Florence travel guide — where to stay, what to do, and where to eat in Florence, Tuscany, Italy.
Local currency: Euro.
Daily budget by traveller style
Typical per-person daily spend in Florence.
- Luxury
- Accommodation €300-1500+ (~$327-1635) (four or five-star historic palazzo hotels) · Food €80-200+ (~$87-218) (fine dining, wine pairings, bistecca fiorentina) · Activities €50-200+ (~$55-218) (private tours, cooking classes, wine tastings) · Transport €50-200 (~$55-218) (private car and driver, taxis) · Total €500-2000+ (~$545-2180) per person per day
Cost breakdown
Typical price ranges across major spending categories.
Overview
- Typical
- Florence is moderately expensive by Italian standards. The main cost drivers are accommodation in the historic centre (premium), museum entry (€20+ (~$22) for Uffizi), and eating near major tourist sites. Significant savings are available by eating at local trattorias away from the Duomo and Uffizi, buying bus tickets at tabaccherie, and booking museums online to avoid tours.
Items
- Typical
Trip budgets by length
What a typical trip to Florence costs end-to-end.
Items traveller
Money-saving tips
Practical ways to stretch your budget further.
Pre-book the Uffizi, Accademia, and Duomo complex tickets at home before arriving in Florence — each requires a separate booking and walk-up queues in April-October waste 2-4 hours per site
The Firenze Card (€85 (~$93), 72 hours) includes access to over 60 museums with no queuing — compare cost against individual tickets; worthwhile if visiting 5+ paid sites
Trattoria Mario (Via Rosina, 2r, near Mercato Centrale, lunch only, no booking) serves the most affordable authentic Florentine lunch in the city — arrive before noon
Buy bus tickets at tabaccherie (tobacconists with a 'T' sign) for €1.50 (~$2) rather than €2 (~$2) onboard; a day pass is €5 (~$5) if using public transport extensively
The first Sunday of every month, national museums including the Uffizi are free — queues are very long but entry is genuinely free. Arrive at 8AM for reasonable access
Eat lunch rather than dinner as the main restaurant meal — lunchtime menu del giorno (set menus) at trattorie are typically €12-15 (~$13-16) for two courses, versus €35+ (~$38) at dinner à la carte
Drink coffee standing at the bar: espresso is €1.20-1.50 (~$1-2); the same coffee at a table outside costs €3-5 (~$3-5)
Florence's tap water is clean, cold, and free from nasoni (public drinking fountains) throughout the historic centre — fill a reusable bottle and avoid buying plastic water
Free things to do
Memorable experiences that cost nothing.
Visit the Duomo exterior and Baptistery
The exterior of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo) and the exterior and interior of the Baptistery of San Giovanni are free to view without any ticket. The Gates of Paradise on the Baptistery (Ghiberti originals are inside the Museo dell'Opera, but the reproductions on the building are themselves extraordinary) are among the most studied bronze reliefs in art history.
Piazza della Signoria and Loggia dei Lanzi
Florence's open-air civic heart is a free sculpture museum: the Loggia dei Lanzi contains Cellini's Perseus with the Head of Medusa (1554) and Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women (1583), two of the Renaissance's greatest bronze masterpieces — completely free and always accessible. The copy of Michelangelo's David also stands outside the Palazzo Vecchio at no charge.
San Miniato al Monte church
One of Tuscany's finest Romanesque churches (11th-12th century) above Piazzale Michelangelo, with an extraordinary geometric marble facade and a magnificently preserved medieval interior. Entry is free and the church is far less crowded than any church in the city centre. The walk from the Arno is 30 minutes, or take bus 13 from SMN.
Piazzale Michelangelo sunset
Florence's famous panoramic viewpoint above the Oltrarno offers the classic view of the Duomo, Arno bridges, and the surrounding Florentine hills. Free at all times; crowded at sunset in summer but always worthwhile. Take bus 13 from Santa Maria Novella or walk the staircase from Piazza della Zecca Vecchia (35 minutes from city centre).
Basilica di Santa Croce (exterior and piazza)
The great Franciscan church of Santa Croce fronts a large piazza that is free to use and one of Florence's most pleasant gathering places. The exterior is neogothic (19th century) but impressive. Entry to the basilica (where Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli are buried) costs €8 (~$9), but the piazza itself is free.
Walk the Oltrarno artisan streets
The Oltrarno neighbourhood preserves traditional Florentine crafts in open workshop-shops: leatherworkers, gilders, bookbinders, and furniture restorers on Via Maggio, Borgo San Jacopo, and Via delle Terme. Watching craftsmen work is free; the products are for purchase.
Biblioteca delle Oblate rooftop terrace
Florence's public city library on Via dell'Oriuolo has a free rooftop cafe terrace with an intimate close-up view of Brunelleschi's dome. Take the lift to the top floor and walk out to the cafe terrace. Unknown to most visitors — mainly used by Florentine university students.
Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio browsing
A genuine Florentine neighbourhood food market (Monday-Saturday 7AM-2PM) where residents of the Sant'Ambrogio quarter buy their daily produce. Free to browse the fresh cheese, vegetable, flower, and deli stalls; purchase what takes your interest.