2-Day Itinerary for Florence, Italy – How to Make the Most of Your Time

Welcome to Wild Meadow Studio and our travel and photography blog, we are excited to talk travel with you and share our detailed itineraries in hopes that they make your adventures more care-free and enjoyable! In this two-day Itinerary, we’ll be exploring, cobblestoned side streets, wine windows, amazing history, walking across a 678-year-old bridge, viewing art masterpieces, climbing 463 steps to the top of the oldest brick dome ever constructed, tasting incredible food, and watching a magical sunset over the city. This is one of our favourite cities! Check out our post on the Top 8 Things to do in Florence, Italy – Explore & Experience

FYI, we always suggest stopping by the local tourist office to pick up a city map, it will be up to date and detailed, which comes in handy. If you’re staying in a hotel, they may have some available there, and some short-term rentals may supply them, but if not the Tourist Office in Florence is located at Via Camillo Cavour, 1R, right near the Riccardi Medici Palace.

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Table of contents:

1. Itinerary Day 1 – Piazza del Duomo, Medici Chapels, Riccardi Medici Palace, Galleria dell’Accademia (David)
2. Itinerary Day 2 – Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, Exploring Santo Spirito,
3. Itinerary Day 2 – Evening, Sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo
4. References
5. The Wrap up

1. Itinerary Day 1 – Piazza del Duomo, Medici Chapels, Riccardi Medici Palace, Galleria dell’Accademia

Let’s get started, 1. As always start your day off early, and at Piazza del Duomo, this square is very popular and gets busy. Once here this is a great time to get some photos without the crowds, you’ve got the Dome, the church, the bell tower and the Baptistery, lots to photography. We booked our Dome climb for the morning, their first entry you can book is for 8:15am and every 45 mins after that, so try and get as early as you can. We booked directly through the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore official site, and got the Brunelleschi Pass, which lets you do the timed Dome climb, as well as explore the cathedral, baptistery, museum, Santa Reparata and climb the bell tower, you can get other passes that offer less, but this is the only one that includes the Dome climb and it was only 30 euros, so even if you don’t do all of the things, it’s still a pretty good deal. Climbing to the top of the Dome isn’t the easiest thing to do, but the views make it worth it. If you can book the 8:15am time slot, try too, then you’d be done around 9:00am, if you’re hungry at this point you could check out Il Bottegone café, it’s in the North/West corner of the Piazza del Duomo, great for a pastry and a coffee, this café has been in this spot since 1793, we sat outside, and the view was amazing!

After you’re done with the climb, you can decide what else you would like to explore in this area, if you got the Brunelleschi Pass you have 3 days to use it, so you would have an option to come back later or another day. You can also look at Viator or Get Your Guide for other options for tickets. The views from the top of the Bell Tower were also amazing because you could see the dome from here. If you don’t make it into this museum to see the original Gates of Paradise, there is a cast replica of these doors located on the east side of the Baptistery, they are beautiful and well worth to look. If you explore most of these sites, it will likely take 2.5 to 3.00 hours.

2. After you’re done at the Piazza del duomo, head North/West to the Medici Chapels, it’s about a 5 mins walk, the entrance is at the west side of the building at Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini 6. Open from 8:15am to 2:00pm, so plan accordingly. The Medici Chapels are two chapels built between the 16^th and 17^th centuries as an extension of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, built to celebrate the Medici Family, patrons of the church and Grand Dukes of Tuscany. We were really impressed with this site, it’s quite grand and beautiful, it is a lesser-known place, so it wasn’t very busy, we walked through the doors, got our tickets and walked in, it was a treat! It might take about 1 to 1.5 hours to go through these chapels.

