Itinerary for 2 Days in Florence
 

After spending a few days in Barcelona and then Venice, our next stop is Florence for 2 full days. We are taking Trenitalia from Venice on the evening of June 21 and leave June 24. Our apartment is 5 minutes walking distance from Firenze S. M. Novella station.

I don't yet know how to split up some attractions for the 2 days which are close to each other and can be combined nicely, but here is a list of things we are seriously considering. I don't know if we have time for everything or not.

Uffizi Gallery
Piazza del Duomo
Piazza della Signoria
Accademia Gallery
Fiesole Hill
Bargello Museum.
Forte di Belvedere/Baboli Gardens

How would you rank these attractions? And am I missing anything obvious which should be included?

Which of these can be seen together in 1 day?

Should I pre-book any of these attractions online to avoid long ticket lines?

As usual, thank you all for your help. :)

Florence centre is very compact. You can walk to all of those you list. I think you have time for all of them in 2 days. I might skip the Boboli Gardens and instead visit Santa Croce - my favorite attraction in Florence.

Make reservations at the Uffizi and the Accademia to avoid lines. You can visit the Uffizi early in the morning and have a cafe at Piazza della Signoria when you leave. Everything is pretty close together.

The Uffizi, the Accademia and the Bargello Museum are all closed on that Monday, so you'll have to see them on Sunday. Make entry reservations wherever you can.

In addition to your list, things I wouldn't miss on a first visit include:

The interior of the Duomo and a climb to the top of the lantern if you have the time and energy.

The interior of the Baptistery (adjacent to the Duomo).

The interior of the Santa Croce Basilica and then the adjacent rectory to see Taddeo Gaddi's Last Supper and Tree of Life. Many art historians consider Gaddi's Last Supper to the prototype for all later works on this subject, and these frescoes pre-date da Vinci's Last Supper in Milan by more than 100 years. While inside the basilica, look for the line painted on the wall near the main entry doors that indicates the high-water mark of the great flood of Florence of 1966.

The Ponte Vecchio both up-close and viewed from different angles along the river.

City views from Piazzale Michelangelo or the Belvedere.

Nightfawl, I had 2 days in Florence about 3 years ago, and though I'd been before, what I managed to do in that time and my thoughts on what you could do, might interest you.

in 2 days, just like venice, you're never going to see it all, so concentrate on what you can sensibly see in that time that's going to give you the most memorable experience.

IMO the best thing you could do is to forget about the Uffizi. There are a number of other places where you can see great art, it's a pain to have to book, it'll be terribly crowded, and it'll take too much of your very limited time.

Definitely make a reservation at the Accademia to see the David; you might also think about going to the monastery of San Marco across the other side of the square to see the works of Fra Fillipo Lippi - it's a beautiful place with far fewer people than some of the other galleries - and it's open on mondays!

http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/en/musei/?m=sanmarco

from there it's a short walk down to the Duomo and the Baptistry.

If you decide to go to Santa Croce [a great idea] you might also walk a few blocks north of there to the market of San Ambrogio - it too opens monday and has a terrific cafe in the centre which serves vey typical and cheap Florentine food.

from there, it's a reasonably quick walk across the Arno to the Piazzale Michelangelo; from there you could walk up to San Miniato which has terrific views over Florence and beautiful mosaics [remember to keep some small change with you to put in the machines that illuminate the mosaics in italian churches - 50cs and 1€ coins are good].

on the way back down to the centre you can see the beautiful rose garden, and the gardino Bardini, which IMO is much nicer than the Boboli.

Another place you can easily fit in is the Palazzo Vecchio - it opens until midnight most nights of the week including on Mondays:

http://museicivicifiorentini.comune....alazzovecchio/

that should be enough to keep you going!

