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City guide · Italy
Florence has a compact, largely pedestrian historic centre on both sides of the Arno. The Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, Uffizi and Santa Croce form the main north-bank cluster; the Oltrarno begins across the river around Santo Spirito and Palazzo Pitti. Santa Maria Novella station lies northwest of the centre, while hilltop viewpoints and Fiesole require a separate climb or transport leg.
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
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Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore
The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore is the cathedral of Florence and the church the whole of Piazza del Duomo is arranged around.
Ponte Vecchio is the oldest surviving bridge over the Arno and the only one in Florence still built up with shops. A crossing has stood on this spot since Roman Florentia.
Basilica di Santa Croce
Santa Croce is the Franciscan mother church of Florence and the largest Franciscan church in the world.
Battistero di San Giovanni
The Baptistery of San Giovanni stands free in Piazza San Giovanni, directly in front of the cathedral facade, and it is the older of the two buildings by several centuries.
Piazzale Michelangiolo
Piazzale Michelangelo is a panoramic square overlooking Florence from the south bank of the Arno River. It was designed by architect Giuseppe Poggi in 1869 as part of Florence's brief period as capital of the Kingdom of Italy.
Piazza della Signoria is Florence's principal civic square and the historic heart of the city's political life.
Palazzo Medici Riccardi is a Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. It was commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici and designed by Michelozzo di Bartolomeo in the fifteenth century.
Basilica di Santa Maria Novella
The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella is a major Dominican church in Florence, situated opposite the city's main railway station, which shares its name.
Basilica di Santa Maria del Santo Spirito
Santo Spirito is a major basilica in Florence's Oltrarno district, formally named Basilica di Santa Maria del Santo Spirito. The church stands as one of the most significant Renaissance religious structures in the city, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi.
Abbazia di San Miniato al Monte is a historic basilica standing on one of Florence's highest hills, overlooking the city centre and the Arno valley.
The Loggia dei Lanzi is an open-air sculpture gallery located on the southeast corner of Piazza della Signoria in Florence. Built between 1376 and 1382, this Gothic-style loggia was originally designed to host public ceremonies of the Florentine Republic.
Teatro della Pergola is a historic theatre in Florence, Tuscany. It stands as one of Italy's most significant theatrical landmarks, with origins tracing to the mid-seventeenth century.
Teatro Verdi is a historic theatre in Florence, part of the city’s living tradition of music, opera and drama.
Cattedrale di San Romolo
Fiesole Cathedral, known locally as Cattedrale di San Romolo, stands in the hill town of Fiesole overlooking Florence. This historic cathedral serves as the seat of the Diocese of Fiesole and represents a significant religious landmark in the Tuscany region.
Basilica della Santissima Annunziata
The Basilica della Santissima Annunziata is a major Renaissance church in Florence and the centre of the piazza that bears its name.
Basilica di Santa Trinita
Basilica di Santa Trinita is a Roman Catholic church in central Florence, near the Arno River and Ponte Santa Trinita. The basilica belongs to the Vallumbrosan Order and combines an important religious function with Gothic architecture and major Florentine art.
Fontana del Nettuno
The Fountain of Neptune is a monumental fountain located in the Piazza della Signoria, Florence's central civic square.
Piazza di Santo Spirito
Piazza Santo Spirito is a lively public square in Florence's Oltrarno district, south of the Arno. The square takes its name from the Basilica di Santo Spirito, the Renaissance church designed by Filippo Brunelleschi on its eastern side.
Certosa del Galluzzo
Florence Charterhouse, or Certosa del Galluzzo, is a Carthusian monastery on a hillside south of central Florence. Niccolò Acciaiuoli founded the complex in 1341.
Villa medicea di Castello
Villa Castello, or Villa medicea di Castello, is a Medici villa on the outskirts of Florence. The property combines Renaissance architecture with a formally designed garden and belongs to the network of rural residences created for the Medici family.
Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is Florence’s principal opera house and the home of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino festival. The modern building opened in 2011 near Cascine park, replacing the former Teatro Comunale.
Basilica di Santa Maria del Carmine
Santa Maria del Carmine is a Carmelite church in Florence's Oltrarno district. The basilica dates to the thirteenth century and was rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1771 destroyed much of its interior.
Porta San Giorgio
Porta San Giorgio is a medieval city gate in Florence, located in the Oltrarno district near the Arno River. It forms part of the historic defensive walls that once encircled the city.
