Hello - we will be in Florence for 5 nights at the end of May (this is our first trip to Italy). The city's plethora of sites are a bit overwhelming.....we welcome any advice on our itinerary.

Day 1: (Wed)

-Arrive around noon. Settle into B+B (by Fortezza da Bassio)
-Santa Maria Novella+Piazza
-Piazza del Mercato Central (shopping)
-Palazzo del Repubblica (evening)

Day 2Thurs)

-Duomo/Baptistry/Campanile + Piazza Giovanni (am)
-Piazza San Lorenzo/Baptistry (afternoon)
-Palazzo Medici Riccardi (afternoon)
-Ponte Vecchio (evening)

Day 3Fri)

-Palazzo Vecchio + Secret Itineraries Tour (am)
-Bargello (afternoon)
-Piazza Santa Croce + Church (evening)

Day 4Sat)

-Early am Trip to San Gimignano
-Late Afternoon + Dinner in Siena’s main Piazza

Day 5: (Sun)

-Accademia (am)
-San Marco Piazza and Church (am)
-Orsanmichele (am)
-Boboli Gardens and Area (afternoon)
-Piazza Michelangelo (late afternoon)

We want to balance "sites" with our desire to be outside enjoying the streets and walking around. This is not an expedition - we still want to relax and enjoy.

Thanks!

Sorry - I have no idea how I put in those unhappy faces. We are not unhappy or planning to be!

I hope that is not a bad sign....insert unhappy face here!

No Uffizi? Botticelli's Venus is pretty amazing.
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I know...we pined over this but with such a short time we don't want to a whole batch of reservations for each day and beyond that we don't want to be inside in museums the whole time....I think for the sake of relaxing we are going to let it slide.

I understand your time constraints. I will say that I wasn't that impressed with the Boboli Gardens, though. It's a beautiful garden, but not world-class in my opinion. I'd see the Uffizi over the gardens myself. Either way, I think you will love Florence. You will be there before the crowds arrive, I think.

Here's my trip report, from May 2006, with restaurant, transportation and sight-seeing recommendations:

Florence:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34813784
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Thank you Mambo! I enjoyed reading your trip report. It is very helpful to hear what others have found comfortable to see in a day.

Naxos, don't go by my pace, though. I was so happy to just BE in Italy that I didn't need much planned. My daughter kept asking me, 'what do you want to do next?' I'd look at her with glazed eyes, and say, 'jeez, it doesn't matter. I'm in Italy!!'

Have fun.
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Good plan. But be prepared to be flexible in the face of conditions on the ground. And don't worry you might miss a scheduled sight. Relaxed travel is the key to a good time.

I too might suggest that you could skip Boboli Gardens. If you have time, visit the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. I've been to Florence 4 times and never visited this treasure until last spring. It's a wonderful museum.
I want to recommend lunch or dinner at Baldovinos located on the north side of Santa Croce....excellent food. I also highly recommend that you visit the Uffizi. It doesn't take that long to go through it - especially if you mainly want to hit only the better known pieces. If you get reservations ahead of time then it's not that big of an ordeal.

My fiance and I were just in Italy in November (We both loved Florence and actually got engaged in there!) I think your schedule looks great. We weren't there as long as you will be, but we defintely felt like we got a good taste of the city in 3 1/2 days. I would add the Uffizi if you really really like paintings. FI and I are more into sculptures so we enjoyed the Accademia more even though there isn't as much to see. We didn't spend more than 2 hours in the Uffizi and if you make all your reservations before you don't have to worry about standing in line. If you need a great restaurant in Florence Leo's at the Piazza Santa Croce is phenomenal. It is kind of pricey, but everything we had was excellent(I think someone recommended it on here). Here is our itinerary for Florence. Have a great trip!

Tues - Ponte Vechio, Duomo (Climb Dome), Piazza Signorio, Mercado Nuovo, Accademia

Wed - Morning Uffizi Gallery, Tuscany Tour

Thurs - Medici Chapels, San Lorenzo Market, Piazza Santa Croce

Thank you all for your feedback. It great to hear everyones perspective on what is most worth our time. Great restaurant ideas as well - I will add them to our file folder (yeup - we have a file folder-lol!)

Regards,

Naxos