Top Tips for a Trip to Florence

Florence is an amazing city. We visited in high season though, so the streets were jam packed with fellow tourists. It was also extremely warm and there weren't a huge amount of places offering shade. We also only had 3 days in Florence which was ample enough to see all the main sites, however, I could have done with another day or two to really just relax and explore the not so touristy side of Florence.
Anyway, here are my top tips for what to do whilst visiting Florence.


1. Pre-Book Tickets 

The Uffizi Gallery and Gallery Academia were heaving with people when we visited. I am, luckily in this case, a bit of a control freak and so had pre-booked tickets for both. Thank goodness I did. The queues were well over an hour long to buy tickets. We still had to queue a bit to collect our pre-paid tickets, however, it took no more than 10 minutes. Tickets can be purchased at  http://www.uffizi.org/buy-tickets/ and http://www.accademia.org/buy-tickets/.


2. Visit the Art Galleries! 

Even if you're not an Art lover you cannot visit Florence without paying a visit to the Uffizi and Galleria Academia. Neither Sam or myself are particularly interested in Art, we like it but we're not experts yet somehow even we managed to spend 3 hours in the Uffizi Gallery. There are some real classic pieces of Art from well known artists and the rooftop garden is the perfect place to have a seat and rest your feet after all the wandering. Although the cafe is pretty pricey so we avoided it.  I would seriously recommend picking up a map of the Uffizi though so you can prioritise what you want to see, especially if you have limited time in the city. You can pick these up for FREE at the baggage drop off after security.
The Galleria Academia is a lot smaller and you'll only spend around an hour if that but it's worth it to see the Statue of David. You just can't imagine how detailed this sculpture is before you're actually stood underneath it.

Final Note: The Galleries are not open on a Monday!


3. Lunch at the Mercato Centrale!

The Mercato Centrale doesn't look like much from the outside but it is a must visit for foodies like us! The ground floor is a food market with a huge variety of stalls selling all kinds of italian delicacies such as truffle oils, balsamic vinegars, cheese etc. It has amazing smells and a great atmosphere with all the locals buying their groceries.
The first floor is even better. The edges of the room are lined with a variety of street food stalls selling seafood, pizza, salads, pastas, gnocchi, piadini, they have everything! The centre of the room has a bar and this is surrounded with picnic style tables to enjoy your food and drink. It is very similar to the food market in Bologna but on a much larger scale. There were a mix of tourists and locals and the atmosphere was perfect. We enjoyed a very delicious and reasonable lunch here and would recommend anyone to pop in. There is also a cooking school and couple of shops on the first floor including the local football teams shop. I got a football top for my brothers birthday, a really unique gift!



4. Take a Cooking Class! 

I have an aspiration to take a cooking class in every country I visit and where better to start than in Italy! We booked ourselves onto a cooking class ran by Food and Wine Academy Florence (http://www.florencecookingclasses.com/). Our chef for the day took us to the market to buy our ingredients, he also explained all the local delicacies and useful tips for buying and cooking with Italian foods. Then we made Pasta! Fresh Pasta! Ravioli and Tagliatelle. We also made the sauces and a tiramisu for dessert. It was so much fun and the chef really explained how to make beautiful pasta perfectly. We then got to enjoy our dishes along with a few bottles of Chianti! It was great because we were in a group of about 12-15 so got to meet and chat to other people. One couple had also been on the Tuscany Pizza and Gelato Cooking class where the went out into a Tuscan Villa in the countryside. They raved about it. There are so many options for cooking classes in the Tuscany area and lots of different providers. I can't really compare as I've only experienced one but I'm positive they'll all be of a similar quality. Do some research before you go and see what class suits your needs best but definitely try and book a class. It's so worth it! You get a certificate too!


5. Cover up for the Duomo!

As per most of the religious sites Italy, women need to be covered from the knee up and their shoulders. However, I think from my experience that the Duomo in Florence is one of the strictest excluding Vatican City. There were two guards on the doors and they were checking everyone. So many people were being turned away. Either plan ahead and wear appropriate clothing that day or if you're like me and can't cope with the idea of missing out on a tan, take a scarf in your bag that you can wrap around your shoulders. There were woman selling scarfs outside the Duomo but I imagine they were pretty pricey. Best to be prepared!

I would also advise to go to the Duomo as early as possible to avoid the queues. It opens at 08.30am and unfortunately there is no alternative to queuing here, you can't pre-book tickets. The queues can get pretty long and there are points where you'll be in the baking sun so avoiding the afternoon heat is probably best.

6. Gelato! Gelato! Gelato! 

Come on, you're in Italy, you must have Gelato! I found that the best Gelato was in Florence. There are so so many gelato stalls, you can't really go wrong. However, top tip from our cooking class chef, the best gelato has very little colour to it and won't be piled up high in tubs. According to him, gelato that is really colourful has heaps of added colourings and preservatives etc. and is not fresh.  Also "proper" Italian Gelato shouldn't last longer than a few hours so normally stalls that have huge tubs showcasing all the varieties of gelato are not serving real gelato! He advised to look out for places which have the gelato covered and only with a small amount at the bottom of the tubs. Now, I cannot make gelato so I have no idea if this is true, however, we followed his advice and the gelato we had was exquisite. So who knows?

7. Sunset at Piazza Michelangelo!

It's a bit of a hike up from the city but the views from the top are well worth the view. Buy a bottle of wine and some snacks and sit on the wall watching the city as the sun sets over it. Honestly it is perfect!

8. Don't get bogged down museums! 

There are so many Museums, Art Galleries, Palaces etc. in Florence that it would be really easy to spend all your time rushing from one to the other. Try to avoid this or you won't get to see the real Florence. Instead walk the streets, enjoy an aperitivo, sit in the Boboli Gardens, take a cooking class, relax and watch the world go by. This really is an amazing city and there's so much to see that you really can't do it all in one trip anyway so don't exhaust yourself trying to.


9.  Tombs of Santa Croche!

Visit the Basillica di Santa Croche to see the tombs of some of the great known names in history. You will find tombs and dedications to the likes of Michelangelo, Galileo, Dante, Machiavelli etc. It really is a resting place for the famous! As well as the tombs there is also a lot of artwork and sculptures which are beautiful. If you have the time, this is well well worth the visit.






10. Brewdog! 

Living in Aberdeen where the flagship Brewdog Bar is, we were pleasantly surprised to find a Brewdog in Florence. If you like your beer and want a different scene then give Brewdog a try. My preference is Punk IPA but if you're not sure the bartenders will let you sample and try until you find what's right for you.