Here's how to spend 3 days in Florence without spending most of them in queues. It's a florence itinerary 3 days long, built from the museums' own ticket and opening-hours pages, which we read on 13 November 2026, and from the order that most of the seven top-ranking itineraries we read agree on. We didn't stay anywhere to write it, and no hotel or tour paid to be included.
The route
- 2 nightsFlorence
Stay near the Duomo, the Uffizi or the station
Is 3 days in Florence enough?
Yes. Three days covers the cathedral and its dome, the David, the Uffizi, the Oltrarno side of the river and a sunset viewpoint without sprinting. Two days works if you drop the Pitti Palace and Boboli. Add a fourth day only for a Tuscany trip, not for more Florence.
If you only care about art, two days is genuinely tight.
If you'd rather wander and eat, three is generous, and you'll know which camp you're in by the end of Day 1.
Before you go: book these first
Florence runs on timed tickets (and several are now named, which means your ID is attached to the booking), so reserve the three that sell out first and leave the rest loose.
- The Duomo dome: a time slot is mandatory, and the Brunelleschi Pass is €30 for adults. It covers the dome, bell tower, baptistery, Opera museum and Santa Reparata, and it's valid for 3 calendar days. Reserve at the Opera's ticket site.
- The Accademia (David): full ticket €16, plus a €4 reservation fee, on the Accademia's own tickets page.
- The Uffizi: €25 on the day or €29 in advance, sold at the Uffizi's official ticket page, with your ID checked at the door.
We read those prices on official pages on 13 November 2026 (the Accademia pages carry no date, so check the amount when you book), and it's worth a second look at the Uffizi's notices page too, because when we checked it listed a strike for 20 November 2026 with no further detail.
If the official slots for the David run out, a timed-entry David ticket on GetYourGuide is the fallback (expect to pay more than at the museum's own site).
The Monday rule
Most of the national museums shut on Monday. The Uffizi, Pitti Palace, Accademia, Bargello and Medici Chapels are all closed Mondays, and the Boboli Gardens also close on the first and last Monday of each month. The cathedral, Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella and San Lorenzo stay open.
That's why Day 1 is built from the Monday-proof sights.
If you land on a Monday, run the plan as written. If Day 2 would fall on a Monday, swap Day 1 and Day 2 and you're fine.
Palazzo Vecchio also shuts early on Thursdays (the museum closes at 14:00), so on that day do it first thing.
| Sight | Closed | Price we confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Uffizi | Monday | €25 on the day, €29 in advance |
| Accademia | Monday | €16 plus €4 booking fee |
| Pitti Palace | Monday | €16 on the day, €19 in advance |
| Bargello | Monday | €12 |
| Medici Chapels | Monday | €11 |
| Palazzo Vecchio | none listed; museum closes 14:00 Thursday | €18 museum, €20 tower |
Getting around
You'll walk. The historic centre is compact, and every stop below sits inside it, apart from the Oltrarno climb on Day 3.
From the airport, the T2 tram costs €2 on a ticket valid for 90 minutes and takes about 20 minutes to reach the centre, though we couldn't confirm the terminus stop name, so check the stop when you board. Welcome Pickups is the alternative if you land late or have heavy bags.
For the full lay of the land, read our Florence travel guide.
Day 1 in Florence: the cathedral and the old centre
A full day, and the one you can run on a Monday. You'll climb about 460 steps before lunch (so wear shoes with grip and keep breakfast light), then spend the afternoon on your feet in two of the city's biggest civic and religious buildings.
Today's agenda:
- Duomo dome at your slot, ideally the first
- Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria
- Santa Croce
- Dinner at Mercato Centrale
Morning: Brunelleschi's dome
Take the earliest dome slot you can get. The dome opens at 8:15 on weekdays according to the Opera's own guide, although hours shift with the season, so check what's on offer when you book.
Arrive at the Porta della Mandorla about 10 minutes before your slot.
The climb is 463 steps, with no lift, and the Opera puts it at around 45 minutes, while the slot can't be changed afterwards and the ticket carries your name.
Budget about two hours for the dome, including the wait at the top. The bell tower is another 414 steps and it's included in the pass, so you can do it later if your legs object (you've got three days), and the baptistery and the Opera museum are covered as well (the museum is closed on the first Tuesday of each month).
Dress for the cathedral as well. Shoulders and knees must be covered and hats come off.
The cathedral floor is free to enter, and one of the itineraries we read skips the interior altogether. So would we on a crowded morning.
Afternoon: Palazzo Vecchio and Santa Croce
Eat lunch somewhere between the Duomo and the river, in the side streets rather than on the main squares. Then walk to the Palazzo Vecchio, where the museum is €18 and the tower climb is €20 (the tower closes at 17:00 and stays shut in the rain).
Spend about 90 minutes inside. The tower is worth it only on a clear afternoon, and it's the one thing in the day you can drop. If you'd like context at the door, a Palazzo Vecchio ticket with audioguide is a sensible shortcut.
Then walk east to Santa Croce.
