A Weekend in Florence, Off the Beaten Path
Two days covers the Duomo complex, the Accademia and Uffizi back to back, and Ponte Vecchio’s real history after dark, no rental car and no Tuscan day trip required. Want Siena, Pisa, or a Chianti afternoon added on? See Florence as a Tuscany base instead; this one stays inside the city, and our longer offbeat guide covers what a third or fourth day would add.
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Duomo complex and a lampredotto cart dinner |
| 2 | Accademia, Uffizi, and Ponte Vecchio’s real history |
Book these before you go
- Reserve Accademia Gallery tickets , the smaller gallery, its capacity sells out first
- Reserve Uffizi Gallery tickets for the same day’s afternoon slot
- Book the Duomo dome climb , one fixed timed slot that cannot be rebooked
Day 1: The Duomo complex and a cart for dinner
Head straight for the Duomo complex first, before jet lag turns into an excuse to skip the queue-free planning: Brunelleschi’s dome climb needs a fixed timed slot booked via tickets.duomo.firenze.it , 463 steps with no lift and no rebooking once confirmed. The EUR30 Brunelleschi Pass also covers Giotto’s Campanile, the Baptistery, the crypt, and the Opera museum across 3 days, so treat today as the ticket’s first use, not its only one. For dinner, skip the sit-down trattoria and get a lampredotto panino from L’Antico Trippaio’s cart in Piazza dei Cimatori instead, EUR3.50-4, dunked in its own broth.
Day 2: Accademia, Uffizi, and Ponte Vecchio after dark
Book the Accademia for first thing in the morning, its capacity is smaller than the Uffizi’s so mornings sell out first in peak season, then move to the Uffizi in the early afternoon once the initial rush thins. Both galleries charge a EUR4 per person booking fee on top of the EUR16-20 and EUR25 tickets. In the evening, walk Ponte Vecchio for its actual history rather than its jewelry windows: goldsmiths have run these shops only since 1593, when Grand Duke Ferdinando I evicted the butchers previously there, and the Vasari Corridor still runs unseen directly overhead. Compare hotel rates across Florence on the Oltrarno side of the river if a shorter walk back from Ponte Vecchio matters more than a Duomo view.
Carry a few euros in coins for the lampredotto cart; card machines exist but nobody wants to break a EUR50 note over a EUR3.50 sandwich.