Florence in a day
 

We will be visiting Italy this September and will probably have time only for a day trip to Florence from Venice.

What are some of the must-do\must-see things that we can cover in a day in Florence ? We are already planning on visiting Pisa and the Uffizi gallery - are there are any other not-to-be-missed landmarks ? We are not great art lovers nor are we big-time into museums - so we're just looking to cover the highlights of Florence.

Any suggestions ? Can we cover Florence and Pisa in a day trip from Venice ?

Thanks all !

Only a day in Florence ... how sad! I spent three days there last May and it was wonderful. For what it is worth, we found that the big red double decker bus tour (there are stops all over the city ... one right outside the train station) was a nice way to acclimate to the city. It was 20 euros for a 24 hour on/off ticket and it made stops at most of the popular sights. A complete "circuit" took about an hour and was quite pleasent (we rode on the top, of course) as there was a recorded commentary (in many languages) that was well syncronized (spelling?) with the route. We took one complete circuit then got off where we wished, took in the sights then back on at the same stop a little later (as I recall they hit each stop about every half hour or so). At any rate, it was reasonably priced and pleasent. Other than that I would not miss the Duomo and if you are so inclined, take the stairs to the top of the dome ... it will test your stamina, but the view is incredible. We also enjoyed Santa Croce, window-shopping on the Ponte Vecchio, and a wonderful dinner of pizza and chianti near Piazza Michaelangelo at sunset. Although you are not that into the art you may want to consider the Accademia ... it is small and seeing "David" is an experience, art lover or not.

Hi carl,

Pisa is an hour by train from Florence.

You can see both in one day, but I don't recommend it.

I suggest that, if you do nothing else, you see David at the Accademia.

((I))

The train to Florence from Venice is 3 hours each way so you won't really have a full day. There is enough to do in Florence to take up days and days rather than the few hours that you will have. There are numerous not to be missed landmarks.

If you can only spend one day in this wonderful city, I suggest that you stay in Florence and not attempt a trip to Pisa which will require several hours from Florence. Start at the Uffizi (be sure to make reservations); walk from the Uffizi through the Piazza della Signoria to the Duomo, stopping for lunch along the way and then go to the Accademia (reservations here, too) to see the David - the #1 must-see in Florence.

If you have time after that, you might want to walk on the Ponte Vecchio - and visit Santa Croce where many famous Florentines are buried, including Michelangelo.

Mam has good advice.

However, I would start with David and walk downhill to the Ponte Vecchio.

((I))

Pisa & Florence? hmmmmm..... that's going to be tough. Too many hrs. getting from one place to the other.

But, if in Florence you MUST see the David! You can reserve tickets from the U.S. online so you don't have to wait on the long lines with people who don't do such a simple thing. get an early time so you can get in and out and have the rest of the day to shop and eat. :o)

Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Republica, coffee at the ubiquitous coffee bars, sorbetto, and the best gloves ever from a little glove shop across the arno, can't remember the name. It's over the ponte vecchio and on the left once you cross.

But you really MUST see David. He is BEAUTIFUL!

Accademia and David is an absolute must over anything else in Firenze. I insisted on bringing my wife there, even though she is not an art lover, and I had to drag her out of there. The "slaves" leading up to David are equally fascinating.

I don't know how many days you are planning for Venice but I was there last October and regretted not spending another day there because everyone told me I would love Florence. The David statue was definitely a highlight of my vacation but the rest of the Accademia is so so. The Uffizi is jamb packed with tour groups and no matter how good you are with booking tickets waiting in line will take up a good chunk of time. The rest of the city was a terror of mopeds and not pedestrian friendly. With the crowds and the stress I didn't really think that Florence lived up to any of the hype.

Thanks all - I realize it will be too hectic a trip, but there is no other way, unfortunately. :-(

Here is how I am planning this. I realize we will be dead tired at the end of the day and that we will not be able to take in all the sights and do justice to what Florence has to offer. But dont really have much other choice !

*6.44am train from Venice, reach Florence at 9.21am
*Spend about 6hrs in Florence - see Accademia, Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio
*3.33pm train from Florence, reach Pisa at 4.31pm
*Spend 3hrs in Pisa - see the tower, climb it if possible
*7.01pm train from Pisa, reach Venice at 11.16pm

Given my constraints, is the above plan workable or am I missing something and being naive and stupid ? Any other tips for making this trip more efficient (i.e. so we can maximize the limited time we have) ?

Carl, your plan is definitely do-able. But since you're not in to art, skip the Ufizzi, which will take a majority of your day. Instead you'd be better off visiting the Duomo, Santa Croce, and walking around the old city. Lots of shopping booths and things to see. For a great small museum visit the Opera Museum near the Duomo. It has the original doors to the Bapistry, a few great Micheangelo sculptures and some very interesting relics. Also, try to get up to Piazzelli Michaelangelo. The view is worth it.

I agree with everyone else who has responded. Pisa is forgettable, Florence is where you should focus with this very brief amount of time.

Grasshopper makes an interesting point - given that we are not great art lovers (nor are we knowledgeable about art), would it make sense to skip the Uffizi ?

And even if we have advance reservations at the Uffizi, will we still have to stand in long lines ? Are the lines only to get in the door, or also to visit all the exhibits ? If so, I am tempted to drop it. Waiting around in lines doesnt sound all too exciting.

Would you folks pick the Uffizi over a trip to Pisa or vice versa ?