Palazzo Arcivescovile
The Archbishop's Palace, known locally as Palazzo Arcivescovile, stands as the historic residence of the Archbishop of Florence. This significant ecclesiastical building occupies a prominent position near the Duomo cathedral complex in the heart of the city.
Basilica di San Marco
The Basilica of St. Mark, or Basilica di San Marco, is a historic religious building in Florence. It is distinct from St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, although both are dedicated to the same patron saint.
Forte di Belvedere
Forte di Belvedere is a Renaissance fortress on the Boboli hill above Florence. Built under Grand Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici and designed by Bernardo Buontalenti, it served military and residential purposes.
Castello di Bisarno
Bisarno Castle, also known as Castello di Bisarno, is a historic castle in the Florence area of Tuscany. It represents the region’s layered relationship with fortified architecture, noble residences, and changing patterns of settlement.
Chiesa di San Niccolò Oltrarno
The Church of San Niccolò Oltrarno is a parish church in Florence’s Oltrarno district, south of the Arno River. Its setting places it within a traditionally local part of the city known for artisan streets and neighbourhood life.
Santa Maria a Quinto
The Church of Santa Maria a Quinto is a religious building in Florence and part of the city’s extensive network of churches.
Santa Maria Primerana
Santa Maria Primerana is a historic church in Florence and one of the many sacred buildings that give the city its exceptional concentration of heritage.
Parco di Villa Fabbricotti is a public park in Florence, set within the grounds of a former private villa.
Parco di Villa Stibbert is the landscaped park surrounding Villa Stibbert in northern Florence. The villa is home to the Stibbert Museum, created around Frederick Stibbert’s collection, while the grounds provide the outdoor counterpart to the museum’s historic interiors.
Castello di Montalbano
Montalbano Castle is a historic castle structure in the Florence area, identified in OpenStreetMap as way/305689918. It belongs to Tuscany’s wider landscape of medieval defensive architecture and carries the Montalbano name associated with the region.
Monumento ai Caduti delle Guerre d'Indipendenza
The Obelisk of Piazza dell'Unità Italiana stands beside Florence's Santa Maria Novella railway station.
Palazzo Altoviti Sangalletti
Palazzo Altoviti-Sangalletti is a historic palace in central Florence near the Arno River. Its name links the building with the Altoviti and Sangalletti families and places it within the city’s dense tradition of aristocratic residences.
Palazzo Bardi
Palazzo Busini Bardi, also known locally as Palazzo Bardi, is a historic palace in Florence, Tuscany. It belongs to the city’s dense Renaissance streetscape, where aristocratic residences stand close to churches, civic buildings, shops, and busy pedestrian routes.
Palazzo Tornabuoni
Palazzo Corsi-Tornabuoni, also known as Palazzo Tornabuoni, is a historic palazzo in the centre of Florence. It belongs to the sequence of Renaissance and aristocratic buildings that shape the city’s historic streets.
Palazzo Corsini al Parione
Palazzo Corsini al Parione is a historic palace in central Florence’s Parione district.
Mercato del Porcellino
Chiesa dell'Ascensione di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo
Caffè Gilli
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
The cathedral is the clearest central landmark. Piazza della Signoria and the Uffizi lie south toward the Arno, Santa Croce lies east, and Santa Maria Novella lies west near the main station. Cross Ponte Vecchio for the Oltrarno, Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. Piazzale Michelangelo sits above the river and should be treated as a separate uphill destination rather than part of a flat centre walk.
Checked 2026-08-26
Walk for most journeys inside the historic centre. Visit Tuscany describes Florence as relatively small and largely pedestrianised, with buses and trams serving places beyond the walking core. The tram also connects selected outer districts and the airport corridor. Restricted traffic zones make driving impractical for many visitors, so use public transport for outlying stops and keep central days on foot.
Checked 2026-08-26
A fixed duration is not recorded. Plan by clusters: the cathedral and civic centre, Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, the Oltrarno and any hilltop or day-trip destination.
Yes. The historic centre is compact and largely pedestrianised. Most major central sights can be linked on foot, while outer districts and uphill destinations may need transport.
The Oltrarno contains Palazzo Pitti, the Boboli Gardens and Santo Spirito. Reach it across the central bridges and treat it as a separate neighbourhood cluster.
Yes. Florence uses buses and a tram network for journeys outside the pedestrian core, including selected outer districts and the airport corridor.
Public transport and walking are usually more practical. The historic centre has restricted traffic areas, narrow streets and a layout designed for short pedestrian journeys.