Thank you all for your replies. Based on what you have all told me, I have set up my itinerary as follows:

DAY 1 – Sunday
Uffizi Gallery – Hours: 8:15am - 6:50pm (Closed Monday). Price: 6.50€ (Prebook)
Bargello Museum – Hours: 8:15am – 1:50pm (Closed Monday). Price: 4€ (Prebook)
Piazza del Duomo
Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiore (Duomo) – Hours: 1:30pm – 4:45pm. Price: 10€ (All)
Accademia Gallery – Hours: 8:15am – 6:50pm (Closed Monday). Price: 6.50€ (Prebook)

Day 2 – Monday
Basilica di Santa Croce – Hours: 9:30am – 4:30pm. Price: 6€ (Prebook)
Sant’Ambrogio Market – Hours: 7am – 2pm
Piazza della Signoria
Palazzo Vecchio – Hours: 9am – Midnight. Price: 10€
Ponte Vecchio
Giardino Bardini
Piazzale Michelangelo

A couple of questions on this:

#1 - We will probably choose between Uffizi Gallery and Bargello Museum. Which would you suggest and why?

#2 - I have only marked to pre-book some of the attractions. Would you suggest I pre-book anything else on my list?

#3 - I put these in a specific order on purpose while look at each attraction on a map. Does it make sense to see these attractions in this order for each day? For example, I put Piazzale Michelangelo at the end of Day 2 because I figured I would cross the river at Ponte Vecchio and walk through Giardino Bardini to get there.

#1 - I've seen both the Uffizi and Bargello and I would choose the Bargello as I'm more interested in sculpture. The Bargello is apt to be less crowded as everyone wants to visit the Uffizi and Accademia. They are very different museums so you would visit the one that appeals most to you. I thought it was interesting to compare Donatello's David with Michelangelo's and to see the competition doors for the Baptistry.

#2 - It looks like you're pre-booking everything you can.

#3 - You're heavy on day 1 with three major museums. Day 2 is very light.

Day 2 - I would take a bus to Piazzale Michelangelo and walk down the hill. Much easier than walking up. If you have time (haha) try to see San Miniato.

http://www.visitflorence.com/florenc...n-miniato.html

I see why you have to do all the museums on Sunday as the Bargello is closed the 2nd and 4th Mondays.

Yes exactly. And that is why I am choosing between Uffizi and Bargello as well. I actually had Duomo on Day 2 at first but then thought Day 2 would be too packed. But ultimately, I agree that Day 1 might be a little too much. Just not sure how else to schedule things...

Regarding taking the Bus to Piazzale Michelangelo, is that still in line with what I have in order for Day 2? Is there a bus I can take from the other side of Ponte Vecchio and pass through Giardino Bardini to get there? Where would I take the bus from?

The Giardino Bardini is a private garden on a steep hillside with no streets passing through.

Two bus routes, 12 and 13, go the Piazzale Michelangelo, following the same route but in opposites directions. These routes skirt the center of Florence, so it may be easiest to go to Firenze SMN train station to catch the bus. You might find other possibilities by studying the route map.

http://www.ataf.net/System/files/map...%20110x100.pdf

I'd choose the Uffizi. World class paintings. Too bad everything is closed on the same day, but Mondays are generally bad days for museums and such.

Don't know if your schedule would permit you to make a late departure on Tuesday and see one of the museums that day?

I think you would also have time to take the bus to Fiesole and have a meal, preferably at dusk so you can see all the lights of Florence come on.

I'm in Florence now, saw the Uffizi today and the Bargello yesterday. Much preferred the Bargello; smaller, less crowded, less overwhelming, and the building itself is superb. Seeing the Donatello Davids was great.

We simply walked into the Bargello with no wait at all, while even with timed tickets the entry into the Uffizi felt like a cattle chute and it took about 20 minutes to get in, through security and allowed up the stairs. Unless you are extraordinarily interested in Italian painting of the 14th-16th centuries it would not be worth the time in a crowded schedule like yours, and it's a huge building to move through even if you don't stop in every room. Maneuvering through the tour groups is not pleasant either.

Try for the smaller and less crowded museums like the San Marco as was mentioned above.

It's been a while since I've been to Florence so it's good to hear that you can still just walk into the Bargello and find no crowds.

