Is Florence, Italy The Ultimate Travel Destination? My Experience (2024)

A country with amazing food, beautiful artwork, and a rich history.

This is what my perception of Italy was. Nestled in southern Europe and surrounded by four different seas, Italy is a country that has been viewed as a premier travel destination for a long time and it is easy to see why. Beautiful scenery and a world-class food offering is often a recipe for success. The numerous museums and deep history this country possesses takes their offerings over the top.

Along with being a travel destination, it is viewed as the ideal setting for many situations. Setting up destination weddings or a honeymoon is common for this place. Further, many students call Italy their home for a semester or two as it is quite a popular student exchange/semester abroad destination.

While I would undoubtedly love to spend a semester abroad in this beautiful country, I was only able to spend a few days here as a tourist. With so many options, it was hard to pick a city to stay in but I ultimately decided on Florence, a magnificent city located within the rolling hills of Tuscany.

I could have easily picked another city such as the ever-popular Rome or the fashion-forward Milan. Both cities are great options for first-time visitors of Italy and even Europe, but something was pushing me towards Florence. I couldn’t explain what it was, I just felt it – and I was happy I chose this city.

Below, you’ll find details about my experience in Florence. I’ll outline the positives, some negatives (spoiler: there aren’t a lot) and what to expect, with the hope it will benefit you whether you’ve decided to go or are thinking about visiting!

Getting Here 

Florence has its own international airport that gets daily flights from other European cities such as Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam. Amerigo Vespucci Airport (FLR) is on the smaller side, as it only has one runway and two floors. 

I’d consider this airport to be small but mighty because despite its size, it is well equipped with services. You can find places to eat, exchange your currency, and it has a selection of shops, including a Duty Free store. It even has its own lounge! This opens at 5am so if you’re able to, I would encourage you to make use of it if you have an early flight. 

My favourite feature of this airport is its connection to the city centre. The T2 Tram starts at the airport and ends in the city centre, with stops along the way. If you are staying in Florence’s central area, I would recommend getting off at Unita Station. This is the last stop on the line and from there, you are around a 10 minute walk away from the Duomo and Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. More information on this line can be found here: https://en.comune.fi.it/administration/tramway/line2.html

Food – You had me at Buon Appetito

You’ve likely heard that Italy is one of the best places to eat in the world. From their popular dishes like pizza and pasta, to their pastries, and the gelato… Oh that gelato!

Heading into this trip, I’d say food was the one thing I was most excited about. I’ve heard a bunch of positives and not a lot of negatives, so my expectations were quite high. Were my expectations too high? I can safely say that those expectations were blown out the water. The food I had was AMAZING, from the beginning all the way to the end.

The food in Florence matched its beauty. Each meal I had was very tasty and never lacking flavour.

If there is a dish that Florence is known for, it is the popular Bistecca Alla Fiorentina, or Florentine Steak. It is an aged T-Bone that is thick cut, grilled, and served on a sizzling hot-plate. Since it is the city’s speciality, it seemed like every restaurant I walked past offered this cut.

It was so hard to decide where to go because there were so many restaurants offering the same thing. The place I ended up at was called Taverna Dei Servi Firenze, which is about a 3 minute walk from the Duomo. To sum up my Bistecca Alla Fiorentina experience, I walked in hungry and came out stuffed and happy. The steak easily feeds two people and if you get a filling accompaniment like roasted potatoes, you’re likely going to have leftovers.

The only downside with this dish is the price as you’re likely paying anywhere from €90 – €150, depending on the size of your cut. From what I saw, most restaurants charged by weight and had a minimum weight to order. The typical charge was per 100 Grams and the minimum weight was typically 1 – 1.2kg. While it is a pricey meal, I’d say it is worth it because the experience of seeing that big, high-quality steak sizzling and being put on the table is something that is quite memorable.

There was one other Florence speciality I had, and honestly, it was my favourite thing I ate. That being a Lampredotto Sandwich. It is essentially a cow stomach sandwich with a green sauce and it is a popular street food in Florence. I remember seeing it before my trip and I knew I had to try it. It may sound a bit nasty being the cow’s stomach but I’m an adventurous eater and rest assured, it is absolutely delightful. 

In my opinion, this sandwich was the perfect food because it warmed my soul. Quite literally, eating this warm sandwich while standing outside in the frigid Florentine weather made me feel so good inside. 

The best part? This sandwich was only €5! It was hefty enough to have for lunch and it easily filled me up until dinner time.

The place I went to for this sandwich is a small but very busy food cart called Trippaio del Porcellino. I went to this cart twice during my trip (once on a Saturday and the other on a Tuesday) and the line was long both times. They also serve plates of Lampredotto and Trippaio (tripe), but I didn’t get to try the Trippaio as it was sold out each time I went. While there are other places that sell this sandwich, I would recommend this place because of its notoriety and price.

The last comment I’ll make on the food is about the quality, specifically the ingredients. Coming from North America, we are exposed to so many processed and GMO foods. Here in Italy, the quality of and appreciation for every ingredient is apparent in each dish.

Can’t-Miss Spots – Holy cow what a sight!

Florence is a city that is filled with numerous points of interest. It boasts beautiful architecture, rich museums, and amazing art galleries. Below are a few attractions you should visit when you’re in beautiful Florence!

Il Duomo and Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

I’m going to start off with the most obvious choice here. If you go to Florence but don’t see the Duomo and Cathedral, you didn’t really go to Florence.

