Where to Stay in Florence 

Florence has a good range of hotels, 77 of which have been vetted by our Inspectors. For a short visit with much to see, stay in Florence’s walkable city center. There, the Two-MICHELIN-Key Palazzo Portinari Salviati Residenza D’Epoca occupies the famous 15th-century palazzo that was once home to no less luminous a figure than Dante’s Beatrice, and aims to recreate the romance of the era for a modern audience. It helps that it’s right around the corner from Florence’s medieval cathedral, and that its 13 suites contain all the amenities of a contemporary Italian luxury hotel, despite their Renaissance aesthetics. Other inducements include the luxe Vita Nova spa and the MICHELIN-Starred restaurant Atto di Vito Mollica.

Midrange boutique SoprArno Suites in the neighborhood of Oltrarno is also a great option — and while it doesn’t have a distinction, it does have attractive bohemian vintage-inspired interiors with a lived-in feel. Halfway between palace and boutique hotel, the Helvetia & Bristol boasts excellent elevated dining options and a choice between quietly modern rooms and stately antique digs in a wing occupying a former bank. The charming yet more amicably priced Casa G Firenze and Stella d’Italia meld contemporary and historical interiors in boutique hotels on the city’s elegant Via de’ Tornabuoni.

Day One

Morning – Explore Florence’s Palatial Pleasures 

Drop your bags at the hotel reception and head to Palazzo Pitti for a full immersion in Renaissance masterpieces. They blanket every surface of this former grand ducal residence, so meandering through the spectacular halls of the Palatine Gallery recalls what it would have been like for the ruling Medici family in the mid-1500s. Works by legendary artists Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio and more are tucked among the treasures — and best enjoyed with a talented guide like longtime expert Paola Vojnovic.

Check out the recently revamped museum of fashion in the palazzo’s southern wing, with dazzling antique and contemporary apparel on display. With a combined ticket, follow up with a stroll in the well-tended lanes of the Boboli Gardens — a classical Italian garden where neat green expanses are laid out with innumerable statues, grottoes, fountains and magnificent tree-lined pathways.

Lunch – Tuck Into a Holy Feast

Lunch at the nearby Il Santo Bevitore means thoughtfully conceived seasonal dishes with far more variety, including more vegetable and fish options, than standard Florentine restaurants. Rightfully for a place named “the holy drunkard,” there’s an extensive list of well-researched natural and conventional wine. A beloved and cozy beacon of the Santo Spirito neighborhood, the eatery has spawned the popular pocket-sized wine bar Santino next door, as well as the S.Forno bakery a block away, with small lunch dishes and sourdough breads on offer.

3pm – Pick Up Some Florentine Finery

Start the afternoon perusing some of Florence’s flagship establishments. The Officina Profumo Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella, a pharmacy founded in 1221 by Dominican friars that sells its soaps and potions based on old monks’ recipes within the confines of perhaps the most glorious old monastery halls to ever become a shop. Nearby, Il Bisonte proffers locally crafted bags in vegetable-dyed leathers, while Ginori 1735 has been manufacturing Italy’s finest porcelain since the late Medici era. It sits atop Florence’s luxury brand-lined Via de’ Tornabuoni, which is anchored by the original headquarters of Salvatore Ferragamo. Don’t miss the Santa Trìnita church along the way, where you can pay a coin to illuminate Domenico Ghirlandaio’s exquisite frescoes from 1485.

4.30pm – Shop Hidden and Handmade Gems

Continue on to the artisan workshops, vintage boutiques and niche emporiums that make shopping in Florence so remarkable. For sunglasses from independent designers, try I Visionari, Bottega di Sguardi, the Tuscan brand L.G.R or the handmade shades at Antica Occhialeria. For handcrafted leather, avoid the cheap street schlock and go for Misuri or Il Bussetto. For contemporary clothes, check out local boutiques like Nadine, Bjork, Splen or the knitwear of Maglificiogrp.

Outstanding vintage can be found at Vannaty (by appointment only, via Instagram), Momo and Albrici, or pick up some handmade treasures, like wheel-ground drinking glasses at Moleria Locchi, carved wooden figures and frames at Castorina 1895, fine-art etchings hand-painted with watercolors at L’Ippogrifo Stampe d’Arte, sculptures of all sizes at the stunning Romanelli gallery (where sculpture lessons are also on offer for those with time), and fine jewelry made with Renaissance-era Florentine goldsmithing techniques at Nerdi Orafi Incisori, just off the Ponte Vecchio.

7pm – Sip Your Wine From Vineyard to Glass

Florence, as the capital of an enormous traditional winemaking region, was slow to accept natural wines, but the city today has several great locales to enjoy the evening Italian aperitivo ritual. Try the free-spirited Vineria Sonora, the intimate Enoteca Spontanea, the new and easygoing Meno just beyond the center or the crotchety but classic Casa del Vino, open on weekend nights only.

