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Free Time in Florence
Florence:
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Free time in Florence? Take a look at the suggested activities below to add even more to your tour experience. Please note that these recommendations are separate from your included EF tour activities. Opening times, availability and fees for these free time activities may vary depending on the time of year and are subject to change. Please check listed websites for details.
Museums:
Galleria Accademia
Via Ricasoli 58-60. Open daily 8:15am-6:50pm, closed Monday.
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Home to the extraordinary David, much of this museum is dedicated to the work of the excitingly talented Michelangelo. This gigantic statue now stands majestically in a hushed atmosphere. Nearby Michelangelo’s unfinished works, Slaves and Prisoners, reveals how he worked to free the art within. Other exhibits were made by his contemporaries and include sculptures, paintings and ceramics. Entrance fee applies; 17 and under free.
Piazzale degli Uffizi. Open daily 8:15am-6:50pm, closed Monday.
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Simply one of the most impressive and comprehensive collections of Italian renaissance painting anywhere in the world and a treasure trove of masterpieces. The vast museum overlooks the Arno river and was originally built for the Florentine magistrates (Uffizi means offices). Opened to the public in 1765 has long been home to works by Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael, Giotto, Titian and Carvaggio. Entrance fee applies; 17 and under free.
Via del Proconsolo 4. Open daily 8:15am-1:50pm, closed 1st & 3rd Sunday and 1st , 3rd , 5th Monday of each month.
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This 13th century palazzo was initially the residence of the "Bargello" or head of police spies. The building's use as a National Museum began in the mid-19th century. What the Uffizi offers in painting, the Bargello offers in sculpture and its courtyard and interiors contain some of the masterpieces of the Tuscan Renaissance. It contains masterpieces by Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, and Donatello along with priceless ivories, enamels, jewels, tapestries and weapons. Entrance fee applies.
Via Ghibellina 70. Open daily 9:30am-4pm, closed Tuesdays.
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Inside this restored 17th century building, the granddaughter of Michelangelo Buonarroti has put on display some of Michelangelo’s earliest works that have been kept in the family. These works include the Battle of the Centaurs, the beautiful Madonna of the Stars, as well as some sculpture, models, frescoes, bronzes and other works on loan from Florentine museums. Entrance fee applies.
Piazza di San Marco 1. Open daily 8:15am-1:50pm, until 4:50pm Saturday and Sunday.
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Covering a vast area of the Dominican convent of San Marco and preserving much of its original atmosphere, the museum has an important collection of 16th-century paintings. Elsewhere is a section devoted to fragments of sculpture and architecture from buildings of the city center which were demolished in the 19th century. Entrance fee applies.
Only in Florence:
Piazza del Duomo. Open daily 8:30am-6:50pm.
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More than 400 steps challenge you to one of the most breathtaking views in Italy. At the top of the 86 meter, stripy marble bell tower the undulating Tuscan hills and the red tiled roofs make for the quintessential medieval landscape. No other place in the city offers such magnificent views over the baptistery and from here you have the best close-up shot of Brunelleschi's dome. Entrance fee applies.
Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens
Piazza Pitti 1. Open daily at 8:15am, check closing times as they change monthly, closed first and last Monday of each month.
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The Pitti Palace is the former residence of the grand-dukes of Tuscany and later of the King of Italy. You can visit 8 different galleries, including modern art, costumes, jewelry, apartments and the Boboli Gardens, one of the earliest Italian gardens famous for its fountains and grottoes and inspiration for many European palace gardens including those at Versailles. Entrance fee applies.
Piazza S. Maria Novella 18. Open daily 9am-5:30pm, at 11am Friday, until 5pm Saturday and Sunday.
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With its striking black and white scheme, ornate facade, curved design and colonnade, this exterior of this church has almost a castle-like style to it. Inside are many chapels and splendid examples of 14th and 15th century craftsmanship. Entrance fee applies.
Foods to Try:
Vivoli Gelateria
Via Dell’Isola delle Stinche, 7r. Open daily 7am-8pm.
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This much-loved gelateria is a big favorite of locals, tourists and students alike. It lives up to the hype and makes the best ice-creams in the city. If you don’t fancy ice cream then take a seat in their pretty seating area and try one of the traditional pastries.
Panini di Lampredotto
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A typical Florentine dish, it is a sandwich. They use white bread with a crunchy outside and a soft inside, and fill the sandwich with hot lampredotto and salsa verde. Lampredotto is the fourth stomach of a cow that is boiled in a vegetable broth. Salsa verde is a combination of anchovies, onion, garlic, parsley, basil, capers, lemon juice and olive oil. This is a popular and common street food found all over Florence.
Pastina in Brodo
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A winter dish and comfort food to many Italians, Pastina in Brodo takes everyone back to their childhood. Similar to American chicken noodle soup, pasta is cooked in stock and served (still in the stock or broth) with parmesan cheese is added on top.
Shopping:
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Mercato Centrale di Firenze srl. Open daily 10am-1am)
The San Marco area is home to a daily covered market where you will find stalls displaying a whole range of souvenirs, t-shirts and leather goods (of varying quality). Remember, the key to any exchange is to make sure you haggle with the trader.
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San Lorenzo Market
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Piazza San Lorenzo
This is an open air market where each vendor has the same spot each day to sell their goods. Vendors sell everything from leather goods and scarves to tourist items and trinkets.
Churches:
Piazza di San Lorenzo 9. Open Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sun 1:30-5:30pm, closed Saturday.
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Located right next to the city’s thriving market area, San Lorenzo is the burial site for many of the famous Medici family and the chapels dedicated to them are a real highlight. The internal facade and old sacristy are by Michelangelo and the library by Brunelleschi.
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Via Monte alle Croci.
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With a fabulous marble exterior, nearby gardens, and monastery, this church sits on one of the highest points in the city. Be sure to find the cardinal of Portugal chapel which houses the only tomb in the church and was designed by many of Florence’s great renaissance artists.
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Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini 6. Open daily 8:15 am to 1:50pm; closed 2nd and 4th Sunday and 1st , 3rd , 5th Monday of each month.
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The church of San Lorenzo, consecrated in 393 AD, was the city cathedral for many years. The Medici Chapels form part of a complex developed over almost two centuries, considered the "official" church of the Medici. From 1520-33, Michelangelo worked on the sculptures in the mausoleum. Entrance fee applies.
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