Most efficient way to walk through Florence

I don't think it matters which you go to first since the Piazzale Michelangelo is not near the Duomo.

Florence's Centro Storico is small so I don't see the problem walking on the same street twice.

Why don't you post the sights you want to see and perhaps someone will suggest the most efficient way to do it but I never equate Italy with efficiency. One of the great pleasures of Italy is wandering the streets and even the same streets multiple times since I see something different every time.

You also could get a map of Florence and put post it flags on each place you want to visit and figure out an efficient route yourself.

Since we have no idea of your starting point, nor of your desired sights to see, we cannot tell you the most efficient route. Also, opening hours may come into play for some of the places you hope to visit.

Maps.google.com could give you routes, though it will not take hills into consideration.

This is a good early entry for the Strangest Thread Title of 2012.

As adrienne mentiones above, Piazzale Michelangelo is not so close so you could arrange an itinerary around that area.

The statue of David could be the focal point of another area.

Duomo/Ponte Vecchio yet another.

Again, as adrienne suggests, get a good map and do some grouping of the places you wish to see. Uffizi and Bargello could take some time depending upon your museum needs. Pitti Palace and its gardens yet another group.

How many days will you have there?

http://www.firenzeturismo.it/en/in-24-hours/visit-florence-in-24-hours.html

http://www.firenzeturismo.it/en/in-48-hours/visit-florence-in-48-hours.html

http://www.firenzeturismo.it/en/in-72-hours/visit-florence-in-72-hours.html

Hi P,

The historic area is small.

It is a down-hill walk from the Accademia to the Uffizi.

Enjoy your visit.

You can use maps.google.com to plot out a route. Simple placemark all the places you want to visit, then connect the dots with walking directions.

I started in the south and went

San Miniato al Monte then across to Mural Florentino, Florenzia and the roman gate there, followed by a visit to Boboli gardens and the three nice churches there until I could consider the bridge. That would take a long day and I'm still not across the river. I've missed out a few favorites and I've not even looked at the tourist guide.

So I rang one of the Professors at Pisa University and asked how long would it take to see all the main sites in Florence and he believes between 4 and 6 weeks depending on what you dropped out and he is from Pisa!

What would you like to see?

This is a meaningless question without your reference points. We have no idea where you're starting from and what you intend to see, so how can anyone answer this? At any rate, you get a good street map of Florence and map out your routes the way you want to. That's what maps are for.

I think my question was confusing. I should have asked "What is a good itinerary for a day in Florence?" I have not decided on which sites to see yet except for the duomo and the Piazzale Michelangelo, so was wondering what people suggested in between that. The link that kybourbon provided was helpful, thanks.

Here's about.com's map of the major sites in Florence. You can choose which ones are the most important to you, you can plot out your own route:

http://tinyurl.com/7xu4no4

I'd drop the Michelangelo, its only where the foundlings were left and a big statue, there is so much more to see.

pinglee,

Do you have only one day? Are you sleeping in Florence?

If this is a day trip from somewhere else, this is an itinerary my friends enjoyed in a similar situation:

On a quick 5-day trip to Rome with Italy novices, I took them on a day trip to Florence. It was one of their favorite days. These friends appreciate art, but don't know much about it, nor did they express any special interests in particular sights. Our trip was during Thanksgiving weekend—late November. I planned the day this way for our group of 5 adults.

We got a train at about 9 AM which put us in Florence by about 10:30AM.

From the station, we took the #12 bus to Piazzale Michelangelo. Therefore, our group's first real view of Florence was from this famous scenic overlook. Loads of photo opportunities, ooohs and aaahs. (If our group had been smaller, I would have opted for a taxi. Even so, a taxi might have been a good idea, since the bus skirts the center of the city and took 30 minutes to reach the piazzale.) Having just spent 3 days in the city of Rome, the group also appreciated the views of the green hills and houses on the hillside nearby and the different style of architecture than that of Modern and Baroque Rome.

From there we went into the city, walking down the steep Via di San Salvatore al Monte, a pedestrian-only walk past green gardens. We entered the city at Porta San Niccolo just as the church bells were ringing noon, the fragrance of delicious lunches in the air. We followed the Via San Niccolo through quiet streets (One friend commented that she finally felt like she was in Italy.) to Via Bardi, eventually turning onto the busy Ponte Vecchio, decorated for Christmas.