It's €10, plus €1 if you book online, and it opens 9:30 to 17:30 Monday to Saturday, but only from 14:00 on Sundays, which makes it the one stop to reorder if Day 1 lands on a Sunday. Allow an hour.
Evening: Mercato Centrale
Have dinner at the Mercato Centrale near San Lorenzo. It's open daily from 9:00 to 23:00, which makes it the safest meal in the city on an off day.
Order at two or three stalls, share everything, and don't expect a quiet table (the hall is a market first and a restaurant second).
You'll have walked a long way by now, so don't plan anything after dinner.
Day 2 in Florence: David, the Medici and the Uffizi
This is the packed day, though it's not a ten-hour one. All three museums are closed on Mondays, so check your calendar before you book anything.
Today's agenda:
- The David at 8:15
- San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapels
- Lunch near the market
- The Uffizi in the afternoon
Morning: the David
Book the first Accademia slot, which opens at 8:15, and plan to be through the door before the group tours arrive.
Why first? Four of the five itineraries that give a time put it in the morning, and opening time is when any gallery is at its emptiest. One of the seven itineraries we read puts it in the late afternoon, and we'd disagree.
Allow 75 minutes.
The ticket is €16, plus the €4 reservation fee, and the last entry is 18:20, although nobody should be planning to go in at 18:20.
Afternoon: the Medici Chapels and the Uffizi
Walk to San Lorenzo, a short stroll north. The Medici Chapels are €11 and open Tuesday to Sunday 8:15 to 18:50, with the last entry 40 minutes before closing. If you'd like to skip the line, a reserved Medici Chapels ticket is available.
The basilica of San Lorenzo is €9 and opens Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:30, but the Chapels are the better use of your hour. Skip the basilica if the day is already running late.
Break for lunch near the market, then take your Uffizi slot in the early afternoon, ideally around 14:00. The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday 8:15 to 18:30 and the ticket office closes at 17:30, so you'll want two to three hours.
Here's the honest verdict. If you want Botticelli, Leonardo and Caravaggio, the Uffizi is the reason you came.
If you'd rather see sculpture and fewer people, skip the Uffizi and take the Bargello instead, which costs €12 and is open Tuesday to Sunday with the last admission 50 minutes before closing. Three of the seven pages we read make the same either-or call, and we wouldn't do both on the same day.
A museum pass bundle exists too. A Florence museum pass covering the David, Uffizi, Pitti Palace and gardens is one option, but we didn't price it against the separate official tickets, so check before you assume it saves money (bundles don't always beat the museums' own prices).
Evening: the river at dusk
Cross toward the Arno once the galleries empty, walk the embankment as the light drops, and have dinner on the Oltrarno side so you're already in place for tomorrow (it saves a long walk back across the river at the start of Day 3).
Day 3 in Florence: Oltrarno, Boboli and the sunset
A full day, with a climb at the end. Everything on this side of the river is quieter, and most visitors give it a few hours at most, which is exactly why it deserves a day.
Today's agenda:
- Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens
- Lunch in Santo Spirito
- San Miniato al Monte
- Sunset from the hill
Morning: Pitti Palace and Boboli
The Pitti Palace is €16 on the day or €19 in advance, and it's closed on Mondays. If you want Boboli too, the combined ticket is €22 on the day or €25 in advance, while Boboli alone is €10 or €13.
Look at the season before you plan the garden. In November the gardens close at 16:30 with the last entry at 15:30, so don't leave them for the afternoon in winter.
One itinerary we read says Boboli "has seen better days", and we'd say that's fair in the cold months. In winter, skip the gardens and keep the palace.
Some Pitti rooms and the Treasury of the Grand Dukes were listed as temporarily closed when we checked, so look at the Uffizi Galleries notices page before you go.
Afternoon: Santo Spirito and the Oltrarno streets
Cross the Ponte Vecchio on the way, preferably before the midday crowds. Then wander the Oltrarno, the artisan streets south of the river. Lunch is in the Santo Spirito area, where the restaurants cater to residents rather than coach tours.
If you've the energy, the Santa Maria Novella basilica is €10 from 1 November 2026, though its hours change by day. It opens at 9:00 Monday to Thursday, but only from 11:00 on Fridays and from 13:00 on Sundays. It's on the other side of town near the station, so we'd only add it if you finish Day 1 early.
Evening: San Miniato and the view
Climb to San Miniato al Monte. Entry is free, it opens 9:30 to 13:00 and 15:30 to 19:00 Monday to Saturday, and on Sundays it opens from 8:15.
You'll walk uphill for a while.
Four of the seven itineraries we read send you to Piazzale Michelangelo for the view. It's a public viewpoint square (we couldn't confirm any hours), and one writer we read calls it crowded, so push on up to San Miniato instead and watch the light go from there. Then walk back down for dinner.
Got more time, or fewer days?
With two days, keep Day 1 and Day 2 and drop Day 3's Pitti Palace and Boboli. Walk the Oltrarno streets over the evening instead.
