Hotel Davanzati
Why we like it: Family-run three-star on Via Porta Rossa, three minutes from the Uffizi and five from the Duomo, with buffet breakfast, a daily aperitif and rooms for four.
Duration2 nights
From RomeHigh-speed, about 1 h 30
Getting aroundOn foot and the odd bus
Best timeApril – June · September – October
BookingDome, Vasari Corridor and cookery class
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for Friday to Sunday: Trattoria Mario is open on Friday at midday, Il Latini serves dinner on Friday and lunch on Sunday, and the Mercato Centrale school schedules many classes at weekends. No car at any point.
Friday
- 108:00Train from Roma Termini
High-speed to Santa Maria Novella. Leave your bag at the hotel and walk to the Duomo.
- 210:00Brunelleschi's dome
463 steps to the lantern, with the Brunelleschi Pass and a fixed time. Entrance by the Porta della Mandorla, no backpacks.
- 312:30Lunch at Trattoria Mario
Behind the Mercato Centrale, with no reservations and shared tables. On Fridays there is chickpea soup and lampredotto, and in winter, salt cod.
- 414:30Uffizi and Vasari Corridor
Uffizi + Corridor ticket booked, €47: the gallery and, in the 16:35 group, two hours later as the booking requires, the 750 metres of the Medici passage over the Ponte Vecchio, ending at Boboli.
- 518:30Aperitivo and dinner at Il Latini
An aperitivo at Hotel Davanzati and, at 20:00, bistecca alla fiorentina at Il Latini, beside the Palazzo Rucellai. Reserve.
Saturday
- 109:30Boboli and Bardini
Combined ticket €15, only at the ticket office. Boboli first, with its amphitheatre and the Neptune fountain; then the Bardini, with the Duomo straight ahead. In winter the Bardini closes at 16:00.
- 213:00Lunch at Osteria Santo Spirito
On the Oltrarno square, with a terrace. Gratinated gnocchi and half portions. Closed on Tuesdays.
- 317:00Piazzale Michelangelo and vespers at San Miniato
Walk up for sunset and go into the basilica for the Gregorian vespers at 18:30. Free.
Sunday
- 110:00Cookery class at the Mercato Centrale
Fresh pasta, pizza or pastry, two to three hours, from €85, with a tasting and a glass of wine. Choose the Sunday one in the school's calendar.
- 216:00Train back to Rome
From Santa Maria Novella, five minutes from the market.
Florence in a day from Rome leaves you feeling you have rushed. With two nights the pace changes: one day for the dome, the Uffizi and the Vasari Corridor above the Ponte Vecchio; another for the opposite bank, with its gardens, a square-side osteria and vespers at San Miniato; and a morning with your hands in the dough at the Mercato Centrale before the train back. Everything on foot, sleeping in the centre.
How do you get there from Rome?
By high-speed train, Frecciarossa or Italo, from Roma Termini to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, in about an hour and a half. The station is in the centre: the Duomo is a ten-minute walk. By car it is about three hours on the A1, and the centre is a restricted-traffic zone: do not bring it.
If you are coming directly from Spain, you do not need to go via Rome: according to AENA there are direct flights to Florence from Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, San Sebastián and Asturias, and to Pisa from Madrid, Málaga, Seville, Valencia and Girona, among others. From Florence airport, the T2 tram drops you at Santa Maria Novella.
Where to stay
| Accommodation | Area | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Davanzati | Between the Uffizi and the Duomo | Family-run three-star, daily aperitivo, rooms for four |
| Ostello Bello Firenze | Via Faenza, by the station | Tight budget; private rooms with bathroom and dormitories |
| Hotel Palazzo Guadagni | Piazza Santo Spirito, Oltrarno | 1505 palace with frescoes and loggia; near Boboli |
Where to eat
At midday on weekdays and Saturday, Trattoria Mario, beside the market. For Friday dinner or Sunday lunch, Il Latini. In the Oltrarno, Osteria Santo Spirito, also open on Sunday. If you take the cookery class, the tasting half replaces lunch on the last day.