Again Carl, play it by ear. If you're armed with the train schedules you can always decide at 3 pm that you're finished with Florence and want to move on to Piza. I just don't see why someone not interested in art wants to spend time in the Ufizzi.

For several reasons, I would choose the Uffizi over Pisa. My first would be that it is a wonderful museum. My second would be that Pisa, while an OK place to visit if it is on your way, is not a place I would short change Florence to see. Finally, I just do not think it is possible to do both Florence and Pisa justice in one day.

If I had just one day in Pisa, here's what I'd do:
- Arrive 9:30
- 10am. Book a slot at the Accademia for 10am, and spend about 30 mins with David and the unfinshed statues.
- 10:45am. Walk down to the Duomo, and spend an hour in the Duomo, Baptistery and climb the campanile (the duomo climb is nicer esp if you are into the technical aspects of the dome, but the campanile views are better and is less crowded)
- noon. Book the slot ahead of time. Uffizi for 1.5 hours. Make sure you go to the rooftop cafe for more great views.
- 1:45 pm lunch (30 minutes)
- 2:15 pm to 4pm wander Piazza Signoria, mercato nouvo and Ponte Vecchio. Making sure to take a gelato break.
- after 4pm I'd go to the Pitti palace or the Boboli gardens or Piazzale Michelangelo (personally, I'd pick the last since I'd be on art overload by now).

I can't tell you that you should skip Pisa since I've never been there, but we did skip it and we were in Florence for 3 days (we were on art overload on all 3 days). I climbed everything climbable in Venice, Florence and Rome and I must say that the Duomo/Campanile were by far the best.

Ugh, that should read, "If had only one day in Florence ...."

Does anyone have the website for ordering tickets for the Accademia?
Thanks!

There is one other not-to-be-missed experience in Florence: a cup (or cone) of gelato. Some of the best in Italy! Try riso (especially if you like tapioca pudding) - it's amazing! (I'd rank this just SLIGHTLY below David.) :-)
I'm an art lover, as is my daughter, but frankly we weren't all that excited by the Uffizi - maybe because it was so jam-packed with people when we were there that it was hard to get up close and personal with the biggies. David is another matter altogether - WOW - do NOT miss him.
And I agree with some of the others that Pisa is skippable. The pictures look, well, exactly like it. I'm not sorry we went, but your day will be terribly hectic if you try to do both. (I understand your dilemma - Pisa does somehow seem like an obligatory site... good luck with whatever you decide!)

Karen

We "did" Florence in a day.

We drove in from Montepulciano and arrived in Florence around 8:30 and stayed until around around 7 .

We had museum reservations and "ate on the run?

Saw the Uffizi, the Duomo, the Accademia And the Synagogue. Ate a fast lunch in the food market.

I certainly dont reccomend such a fast visit....but we were determined to cover a lot of ground in a limited time

I just did Florence and Pisa in a day and a half over Labor Day weekend with two easily bored boys who are not art lovers. In both Florence and Pisa, the morning brings crowds of huge groups offloading from buses. A reservation at the Uffuzi is a must. You can book online but this usually required three days advance - so do it now! The museum itself is worth going into simply because of its status as the oldest currently open art gallery in the world. The Birth of Venus and dozens of other works that all Art History classes cover are all very conveniently grouped together on the second floor of the Uffuzi and can be seen in about an hour if you plan ahead, make the reservations, skip the lower floors, and head straight to room 10. Both of my boys found something they liked at the Uffuzi and it was absolutely not wasted time. The Uffuzi is right beside the Ponte Vecchio and has quite a few outdoor statues that you can see without even going in - but again - make the reservation and it won't take much time at all. The boys were not impressed with all the jewelry stores on the Ponte Vecchio and although they did like the sharp contrast between the exterior view and the shops from the inside, they liked the bridges in Venice better. You can see the exterior of the Ponte Vecchio very well from the edge of the Uffizi's courtyard.
David is also a must-see - he is absolutely beautiful after his bath. The replicas all around the city and the post cards and pictures in books are not an adequate substitute.
My teenager's favorite part of Florence was the domed mosaic ceiling of the Bapistry of the Duomo. If you are time-crunched, I would skip the cathedral and just do the Bapistry. It is a separate building supposedly built originally as a temple to Mars. There is an audio tape that takes about 15 minutes that is worth the time and the Euro and a half fee.
We arrived in Pisa at 3p.m. and got tickets to climb the tower at 4:40. I also purchased tickets to see the Cathedral to pass the time while we waited for our tower "tour". There are actually four Pisa monuments in the square to choose from besides the tower. There is actually no tower "tour", but people are only allowed in groups of 30 at set intervals and must wait for the time on their ticket and follow a guide to the doorway from the ticket office. Children under 8 are not allowed up the tower at all and there are do-it-yourself lockers that you must stow away all bags before you join your group. The people who refused to admit the "sack/fannypack/purse/etc" they had was a "bag" were sent back by the guard at the door to the tower - don't waste your time - just stow anything that is bigger than your camera itself. The experience of going up the tower is amazing. The marble stairs are worn down from 900 years of feet and the constant change in orientation of the building as you spiral around is amazing. We were completely finished with the requisite holding up the tower tourist pics in Pisa and were relaxing in our hotel room by 6 p.m. As a side note, the Florence museums and the Pisa tower are very pricey and there is no discount for students, children, seniors or anyone else unless you are an EU citizen.