How to see FLORENCE in a Day Guide

I would hate for you to waste your time in line. Remember that there are two sorts of travelers, those who stand in line and those who don't. Don't even think about coming to see the David in the Academia without booking your ticket or tour well ahead of time. Many people refer to Florence as the capital of European culture, and it's with good reason. Through scientific and artistic achievement, it really became the birthplace of the modern Western world. Today, it's jam-packed with amazing sights, incredible delicious food, and beautiful experiences like this. I'm Angel Castellanos for The Tour Guide, and today I'm going to give you the formula of how to have an epic time right here in Florence. Florence is the capital of the region of Tuscany, north of Rome and south of Milan and Venice. Getting to Florence is straightforward because there are easy transportation connections. A Medico Vespucci International Airport is a 30-minute drive from the city center. It primarily serves European destinations, making it unlikely for direct flights from the USA. Shuttle buses, taxis, and trams running every six minutes are available for transportation to the city center. Most people get to Florence by train at Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station. It's easily accessible from Rome or Milan as it lies on the main high-speed train line and serves as a regional transportation hub. The high-speed line connects Torino or Milan to Naples, stopping in Florence. It takes approximately 96 minutes from Rome and two hours from Milan. Use the Trenitalia or Italo apps to check schedules and buy tickets. Florence is Italy's greatest village, with a compact city center and many pedestrian-only streets. Public buses are rarely needed unless you're going to Piazzale Michelangelo for the views. Taxis are readily available at the train station and marked ranks can be found throughout the city. Florence is jam-packed with attraction and world-famous sites within a 20-minute radius. Our longest walk today will be about 10 to 15 minutes. Here's a quick orientation. The Duomo, Florence's cathedral, is at the historic core. The train station is to the west. North of the Duomo is the Accademia, home to Michelangelo's David. In the opposite direction lies the Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi Gallery. East of the Duomo is the neighborhood of Michelangelo and Dante, Santa Croce. We'll eventually cross the Ponte Vecchio historic bridge that spans the Arno River going to the Otrarno district. We created the perfect route and plan to get you from A to Z. Check out the blog for great information on maximizing your time and increasing your fun. Before we start our day, hook me up with a like and subscribe so we can keep bringing you great content. I'm starting the day in Florence by having a chill breakfast in a historic cafe in Piazza della Repubblica before climbing the dome of the Florence Cathedral. Then I'm headed to see Michelangelo's David in the Accademia before lunch in Mercato Centrale. From Mercato Centrale, we'll learn about the birthplace of the Renaissance on our way to the Uffizi Gallery. I'll show you where to get coffee and gelato in my favorite Florentine neighborhood. And don't forget to stay until the end because there's a fantastic food tour I'm going on and we'll end with cocktails. I'm taking you to one of the historic cafes right here in Piazza della Repubblica, Cafe Paschkowski. They've been serving coffee since 1903. They even have live music since 1911 right here on the terrace. So you can come for coffee, come for lunch, or maybe even an aperitivo. So let's check it out. So you can choose to sit down and have waiter service at a table, but I'm gonna have my coffee al banco, which means at the bar. So I'm gonna go ahead and pay for my coffee first, then take my receipt up to the counter and they'll serve me my coffee. Cappuccino, cappuccino. Is that Davidino? Grazie, grazie. These guys are the best. That's one of the reasons why I love coming in here. Everyone is so friendly. And check out this cappuccino. There's no fancy latte arts. There's no drawings, cats. They don't need to know your name. You order one drink. They don't ask you what kind of milk you're gonna have. It just comes the way it comes. And they've been doing this for quite a long time and I absolutely trust them. About five minutes from Piazza della Repubblica is Piazza del Duomo. Florence's most iconic sites are located right here. The massive and breathtaking Duomo, or Florence Cathedral, officially known as Santa Maria del Fiore, is in this square and the epicenter of the city. Alongside it is the 270-foot tall famous bell tower by the medieval master Giotto. The baptistry is also in the piazza and should not be missed. The east doors of the baptistry are so special that Michelangelo famously called them the gates of paradise. We're getting an early start this morning and having one of the most epic experiences you can have here in Florence. We're climbing up to the top of the Duomo, which is the greatest dome since antiquity. Let's do this. To learn more about the groundbreaking Renaissance dome of the Florence Cathedral, I've asked my friend and local guide Chiara to join me. How long have you been a licensed tour guide? Since 2009. So now it's been quite some time. Congratulations. Thank you. I love it. It's fun. After a quick security check and views of the gothic interior, it's time