Itinerary: 3 Days in Florence

Ah, Florence. Land of art, history, and the best Italian food I've ever had in my life.

This city was not only the place where I spent three days trying to fit as much food as possible into my stomach, but also the first place I ever traveled solo to. And if you're looking for a solo-travel destination, add Florence to your list!

The itinerary below is more of a rough guide, with a lot of free time to customize what you would prefer to do, to account for time getting lost wandering without a map, and to factor in time spent in a food coma.

Friday Evening: Settle In

Gustapizza

Head over to Gustapizza for their fast service and tasty, cheap pizza made of quality ingredients. This place was just a short walk from my Airbnb, so I went over to grab a pizza to go. It's very close to Brunelleschi's Basilica di Santo Spirito, and I noticed many people enjoying their pizzas on the steps of the church.

Saturday: Food and Viewing the Monuments

Morning

Food Tour

Go on a food tour the first day! You'll get a feel of the city, explore local places not found on most tourism webpages, and EAT AND WINE FOR ABOUT FOUR HOURS. You may try truffle sandwiches, cheese, schiacciata, pastries, pastas, risottos, prosciutto, cantucci, and of course, gelato. You'll also get many chances to drink alcohol, such as prosecco, red wine, white wine, and even Italian beer, before noon.

Unfortunately, I don't have too many photos of this tour as I spent too much time eating the food, but I went with Florence Food Tour and had a fantastic, enjoyable experience.

And trust me, you'll likely be full for breakfast and lunch from the amount of food you'll eat on the tour.

It's also great to do this on the first day of arrival as tour guides are often willing to recommend good, local restaurants to try that aren't tourist traps.

Afternoon

You can access the dome, Baptistery of San Giovanni, Giotto's Campanile, Santa Maria del Fiore, the Crypt of Santa Reparta, and the Opera Duomo Museum all with one ticket. Note, the only one that requires a reserved time slot is the dome.

Bruneschelli's Dome 

Get ready to climb up 463 steps to the top of the dome. No, there are no elevators. Once you reach the base of the dome, you'll enter a walkway, where you can view the frescoe by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari, before climbing more stairs to the top for a view of Florence.

Baptistery of San Giovanni

Bargello

Here, you'll find sculptures by Donatello, Michelangelo, Voltera -- to name just a few. You can download an audio walking tour podcast by Rick Steves and use it to guide yourself around the Bargello Museum.

Gelato: Vivoli

Grab a cup or cone of gelato from Vivoli and head over to the Piazza Santa Croce. Enjoy sitting on steps or wandering around the square with a scoop of gelato in hand.

Piazza Santa Croce 

Giotto's Campanile 

Just a short walk away, you'll be able to take the stairs up to the top of Giotto's Campanile and view Brunelleschi's dome from a higher point of view. I chose to go back around sunset.

Trattoria I'Raddi

Try authentic Tuscan cuisine here, like their signature dish, the Bistecca alla Florentine. As I was eating alone, the waiter recommended several smaller dishes, amazingly flavorful and definitely more than enough to fill my stomach.

Sunday: A Day of Museums

Morning

Caffe Rivoire 

Florentine hot chocolate is the real deal — all the gooeyness, sweetness, and thickness of chocolate found in one cup. You'll find a beautifully delicious one here.

If you'd like to try blending in a bit with locals, try sipping your hot chocolate, espresso, cappuccino, or coffee while standing at the counter.

Accademia Gallery

Here, you'll find one of Michelangelo's most famous works: The David.

If there's any takeaway you get from the one minute you spend reading this post, here it is: make an advance reservation to the Accademia. You'll end up waiting in the shorter line if you do so. I got to the museum at 10 a.m., and the line for those waiting without reservations was already running 3 blocks down the street.

There are many ways to do so: through the Accademia Gallery's official website, through ticket resellers (although booking fees will be much more expensive), or through a skip-the-line ticket with or without a guided tour on tourist sites like Viator.

Afternoon

Mercato di San Lorenzo

Stop by this market for a bite to eat! It's got a beautiful food court where you can order whatever food your heart pleases -- cheese, wine, coffee, pasta, sandwiches, etc.

Gelato: Perche No!

Drop by this shop for gelato as you make your way toward Uffizi!

Uffizi

If you are an avid art fan, this museum is a must-do when in Florence. And if you aren't, this is still a must-do. This museum houses some of the most famous paintings from the Renaissance. With 50 rooms filled with art, it's enormous, and you can easily find yourself spending hours and hours in the Uffizi should you choose to do so.

But remember — and here's the second takeaway! Buy tickets online in advance or go with a tour to reduce the amount of time you'll have to wait in line.

Knowing I had only a limited amount of time in Florence, I opted to go with a two-hour guided tour. We weaved in and out of rooms, looking at works by Botticelli, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and hundreds of other artists.

You'll learn fun tidbits about the artists and their works, like how Caravaggio often got into fights at night, killed someone, ran around Italy trying to evade authorities, and then eventually died on a beach, how the color blue was far more expensive than gold in medieval paintings, and conflicting thoughts about the spatial relations in Leonardo da Vinci's "Annunciation."

San Miniato al Monte

The marble exterior of this church provides a striking look. Sitting on one of the highest points of the city, the church will provide you with a beautiful view of Florence.

Piazzale Michelangelo

Just a short walk away, the Piazzale Michelangelo is another good place to watch the sun set over Florence from up high. But fair warning, there'll also be many, many other tourists all camped out with their cameras to get that perfect photo.

Ponte Vecchio

You'll find numerous small shops as you cross the bridge. Walk a few minutes away to another bridge on the Arno River to get a photo of the bridge itself.

Gelateria La Carraia

...there's always room for more gelato!

Dinner

On Via dei Neri, you'll find one of the busiest sandwich shops at All'Antico Vinaio. At just about 5 euros, you'll be handed a giant mouthwatering sandwich with freshly made bread and freshly cut meat.

If you're in the mood for a pizza or don't want to wait in the line, stop by Pizza Napoli 1955. Just right across the street, Pizza Napoli will fill you up with deliciousness. The staff were also incredibly friendly.

Monday: Some Free Time

As I only had half a day Monday, I left most of the itinerary blank, leaving room to wander around Florence as I pleased, revisiting some of my favorite gelato shops and spending some time window shopping/shopping.

Pitti Palace

Unfortunately, Pitti Palace is closed on Mondays, but the Boboli Gardens are open all seven days of the week, except for the first and last Mondays of the month. So, plan accordingly!

Palazzo Vecchio

For more art and if your legs still aren't tired of climbing stairs by now, head into Palazzo Vecchio.

This is where I concluded my trip!

Other Tips

If you plan on visiting many museums, consider getting the Firenze card. It even covers access to the Uffizi and Accademia Gallery.

Most museums are closed Mondays. If you're visiting for a long weekend across a Monday, make sure to prioritize visits to the museums on other days.

Be prepared to cut your pizzas!