A Guide to Florence
A guide to Florence
OVERVIEW:
Language: Italian, but you can easily get by with English and a simple "Ciao".
Currency: Euro
Price Point: $$- $$$
Climate: Summer months can be extremely hot and humid.
Adaptor: Type L (three-prong plug) and Type F (two-prong plug)
Airport: Florence Airport Peretola, FLR
Transport: Taxi is easiest from the airport, walking encouraged in city, buses and trains can take you to nearby towns.
Tickets: Depending on the sites you are visiting you will most likely need to buy a ticket in advance. Including the Uffizi & Accademia.
TOP TIPS:
Women: Bring a shawl or something you can put over your shoulders while walking into a church.
Always have cash on hand. Most of the small restaurants don't take card.
Don't be fooled by the tourist trap restaurants. Go down the side streets and find out where the locals eat.
Start your days early to avoid crowds.
EAT
Edodaro Gelato
Address: Piazza Del Duomo 45/R 50122 Firenze
Recommendation: Red wine and dark chocolate in a cone
Edoardo il Gelato Biologico is a Gelatiria located right next to the Duomo in the heart of Florence. They have wine gelato… need I say more? I basically devoured my double scoop before they could even hand it to me over the counter.
GustaPizza
Address: Via Maggio, 46R, 50125, Florence
Recommendation: request a heart shaped pizza!
This hole in the wall pizza shop serves pizza from the heart...literally. There is usually a huge line and it is bustling with people. Ask for your pizza to go and eat it on any of the scenic areas near by!
RAW
Address: Via Sant'Agostino 11R, Florence, Italy 50125
Recommendation: raw gelato, any of the smoothies, coconut water
Vegan, healthy raw food bar with incredible interior décor. Has both outdoor and indoor seating.
La menagere
Address: Via Dè Ginori, 8/R, 50123, Firenze
Recommendation: iced almond latte (it is really sweet, I warned you) and any of the pastries
Cute decor and atmosphere, sells both food and flowers.
Trattoria Sostanza
Address: Via del Porcellana 25/r, 50123, Florence, Italy
Recommendation: Chicken and the homemade strawberry cake, seriously the best thing in the world.
One of my absolute favorite restaurants in Italy. It is a “locals only” place and you need reservations to get a table. The inside is very intimate (as you can see below by the awkward man staring at me taking a photo) and you will most likely be sitting at a table with another couple, but that makes it more fun. The food is incredible, try the chicken and don't leave without the homemade strawberry and meringue desert!
wINE tASTING dinner
Location: 30 - 40 minutes outside of Florence
Duration: 3 - 4 hours
If you are looking to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city, I highly recommend a wine tasting in the country side. We chose a family run vineyard that had limited seating and a more intimate setting. There are tons of vineyards and tasting tours that cater to everything from a private tasting to a large group. I usually like the smaller group settings because you have a chance to learn more about the wine, ask questions and honestly have an extra glass... or two :)
STAY
We stayed in an Air BnB while in Florence that was within a few feet of the Duomo. It was an ideal location to all the main attractions in the city, making it easy to walk around and come back to clean up before dinner. The apartment had everything we needed from a small kitchen to a tiny living room. Our host was sweet, didn't speak any english, but my little Italian and Google translate got us by!
Activities
Galleria dell'Accademia
The Galleria Dell'Accademia is home to the famous David (shown below). Photos don't do this statue justice, it is truly an incredible piece of art.
Tips: Get in line early, around 7am. There is coffee around the corner and just take a seat in line or else you will be waiting for hours outside. Tour groups begin lining up early in the morning too, so you want to beat them to it.
Giardino Boboli
Tips: take your time walking around the gardens. There are tons of secret paths that lead to views of the entire city.
Ponte Vecchio
Tips: If you are planning on taking photos or want to stroll the streets at a leaisurly pace, wake up early! This area gets packed with people to the point of barely being able to move.
GALLERIE DEGLI UFFIZI
Tips: Book your tickets in advance. There are limits to the amount of people who can be in the Uffizi at a time and the lines can be extremely long.
Piazza della Signoria
Tips: Like everything else in Florence go in the morning before the crowds come. As you can see below we hit this piazza at a peak rush hour.
Mercato Nuovo
Tips: I love this spot. You can find almost any leather product you could think of and more. Make sure to negotiate the price, there are really no rules for negotiating and the vendors are expecting you to try. So do your best to get it down at least 20-30% from the original asking price.
Photo by: The Culture Trip | Edited by: We Traveled Where