Florence Tourist Attractions

Florence is one of the world's most beautiful historic cities, boasting many of the planet's most valuable paintings and sculptures. The city's Gothic and Renaissance architecture is simply breathtaking. On a first visit, Florence is best explored with a tour guide. Here is a small selection of what's available.

Florence Dome Climb – Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore

Originally designed by Arnolfo di Cambio, work on Florence's cathedral began in 1296 and ended in 1436 to the designs of architect Filippo Brunelleschi. It was then the largest church in Europe, and is still the third largest church in the world today, after St Peter's in Rome and St Paul's Cathedral in London. Dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore, the Virgin of the Flower, the cathedral is a magnificent example of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. A one-hour tour is available in Italian, German and English and takes you up 463 steps to explore the cathedral's famous cupola from where you can enjoy panoramic views across Florence. The ticket includes entrance to the opera museum, crypt and baptistery, and you are free to explore the cathedral after the tour ends. Meeting point is in front of Arnold Coffee house in Piazza del Duomo, at number 4. You should arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the tour start and wear comfortable clothing and shoes – there's no elevator up to the cupola's 114 meter lofty heights!

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Uffizi Gallery

Explore one of Europe's oldest museums on a 2-hour guided tour that allows you to see Botticelli's famous painting “The Birth of Venus”, Giotto's “Madonna di Ognissanti”, Caravaggio's “Medusa”, Piero della Francesca's double portrait “Frederico da Montefeltro” and three works by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as works by Raffaello, Tiziano and Michelangelo in a glorious setting. The Uffizi Gallery houses paintings from the 13th to the 18th centuries in some 50 rooms and is also worth seeing for its own sake. Built between 1560 and 1580 by Giorgio Vasari for Cosimo I de'Medici, the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, the beautiful building was originally meant to house offices for magistrates, judges and merchants. The Uffizi didn't become an art gallery and museum until 1769. The guided tour is available in English and Italian. Meet your tour guide at the Visit Today Office at Via della Condotta 12, on the first floor.

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Michelangelo's David at the Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze

Perhaps the world's most famous sculpture, Michelangelo's “David” is explored in a one-hour tour at the Galleria dell'Accademia. The tour is available in English only, and explains the background to the artist's greatest work. Michelangelo was only 26-years-old, when the Opera del Duomo commissioned the marble statue for the Cathedral of Florence in 1501. Depicting the Biblical hero David, the Renaissance statue is 5.17 meters high and took Michelangelo until 1504 to complete. Galleria dell'Accademia also displays the artist's unfinished four “Prisoners” and his marble statue of “St Matthew”, as well as paintings by Italian artists Allessando Allori, Sandro Botticelli and Domenico Ghirlandaio in the main hall. Many of the art works were originally commissioned by the powerful Medici family, who later donated them to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. You meet your guide at the entrance next to the Accademia Gallery, at Via Ricasoli 45b.

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Palazzo Vecchio

Built between the 13th and 14th centuries for the most influential men of medieval Florence, Palazzo Vecchio is a symbol of the city's rich heritage. Climb Arnolfo's Tower for some of the best views across the city and Tuscan hills, and see some of the finest paintings and sculptures, mostly collected and later donated by the powerful Medici family who once lived in the palazzo. The highlight is the Salone dei Cinquecento, the Hall of the Five Hundred, which dates to 1494. At a length of 54 meters, a width of 23 meters and height of 18 meters, the Hall is the largest room inside Palazzo Vecchio and one of the most impressive civic halls ever built, with wall frescoes and golden decorations fit for kings. Explore the Medici's former home on a two-hour tour. The entrance to the palace is on Piazza della Signoria. You will need to produce a valid ID to obtain your multimedia guide, a 7-inch tablet that provides audio-video guidance through the palace.

Book a "skip the line" tour of the Palazzo Vecchio

Dan Brown's Inferno Walking Tour

A two-hour walking tour follows in the footsteps of Dan Brown's fictional hero, Harvard professor os Symbology Robert Langdon, the main character in the author's bestselling novel “Inferno” (2013). Learn about the mysteries of poet Dante Alighieri, whose poem “Inferno” gave Dan Brown a title and idea for his novel. Find out what fate awaits Robert Langdon when he tries to solve complex riddles in the dark streets of historic Florence, in Boboli Gardens or at Florence Cathedral Baptistry. The walking tour includes some of the city's most iconic landmarks, and your guide (in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) explains in lively fashion the historic background to these landmarks and what may have prompted Dan Brown to use them in his thriller. Meet your guide at Piazza della Signoria in front of Neptune's Fountain (built in 1565), overshadowed by Palazzo Vecchio.

Book a Dan Brown's Inferno Walking Tour