In the beautiful Tuscany region of Italy, Florence is one of the most popular cities in the country. There is so much to see and do, so we have put together some of our personal recommendations to help you on your visit to this magical city. We visited Florence in spring, which was such a magical time to see the city. Most of these activities would be amazing at any time of year, but we would definitely recommend visiting in spring if you can!

Cost: Between $25 and $50

Chances are if you’re heading to Florence, you know about the Duomo (also known as the Florence Cathedral). Construction began in 1296 but the building wasn’t finished until 1436. The famous red dome on top still holds the record for the largest brick dome ever constructed.

The Ancient Basilica of Santa Reparata, which wasn’t found until around 1970, is inside the cathedral. In the Piazza del Duomo where the cathedral stands, there is also a baptistery and a bell tower called Giotto’s Campanile. Right across the street is the Opera del Duomo Museum which houses works of art created for the cathedral, the baptistery and the bell tower.

The cathedral is free to enter and is very grand inside so deserves a visit. However to visit everything else you will need to buy a ticket. There are 3 levels of ticket: the Ghiberti Pass (€15), the Giotto Pass (€20) and the Brunelleschi Pass (€30).

With the Ghiberti Pass you get entry to the baptistery, the museum and the basilica of Santa Reparata. The Giotto Pass includes those 3 and the bell tower and the Brunelleschi Pass includes those 4 and the dome. Do keep in mind that the bell tower has 414 steps, the dome has 436 steps and no elevator is available for either. Make sure you check out their website before purchasing to make sure you understand exactly what your ticket includes and the rules associated.

It is kind of frustrating that you can’t climb the bell tower or the dome without purchasing a ticket that includes all the other buildings. But you can still walk around and visit the cathedral and get some great photos without spending any money so don’t worry if you’re on a budget.

Cost: Free

Like many Italian towns, one of our favourite things to do was just wander the streets. Florence has so many beautiful twisting streets with cute delis and restaurants around every corner.

Some of the highlights to look out for is the Palazzo Vecchio, a 13th century palace museum. You can go inside for €10 and it has a large tower that looks over the Piazza della Signoria. Another landmark to look for is the The Basilica of Santa Croce in Piazza di Santa Croce. This is a huge Franciscan church with beautiful frescoes, and holds the tombs of Michelangelo & Galileo. On the other side of the city is the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella which is a 15th century church with more beautiful frescoes.

One of the cool things about the city is the ancient Roman Amphitheatre that was built between 124 and 130 AD. The amphitheatre still stands in the city, but not like you might be expecting! Over time, it has been incorporated into new construction, and the original amphitheatre shape is preserved through shops and residential buildings. Visit Via De’ Bentaccordi to see what we mean. Instead of normal visible remains, the street curves around like the old amphitheatre would’ve and it’s fascinating to see.

Another great thing to keep an eye out for while wandering the streets are wine windows. These little windows have been used for hundreds of years to sell wine without having the open the shop. To order you just need to ring the bell, tell the worker what wine you’d like, and they’ll bring it to you at the window. It’s a very cute and inexpensive thing to do to feel like a local! These windows are located all through the city so keep an eye out!

Cost: Free (Unless you buy something!)

The Mercato Centrale or central market is a great market in the historic San Lorenzo market building. It originally opened in 1874 and the current day market began on it’s 140th anniversary, in 2014. It is open from 9am to midnight every day and is located in the city centre, only a 7 minute walk from the Duomo.

The market runs like a food court with every stall having its own cash register and lots of communal tables. There is a huge variety of ingredients such as artisan cheese and meats, truffles, seafood and rotisserie food. As well as a burger restaurant, a vegetarian and vegan place and of course lots of pizza and pasta. There are also lots of place to get drinks so you won’t be leaving hungry or thirsty.

While there is a lot of choice, the prices are a little higher than other places in Florence, so be prepared to spend a bit more if you visit. The building also has free wifi and free bathrooms so even if you’re not eating, you can still stop by.

Cost: Free

One of the nicest things to do in Florence is wander down the Arno River, which is 241km long and winds through Tuscany. There are paths on both sides and also some lovely parks to sit in and enjoy the boats going past. You could also take a cruise down the river such as this 50 minute sightseeing cruise with commentary.

Of course the most famous part of the river is the bridges that cross over it, especially the Ponte Vecchio. This amazing bridge was first documented in 996, but was repeatedly washed away and rebuilt until roughly 1339-1345 when the current bridge was built. The bridge has shops built on it, making it appear like it shouldn’t be able to hold up its own weight. This used to be common for bridges in the area but as the Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge in Florence to survive World War II, it is now a rare sight.

