 

Known as Mercato di San Lorenzo, this market is full of authentic Tuscan food. Here you can find fresh meats, cheeses, wines, and traditional dishes. We ate at a vegan place and they had great veggie burgers!

Day Two: Florence Italy Itinerary

Morning: Shop for Leather Products

Florence is known for its fine leather goods, so you will see lots of people trying to sell goods on the streets. Although the prices sound great, if you want good quality, legitimate leather, you should go to an accredited leather shop. We went to Leonardo Leather Shop, where they offered us a short talk about their leather goods and how to shop for good products. Here you can get the famous linked ring!

Learn about Inventions at the Leonardo Interactive Museum

We literally stumbled upon the Leonardo Interactive museum while we were leaving the Academia Gallery. It was a great museum with interactive displays of DaVinci’s inventions and prototypes. It was really cool how they constructed models of his inventions so you can see how they would have worked. It really showed how much of a genius DaVinci was! And it was really fun to play around with the prototypes.

• Admission: €6
• Hours: 10AM to 6PM Daily

Get your timed tickets ahead of time for the Leonardo Interactive Museum!

In addition to prototypes, you can see many of DaVinci’s original drawings, designs, and ideas!

Afternoon: Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi Gallery is one of the top-visited art museums in the world! This museum houses priceless works from the Italian Renaissance.

• Admission: €2–20
• Hours: 8:15AM to 6:50PM Daily except Mondays

Get your tickets for the Uffizi Gallery ahead of time!

Evening: Explore Florence on Foot

Look for Street Art

Look at the traffic signs in Florence, a French artist named Clet has been decorating the signs with stickers!

Watch the Sunset From Piazza Michelangelo.

The hike up the hill to Piazza Michelangelo is worth it during sunset. The view you get of the city is phenomenal. The way the colors and light hit the city is just perfect.

If you only have one day in the city, visit this post by Tigrest Travel Blog about seeing the highlights of Florence in one day!

Considering how much we loved Florence, we hope to end up back in this amazing city. In the meantime, we will continue adding more sites to our Florence bucket list!

If You Have More than Two Days in Florence

More Things To Do in Florence

• Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens: Florence’s largest architectural monument and palace. Home of the Pitti and Medici family
• Santa Croce Church:Franciscan church in Florence and is the burial place of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli
• History of Science Museum and Galileo Museum: Museum celebrating the field of science and the life of Galileo
• National Archeological Museum: Museum in Florence featuring archeological artifacts from around the world. Free with Uffizi Gallery admission!

Day Trips from Florence Italy

• Cinque Terre: Cinque Terre is located a 2-hour bus or car ride from Florence.
• Pisa: Pisa is located a short 1-hour bus or car ride from Florence making it an easy day trip from the city!