3. Next up is the Riccardi Medici Palace, from the Medici Chapels to the Palace is about a 4 mins walk, it’s just down the street from the Piazza San Lorenzo at Via Camillo Cavour 3, just down from the Tourist Office. It’s open every day from 9:00am to 7:00pm, except closed on Wednesdays. This is a 15^th Century Renaissance Palace, built for the Medici Family who lived here for over 200 years, from 1458 to 1659, then they sold it to the Riccardi Family, who lived here until 1814. By 1874, it was owned by the Tuscan State and used as the seat of the Provincial Government. Interesting fact, in 1938, Mussolini and Hitler had dinner here. One of the most impressive rooms is the Magi Chapel, which has a fresco on the wall called “Procession of the Magi”, by Benozzo Gozzoli. In the grand courtyard there is a statue called David, by Donatello. If you’ve seen the Medici show, or watch it before you go, you’ll recognize some of these things. Make sure you go out to see the garden, with its fountain, flowers, and sculptures, it’s worth a look. You can exit through the garden, and if you’re hungry, right across the street is a restaurant, Ristorante Pizzeria Ginori, it was quite good, we enjoyed it here, this might be a good time to stop for lunch.

4. Our last scheduled stop for today is the Galleria dell’Accademia, you should have already booked you’re skip the line tickets and picked your entry time. We booked our tickets through Viator, which was easy, and everything went well. You could also try Get Your Guide. We selected 4:00pm for our entry, which gave us time to do all that we wanted too beforehand. This museum has the amazing 17ft marble sculpture of David, by Michelangelo! This masterpiece alone made it worth going, the detail and grandeur of this sculpture was breathtaking. There are also other sculptures by Michelangelo, collections of paintings by Florentine artist, from the 1300 to the 1600’s and a display with historical musical instruments. This is a smaller museum then the Uffizi, which we liked, it would likely take you about an hour to go through this museum. If you’re a big art lover and came to Florence to experience the Renaissance, then you’d want to visit the Uffizi too. After you’re done exploring this Galleria, you might want to head back to your accommodation for a rest or shower and get ready for your evening out. We are suggesting to check out the Piazza della Republica, There are a lot of restaurants in the area for you to choose from. After dinner, get a gelato and take your walk around or (passeggiare) Italian style!

**If you have extra time this church, Basilica di Santa Trinita at Piazza di Santa Trinita 1, it quite impressive. It is the Mother church of the Vallumbrosan Order of Monks founded in 1092 by a Florentine Nobleman. The Church itself, opened in 1280. It was interesting to walk around it, a little off the beaten path.**

2. Itinerary Day 2 – Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, Exploring Santo Spirito, & Sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo

Day 2 – 1. Start early and make your way to the Piazza della Signoria, arriving here early will allow you to experience Florence’s historic centre with less crowds, great for photos. This square opened in 1330 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On this square you’ll find the Palazzo Vecchio, one of the most famous symbols of the city, which was built to house the government organizations of the Florentine republic and has continued ever since. This impressive building with its 94-meter-high tower as built between 1299 and 1314. It’s now a museum, but still houses the mayor’s office as well as the town council. Another impressive building on this square is the Loggia dei Lanzi, with its 3 large arches, built between 1376 and 1382 to house public ceremonies. Today it acts as an open-air sculpture gallery of antique and Renaissance art. You will also find the Uffizi Gallery here, one of the most important and most visited museums in Italy, housing masterpieces, largely from the Italian Renaissance. It was built between 1560 and 1581, commissioned by Cosimo l de’Medici to be used as administration offices and to house some of the Medici’s art collection on the top floor, over the years the collection grew and so did the gallery. If you have time and interest, this would be a great museum to visit, but make sure you get your tickets in advance.

2. After you’re done in this main square, head down Via Por Santa Maria to the west side of the piazza, towards the Arno River. Here you will find the unique 678-year-old Ponte Vecchio! One of our highlights, this bridge is so impressive, whether you’re strolling across it or admiring it form the side, it is a must-see sight! Before you cross, you can walk along the river so that you can take photos, check out our map to see the photo spots. Then take your time and walk across this amazing piece of history with over 600 years of footsteps. Look up as you cross and you might notice a discreet elevated walkway, the Vasari Corridor, commissioned in 1565 by Cosimo l de’Medici. It allowed his family to move between the Palazzo Vecchio and the Pitti Palace without being seen by the public. Originally the bridge served as a marketplace with butchers, fishmongers and tanners, but changed to goldsmiths, and jewelers, which remains today. Soak it all in! Once done here, continue to follow the road straight.

