3 Days in Florence: A Practical First-Time Itinerary

This plan assumes three full days and selective museum visits. It works year-round. Winter brings shorter daylight hours, so plan viewpoints and gardens earlier; museum crowds still depend on dates.

Your three-day Florence itinerary at a glance

Day	Main area	Core stops	Optional stop	Closed Mondays?	Book ahead
1	Duomo + Signoria	Cathedral, Baptistery, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio	Dome or bell tower climb	Normally open; check holidays	Dome slot, or bell tower slot with a Giotto Pass
2	Uffizi + Oltrarno	Uffizi and an Oltrarno walk; viewpoint if time allows	San Miniato al Monte	Uffizi and Pitti: yes	Uffizi time slot
3	Accademia + San Lorenzo	David, San Lorenzo, Mercato Centrale	Medici Chapels or Santa Croce	Accademia and Medici Chapels: yes	Accademia time slot

Details checked November 15, 2026. Confirm hours, prices, and closures for your own dates.

Who this itinerary is for

This route suits independent first-time visitors who want Florence's essential art and architecture without back-to-back museum marathons. Central Florence is compact and walkable. The two climbs (the dome and Piazzale Michelangelo) are optional for anyone who wants to save their legs.

What to book, and where to buy it

Booking	What to know
Brunelleschi's Dome	The Brunelleschi Pass (€30 adult) includes the dome, bell tower, Baptistery, museum, and Santa Reparata for three calendar days from your selected date, with one visit to each. Book the dome for a fixed time in the visitor's name and bring ID. The climb has 463 steps and no elevator. Leave medium and large bags at the official bag storage before entry.
The Cathedral	Entry is always free. The Duomo's own site calls "skip-the-line" Cathedral tickets misleading. Dress modestly.
Uffizi	Timed entry. Book on the official site when sales open for your dates. Check the current ticket type and booking charge on the official site; do not assume a winter discount.
Accademia (David)	Reserve a time through the museum's official ticket link. Standard adult admission is €20, plus a €4 reservation fee. Check reduced or free admission eligibility before buying.

Buy from the official Duomo site and the museums' official ticket offices first; they show the base admission and booking conditions. If official slots are gone or you'd like a guided visit, resellers are an option. Compare what's included before you pay.

Where to stay for this itinerary

A base inside the historic center, between the Duomo, Santa Maria Novella station, and the river, keeps this itinerary's main stops within walking reach. The Oltrarno offers another base across the river, but popular restaurant and bar streets can stay lively; check noise reviews for the exact address. Check whether your room is up several flights of stairs without an elevator, which is common in old buildings. Our hotel selection checklist covers room details, total price, and booking terms.

Plan your stay

Find a Florence base for this route

Compare stays for your dates, then check the exact address against Santa Maria Novella, the Duomo and the river. Before booking, review stairs or elevator access, recent noise comments, the total price and cancellation terms.

Use the map to check the property, then compare the complete stay for your dates.

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Compare Florence stays for your dates

Getting there and getting around

• From Florence Airport (FLR): Take the T2 tram toward San Marco and get off at Valfonda–Stazione SMN for Santa Maria Novella station. The journey to the center takes about 20 minutes; a single ticket costs €2 and is valid for 90 minutes.
• From Pisa Airport (PSA): Take the PisaMover shuttle to Pisa Centrale (about 5 minutes), then a regional train to Florence (roughly an hour, depending on the service). Allow extra time for waiting and the transfer.
• From Rome: High-speed trains take about 1 hour 30 minutes, center to center. See our 3 Days in Rome itinerary if you're combining the two cities.

Inside the center, you'll walk almost everywhere.

Day 1: The Duomo and Piazza della Signoria

Route: Cathedral → Baptistery and Duomo museum → optional dome or bell tower climb → Piazza della Signoria → Palazzo Vecchio → Ponte Vecchio at dusk.

Start at the Duomo. Cathedral admission is free, but tourist visits close on Sundays and religious holidays. Use your pass for the Baptistery and the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, which holds original sculptures from the complex. The museum closes on the first Tuesday of each month. The Baptistery's ceiling mosaics are under restoration and cannot currently be seen from ground level.