From the bus map it looks like you may be able to pick up the #12 at Porta Romana and avoid the up hill climb. If you do this, walk past Santo Spirito church which I totally adore. Its facade belies it's beautiful interior. If you're lucky you'll see black garbed Italian women in prayer - such an Italian event.

i second the Bargello - if you had a week then it might be worth squeezing in [and into] the Uffizi but as you don't I'd go for the more relaxed option.

I'm prebooking what is necessary and what we know 100% we want to see but by prebooking things we are fixing our schedule more and more. So its good to know that we don't need to prebook if we go with Bargello.

I am also leaning towards the Bargello since we are also more into sculptures and history. Plus, we may visit the Picasso Museum while in Barcelona and see some nice paintings there. I guess I just feel bad if we go all the way to Florence and don't see Uffizi.

Giardino Bardini is not a must see but I figured it was on the way to Piazzale Michelangelo from Ponte Vecchio. If that route doesn't make sense, we may eliminate it. Our apartment is also around the corner from Firenze SM Novella station so maybe a bus from there really is the best.

My biggest concern right now is even with eliminating Uffizi from Day 1 and Giardino Bardini from Day 2, I am worried I won't have time to see the rest on the list without feeling rushed. I don't want everything to be a blur by the end of the trip...

I guess I just feel bad if we go all the way to Florence and don't see Uffizi. >>

Nightfawl, you won't be shortchanged if you don't see "everything" on your list - you can't see "everything" anyway, but you can make sure that you enjoy what you see by slowing down, as you already seem to have gathered. I had been to Italy more then half a dozen times before I got to Rome, and the first time we went to florence, we never saw the Uffizi or the Accademia. did I fell I'd missed anything? no - because I enjoyed what we did see.

less is more, sometimes.

Lots of good advice here. I might be repeating, but:

If you're going to climb the Duomo, do it first thing in the a.m. to avoid the lines.
The train station is a good spot to catch the bus to Piazzale Michelangelo. Yes, end of day is best, to see the sunset over the city. If you don't feel like walking back down, the return bus leaves right from the PM. Buy tix at the tabacchi near the PM.
Better to prebook the museums via the phone service than the website. Don't have to prepay, and there's no surcharge.

<< Plus, we may visit the Picasso Museum while in Barcelona and see some nice paintings there. >>

There is no comparison between the Uffizi and the Barcelona Picasso Museum.

If you feel that you may leave Florence unfulfilled if you haven't seen the Uffizi then you should see it. You don't need to see every painting in the museum; select a few to really look at and enjoy.

With your ambitious itinerary I didn't want to mention this but for my money the best thing to see in Florence is the Brancacci Chapel. Keep in mind that I'm a lover of frescoes so if they leave you cold then this is not for you.

http://www.museumsinflorence.com/mus...ci_chapel.html

Actually you echoed one of the other things I was contemplating in my mind.

Is Duomo an attraction that I need to see from the outside but not necessarily on the inside? I was toying with the idea of not entering since the most amazing thing about it seems to be the building itself and not necessarily whats inside.

If your interest is in paintings then its the Uffizi. If its sculpture, then the Bargello. They are two very different museums.

On Monday, see the Duomo. and do go inside. its open earlier than on Sunday There is no charge for the church, just for the Dome and Bell Tower, I would skip climbing the lantern, and the Baptistry is just across from the Duomo with its famous doors and lovely gold mosaic interior, there is a fee for the Baptistry and I don't know if you can just pay for that or its the same combo ticket for other related sites. However, you do not have a to spend a long time doing either one, go early when they open... its walking distance from where you are staying.

Nightfawl- I haven't been to the Bargello (next time), but I have been to the Uffizi. In my humble opinion, if I only had 2 days, the Uffizi would be the first to go. But to each his own!

Santa Croce is a must. The Baptistery is awesome. :)

You will love the views from Piazzale Michelangelo, and you will love Florence. Just soak it in- crowds or no crowds!

Buon viaggio!