3. Take Via de Guicciardini straight and you’ll come to the Piazza de’Pitti and the Pitti Palace. The Palace dates back to 1458 and was the residence of Luca Pitti, an ambitious Florentine banker. In 1550 it was bought by the Medici Family. Today it’s a museum, open Tuesday to Sunday, 8:15am to 6:30pm. Behind the Palace is the beautiful Boboli Gardens, designed by the Medici Family, creating the Italian garden style that would become a model for many European courts. With Renaissance sculptures, fountains, and beautiful flowers, if time and interest permits, you can purchase tickets for the gardens or a combo ticket for the Pitti Palace. The gardens are open 8:15am to between 4:30pm to 7:00pm depending on the time of year. Next explore the Santo Spirito neighbourhood, here, simply wander, soak it all in. Some points of interest in the area are: Piazza della Passera, Porta Romana, Piazza Santo Spirito, Basilica di Santo Spirito, the Babae Wine Window, the Osteria Santo Spirito (great for lunch or dinner) and the Santa Maria del Carmine, and it’s Brancacci Chapel with artwork that inspired Michelangelo. Once you’re exploring is done, and depending on the time, you could head back to your accommodations for a rest or shower and get ready for the evening.

3. Day 2 – Evening, Sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo

For our Day 2 evening, we are suggesting you head over to Piazzale Michelangelo, the views here are quite breathtaking, no matter the time of day, but just a little more special in the evening. Try and arrive a little before the sun is scheduled to go down, as it gets crowded so this will give you a better chance to get a spot to sit and wait for the magic to begin! Check out the sunset times here, so you can be prepared. To give you an idea of distance, it’s 1.5kms or 20mins to walk to this Piazzale from Ponte Vecchio, so depending on where you’re staying or walking from, plan accordingly. If your daytime exploring has tired you out, you can also take a bus, up to the Piazzale, from in town take the ATAF Bus Line 12 or 13. For more information on this and on the Piazzale Michelangelo, check it out here. Once you’ve finished in this area, and you’re walking back down the hill towards the river you can take a look at the San Niccolo Tower and Gate at the bottom, which was once part of the defensive walls around Florence, built in 1324. As well, as you make your way back towards the Santo Spirito area, head down Via di San Niccolo and once you come to Via San Miniato turn left and you’ll see the Porta San Miniato another gate and part of the old defensive wall that once protected Florence. Continue back down Via di San Niccolo and if you’re looking for somewhere to have dinner, and want to try the famous Bistecca alla Fiorentina, which is a bone in loin steak cooked until rare, we ate at the Osteria Santo Spirito at Piazza Santo Spirito 16/R, open 12:00pm to 11:30pm daily. We really enjoyed this charming, authentic restaurant. If the rare steak doesn’t excite you, they do have a lot of other options. Depending on where you are staying you may not want to walk back to the Santo Spirito area, so you could simply stop when you see a restaurant that piques your interest along the way, there are a lot to choose from. Afterwards, do it the Italian way get a gelato and take an evening stroll or passeggiata. Along the river at night is beautiful!

**All pricing, opening/closing hours and days listed here are as of Sept. 2025 and are subject to change, so be sure to check before you go. I like these websites: Itlaia.it and feelflorence.it for all your current information.

4. References:

All this information, research and suggestions came from our own experiences we had while enjoying this interesting city and the itinerary we followed while we were there. In addition, we spent countless hours reading travel books, like DK Eyewitness Top 10 Florence and Tuscany, DK Eyewitness Italy and Rick Steves Florence & Tuscany. We also read multiple Travel blogs and Florence tourism websites too, like, Italia.it and feelflorenc.it  We also used Google maps to check out directions and distances between sites.

5. The Wrap up:

 I hope you enjoy our suggested itinerary for this beautiful city, as much as we did and find this information helpful. I have added a website link to most of the major sites so you can check them out and see what piques your interest! If you have any questions, ask away. Feel free to comment, give advice, join our mailing list, follow, like, pin, share with friends, anything goes. Let’s talk Travel!

Thank you,

 From Wild Meadow Studio

A Travel and Photography Blog

Where we help you Focus on the Journey

By: Beth de Verteuil

www.wildmeadowstudio.com