a day in Florence
 

My husband and I will be taking a fast train from Rome to Verona and thought about a stop in Florence to spend several hours. Is it worth it for such a short time and what should we see and do.

Also my husband has business in Verona for a couple days, any ideas for something for a loner to do during the day.

I think a few hours is too short for a visit to Florence as you will only be wishing you had longer. If you have your heart set on it however, you could head straight to the Duomo from the station and climb the dome for a magnificent view of the city (very strenuous climb of some 500 stairs but worth it). You would not have time to queue for any of the art galleries particularly the Uffizi, but the whole of Florence is an art lovers paradise anyway. Opt for lunch somewhere nice and outdoors and just enjoy the city.

thanks for the post. I had similar question!

Florence needs two days. If i had a few hours, i would see the cathedral, baptistry and climb either the bell tower or dome of the cathedral. The short walk to the Ponte Veccio bridge would be worth it too.
You could also consider PISA instead which is ideal for a couple of hours: the leaning tower, cathedral, baptistry and walled cemetary would be easily covered, with a few nearby museums if time permitted.

Hi W,

You can do Florence in a day, but for 3 hours or so, I wouldn't.

It could take 2 hr just to drop/retrieve your luggage.

>Verona for a couple days, any ideas for something for a loner to do during the day.

Take the train to Venice - 1:30 hr, 14E each way.

((I))

ira-sounds like you know about luggage storage-should we plan an hour of time on each end to drop/retrieve luggage in Florence? We plan to visit in early June.

Hi mary, I am not Ira obviously but if you are talking about the train station..when you stand with your back to the train tracks the luggage office is down a bit on your left. I have seen long lines and very short lines. Do give yourself plenty of time when you retrieve your luggage, just in case there is a long line. Also make sure you note the hours they are open, you don't want to return and find out the office is closed.

thanks loveitaly! I'm trying to decide if it is worth it to stop in Florence enroute to Rome. The other option is to visit Florence as a daytrip from Cinque Terre where we will stay for 4 nights.

Hi Mary, we stayed in Florence for 4 nights and did a day trip to Cinque Terre, so I'm sure you could do it in the other direction - just depends what you hope to see and do in Florence. In one day in Florence we visited the Uffizi, visited the Ponte Vecchio, walked to the Michealangelo lookout and visited the churches there (lovely), then walked to the Accademia Gallery. The afternoon before, we went to the Cathedral and climbed the duomo (great fun and terrific views). I'm sure you could fit quite alot of Florence into one day.

Hi MM,

Yes.

Here's a suggested 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.

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 www.trenitalia.com

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
The easiest and cheapest way is to call Florence 1016868 (dial around number), 011 (U.S. international access code) 39 (Italy's country code) then 055-294-883 8:30-18:30 M-F and 8:30-12:00 Sat. Florence time. You will get an English speaking operator and in 2-3 minutes YOU CAN RESERVE FOR BOTH. This is through the reservation service at the Uffizi and costs beyond the normal entry fee only about 3 euro for the service. This is MUCH cheaper than the commercial booking services.

You will not be charged for the reservations unless you use them.

Have a nice visit.

((I))

As for things to do in Verona, we found it a pleasant stop on our way to the Dolomites. Had we known all it had to offer, we might have planned our itinerary differently. There seemed to be more than enough attractions on each side of the river to keep you occupied - Roman ruins, charming piazzas, shops, and, of course, "Juliette's balcony". And, if nothing else, it's just a lovely city to just stroll in.