I plan on spending a 3-4 days in November in Florence. Where should I stay, what should I do, what should I not miss, what area of the city should I spend my time. I want to walk or take transit (bus, train, etc.) Is a day trip worth it? Or maybe I should skip Florence and go elsewhere? I will take all info.

Buy a book on Florence. That will help. The big two are the Uffizi and the Accademia. You should and can book reservations in advance on the web. Plenty of info on Fodors on how to do that. Then the famous church and all the other museums. Santa Croce also very interesting for people that are buried there. Good luck/.

Bob, what do you like to do? Are you interested in art, history, food, shopping, wine tasting what? Decide what you like to do .Just FYI you can do all of the above in Florence but as the previous poster said, it might help if you bought a book or two on Florence to see what interests you the most. Florence is famous for renaissance art and architecture.

Why are you going to Florence? If you don't have the ambition, energy and patience to do some research on your own will yoou have the energy and patience to stand in line at the Uffizi (what's that?) for an hour to see things you won't know anything about? If you don't know why you're going to Florence and what for, why are you going?

--- <BR>Bob: <BR>If you're a great art aficionado, Florence has much to offer: <BR> - Uffizi Gallery <BR> - Accademia (home of Michelangelo's David <BR> - Santa Croce (wonderful church with great frescoes by Giotto & containing the tombs of several reknown artists/musicians/politicians) <BR> - Duomo - the outside of which is a eye-popping structure of marble, predominantly a light pink & green. Brunelleschi designed & built the dome for this cathedral. <BR> - Palazzo Pitti <BR>Florence is where the Renaissance began. <BR> <BR>The central part of the city (& where many people stay) is primarily pedestrian only. Think there's some city buses that run through; for the most part you'll enjoy walking the streets & absorbing the ambience. <BR>Florence has a long history of craftsmen (leather goods, jewelry) - and you'll find many opportunities to purchase goods throughout the city. <BR> <BR>As for accessing the museums (Uffizi, Accademia, etc.) it's best to plan ahead & avoid the lines by purchasing your tickets online or via the phone. It should be more quiet in November --- nevertheless, Firenze attracts visitors year round and why waste time queuing up unnecesarily. <BR>The following site provides an extensive ‘box office’ listing of tickets & reservations for music, theatre, museums, city tours. <BR> <BR>http://www.weekendafirenze.com/boxoffice/ <BR> <BR>After accessing 'Weekend A Firenze', scroll down to “Museums” and click on Florence Booking Service. You can book your tickets for the Uffizi, the Accademia, the Bargello and several others. There is a service charge, which I believe is worth not having to stand in lines for admission. <BR> <BR>And finally, one of Italy's great gelateria's is in Florence - Vivoli's. <BR> <BR>Buon Viaggio. <BR> <BR>-------------------------------- <BR>

Robin, <BR> <BR>Thanks for a great list of things to do/see in Florence! I will be in Italy next month and may stop by for a visit if time permits. <BR> <BR>Message to Weave.weave: Lighten up. <BR>

If you've never been to Florence, pick up the Eyewitness Guide to Florence. It's a good first book, and will give you a good overview and lay of the land. For more in depth discussions, the Michelin Green Guide to Tuscany is indispensable. <BR> <BR>As Robin K said, Florence is where the Renaissance began, and is one of the greatest repositories of art treasures in the world. It is also a very easy city to walk around, and most places are easily reached on foot. If you get tired and need a lift, just call for a taxi to take you back to the hotel - the numbers are (055) 4242 or (055) 4798. <BR> <BR>There have been many posts recommending hotels in Florence, in various price ranges. Search this forum and you'll find many good recommendations.

Do not miss the Medecci Chappele-one of the most magnificent things in Florence and most people miss it! Just renovated and it is awesome.

Ditto Don's response. The Medici Chapel is beautiful. Felt as if I was standing inside a jewel box. Seldom see it mentioned on the Forum.

Be sure to take the trek to the top of the Duomo for terrific views. Eat lots of Gelatto. Try to eat at as many restaurants as humanly possible. Visit the marketplace. See the spectacle outside of Uffizi after the sun sets and hundreds of young people gather to celebrate life. Don't miss Florence. It's the best.

Bob, <BR> <BR>You should defiantely go to Florence!! I was just there for one day this year. Wasn't enough. 3-4 days might be good. Not sure. It is a very charming city. Not real big. I think you can walk anywhere you want to go in the city. Hopefully November won't be very crowded. When I was there in July it was way too crowded. I would love to go back again, but not in the middle of tourist season.

Thanks for all the info except for Weave who obvious uses this forum to release personal issues instead of helping others. I should have given more information and I always buy books on where I travel. I am looking for History, museums and sights to explore. I enjoy good restaurants and the ability to walk so a central city location in a hotel is needed. Again, I appreciate all the comments except for Weave who I would suggest go to AOL chat boards where his/her comments would be more inline.

Bob. Weave's response was sharp and probably a little cruel, but weave's underlying point is not far fetched: If you re-read your inquiry it sounds like you don't have a clue why you are going to Florence. As demonstrated, there are a ton of people here to provide help, but many of us appreciate that someone seeking help has done a little homework first.

True, but it is amazing how helpful the other posts were. Just read the other 9 posts and read Weave's. There are hunfreds of posts a day on this forum. If you see one you don't like, leave it alone!!

Bob: don't know if anyone mentioned the Boboli Gardens; if time permits, they are worth a visit I hear the Pitti Palace is also quite interesting, but we didn't get to see it. Look at wwww. karenbrown.com for nice hotels/b&bs, but don't use Mario's-- the location was quite noisey. Have fun; it's a great city!!!

Bob, I found an interesting Web site today on Florence -- http://www.tiac.net/users/pendini/index.html -- that contains a large amount of information on the city. It is run by owners of 3 hotels, so they promote those on the site but it is still worth looking over. <BR> <BR>When will you be in Florence? I'm going from Nov. 10-15. If you're interested, I'd love the company for gelato or pasta. <BR> <BR>Since I'm planning my own trip, I did a search here for restaurants, hotels, etc. and came up with tons of recommendations and tour reports (THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR PRIOR POSTS!). If you would like any more info, I have several guidebooks from previous trips. Oh, and I've been to Florence before and could offer feedback from my own limited experience. <BR> <BR>Just let me know ... feel free to drop me an email at my address listed above.

We were in Florence in May and loved almost everything about it, except the Boboli Gardens. I had read that the flowers would be in full bloom in May, well I hardly saw a single flower and the whole garden looked like they had been through a serious drought. I really don't think it is worth the hard uphill walk. It was a very hot day when we were there and the cafe was not open, which made the time spent in the gardens even more unpleasant because we were so thirsty and couldn't buy anything to drink. We always carry water with us but ran out while in the gardens. <BR>Hope you have a great trip, Florence is wonderful and I can't wait to go back.

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BOB - <BR> <BR>Spent 2 days in Florence when visiting Italy last year; it's a great town for walking. And since cars aren't allowed in the core areas where most of the attractions are located, then walkings your main mode of transport. <BR> <BR>FYI - there are some small buses & taxis, so you can get to your hotel.

LOts of gorgeous leather goods -- expensive though. <BR> <BR>Be sure to check out Abacus, via de Ginori, 30 rosso. He makes absolutely gorgeous handmade books (journals, photo albums) etc. Wonderful just to poke around in -- we bought several as gifts to bring home.