9 p.m. — Enjoy Dinner à la Mode

Florence’s Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura is the crown jewel of an empire created by the Florentine fashion brand in partnership with Massimo Bottura, the MICHELIN-Starred supernova of Italian cuisine. Though there are now branches all over the world, the restaurant group’s founding location inside the Gucci Garden injects strong chef personality into what could easily have become an exercise in branding. Bottura’s signature tortellini from Modena shines alongside dishes like crowd-pleasing tuna tostadas and duck broth ramen — from the restaurant’s head chefs, Karime López, who hails from Mexico, and Takahiko Kondo from Japan — in a menu combining the flavors of three culinary powerhouse countries into one spectacular MICHELIN-Starred kitchen. Housed in the 1359 Merchants’ Tribunal, the original guild crests carved in stone remain visible in the dining room.

Day 2

9am – Go To Morning Church

The Duomo is the monumental heart of Florence, a must-see wonder reigning over the city with Brunelleschi’s miraculous 1436 dome — a marvel unlike anything previously built since the Roman Pantheon. Visits are free, and the church opens at 10:15 a.m. every day except Sunday. You’ll need to book tickets if you want to visit the baptistry and the bell tower, which open earlier — and, if you’re not afraid of heights, the spectacular rooftop terraces.

10:45 a.m. — Take a Scenic Sip

Enter the Museo degli Innocenti — well worth a visit for those with time, as is the adjacent Santissima Annunziata church — where its little-known rooftop cafe offers views across the entire city.

11:30 a.m. — Get to Know (Not That) David

The Bargello National Museum holds one of Florence’s great art collections in a city known for its museums. A highlight is the rakishly feminine, somewhat shocking and some would say superior David statue carved by Donatello — while the crowds swarm only the more famous version by Michelangelo.

Lunch – Get a Taste of Tradition

Tourism has drastically altered the urban culture of Florence, and many of the trattorias in town today serve an unvarying menu of visitor hits rendered with inferior ingredients and little love.The cozily wood-paneled Del Fagioli, however, sticks to what attracts locals: classics that are hearty and high quality, whether a bistecca alla fiorentina, a pappa pomodoro or sides of seasonal vegetables.

3pm – See a Fresco Fashion Show

One of the most mesmerising wonders of Florence, the Magi Chapelin the Palazzo Medici Riccardi museum, was painted around 1459 by Benito Gozzoli for the Medici family. In a small sanctuary designed by Michelozzo, a cycle of frescoes depicts the procession of the three kings towards Bethlehem, but transposed from biblical times to the lavish Florence of the Medicis. Amid hundreds of figures whose singular faces and sumptuous regalia have been meticulously rendered by Gozzoli, the artist himself, red-capped, is visible in a corner of the paintings.

4pm – The Perfect Scoop

As artisan gelato makers have abounded across Italy, Florence now has no shortage of great cones to enjoy. The best can be found at Sbrino for those who prefer their flavors amped up, and at Gelateria della Passera for more delicate concoctions.

4:30 p.m. — Gallery of the Greats

Florence’s supreme temple of Renaissance art and the former Medici offices, the Uffizi Gallery offers face-to-face encounters with masterpieces like Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo, Caravaggio’s Medusa painted on a wooden shield and Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. Be sure to download the Uffizi’s audio app, and don’t miss the newly restored Vasari corridor, the Medicis’ protected passageway to Palazzo Pitti, which lets you view the Arno and Ponte Vecchio from above.

6:30pm – Take In the Sunset 

Head upward to one of Florence’s rooftop bars to take in the medieval cityscape with an aperitivo at dusk. Palazzo Guadagni is a local favorite, although more dramatic views can be had at the Hotel Continentale, Hotel Baglioni and the Grand Hotel Cavour.

9 p.m. — Dine Like Royalty

A veritable Florentine institution since opening in 1979, Cibrèo was founded by iconic local chef Fabio Picchi, who insisted on natural small-farm ingredients when most of Italy was embracing industrialization. His commitment produced a series of outstanding locales, starting with the upscale but cozy restaurant on Piazza Sant’Ambrogio. Its neighboring and more affordable Cibrèo Caffè is a cherished Florentine haunt, as is the Korean- and Japanese-inspired Ciblèo Tosco-Orientale. Picchi’s son Giulio runs the family business today and launched a culinary knockout of a fine-dining Cibrèo outpost at the Helvetia & Bristol hotel, where you can also linger for an after-dinner cocktail at the yellow marble bar.

Hero Image: The splendid Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella in Florence. © Nicco Leone