If you have been following along on our Italian Adventure, we started our journey in Rome and then made our way up to Tuscany. We spent four days in the Tuscan Countryside before making our way to Florence. This blog post covers everything we did during our two full days in Florence.
Day 1
We made it to Florence around 11 AM after dropping off our rental car at the Florence Airport. We had rented a car to drive around the Tuscan Countryside, but we definitely didn’t need it while visiting Florence. It was a little stressful dropping off the car, but I was just happy to have made it with no issues!
After ditching the rental car, we checked in to our beautiful hotel, The Westin Excelsior. This property was absolutely gorgeous, and I am so glad we stayed here. If you have thousands of Marriott Reward points, consider redeeming them to stay here.
We were pretty hungry by the time we got checked in, so we decided to start walking towards Mercato Centrale for lunch. On the way to market, we discovered a beautiful plaza with a church, so we stopped to take a few photos. This was the Church of Santa Maria Novella, and it was built between 1279 and 1357. We didn’t go inside, but tourists are allowed to go in and explore. If you have a few minutes while walking around Florence, I would highly recommend stopping in!
After a short walk, we made it to foodie heaven, otherwise known as Mercato Centrale. This is a two-story food market in the middle of Florence, and it has SO much to offer including grocery items, souvenirs, and prepared foods. If you are looking to eat a meal, you will probably want to head upstairs, as that is where most of the vendors are. The downstairs section is more of the “market” and it contains grocery items like fresh cheeses, produce, and steaks to cook at home.
We didn’t even realize there was an upstairs section until after we ate our lunch. Because we were so hungry, we ended up ordering pasta from one of the first vendors we saw. Regardless, it was delicious and definitely hit the spot. I could have sat there all day!
After finishing our lunch in the downstairs part of the market, we made our way upstairs to scope out what other food they had to offer. Again, we quickly realized we made a mistake because the upstairs part of the market had TRIPLE the amount of options. We decided to hang out upstairs and grab one more “snack” to share. We ended up getting Arancini with prosciutto, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I could have eaten these for every meal!
After eating our fair share of carbs at Mercato Centrale, we decided we needed to do a bit of walking. The nice thing is that Florence is a very walkable city, and you shouldn’t need to use a taxi to get around. Everything is pretty close together and you can walk to most attractions within 10-15 minutes.
As we were walking, we stumbled upon Piazza della Republic, which is a really neat plaza with a merry-go-round. There weren’t too many people in this area, so it’s a nice option if you’re looking to get away from the crowds. Also, this would be a fun thing to do if you’re traveling to Florence with kids.
We kept on walking and explored the different streets of Florence. One of my favorite ways to see a city is to just walk around and get lost. You always stumble across the most interesting and unexpected things.
We eventually found ourselves near a gelato shop, so we decided to stop in for an afternoon treat. I was told that the gelato in Florence was some of the best, so my expectations were very high. The shop we went to was called Gelateria dei Neri, and it was definitely some of the best gelato we had on the trip. I got two flavors: pistachio and mixed berry. Alex got his usual coffee flavor. Overall, it was a great choice, and I would definitely return to this same gelato shop in the future.
Since we kept eating everything in sight, we kept on walking. We were pretty close to the river, so we decided to walk across a bridge to the other side of Florence. We strolled over to the Boboli Gardens, but didn’t realize we needed a ticket to get in. The line was pretty long to purchase tickets, so we decided to come back the next day. I would recommend purchases your tickets online in advance. It is much easier, and it will save you a TON of time!
Instead of visiting the gardens, we decided to walk over to Piazzale Michelangelo. We heard the views from this area were incredible, so I was excited to see what all the hype was about. It is a little bit of an uphill climb to get there, so be prepared for some urban hiking. Most people should be able to get up there without a problem, though.
The views of Florence are absolutely incredible from Piazzale Michelangelo. This is a must do when you’re visiting this city. A lot of people will go later in the evening, bring a bottle of wine, and watch the sunset. Regardless of what time of day you visit, you’ll love it.
There are a few places to buy food and drinks once you get to the top, so if you don’t bring anything with, no need to worry. There is also a little restaurant where you can sit down and enjoy the view with a glass of vino. We opted for this option, as we wanted a little break from all the walking. It was nice to relax and soak in the moment with a glass of prosecco and a little snack.
After enjoying our time Piazzale Michelangelo, we walked back down the hill and went to a bar that our friends had recommended. Enoteca Fuori Porta is located at the very bottom of the hill near the old city gate. It’s a fun place to stop in for a quick beverage or a full meal. It didn’t feel very touristy and there was some great people watching around the area.
Once we finished our drinks, we continued to walk around the city and see what else we could find. We ended up walking across the infamous Ponte Vecchio bridge, and I was shocked as to how many shops there were. It was a really crowded area, so we didn’t stay too long. Most of the shops on the bridge appeared to be jewelry shops, so if you’re in the market for some nice earrings or a necklace, this could be a good place to stop.
We eventually made our way back to our hotel and decided to head upstairs to the rooftop cocktail bar. The Westin Rooftop Bar is a really popular bar in Florence, and the good news is that it’s open to anyone! You don’t have to be a hotel guest to dine/drink here.
It was a little crowded when we arrived, but we only had to wait about 10 minutes for a seat. It typically gets crowded around 7 PM, so keep that in mind if you’re looking to grab a drink before dinner. It might take longer than you think! Also, the service was pretty slow, so be patient if you decide to get a drink here.
We had a really nice time at the bar and loved the view from the top. We were able to see the Arno River and most of Florence. They do serve food in addition to drinks, so you can eat dinner here if you don’t want to leave. We actually opted for the apertivo buffet because we didn’t have any set dinner plans. It was really nice because it wasn’t too much food or too heavy. If you aren’t too hungry, this would be a good option!
We ended the night with live music and a bottle of wine at the Westin Lobby Bar. It was so relaxing, and the musician playing the piano was incredible. I could have stayed all night because the music was amazing. He was playing some of the best songs, and I think we recognized most of the music he played. It was the perfect way to end a long day of wandering around Florence.
Day 2
We woke up pretty early on our second day in Florence because we wanted to be sure and get some pictures of the cathedral without a bunch of people in the background. We got to The Duomo around 7:30 AM, and we were pretty much the only ones there. It was so nice to be able to capture several photos without thousands of people around.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more beautiful. This was, by far, the prettiest and most inspiring cathedral I’ve ever visited. All of the patterns, the colors and the attention to detail completely fascinated me. I would have loved to been alive when they were constructing this amazing work of art.
Once we were done taking photos, we stopped in a café for a quick cup of coffee. We bought tickets to climb the Dome and Bell Tower at 8:30 AM, so we had a few minutes to grab our espresso and wake up.
You need to buy tickets in advance if you want to climb the Dome and Bell Tower. There were several people in line with us, and they are pretty strict about sticking to the time you selected on your ticket. I would recommend getting there 10-15 minutes before your scheduled time. If you don’t feel like climbing the dome or the bell tower, you do have the option to go inside the cathedral for free. The line can get long, but it moves pretty quickly.
We climbed 463 steps to get to the top of the Duomo, but it was well worth it. The views from the top were amazing and you could even see past the city of Florence. I thought it was neat that we could see the bell tower from the top, as well. There were other folks climbing to the top of the bell tower, so we decided we were going to do that after we finished up with the dome.
I’m really happy that we did both the climbs (the dome and bell tower) because they each gave us a different perspective of the cathedral and the city. I would recommend doing both if you have time or if you’re looking to burn a few extra calories. Definitely take your time getting to the top because you will get tired!
After spending a good chunk of the morning at the cathedral, we went back to the hotel to change clothes. I wore a longer skirt to the church, but I wanted to change into shorts for the remainder of the day since it was going to be a warm afternoon.