From there we walked through town past Piazza della Signoria all the way to the Duomo, which took my friends totally by surprise. This seemed a good moment to stop for lunch, so we had a lovely lunch at Osteria Belle Donne.

After lunch we strolled back through Piazza della Repubblica and then visited the Duomo and the Baptistery. My friends really enjoyed the mosaics inside the Baptistery, spending a lot of time sitting and interpreting the stories depicted. I'm sure we stopped for coffee once or twice during the day since this group became quick converts to the Italian system of coffee—a quick shot at the bar and then on your way.

Then we went to the San Lorenzo markets, splitting off into smaller groups to explore the wares and setting a meeting place and time. I knew my friends would enjoy this market, especially since there is no equivalent in Rome. At the meeting time, 3 were content with their shopping while 2 were still looking for leather jackets, so I indicated a nearby coffee bar where we 3 would wait while they finished. We sat for at least an hour, enjoying our thick hot chocolates and watching the buzz of the busy bar.

With the group together again, it was just after 5 PM, so I thought it couldn't hurt to see how the line was at the Accademia. There was no line, so we walked right in and had David to ourselves and about 20 other people. Quite magical.

We shopped a little more and then had dinner at Trattoria Za-Za. Our return train to Rome left at 9 PM and arrived at about 10:30 PM. They loved this day, which was balanced with a short "hike", beautiful scenery, historic sights, shopping, relaxing in a cafe, and two good meals.

ellenem: what a great one-day visit to Florence! No wonder your friends enjoyed it so much!

I'm in admiration of your itinerary, not the least part of which is that you started your day's walk by trekking down that hill!

Hi P,

>I should have asked "What is a good itinerary for a day in Florence?"<

This might help you.

A DAY IN FLORENCE:

Train to Florence SMN:
The Luggage Office is to your left as you leave the train.

From Piazza d' Stazione, walk up via Nazionale to via d'Ariento and the Mercato Centrale, wander through.

Take any street going NE to Via Degli Alfani and go right to the Accademia for The David.

Take via Ricasoli SE to the Duomo, the Baptistry and the Opera Museum (Originals of the bronzes on the doors)

From the Campanile, take via Calzaiuoli S (do some window shopping) to the Piazza d' Signoria. Look around, take a break.

Continue S to the Uffizi. Visit.

From the Uffizi, walk W along the Arno River to the Ponte Vecchio.

(You can walk up to the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens if there is time. Great views of Florence from the top of the Gardens)

If you have time, walk E along the S bank of the river to Ponte alle grazie and cross over to visit Santa Croce.

If not, go W along the Arno from Ponte Vecchio to Ponte S. Trinita and go right. Go left on Via d'Spada to via d'Fossi and go right to Santa Maria Novella. Look around.

SMN is across the square from the train station.

If you have time, take the no. 7 bus (you can find it at the SMN train station) up to Fiesole (0:20 hr 1E) to watch the sunset from the terrace of the Bar Bleu.

Be sure to have lots of gelato (in a cup, not a cone), take some wine breaks and a light lunch.

Train schedules, prices and tickets are at http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html
Call center from outside Italy is 39-06-68475475

Bus routes are at http://www.ataf.net/
Buy your ticket before you get on the bus. Stamp it in the yellow box on the bus.

Uffizi and Academia Museum Reservations
You can purchase tickets online at http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/uffizi/
Or call the museum booking line on +39 055 294883, open during Italian hours from 8.15 am to 5.50 pm Tuesday to Sunday for the English-speaking operator.

Have a nice visit.

easytraveler, thanks for that link, it was helpful.
ellenem and ira, Thanks so much for sharing, that gives me a lot of ideas.

Some people asked if we are staying in Florence and the answer is yes. We are actually coming from Nice, France on a train that stops at Pisa. We will spend some time in Pisa, then take a later train to Florence and stay there for 3 days. I am planning on only doing 1 day in Florence, because we want to do San Gimignano and Greve(Chianti), then Bologna last day since we fly out from there anyways.

Someone said to buy gelato in a cup, not cone, is that because it melts fast?

Someone suggested dropping Piazza Michealangelo. We loved it there--especially at sunset when the sun was shining on the river--just beautiful.

I don't think it matters whether you buy it in a cup (coppa) or a cone (cono). It can be hot in Italy, but it shouldn't melt your gelato before you eat it. Actually, if you are eating gelato while you are walking, a cone is easier. Vivoli is said to have the best gelato in Florence.