How many days in Florence? Tips from a local tour guide

How many days in Florence? This is one of the most common questions I get as a tour guide, and it’s the first thing travelers wonder about when they decide to visit my city. This is such an important question and the answer is not at all obvious.

A lifetime is still not enough to visit everything Florence has to offer: there are so many places and museums to visit, stories to discover, food to taste and experiences to live. I could answer that for getting a good idea of the city and its artistic heritage, it takes at least a week. But it is obvious that travelers often do not have so much time available, and maybe they even want to visit other places during their trip to Italy. Plus, the ideal duration of a stay in Florence also depends on other factors, for example if it is the first time you visit the city or if you have already been there.

Perhaps the right answer does not exist, but I will try to help you decide how many days you should spend in Florence.

How many days should you spend in Florence?

Ok, let’s start: I would say that you should spend in Florence at least 3 days, especially if it is the first time you visit the city. If you decide to spend less than three days in Florence, you risk spending most of your time in a rush, trying to visit as many places as you can in the shortest time possible, without fully appreciating any of them. And there’s also the real risk of leaving a lot of meaningful experiences out of your journey.

A whole week would let you enjoy a full and very relaxed stay in Florence, and enough time to take at least a couple of day trips. I highly recommend to stay for a whole week, if you can. There are so many things to see in town and in the surrounding area, that you won’t run out of ideas about what to do.

Where to stay in Florence

How many days if it’s your first time in Florence

The first time you visit Florence you should stay for 3 days, at least. You’ll have enough time to visit at least the two main museums (the Uffizi and the Accademia Gallery), the Boboli gardens and to visit the Duomo complex (and climb the Brunelleschi’s dome). Then climb up to Piazzale Michelangelo to admire the view (check the best panoramic views of Florence!), take some walks in the historic center and maybe discover a lesser-known museum. Or take a guided walking tour to discover history and fun facts of Florence.

• I have a wrote a very detailed blog post about what to see and do in three days in Florence, with a smart travel plan and tons of tips.
• If you have less time, my Florence in one day itinerary might be helpful.
• You can also read my guide to the best museums in Florence to get an idea of which ones you’d like to visit.

Those are activities that require time: that’s why you should plan at least 3 days in town. But if you have more time, a week for example, you can visit more museums, take one or two daytrips in the countryside (for example the village of Fiesole or the rolling hills of Tuscany) and enjoy the atmosphere of the city with a more relaxed pace. In other words, you can have a better and more complete experience. If instead you do not have all this time available you can always think of coming back another time and deepen the knowledge.

Hog many days if you have already been in Florence

If this is not your first time in Florence, you’ve probably already visited some of the basic things I mentioned above during your first visit. You are a returner, so you can think about visiting secondary places and museums, going deeper in a topic, artist or historical period that fascinates you. In short, you can go beyond the “unmissables” and discover less known and less touristy places. They often reserve wonderful surprises of art, history and architecture. I have listed some of my favorite underrated and lesser known museums in a blogpost about the best museums to visit in Florence: it’s a full guide to the museums of my city, and it’s very useful!

Once again, I recommend to spend at least 3 days in town, even if you have already been there. If you have enough time, I recommend you to go back again to the Uffizi Gallery: there are so many artworks that you can see something totally different and have a whole new experience. Ask a local tour guide (like me!) about a customized guided tour of the museum, excluding the masterpieces that you have already seen.

Discover the Tuscan countryside

If you have some extra days, you can also explore the countryside of Florence, the Chianti area and the rolling hills of Tuscany. You can do it as a day trip or you can plan a road trip of 2 or 3 days. The best way to do that is renting a car in Florence and then driving away from the city.

• Here you can find my best tips for renting a car in Florence and driving around Italy.

I have listed some of the most popular day trips from Florence, actually there are also some very underrated but beautiful towns that I highly recommend. You can get to most of those places without a car, by train.

Every time you come back to Florence, even the third, the tenth or the hundredth, you will find something new. A detail that you did not notice before, a temporary exhibition, a museum that has just opened and you will want to visit, a new restaurant to try. So, even if it’s only for two days or for a whole week, I suggest you to come back to visit Florence from time to time and take advantage of every minute spent here. As the treasures to be discovered are almost endless.

One last piece of advice

If you want to maximize your travel time, I suggest you take a tour guide. A professional who accompanies you on visits to the main museums will be able to select the most important works of art for you, and tell you their meaning in a few hours. The same is true for a private walking tour: in two or three hours you will be able to see the most important monuments and get to know its history. Without having to worry about selecting them, finding and visiting them, and without wasting time. A tour guide helps you optimize your trip and get the most out of your time, regardless of how many days you can spend in Florence.

If you are looking for a local tour guide email me, I will be more than happy to help!

Some help to plan your travel: