Florence Travel Guide: What to See, Do & Skip (First-timers guide)
- Akshay Umashankar
- Dec 30, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 2
We arrived in Florence by train from Pisa, bright and early because yes, we’re those annoying early birds. Our first impression was that Florence feels like a mash-up of Renaissance grandeur and modern European energy. Vibrant colours, cobblestoned streets, buzzing piazzas, and this instantly tells you this city was truly the land of the creative, as this was the art and architecture hub in the renaissance times. Leonardo Da Vinci himself trained as an apprentice here before going to create masterpieces such as the 'Monalisa'.
A quick FYI: Florence is always busy. No matter the season, expect crowds, especially around major attractions. A little patience goes a long way here.
Our expectations were sky-high, and honestly, Florence didn’t disappoint. Since we were hauling our bags around, our first stop was luggage storage.
Pro tip: Florence has plenty of luggage storage options scattered across the city, just choose one that’s convenient for getting to your accommodation later. Trust me, dragging suitcases over cobblestones is a full-body workout you didn’t sign up for.
First stop: Piazza della Repubblica: Beautiful but Pricey
We found ourselves right in the heart of the city at Piazza della Repubblica, one of Florence’s most stunning squares. It's lined with elegant cafés and historic buildings and is definitely a photogenic place. It gives you the old carnival vibes.
Tip: As pretty as the eateries are in this square, The cafés here are classic tourist traps. Gorgeous? Yes. Wallet-friendly? Not really. It’s a lovely place to soak in the vibe, snap photos, and move on. That's what we did!
Next Stop: The Crown Jewel: Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (The Duomo)
The absolute showstopper of Florence is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, aka The Duomo. The cathedral is massive, jaw-dropping, and almost unbelievable in scale until you’re standing right in front of it. It's not possible to capture the picture in a single frame. The crowds here are intense, and the lines can be overwhelming with wait easily creeping upto a few hours.
Important Duomo Tips:
• Entry to the cathedral itself is free
• Tickets are required to climb the Dome (Cupola)
• Book tickets well in advance as it gets sold out quickly
• Pro tip: Book afternoon slots (around lunchtime).It’s slightly less chaotic
The Dome climb is absolutely worth it. Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, it solved one of the greatest architectural problems of its time and remains a masterpiece of engineering. The views from the top are some of the best in Florence.
Our Honest take:
The Exterior of the Cathedral is a marvel and you'd stand there staring at this massive building for while. However, interior of the cathedral felt a bit underwhelming compared to the jaw-dropping exterior. If you don’t have Dome tickets, We wouldn’t recommend standing in line for hours just to step inside as it's a simple place of worship inside unlike other famous cathedrals like the one in Milan, where there's artistic ventures inside.
Other Must-See Places in Florence
Florence is packed with iconic attractions and is all within walkable distance from each other. However, the tickets for most of them needs to be booked way in advance so we ended up either buying scalped tickets (Which are really pricey! But we really wanted to see the David by Michaelangelo) or looked at few places from outside such as the Uffizi Gallery, where the sculptures, most of em are lined outside at the fountain square. Below are just few places, but for us, to be honest, nothing beats the Cathedral.
• Ponte Vecchio – Florence’s famous medieval bridge lined with jewellery shops. Apparently, Hitler tried to have this destroyed during the 2nd World war, but seems to have survived somehow. Worth having a quick look as you don't really see many bridges that have stored built upon.
Michelangelo’s David (Galleria dell’Accademia) - Needs no introduction. The line for the gallery was quite long, however, we did manage a guided tour via scalped tickets. There are few amazing art and scupltures inside the gallery, bu the most porminent one, as you porbably guess is 'David' by Michelangelo.
Fun fact: There's a replica of David at Pallazo Vecchio square. We honestly couldn't tell the difference if it wasn't kept at the gallery.
Let’s Talk About Food: All’Antico Vinaio
Like any other Italian cities, there's the usual pizza and pasta everywhere. However, If there’s one food experience you must try in Florence, it’s a schiacciata sandwich from All’Antico Vinaio. It's rguably the most famous sandwich shop in the city.
There’s almost always a line, specially building up to lunctime, but it moves fast. We waited about 10 minutes, and the staff were incredibly friendly.
Our Order:
Sundried tomatoes
Creamy stracciatella cheese
Fresh Mozzarella
Pistachio cream
The filling? Delicious and generous. Easily enough for two people to share one sandwich.
However (and here’s the honest part):
The schiacciata bread is quite tough and hard, which made eating it a bit of a struggle. No matter how good the filling is, if the bread fights back, it takes away from the experience. So while we enjoyed the flavours, it's was quite the exercise for our jaws. We give at 3.5 out of 5.
It's however, Affordable, filling, iconic, but not perfect. Still, it’s cheap by Florence standards, which is saying something.
Fun fact: Florence’s Wine Windows
You’ll spot tiny wine windows (Buchette del Vino) all around Florence. It's the leftovers from the 1500s when wine was sold straight from window due to black plague, a pandemic that hit Europe. However, few are still operating today. We found one about a 10-minute walk from the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, right in the heart of the city, attached to a restaurant that’s been doing this for ages. Resto: Osteria San Fiorenzo
Our honest take: The wine was average and cost €10 a glass with less than 150ml of wine. It’s clearly one of those spots that banks on tourists. If you want the photo and the novelty, go for it. Otherwise, feel free to skip as this one’s a clear tourist trap.
Where We Stayed (Budget Win)
Florence centre is quite expensive to stay. The per night cost rises quite quickly specially during the season bettwen July - Oct. We chose to stay slightly outside the city, and it worked perfectly for us. Public transport in Florence is mainly buses, generally reliable and we scored a fantastic deal at: https://firenze.huopenair.com/
Around €50 per night, clean, comfortable, and perfect for explorers who just need a place to crash after long days of walking.
Tips for Visiting Florence
• Wear comfortable shoes – Florence is best explored on foot
• Expect a LOT of walking
• Most attractions are within walking distance
• Many areas are vehicle-free, adding to the charm
Final Thoughts
This Florence travel guide is based on our first visit to the city, covering what to see, where to eat, and what’s actually worth your time.
Florence is more than a city. It isn’t just beautiful. It’s historically legendary. This is the city where Leonardo da Vinci lived and worked, where art, science, and architecture changed the world forever! And it became one of our favourite cities too as we travelled our way like locals do and understood a bit about the culture in Florence. It's
We stayed in Florence for three nights, but honestly, it deserved more, especially considering the incredible day trips from Florence (Val d’Orcia, Pisa, Siena, Chianti… the list goes on). You can find more about day tours from Florence here:
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