to start to climb the 463 stairs through the dome to the top of the cupola. The dome took 16 years to build, showcasing Filippo Brunelleschi's genius. Inside, Chiara highlights the innovative techniques, including the herringbone brick pattern and interlacing supporting arches. Completed in 1436, Brunelleschi shocked the world with the biggest dome on the planet. This is the real part of the climb. Super steep. Let's do this. So tell me, what are we looking at now? So here you have the Church of San Lorenzo, which was, you know, like the parish, let's say, to the Medici family. The Central Market, the one with the green roof that you see right there. The Medici Palace, this is another big brownish building right there, you know, with that yellow top part, you know, that is right at the top. You see in the distance the Church of Santa Maria Novella. Right before the train station, you see the tracks, right? You have the dome, which is right steep under our feet, obviously. You have the roof to the cathedral. You have the terraces. And then, of course, on the left-hand side, you have this very tall tower, which is our bell tower. It's Giotto's bell tower. All right, so our 15 minutes are up. And you can see everyone's trying to rush me out. So see you on the flip side. Six minutes away from the Duomo, is the Accademia Gallery, which houses the always impressive Michelangelo's David. So you have our tickets. Yeah, yeah. It's a nice thing about having a tour. Got the tickets taken care of. Yeah, no, that's great. So this is the first room that you see once you sort of enter the Accademia, right? Yes, this is the first impact that you have. And you see, it's actually recently been renovated. So I think this nice color actually makes the paintings pop, even though really there is no need for that. The hallway leading up to the David is lined with unfinished works by Michelangelo, known as Prisoners. Their contorted bodies appear to be freeing themselves from the marble. If you look closely, you can see grooves from Michelangelo's various chisels and imagine him working away. The gigantic 17-foot-tall David is one of the most famous works of art in the world, and with good reason. Local Florentine Michelangelo took an unwanted piece of marble and used a biblical story about the triumph of good over evil to carve a piece that still inspires us 500 years later. We see David standing like a Greek god with his slingshot over his shoulder, rock in his hand, at the moment he's ready to face an unbeatable enemy. His gaze and body exudes the confidence of youth, free of any fear with only his God-given ability. In 1504, Michelangelo shocked the world when he unveiled his very first publicly commissioned piece. It was meant to go on the Duomo, but it was so obvious that this piece was special and really symbolized the Republic of Florence. It symbolized humanity and all its greatness. And here now, it's in the Accademia. It used to stand in the Piazza della Signoria until the 19th century. You can now visit it now, and trust me, it is so impressive. It does not disappoint. It's everything you want it to be. This is just incredible. Close by the Accademia is Mercato Centrale, where you can find lots of different food options for lunch. If you're visiting the Medici Palace or the Accademia or even San Lorenzo Church, come to the Mercato Centrale for a very casual bite to eat, but also to experience what a true Italian market is like. You can do a little bit of shopping, get some casual eats. I'm gonna go have a sandwich at Nervone, which dates back from the 19th century. It's time for the best porchetta sandwich you could possibly hope to have. Trust me. Sat down for lunch. I ordered a porchetta sandwich, a porchetta panini, and look at this porky goodness. All it is is bread and beautiful roast pork. This is what I love about this place. It's so casual. It's inexpensive as well. The panino was six euros, so you can have an inexpensive casual lunch in such a fun environment. The whole thing is an experience. Another good option for lunch, especially if you're here on the weekend, is Osteria di Cinghiale Bianco. Their pappardelle with wild ragu hits the spot. If you want to eat closer to the Uffizi, check out the traditional Tuscan osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori. On Via dei Neri, you don't want to miss La Prosciutteria. So we are on Via dei Neri and this street runs perpendicular to the Palazzo Vecchio and it's one of those classic Florentine streets. Lots of eating choices. Of course, the most famous sandwich shop in all of Florence is here, which has huge long lines, but you can also come just a couple of meters away to La Prosciutteria. It's one of my favorite places to eat because there's never a line and the food is quite excellent. You can have a sandwich or you can order what's called a tagliere and I'm going to do that right inside. So let's do this. With a truffle, that's a home run. If you love food as much as we do, stay until the end because I'm headed on a food tour, which includes the king of all steak, the Fiorentina. Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance. This 10-minute stroll we're taking to the Uffizi is a free art history story that covers some of the highlights we can enjoy on the way to the gallery. So surrounding Mercato Centrale, you have lots of small little markets and they're full of stalls selling different crafts and different souvenirs and Florence has been the center of leather making for centuries. In the same way glass is made in Venice, leather is made here in Florence. So you got to check out this market and have a look about. The story of the Renaissance is linked to the famous Medici family who ruled Florence for centuries. As patrons of great masters like Donatello, Botticelli and Michelangelo, their nearby palazzo and chapel in San Lorenzo Church contain many great works of art. The feud that sparked the Renaissance began in 1401 when a citywide competition was held for the honor of building the doors to the baptistry. The two finalists, Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi would go down in history. Through his groundbreaking combination of science and art, Ghiberti won the competition and went on to create the Gates of Paradise. In 1418 another competition was held, this time for a commission to build the dome of the Florence Cathedral. And this time Brunelleschi won. His dome of the Florence Cathedral has an external diameter of 54.8 meters and is 114.5 meters high and is the largest brick and mortar dome in the world. Three minutes from Piazza del Duomo is Orsanmichele Church. It's worth a stop because on the exterior you have some of the most important sculptures of the Renaissance. The Nanni di Banco Quattro Santi is an important work and masterpiece, an example of the transition from the Gothic to Renaissance art with natural and realistic poses. Also, don't miss the heroic sculpture of Saint George by Donatello. The classic features and natural emotion was groundbreaking for its time. This is one of the beautiful squares in Florence that you will no doubt see when you're touring this city. It's called Piazza della Signoria and it's not too far away from the Duomo. It's the civic heart of the city because the old city council used to meet in the building right behind me. It's called the Palazzo Vecchio. Today, it's the town hall and it has this iconic 300-foot tower and this is where the original David by Michelangelo stood. Until the 19th century, it stood outside of the city hall as a symbol of the city and civic pride. And that, my friends, is interessante, right? Next to the Palazzo Vecchio is La Loggia which has several Roman and Renaissance sculptures. The two noticeable ones are in the front. The Rape of the Sabines by Giambologna and the powerful Perseus by Cellini. The Uffizi Gallery is a world-renowned museum in Florence that houses a vast collection including medieval art and masterpieces by Caravaggio and even Marc Chagall. But the gallery is known for having a vast collection of Renaissance art. It's jam-packed with more all-stars than the New York Yankees. Botticelli, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Lippi are all here. The museum is manageable and shouldn't take you more than two hours to visit. Having a guide like Chiara with me was clutch in finding all the masterpieces I wanted to see and hearing stories that make these paintings come alive. The artist is in here. So you see that monk right over there? And the woman that he loved was this woman over here. Of course, we see her everywhere, right? The Uffizi is included in our Florence in a Day tour along with the David. Skip the line tickets and guides like Chiara are included. Check out the website for more information. It's time for a little pick-me-up after all that great art on a street lined with great places to eat and drink called Via dei Neri. So what I love about Dita Artigianale is that it's all about the coffee. It's a casual place inside. I mean, you're not going to find bow ties or vests or anything like that. And they have a modern take on the way they do things compared to traditional coffee houses here in the city. So there's latte art. You can choose your different sizes. So if you're used to that sort of stuff, maybe this is the place for you. If you want to escape the heat and the crowds, get yourself a gelato and get onto the side streets. We list lots of different places for gelato on the blog. So be sure to check those out. I'm here at Gelateria dei Neri, which is one of my personal favorites. So the way to tell a good gelato shop from one that's not so authentic is the fact that this one here, you don't see the gelato piled up mountains high with a bunch of syrups and sugary stuff right on top. It's all about the content and the flavor and the ingredients. And I ordered nachola, which is hazelnuts and ricotta con pistachio, which is ricotta flavors with pistachio. So if there's one other church that you're going to see besides Odomo, I think it definitely should be Santa Croce. This is Piazza Santa Croce and this is the largest Franciscan church in the world. Construction started in 1294. It's a stone's throw from the neighborhood that Michelangelo grew up in and we're going to go inside because it really is a temple to Italian greatness and let me show you why. So tickets are eight euros. You can get them at the ticket office here and go right on in. So inside, not only are you going to see frescoes by Giotto, but you're also going to see the tomb of Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo and memorials to Italian grace. The interior of the church is spacious and airy with a nave that is 375 feet long, which is the length of an American football field or the wingspan of a Boeing 737 plane. While many people are buried in Santa Croce, it's hard not to notice the tombs and memorials to some of the greatest Italians of all