If you have one more day
Stay on Sunday afternoon at the Accademia or the Palazzo Vecchio, or head up to the Val d'Orcia in a hire car to see the Tuscany of the hills. If you return to Rome by the south, spend a night in Orvieto, on the same train line.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Florence, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Florence
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Without a car: train, tram and on foot
Florence is for going without a car: you arrive by train at Santa Maria Novella or by tram from the airport, and the centre is walked on foot. The car only brings problems, because of the limited traffic zones and garages at €35 to €40 a day.
70–220 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayOstello Bello Firenze, five minutes…
- Getting aroundOn foot: from the Duomo…
- Where to eatTrattoria Mario, next to the…
- ServicesSanta Maria Novella station, with…
Where to stay
- Ostello Bello Firenze, five minutes from the station, with private and shared rooms
- Hotel Davanzati, between the Uffizi and the Duomo
- Hotel Palazzo Guadagni, in the Oltrarno, next to Boboli
Getting around
- On foot: from the Duomo to the Uffizi, the Ponte Vecchio and the Pitti in minutes
- Buses C3 and C4 from the station to Santo Spirito
- T2 tram from the airport to Santa Maria Novella
Where to eat
- Trattoria Mario, next to the Mercato Centrale, at lunchtime Monday to Saturday
- Osteria Santo Spirito, in the Oltrarno, open on Sunday
- Il Latini, for the bistecca
Services
- Santa Maria Novella station, with trains to Pisa and Rome
Fly to Florence or Pisa
Florence has its own airport, small and at the gates of the city, with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, San Sebastián and Asturias. Pisa, with a direct train to Florence, receives direct flights from Madrid, Málaga, Seville, Valencia, Girona and the Canary Islands. If you fly to Rome, the high-speed train drops you at Santa Maria Novella in about an hour and a half. For the city you do not need a car.
- Getting thereFlorence (FLR): T2 tram to…
- Getting aroundOn foot throughout the centre
- Where to stayOstello Bello Firenze, five minutes…
- ServicesSanta Maria Novella station, arrival…
Getting there
- Florence (FLR): T2 tram to Santa Maria Novella, or a taxi, about 25 minutes to the Oltrarno
- Pisa (PSA): train to Florence Santa Maria Novella
- Rome Fiumicino (FCO): train to Roma Termini and high-speed to Florence
Getting around
- On foot throughout the centre
- Buses C3 and C4 to the Oltrarno from the station
- Hire car only for leaving for Tuscany: the centre is a limited traffic zone
Where to stay
- Ostello Bello Firenze, five minutes from the station and the tram
- Hotel Davanzati, in the centre, with airport transfers
Services
- Santa Maria Novella station, arrival point of the airport tram and the trains from Pisa and Rome
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay without a carif you're flying
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Ostello Bello Firenze
Why we like it: Hostel on Via Faenza, five minutes from Santa Maria Novella, with private and shared rooms, all with bathroom, plus a terrace, kitchen and bar open.
Hotel Palazzo Guadagni
Why we like it: Hotel in a palace of 1505 on Piazza Santo Spirito, in the Oltrarno, with frescoed ceilings, a family room and a bar on the third-floor loggia.
Where to eat
Where to eat in Florence
Trattoria Mario
What to order: the dish of the day from the blackboard, ribollita in season and, if there are several of you, the bistecca, which they serve only rare
Il Latini
What to order: Tuscan crostini and ribollita to start, and bistecca alla fiorentina to share, charged by the kilo
Osteria Santo Spirito
What to order: the gratinated gnocchi with cheeses and a hint of truffle, the speciality, and a half portion of pasta or a main course to try more
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book the Corridor as soon as you have a date
Groups of 25 with named tickets: it is the first thing to sell out.
- 2Ask for the dome time first thing
You are out before the heat and the queues.
- 3Check the school's calendar
It changes every month and weekend classes fill up.
Monday
The Uffizi and the Vasari Corridor are closed, and Boboli on the first and last Monday of the month.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need for Florence?
With two nights you see the essentials without rushing; three let you add Pitti and the Accademia.
Can you do it without a car?
Yes, and it is the best way: train from Rome and everything on foot or by bus.
Where should you stay?
Between the Uffizi and the Duomo at Hotel Davanzati, by the station at Ostello Bello or in the Oltrarno at Palazzo Guadagni.
What do you need to book?
The dome time slot, the Vasari Corridor, the cookery class and dinners.