Florence guide
Florence, on foot from the hotel
Nine places not to miss, in the order you meet them as you step out of Hotel Ester: from the basilica of Santa Maria Novella to sunset on Piazzale Michelangelo.
Santa Maria Novella
The first wonder is five minutes away: the Dominican basilica with its white and green marble façade, completed by Leon Battista Alberti. Inside are Masaccio’s Trinity, Giotto’s Crucifix and Ghirlandaio’s frescoes in the Tornabuoni Chapel.
Our tip
Just along Via della Scala is the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, one of the oldest pharmacies in the world: the rooms alone are worth the visit.
San Lorenzo and the Mercato Centrale
Under the great iron-and-glass hall of 1874, Florentines do their shopping: cured meats, cheese, olive oil, vegetables. Upstairs, Tuscan food counters for a quick lunch. Next door stand Brunelleschi’s basilica of San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapels, with Michelangelo’s New Sacristy.
Our tip
On the ground floor, try lampredotto, Florence’s traditional sandwich. To take home: new-season olive oil and pecorino.
The Duomo and Baptistery
Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto’s bell tower and the Baptistery of San Giovanni with the Gates of Paradise: the heart of Florence in a single square. Brunelleschi’s dome, completed in 1436, is still the largest masonry dome ever built.
Our tip
To climb the dome (463 steps), book a time slot online a few days ahead. Ghiberti’s original Gates of Paradise are in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo.
Galleria dell’Accademia
This is where Michelangelo’s David stands, the original: more than five metres of marble carved between 1501 and 1504 and moved here from Piazza della Signoria in 1873. Along the hall leading to it are the unfinished Prisoners.
Our tip
Book a timed entry: the queue without a ticket can last longer than the visit. The first slot of the morning is the quietest.
Piazza della Signoria
The square of power: Palazzo Vecchio with Arnolfo’s tower, the Loggia dei Lanzi with Cellini’s Perseus, the Neptune Fountain and the copy of David where the original once stood. An open-air museum, by day and by night.
Our tip
Come back after dinner: with the square lit up and quieter, you can enjoy the Loggia dei Lanzi in peace.
The Uffizi Gallery
The palace Giorgio Vasari designed as the Medici offices holds one of the world’s great collections: Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo’s Annunciation, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio.
Our tip
Book online and allow at least three hours. At the end, the terrace café looks straight onto Palazzo Vecchio.
Ponte Vecchio
Florence’s oldest bridge, rebuilt in 1345, with goldsmiths’ workshops hanging over the Arno. Above it runs the Vasari Corridor, the Medici’s passage between Palazzo Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti. In 1944 it was the only bridge in the city spared by the war.
Our tip
The best view of the bridge is from the nearby Ponte Santa Trinita, especially at sunset.
Palazzo Pitti and Boboli
Across the Arno stands the palace of the Medici, and later of the Lorraine and the Savoy. Behind it opens Boboli, the model of the Italian garden: the amphitheatre with its Egyptian obelisk, the Buontalenti Grotto, cypress avenues and glimpses of the city from above.
Our tip
Wear comfortable shoes: the garden climbs the hill and the paths are gravel. In summer, go early in the morning.
Piazzale Michelangelo
The terrace over Florence, designed by Giuseppe Poggi in 1869: the dome, Palazzo Vecchio, the bridges over the Arno and the hills in a single view. At sunset the city glows pink and gold. Higher up stands the Romanesque basilica of San Miniato al Monte.
Our tip
Walk up the Rampe del Poggi from San Niccolò. For the way back, ask us at reception for the right bus or a taxi.
If you only have one day
One perfect day
This is how we would spend it. Out and back on foot, with a break at the hotel whenever you need one.
- I
Morning
The Duomo and the dome at opening time, then David at the Accademia in the first slot.
- II
Midday
Lunch at the Mercato Centrale and a stroll among the San Lorenzo stalls.
- III
Afternoon
Piazza della Signoria and the Uffizi, then a walk across the Ponte Vecchio.
- IV
Sunset
Up to Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the city light up. Dinner in the Oltrarno.
Everything within walking distance
From Hotel Ester you can see the historic centre without a car or public transport: drop your bags, take the map and go.