3 days in Florence: an itinerary built round the bookings and the closed days

💡 The Short Version: Day 1, the Accademia and the Duomo: David at the 8:15 opening slot, then the dome on a booked slot (463 steps, €30 Brunelleschi Pass, photo ID) and the free cathedral. Day 2, the Uffizi, Boboli and the Oltrarno: the Uffizi at 8:15, the Pitti Palace and Boboli, and sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo. Day 3, Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Croce and the Medici Chapels. Monday shuts the Uffizi, Accademia, Pitti and Medici Chapels, and Thursday shuts Palazzo Vecchio at 14:00. Or book a tour: the Uffizi Gallery Small Group Guided Tourad is from €75 for 1.5 hours.

Before you go: what to book

The Firenze Card is €85 for 72 hours and does not include the Duomo complex. On this plan the single tickets for the Accademia, Uffizi, Pitti with Boboli, Palazzo Vecchio and Santa Croce come to about €108 booked ahead, and the card must be started on a day the state museums are open: a start on Friday loses Monday.

Fitting the plan to your dates

The plan runs Tuesday to Thursday, which keeps every state museum open. If your days differ:

• Monday: the Uffizi, Accademia, Pitti, Bargello and Medici Chapels are shut, and the Boboli Gardens on the first and last Monday of the month. Palazzo Vecchio, the Duomo complex, Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, San Lorenzo and the Museo Galileo are open.
• Tuesday: the Brancacci Chapel is shut and the Museo Galileo closes at 13:00. The Opera del Duomo Museum is shut on the first Tuesday of the month: 3 November and 1 December 2026 and 5 January 2027.
• Thursday: Palazzo Vecchio and its tower close at 14:00, so do them first on day three.
• Friday: Santa Maria Novella opens at 11:00. Until 20 November 2026 the Vasari Corridor also opens on Friday evenings, 19:00 to 23:00, for €24 booked, but that ticket does not include the Uffizi.
• Saturday: the last dome slot is 16:30.
• Sunday: the cathedral is closed and the dome opens from 12:45. Santa Croce opens at 14:00 and Santa Maria Novella at 13:00. State museums are free on the first Sunday of the month, with no booking and a queue.
• Dated closures: the Bell Tower is closed 9 to 13 November 2026 and the dome 16 to 20 November. The Duomo complex is closed on 25 December, 1 January and Easter Sunday.

Day 1: the Accademia and the Duomo

Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia

€20 plus a €4 booking fee · timed slot · allow 1 hour · Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15

Take the first slot, when the gallery opens at 8:15. The David stands in the Tribuna, with the Prisoners in the gallery leading up to it. There is no cloakroom and large bags are not admitted. The €2 reduced ticket is for EU citizens aged 18 to 25 and a few other nationalities; British, American, Canadian and Australian visitors pay full price. See the Accademia and David tickets.

The Duomo: dome, cathedral and Baptistery

Brunelleschi Pass €30 · dome on a booked slot, 463 steps · cathedral free

The Brunelleschi Pass covers the dome, the Bell Tower, the museum, the Baptistery and the Santa Reparata crypt for three calendar days, with one booked slot for the dome. Take a slot about 90 minutes after the Accademia opens, and carry photo ID, which is checked at the dome. The cathedral is free, Monday to Saturday 10:15 to 15:45, and refuses bare shoulders and knees. The Baptistery’s vault mosaics are under restoration and not visible. The Opera does not sell a skip-the-line service. See Duomo tickets and the dome climb.

Lunch and the evening

Regina Bistecca on Via Ricasoli is open daily 12:00 to 15:00, and Trattoria Mario, behind the Mercato Centrale, serves lunch only, Monday to Saturday from 12:00, with no reservations. In the evening walk to Piazza della Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio, then book Il Latini, whose kitchen is shut on Monday: see where to eat in Florence and bistecca alla fiorentina.

The Ponte Vecchio at dusk. Photo: Martin Falbisoner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Day 2: the Uffizi, Boboli and the Oltrarno

The Uffizi

€29 booked ahead, €25 on the day · timed slot · from 8:15

Take the 8:15 slot and bags go in the free cloakroom. To add the Vasari Corridor, buy the combined ticket at €47: the Corridor slot must be at least two hours after your Uffizi slot, it runs one way over the Ponte Vecchio, and it ends in the Boboli Gardens. The €16 or €20 Afternoon ticket, for entry from 16:00, is the one for a day when the morning is taken. See Uffizi tickets and Vasari Corridor tickets.

The Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens

€25 booked ahead, €22 on the day · Pitti Tuesday to Sunday 8:15 to 18:30

One ticket covers the Pitti Palace’s museums and the Boboli Gardens. The Royal Apartments are shown on a 30-minute tour included in the Pitti ticket, on slots every half hour from 10:00 to 17:00. The Treasury of the Grand Dukes has been closed since 3 February 2026. Boboli closes at 16:30 from November to February. See Pitti Palace and Boboli tickets.

Sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato

Free · San Miniato Monday to Saturday 9:30 to 13:00 and 15:30 to 19:00

Piazzale Michelangelo looks over the Arno, the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio, and San Miniato al Monte stands above it. Vespers with Gregorian chant are sung at 18:30 every day. See the best views of Florence. For dinner, Zeb in San Niccolò is closed on Wednesday, and Il Santo Bevitore on Via di Santo Spirito takes bookings on its site.

Florence from the gates of San Miniato al Monte, with the dome in the distance. Photo: Ввласенко, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Day 3: Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Croce and San Lorenzo

Palazzo Vecchio

Museum €18 plus €1 · tower €20 plus €1 · 9:00 to 19:00, Thursday to 14:00

Go first on a Thursday. The Arnolfo Tower has 418 steps and needs a booked time, and it closes in rain, when the guard walk stays open. Some rooms of the museum are shut: see Palazzo Vecchio tickets.

Santa Croce

€10, €1 more online · Monday to Saturday 9:30 to 17:30, Sunday 14:00 to 17:30

The basilica is on Piazza Santa Croce, the Calcio Storico square. The Bardi Chapel with Giotto’s Stories of Saint Francis is visible again after restoration, according to the basilica. See Florence’s churches. Lunch is at the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio, open Monday to Saturday 7:00 to 14:00, or at Cibrèo’s trattoria nearby.

Piazza Santa Croce, where the Calcio Storico is played. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

The Medici Chapels and San Lorenzo

Medici Chapels €11 plus a booking fee · Tuesday to Sunday 8:15 to 18:50 · San Lorenzo €9

Michelangelo’s New Sacristy is in the Medici Chapels, and the hidden room with Michelangelo’s drawings can be seen by reservation only, 15 minutes and four people a slot. The San Lorenzo basilica next door is a separate ticket. The Mercato Centrale’s food hall is open daily 9:00 to 23:00. See Medici Chapels and San Lorenzo tickets.

Or take the train

Swap this day for a trip: the Pisa, Siena and San Gimignano day tripad is from €49 for 12 hours, and day trips from Florence compares them with the train. See the Pisa day trip and the Siena day trip.

Where to sleep and when to go

Where to stay in Florence compares the areas, and hotels near the Duomo lists the hotels within 520 m of the cathedral. The best time to visit Florence gives the weather by month. In winter the plan shifts to Christmas in Florence, and in spring to Easter in Florence. For the way in, see Florence airport to the city and Florence public transport. For the meals, see where to eat in Florence, Florence street food, the best gelato in Florence and Florence food tours. For a shorter stay, see Florence in one or two days, and for the full list of bookings, what to book before you go to Florence.