With four days or more, spend the extra day outside the city. Our Tuscany travel guide and things to do in Tuscany cover the options, and the Siena guide and Pisa guide cover the two classic day trips. We couldn't read a current Pisa tower price or regional train fare from an official page, so check Trenitalia and the tower's own site before you plan the day.
Heading on to Rome? Italo lists about 1 hour 25 minutes from €14.90, a promotional minimum, and Trenitalia's Frecciarossa takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. Our Rome to Florence train guide has the comparison.
Planning more of the country? See the Rome travel guide, the Venice guide and the Cinque Terre guide.
What it costs: three days of entrance fees
Here's the arithmetic at on-the-day prices, using the official figures above.
- Duomo Brunelleschi Pass: €30
- Palazzo Vecchio museum: €18
- Santa Croce: €10
- Accademia: €16, plus €4 fee
- Medici Chapels: €11
- Uffizi: €25
- Pitti and Boboli combined: €22
That comes to €136 for the whole plan.
Booking the Uffizi, Pitti and Boboli in advance adds a few euros each, so keep a little slack. You don't have to buy everything: dropping the Uffizi for the Bargello saves €13, and the total doesn't include the €20 Palazzo Vecchio tower.
A Firenze Card is €85 for 72 hours from your first museum entry and covers more than 60 museums. We couldn't confirm from the pages we could read whether the Uffizi and the Accademia are on the list, so check that before you buy.
Where to stay for 3 days in Florence
Stay near the Duomo or the station (the plan starts early and ends on foot), because a ten-minute taxi wait at 7:30 can cost you the slot you booked for the dome. Our where to stay in Florence guide ranks the areas, and the best hotels in Florence list covers every budget. Three that passed our checks on Booking.com:
- B&B San Remigio is a small guesthouse by the Uffizi, rated 9.4 from 591 reviews, and the pick if you want to walk to everything.
- Hotel Croce di Malta sits near Santa Maria Novella, rated 8.7 from 2,714 reviews, and suits a first visit with a train in or out.
- YellowSquare Florence is the budget pick near the station, rated 8.9 from 2,448 reviews.
Florence charges a tourist tax per person per night, paid at the hotel. The rates we could confirm, set from 1 February 2025, run €3.50 to €8 for 1 to 5 star hotels, €6 for B&Bs and rentals and €4 for hostels, for a maximum of 7 consecutive nights. The city adopted a new version of the regulation from 1 November 2026 that we couldn't read, so check the comune's page before you budget.
Tips and mistakes to avoid
The mistake most first-timers make is booking all three big tickets for the same day because the dates look convenient.
Spread them, because the David, the Duomo dome and the Uffizi each want a fresh morning or a fresh pair of legs, and a day that stacks all three leaves you looking at paintings you can't remember.
Don't book the dome slot and then arrive on the dot, because the slot can't be changed afterwards and the climb starts at a fixed door.
If you'd like a break from museums, a handmade pasta and dessert class with lunch fits the end of Day 2 or Day 3 better than a second gallery.
Before you fly
A few extras to sort out before you go.
- Welcome Pickups for a pre-booked airport transfer.
- Yesim eSIM so your phone works the moment you land.
- Visitors Coverage travel insurance for medical cover and cancellations.
Frequently asked questions
Is 3 days in Florence too much?
No. Three days fits the Duomo, the David, the Uffizi and the Oltrarno at a steady pace. It feels like too much only if you skip museums entirely. In that case, two days is plenty, and you can use the third for a Tuscany day trip instead.
Is 2 days in Florence enough?
Two days is enough for the headline sights if you move quickly. You'd do the Duomo, the David and the Uffizi, and drop the Pitti Palace and Boboli. It's a rushed pace, with early starts both mornings, so we'd pick three days if your flights allow.
Can you wear jeans in Florence?
Yes. Jeans are fine for sightseeing and dinner. What matters is the church dress code: shoulders and knees must be covered, and hats come off. The Duomo's own guidance says so. Carry a light scarf or shawl so you can cover up quickly.
Is the Duomo free?
The cathedral floor is free to enter, but the dome, bell tower, baptistery and museum need a ticket. The Brunelleschi Pass costs €30 for adults, covers all of them and lasts 3 days. The dome also needs a time slot, so book it ahead.
What's the best way to get around Florence?
On foot. The historic centre is compact and most stops are close together. From the airport, the T2 tram costs €2 for a ticket valid for 90 minutes and takes about 20 minutes. Taxis and pre-booked transfers are the alternative with luggage.
Should I stay in Florence or Tuscany?
Stay in Florence for a first visit, because the sights are walkable and the trains are easy. Base yourself in the Tuscan countryside only if you have a car and more than a week. Florence also works as a base for day trips to Siena and Pisa.
What's the best area to stay in Florence?
For three days, stay near the Duomo, the Uffizi or Santa Maria Novella station. You'll walk to every stop and avoid early taxis. The Oltrarno is quieter at night but a longer walk to the dome. Our area guide covers the trade-offs in detail.
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