If you booked the dome, leave time for bag storage and arrive before your fixed entry time at Porta della Mandorla on the north side. Bring your ticket and ID; allow roughly an hour for the climb and visit. Giotto's bell tower is an alternative climb of 414 steps, also without an elevator. A Giotto Pass requires a bell tower time slot; with a Brunelleschi Pass, no separate bell tower reservation is needed.

Walk down Via dei Calzaiuoli to Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio, the city hall and museum. Palazzo Vecchio is open on Mondays. Its tower closes in the rain, and the museum can close partly for civic ceremonies.

End at the Ponte Vecchio as the light fades.

Day 2: The Uffizi, the Oltrarno, and Piazzale Michelangelo

Route: Uffizi at your time slot → lunch → across the Ponte Vecchio → Oltrarno walk → Piazzale Michelangelo if time and daylight allow. Boboli Gardens or Pitti Palace are optional swaps for part of the afternoon.

Book the Uffizi for the usual 8:15 a.m. opening if you can. Focus on a few rooms, such as the Botticelli rooms, rather than trying to see everything. The museum normally closes on Mondays. For November 20, 2026: a national strike means the Uffizi only guarantees opening from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., with last admission at 5:30 p.m.; check the official notice before keeping a morning booking.

After lunch, cross to the Oltrarno. A neighborhood walk is enough after a long museum morning. For another paid stop, choose Boboli Gardens or the Pitti Palace galleries, leaving the viewpoint optional. Boboli closes at 4:30 p.m. from November to February, with last entry at 3:30 p.m.; it normally closes on the first and last Monday of each month. Pitti closes on Mondays, and some rooms are currently closed for works, so check its notices before booking.

Finish at Piazzale Michelangelo, a free viewpoint over the city. It's a steady uphill walk. The church of San Miniato al Monte, a little higher, is a quieter extension.

Day 3: The Accademia and San Lorenzo

Route: Accademia at your time slot → San Lorenzo area and Mercato Centrale → Medici Chapels or Santa Croce.

Book the Accademia early in the day. Michelangelo's David is the centerpiece, and most visits take about an hour. It's closed on Mondays.

Walk to the San Lorenzo area for lunch around the Mercato Centrale food hall. In the afternoon, choose the Medici Chapels (closed Mondays) for more Michelangelo, or walk to Santa Croce, where Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli are buried.

Florence in winter

Short daylight makes the order of the day matter. Put gardens and viewpoints early enough to finish before closing or darkness, and use museums for longer indoor blocks. Boboli’s winter hours are shorter than its summer hours.

Do not budget on the assumption that the Uffizi becomes much cheaper in November. The current official ticket page distinguishes ticket products and advance-purchase charges; check your date and chosen product.

Pack layers and shoes with grip for wet paving. Our cool-weather capsule wardrobe helps with the packing. Check holiday calendars separately from normal Monday closures.

Keep / Swap / Skip

Your situation	Keep	Swap	Skip
Your trip includes a Monday	Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio	Make Monday your Day 1	State museums that day
It's the first Sunday of the month	Duomo museum and outdoor sights; Cathedral closed to tourists	Choose a different day for a paid reserved visit	The free-entry queue
Rain	Uffizi, Accademia, Pitti Palace	Boboli for Pitti	The Palazzo Vecchio tower (closed in rain)
Limited walking	Cathedral, museums	The dome for the Baptistery and museum	Dome climb, Piazzale Michelangelo on foot
Short on time	Uffizi or Accademia, not both	A focused selection of rooms for a full museum circuit	A third paid museum in one day

Your preparation checklist

• Book the Uffizi, the Accademia, and (if climbing) the Brunelleschi Pass.
• Plan around Monday closures.
• Bring your ticket and ID for the dome climb, and allow time to leave medium or large bags at storage.
• Pack clothing that covers shoulders and knees for churches.
• Check entry requirements for your passport with our international travel checklist.

Planning sources

Key booking and rule sources checked November 15, 2026: Uffizi tickets · Duomo visitor information · Medici Chapels hours · Accademia · Florence airport tram fare · PisaMover. Check the provider’s calendar and service notices for the date you intend to travel.