Once we freshened up a bit, we walked to Mercato Centrale for lunch. We were SO hungry after climbing all the stairs at the cathedral. We ended up sitting down at a place that had a truffle menu. Every single dish had truffles, so I thought this would be a nice option. You can never go wrong with fresh truffles! I ended up ordering the truffle risotto and Alex ordered pasta with truffles. We also ordered a couple glasses of Brunello to go with our lunch. This was probably one of the best lunches we had in Italy!
After lunch, we decided to walk around town and see what else we could find. It’s always fun to try and find new streets you didn’t see the day before.
We eventually made our way over to the Boboli Gardens since we had pre-purchased tickets. If you are going to tour the gardens, purchase your tickets online the day before you go. The ticketing line is very long, so you will save yourself 30+ minutes if you get them ahead of time.
I had no idea that the Boboli Gardens were as big as they were. You could easily spend 2-3 hours here and not see it all. There was so much ground to cover! We didn’t stay very long because it was pretty warm outside, and there was little to no shade. We didn’t plan ahead and bring water with us, so we were parched.
Overall, I was a little disappointed with the gardens because I really didn’t see any “gardens.” It was mostly comprised of these perfectly manicured tall green hedges. Also, it was extremely hilly, so if you are planning to walk around for awhile, I would bring comfortable shoes.
Our expectations of what we thought the Boboli Gardens would be like did not match reality. I wish I would have done a little more research on this because I was really hoping to see pretty flowers everywhere. I guess there’s always something on vacation you wish you didn’t do!
After a brief walk around the Boboli Gardens, we decided to check out Palazzo Vecchio. There were some cool buildings and nice fountains around here, so we thought it would be neat to see what we could find.
We thought it would be nice to sit down and people watch, so we walked to one of the nearby restaurants in the plaza. We ended up finding a shaded spot to sit, so we were content sitting there for the remainder of the afternoon. We ordered some drinks and relaxed while we watched the tour groups go by. It was a nice way to unwind after the all the walking we had done earlier in the day.
After enjoying a couple beverages, we started walking back towards our hotel. On the way, we passed a couple of cute stores, so I decided to stop in. I actually ended up finding some really cute dresses, so I was happy that we made a little pitstop. I wasn’t planning to buy much on the trip, but I thought it would be neat to have a couple dresses from Italy.
When finally made it back to the Westin, we decided to go back to the rooftop bar for a couple cocktails before dinner. We had dinner reservations at 7:30 PM, so we had a little bit of time to kill. Plus, we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful, sunny day in Florence.
We dined at Il Latini for dinner, and it was conveniently located just a couple blocks from our hotel. Several friends had recommended that we eat here, so we knew we had to check it out.
When we arrived at 7:30 PM, there was a large crowd outside, so I was a little worried that we wouldn’t get in (even with a reservation). Turns out the restaurant is bigger than you think, and most everyone waiting outside had a reservation as well. Be sure to call ahead and book a table if you want to eat dinner here.
Florence is known for the “Steak Florentine,” which is basically a huge piece of steak that is cooked rare. It is typically served family style, and it’s meant to be shared with several people. We love steak, so of course, this is what we ordered.
Even though we were stuffed by the end of it, we really enjoyed the steak. I would highly recommend ordering this at a restaurant on your trip to Florence.
For dessert, they gave us complimentary biscotti cookies with a little bit of Vin Santo, the Italian dessert wine. Those biscotti cookies were so good, and I wish I could have taken some home with me. These little cookies are all over Italy, so you can find them just about anywhere.
After dinner, we called it a night so we could get some rest for our journey to Cinque Terre the following day.
Overall, we LOVED Florence, and it was one of our favorite destinations in Italy. Whenever we go back to Italy, we will 100% re-visit Florence. You really can’t skip this place! Between the food, the culture, the art and amazing cathedral, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
If you’re curious about what else we did in Italy, check out my other blog posts linked below:
- Two Weeks in Italy
- Rome in a Day
- Tuscany – Montepulciano
- Tuscany – San Gimignano, Volterra, Borgo Pignano
- Italy – What I Wore
As always, let me know if you have any questions about Florence specifically or our Italy trip in general. Ciao!
Leave a Reply