Il Duomo and Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore are connected to one another and located in a large, open plaza. This is the most famous building in the city and rightfully so.

The cathedral is an architectural beauty. From the outside, the building is beautiful and well-detailed. It features marble white with green and red accents.

When you’re looking at the cathedral, you may notice the giant orange dome behind it. That would be the Duomo. Created in the 1400s, you can see this dome from the entire city and it can only be described as GRAND. 

Before my trip, I saw these structures and thought they were nice but pictures do not do them justice. When I first laid my eyes on the Cathedral and Duomo, I remember being in awe of the size and detail of it.

While I didn’t go in, you can go inside the cathedral for free but be wary of a long line. This area fills up with tourists during the day so it can get quite busy. On a positive note, it’s a great place for people watching!

Note: The Battistero di San Giovanni (The Baptistry of Saint John) is located right next to the cathedral and boasts the same marble features but on a smaller scale. You can go inside this as well. 

Galleria dell’Accademia

Just a short walk from the Duomo is the Galleria dell’Accademia. This art gallery features many historical paintings, sculptures, and musical instruments.

While the gallery as a whole is amazing, the likely reason you’re there is to see Michelangelo’s David sculpture.

I’ve only seen the David in pictures but just like Il Duomo, the David was outstanding in both size and detail. Thinking of the technology available back then compared to now, it made this installation even more impressive in my eyes.

Aside from David, my other favourite area in this gallery was a room filled with plaster sculptures of people. The room is to the left of the David and looks unassuming but when I stepped in I immediately had a “wow” feeling.

This room was huge and filled top-to-bottom with plaster sculptures. A truly unique art experience from my point-of-view.

I was able to visit each exhibit in around 2 hours. I think you can expect to stay for 1.5-3 hours.

I’d recommend buying tickets in advance so that you’re guaranteed to get into the museum. You can find tickets here: https://www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.it/en/visit/

Piazzale Michelangelo

Just across the Arno River, the Piazzale Michelangelo is a beautifully elevated plaza that boasts amazing views of the Fiorentine skyline. I’m a sucker for good views, so I knew I had to visit this.

You can either get there by car or foot. I chose to walk it from Piazza della Signoria and while it is a bit of a hike, it’s not too bad and it is also well worth it. The walk was around 30 minutes at a moderate-quick pace, so you can expect a similar time to get up there.

You can go during any time, but I would recommend going during sunset. I was able to catch it and it was honestly one of the sunsets I’ve ever seen.

The mix of the historic buildings, the beautiful Tuscan mountain backdrop, and the Duomo sitting in the middle of it all made quite a view.

You can also drink up there without any repercussions! There was a vendor selling food and alcohol and many groups of friends just drinking, chatting away, and catching the sunset.

It can get busy here but from my experience, spots to take pictures of the skyline opened up quite quickly. You’ll see what I mean when you visit!

Piazza della Signoria

Being from Canada, plaza culture barely exists here but it is one of my favourite parts of being in Europe. In this regard, Florence is no exception.

While there are many plazas all around the city, my favourite one was Piazza della Signoria. 

Located a short walk south from the Duomo area, this plaza features a giant open area with various sculptures around the edges. 

From this plaza, you can access the entrances of attractions such as the Palazzo Vecchio and the Galleria degli Uffizi.

For me, this was the perfect spot to sit down with my calda cioccolata and people watch. On vibes alone, this was one of my favourite spots in the city.

Language Barrier 

Language was one of my main concerns for this trip to Florence. I don’t speak any Italian so I feared that I wasn’t going to be able to communicate at all.

Luckily, I found that many of the shops, restaurants, and attractions I visited had employees that spoke English.

Florence is a very popular tourist destination so this shouldn’t be a surprise. While English is spoken here, I would still recommend learning Italian phrases before your trip or downloading the Italian language on your phone if you need a quick translation.

Transportation

For this trip, my main form of transportation was by foot. I believe that this is the best way to explore the city (and in general) because you get to really feel and experience the city for what it is.

If you’re interested in why transportation within a city is so important for me, read this article: https://drotravels.com/why-transportation-is-a-key-factor-when-travel-planning/

I would highly recommend walking around the city centre because it is very walkable and it doesn’t take long to get from one place to another.

The one thing I’ll say is that you may get tired quicker while walking because the roads and walkways are both narrow and uneven, so take care when walking.

If you need to go to other areas of the city, Florence has a bus and tram system. 

While I didn’t need to take the bus, I used the tram to get from the airport to the city centre and it was super easy! The tram line connecting the airport to the city is called the T2 Line and it was €1.75 to get to the city. Unless you have transport already lined up, I’d highly recommend taking this tram into the city.

More information on Florence’s tram system can be found here: https://en.comune.fi.it/administration/tramway/system.html

Lastly, Florence is an amazing base if you want to explore Italy. It is well connected by train, with cities like Rome, Milan, Bologna, and Pisa less than 3 hours away.

The main train station is Firenze Santa Maria Novella and it is about a 10 minute walk from the Duomo, so it is easily accessible.

Overall Thoughts?

If you want to visit a city that is rich in history, has amazing food, and is well-connected for potential day-trips, I would highly recommend that you visit Florence.

Before I went, I thought it was going to be a fun trip but nothing more. After I went, I immediately wanted to come back. 

Italy in general is such a beautiful country with so many different areas to explore, but Florence is definitely a city worth coming back to.