Florence is tiny, and that is the whole problem. You can cross the historic centre in twenty minutes, which means every visitor is standing in the same few streets at the same hour. So this page leans across the river into the Oltrarno, where goldsmiths and bookbinders still work in studios their families have used for generations and Florentines actually live. The Duomo and the Uffizi are here too, with the timing advice that decides whether you queue for ten minutes or an hour.
How to use this guide: the tabs at the top move you between itineraries, places to see, restaurants, hotels, experiences and day trips. On any tab, open the map for a much clearer picture of where things sit and how Florence fits together between the Duomo, the Arno and the Oltrarno. On your phone, tap Get the App (or add this page to your home screen) so the whole guide is one tap away. Short on time? Jump to the ⚡ Quick Facts below.
This complete Florence travel guide covers getting around on foot, arriving by train from Rome or Pisa, when to book the Uffizi and the Duomo dome so you actually get in, where to eat away from the tourist menus, day trips into Tuscany, and the money-saving tips most visitors learn on their last day. Whether you are here for the Renaissance, the food, or three days of wandering the Oltrarno, bookmark this page before you book your flight.
Florence is the capital of Tuscany, a compact city of roughly 360,000 people on the river Arno, and the place the Renaissance began. Brunelleschi's dome on the cathedral was the largest in the world when it was finished in 1436 and is still the thing you navigate by from anywhere in the centre. The historic core is UNESCO listed and small enough to walk end to end, which is both its great pleasure and the reason it feels so crowded in summer.
Whether you have a weekend or a full week, the sections below cover how to get around on foot, where to stay outside the crush, where to eat where Florentines eat, and how to time the big sights so the queues do not eat your trip.
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