13 Wonderful Things To Do in Florence, Italy | The Renaissance City

With countless museums, historical sights, viewpoints and beautiful streets to get lost in, discovering the best things to do in Florence can be a little overwhelming. So, after having spent a gloriou

There are two chapters to our lives: the time before our visit to Florence, and everything that will follow.

This northern Italian city does not lack in plaudits or fame, but travel is sometimes about condensing the home of grand political dynasties, a cast of visionaries, and the architects of a golden age in humanity, into something personal to hold on to and carry with you.

Florence will forever be the place that taught us more about how to approach and appreciate art than anywhere else in our three decades of existence.

It afforded us the chance to be alone with David, to stare into the eyes of Caravaggio’s Medusa, and to finally fall for the brushstrokes of Botticelli. To understand the presence and importance of key Biblical scenes or characters in art across centuries. To learn to stand back, drink in a scene or lean in to bring out a the detail of a rotting pear, a cut torso, or the sinews of an outstretched limb. To marvel at how a soft, timeless human emotion can be caressed out of hard white stone.

We all hope for travel to be transformative in some way, and it’s impossible to depart this Italian city without a sense of cultural betterment and awe at the works of man.

As the birthplace of the Renaissance, it seems fitting that it continues to invoke personal revolutions from within for those who give it the chance.

The prize of a visit to this city of masterpieces is a new and lasting perspective on the nature of beauty.

Yet, beyond its artistic and architectural treasures, it actually took longer than expected for us to feel charmed by Florence herself.

The banks of the Arno river and the cold medieval pallor of parts of the stone cityscape were not as delicate or captivating as we had expected for the home of Michelangelo’s masterpiece.

That should not make you in any way despondent however; there is more beauty in Florence on a bad day than in dozens of European cities combined. And, when the rising sun shines down a sliver of a street or bathes rooftops dwarfed by the Duomo in pale pinks and violets, your heart will skip a beat.

A little like Venice to the east and Rome to the south, it really isn’t possible to conquer Florence and all it offers in the space of a few days; we had a week there and still have quite a few places on our list!

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a fantastic slow travel experience on a short city break or longer stay here. The important thing though is to avoid the ‘planning overwhelm’ that comes with trying to squeeze everything in given that there are such an abundance of things to do in Florence, and focus on doing the things you’ll love.

That’s why we’ve written this article.

Alongside personal favourites and tips, we’ve shared the best things to do in Florence to help you know exactly where to go and what to do on your own visit.

These are 13 Wonderful Things To Do in Florence.






13 Wonderful Things to Do in Florence
Fall at David’s Feet
It still feels like a dream.

After an unintentional wrong left turn after the ticket check at Galleria dell'Accademia turned out to be very much a right turn, we departed the other group of early-risers into a room; at the end of it, bathed in light, was a boy giant cast in marble perfection.

For an eternal few minutes, we stood alone with Michelangelo’s David.

One of the world’s most famous pieces of art, he was more magnificent in person than we could ever have imagined.

Built from an imperfect piece of marble, it was originally commissioned as one of a series of Biblical statues for Florence’s cathedral. However, its sheer size and weight (over 5 metres high and 5.5 tonnes) meant it would be unfeasible to hoist into place; it was also too impressive to be positioned at such a remove.

A committee (which numbered da Vinci and Botticelli) decided to instead place Michelangelo’s statue of the boy preparing to slay Goliath outside the entrance to Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria, with the unveiling in 1504 drawing universal acclaim from Florentines.

A visit to Florence allows the opportunity to slowly devour Michelangelo’s work in detail and from all angles: the intense fearless stare, the impeccable physique, the intricacies of the right hand and the vulnerability of the ankles. Of course, as with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, David attracts a lot of people and lots of people primarily interested in getting a photo with him and moving on.

Our advice is to go early, gaze upon him at your leisure, and bask in proximity to greatness.

13 Wonderful Things to Do in Florence
Fall at David’s Feet
It still feels like a dream.

After an unintentional wrong left turn after the ticket check at Galleria dell'Accademia turned out to be very much a right turn, we departed the other group of early-risers into a room; at the end of it, bathed in light, was a boy giant cast in marble perfection.

For an eternal few minutes, we stood alone with Michelangelo’s David.

One of the world’s most famous pieces of art, he was more magnificent in person than we could ever have imagined.

Built from an imperfect piece of marble, it was originally commissioned as one of a series of Biblical statues for Florence’s cathedral. However, its sheer size and weight (over 5 metres high and 5.5 tonnes) meant it would be unfeasible to hoist into place; it was also too impressive to be positioned at such a remove.

A committee (which numbered da Vinci and Botticelli) decided to instead place Michelangelo’s statue of the boy preparing to slay Goliath outside the entrance to Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria, with the unveiling in 1504 drawing universal acclaim from Florentines.

A visit to Florence allows the opportunity to slowly devour Michelangelo’s work in detail and from all angles: the intense fearless stare, the impeccable physique, the intricacies of the right hand and the vulnerability of the ankles. Of course, as with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, David attracts a lot of people and lots of people primarily interested in getting a photo with him and moving on.

Our advice is to go early, gaze upon him at your leisure, and bask in proximity to greatness.