Walking across the Ponte Vecchio is obviously very busy, but is worth it as it’s cool to see. Most of the shops are jewellery stores so there’s a lot to look at while you cross the bridge. You can also get a great view of it from the Ponte Santa Trinita which is the next bridge up.

Cost: $16.50

Our favourite thing to do in Florence, especially in Spring, is visit some gardens. We visited the Boboli Gardens and the Bardini Gardens and were very lucky we chose to visit in that order. We bought tickets at the gate and they cost €10 for each garden, however entry to the Bardini is included in the ticket to Boboli. So if you visit Boboli first and save your ticket, you’re getting into Bardini for free. Tickets are only €2 each for residents of the European Union aged between 18-25 with photo ID.

The opening hours vary per season so we would recommend checking the Boboli Gardens website and Bardini Gardens website before visiting. However neither open on the first and last Monday of each month. Both gardens are on the south side of the Arno River and are easily accessible by bus or walking from the city.

The Boboli Gardens are quite big, and will take a couple of hours to fully see. There’s some uphill climbs, but it will all pay off for the wonderful view of the city from the top. There are two lakes in the garden and we were lucky enough to see some adorable baby ducklings in Fontana del Nettuno which was incredible. If you needed any more reasons to visit in Spring, the flowers and beautiful greenery all around is also amazing.

The Bardini Gardens are a lot smaller so will only require an hour or so to look around. The most beautiful part of the garden is the wisteria archway. This only blooms for 3 weeks of the year, between mid April to early May. If you visit earlier in April or later in May you might be lucky enough to see some smalls blooms.

The rest of the garden has some lovely flowers and lush trees and there are lots of nice places to sit and relax. Apart from the archway, the best thing about the Bardini garden is the view. It has an amazing view of Florence below and with the garden in between, it makes for a magical place.

Being such an important city, Florence has many beautiful and interesting museums that are worth a visit:

This is an art museum with a large collection of paintings from Florentine artists. However it is most famous for it’s Michelangelo sculptures including the famous “David”. It is open from 8:15am-6:50pm Tuesday-Sunday and adult tickets cost €16.

This is another one with a large collection of sculptures and paintings from artists all over Europe. It is also housed in a beautiful building designed by Giorgio Vasari and built between 1560 and 1580. It is open Tuesday 8:15am-9:30pm and Wednesday-Sunday 8:15am-6:30pm. Tickets cost €25 but include entrance to the National Archaeological Museum and the Museum of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. Make sure to check out their website because there are other combination tickets including one with the Boboli Gardens.

If you’re after a less typical museum, this might be for you. This palace was used as a residence for the Medici family from 1549 and then a base for Napoleon in the 18th century. Now the palace holds art once owned by the Medici family that can be admired in the beautiful old building. The palace is open Tuesday-Sunday 8:30am-6:30pm and tickets are €16 each. The palace sits next door to the Boboli Garden so you can also get a combined ticket with the palace and the garden.

The Bargello Museum is another sculpture museum which includes the famous bronze David by Donatello. It also houses more of Michelangelo’s statues as well as works by Luca della Robbia, Verrocchio and Benvenuto Cellini. As for the opening hours and price, you’ll have to stop by in person to find out because we cannot find consistent answers anywhere online. Please let us know if you go though!

Museo Galileo is all about astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei and houses a large collection of scientific instruments. It is open 9:30am-6pm every day except Tuesday when it shuts at 1pm. Tickets are €13 each with a €1 online booking fee so book at the museum to save that euro!

If you want to visit any of these make sure to check out their website to see if you qualify for a cheaper ticket. For example if you’re an EU citizen aged between 18-25 you can often get reduced or free tickets!

Just like any Italian city, good gelato is going to be everywhere. Even if you’re like us and use Google Maps to look at which places have lots of good reviews, there’s still too many to count. It can definitely get overwhelming and we know you don’t want to waste money on bad gelato so we’ve got a recommendation for you!

We visited Gelateria dei Neri twice during our time in Florence and it is absolutely outstanding. The raspberry sorbet and caramel in particular were stand outs so this place is definitely worth a visit. It’s easy to find, just off from the main city and a few streets back from the Arno river so make sure you get there!

With the beautiful Florence Cathedral and that giant red dome, 2 beautiful gardens with stunning city views, and so many amazing museums, there’s enough to keep you entertained for days. Let us know if you visit and what your favourite thing to do was!

To see everything we did while we were in Florence, you can watch our vlog:

• How to Spend Your Time in Verona on a Budget
• See Naples On a Budget With These Six Great Ideas!
• FlixBus: The Best Budget Way to Travel Europe Easily