How to Time Your Trip to Florence

One of the world's great art meccas, Florence, Italy is a wonderful place to learn about painting, sculpture and architecture. It also boasts fantastic Northern Italian cooking.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Travel Clothes
• Foreign Language Phrase Books
• Local Guidebooks
• Maps
• Airline Tickets To Italy
• Passport Services
• Travel Services
• Trip Cancellation Insurance
• Cameras
• Film
• Maps
• Cameras

General Considerations

1. Decide what time of year you'll be visiting. No matter when you visit, you will encounter other tourists, but spring, autumn and winter are considered off-season and will give you a quieter visit.

2. Avoid the peak tourist seasons of July and August, if possible. Upwards of 2,000 tour buses pour into the city every day during these months.

3. Find out if there are any festivals or events you'd like to attend. The Florence May Music Festival is one of the best performing arts festivals in Italy.

4. Seek out inexpensive flights, transportation and accommodations. You won't want a car, unless you're planning to leave Firenze and explore the countryside.

5. Check the weather forecast shortly before leaving, and pack accordingly. Summer weather tends toward the muggy, but be sure to bring a sweater for air-conditioning and possibly chilly evenings.

Seasonal Events and Attractions

6. Check out the incredible art and fantastic views of Florence from the top of Il Duomo.

7. Pay your respects to the tombs of (among others) Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Galileo at the Church of Santa Croce.

8. Pick up a crusty loaf of bread, antipasto and a bottle of Chianti at the Mercato Centrale; then enjoy an impromptu picnic at Boboli Gardens.

9. Escape the tourists and the art by taking a half-day visit to the enchanting Tuscan village of Fiesole, just 8km from the city. It's accessible by bus.

10. Don't miss Italy's finest art collection at the Uffizzi Gallery.

11. Feel the history behind sports at the Calcio Storico, a soccer game played in traditional 16th-century costume on one of Florence's beautiful piazzas.

Tips & Warnings

• The crisp weather and relative lack of tourists can make late autumn and early winter a wonderful time to visit Florence.
• Italians take the month of August off for vacation so during this month many businesses are closed and the cities seem deserted (except for tourists). Easter is also a bad time to visit, as many locals flee to resorts, only to be replaced by crowds of tourists.

[mikilucia]

on 4/18/2009 Florence is amazing! Right from Medieval times, Piazza della Signoria has always been the civic centre of Florentine life. Although some original buildings (the Loggia dei Pisani and the Church of St. Cecilia) and the ancient brick paving, which gave it greater unity of style, have now disappeared, it remains in all its aspects a square of incomparable beauty and elegance. Dominated by the fourteenth century Palazzo della Signoria with its high crenellated tower, it is surrounded by other important buildings: the Loggia della Signoria and the Palazzo degli Uffizi on the south side, the sixteenth century Palazzo degli Uguccioni on the north side and the Palazzo del Tribunale di Mercanzia (about 1359) on the east side. http://www.prontohotel.com/ita/florence

[grapegirls]

on 3/29/2009 Ahhh, we're planning a group wine excursion to Florence next Spring. Can't wait... Cheers!

[nickmgray]

on 2/7/2009 the Uffizzi is amazing, just make sure you plan enough time for it. We spent nearly 6 hours in there and my wife almost missed all the leather shopping!