time. Galileo spent his last years in Florence. Niccolo Machiavelli, who changed the face of world politics, is also buried here. And of course, there's one of the greatest Florentines of all time, Michelangelo. Although he died in Rome, Michelangelo was buried in his childhood church. So some people might refer to this as Dante's tomb, but that is not in fact correct. This is a memorial to Dante. Dante actually died in Ravenna, and this is a memorial to the Italian poet who absolutely changed the world through Italian language. As you exit, you'll walk through the peaceful cloistered courtyard of the Franciscan Brothers and see a chapel that was begun by Brunelleschi. So if you want to get to know the food here in Florence or simply want to learn what to order in a restaurant, you should definitely consider hopping on one of our food tours. I love eating, so I'm going on a food tour now. I'm meeting our guide, Teodora, and she's going to show me around the city. And we're just going to make our way eating some different classic Florentine foods. Ciao, ciao. Yeah, how are you? I'm good. Thanks so much for meeting me. Of course. Where are we? We are at Budellino. Budellino in Tuscan dialect. So Budello in Tuscan dialect means stomach. Cheers. I love a good vermentino. Yes, and it's very fruity. It's very light. It's perfect to start off an happy hour. Tell me about this Budellino. Is it... It's not 100% Sangiovese, is it? It's a blend of Sangiovese and other grapes, but it's mostly Sangiovese grapes. That's why we call it a Sangiovese wine. We're having some prosciutto. Toscano. Okay, so it's Toscano. It's not prosciutto di Parma. That's right. It's the Tuscan version. These are the crostini with some tomato, pomodori, and some olive paste. No, it's chicken liver pate and parmesan. Chicken liver pate? Yes. It's my lucky day. I suggest that you start off... Oh, well, this is a tomato point. Papa al pomodoro. We offer it warm. It is warm. Yeah. It is warm. But you can have it both ways. During the summer, we usually have it a bit more chilled since it's very hot. Like a gazpacho, almost. Yes, almost. This is good. All right, here we go. Chicken liver pate on Tuscan unsalted bread. That's wonderful. Yes. The Ponte Vecchio, which you see behind me, is one of the iconic symbols here in Florence and something that you definitely have to see when you're in the city. During medieval times, it was full of farmers and as soon as the Medici started to rule the city, they kicked out all the farmers and installed a bunch of goldsmiths. To this day, the bridge is full of different jewelry shops, so it's going to be very crowded when you visit this bridge. And you see this little secret walkway right along the top of the bridge? That was built by the Medici because they couldn't be bothered to walk with normal people. They had to have a secret walkway between the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace. Pro tip, if you want to pick up something for your mom while you're in Florence, do it here at Ponte Vecchio. We have some fried ravioli. Fried ravioli, two different kinds? Two different kinds. So one is with spinach and ricotta cheese and the other one is potatoes, mint and pecorino cheese. So you're up for some more aperitivo? Is the Pope Catholic? So one of the reasons why I love coming up here to the Hotel Guadagni, to their loggia, is because of the vibe. I just feel like a Roman patrician when I'm up here. There's beautiful columns, you have views of Santo Spirito and of course, they make these classic cocktails. So I'm having a variation of a Negroni and I'm going to give it a go. That's where you've been. Come on. This is traveling, right? All right, so we made it to the last stop, right? We're going to go out with a bang. What can we expect here? Well, we're having the ribollita soup, the Florentine table steak that we've waited so much. Yeah, the Fiorentina. The Fiorentina, the Fiorentina and then Tuscan dessert. And we're eating at a traditional trattoria, right? We're eating at a traditional trattoria that's owned for... So it's been open since 1958. Thank you. I'm excited. I'm very excited. Is this house wine? Yes, it is. All right, I love me some house wine. That's a good little trick to save money, huh? Well, I can't wait to taste it. So cheers to Jupiter. Here's to Jupiter, yes. All right, so in true Florentine fashion, I have to pick up this bone here and just have at it and gnaw away. So this is Angel Castellanos for the tour guide finishing up the food tour. That's the best part, that's the best part. The closer to the bone, the sweeter the meat, right? Cheers. That's a wrap. Before we end our day, it's worth noting that Florence is home to one of the top cocktail bars in the world, Locale. With an elegant and sophisticated atmosphere, Locale Bar is the chicest bar in Florence and easily belongs in any major city in the world. The bar has a creative menu of cocktails inspired by Renaissance art and is a great place to enjoy mixology after a long day of sightseeing. Just look at this incredible drink. That's where you've been. Florence is jam-packed with incredible sights and if you plan well, you can take advantage of your time and see them all. Today, we climbed the Duomo, went to the Accademia to see Michelangelo's David and even went to the Uffizi Gallery. I'm Angel Castellanos for the tour guide. Don't forget to comment, like and subscribe and ring that bell to find our next video. Happy travels.