Florence Travel Guide: Where to Stay and Eat Beyond the Tourist Crowds

Three Michelin stars. One of Italy's all-time great wine cellars — over 100,000 bottles. Annie Féolde's tasting menu in a 15th-century palace.

The dining room is theatrical; the wine pairing is a masterclass.

Two Michelin stars inside a 6th-century Byzantine tower — the dining room sits inside the original tower itself. Chef Rocco De Santis's tasting menu. Among the most architecturally significant Michelin-star dining experiences in Italy.

Open since 1869 — Florence's most beloved trattoria. The butter chicken (pollo al burro) and bistecca alla fiorentina are the orders. Cash only.

Reservations by phone weeks ahead. Properly Florentine.

Fabio Picchi's traditional Florentine institution — no pasta on the menu (controversial), but the freshest interpretations of Florentine classics. The yellow pepper soup is legendary.

1945 Oltrarno trattoria — Tuscan classics done properly, regulars going back generations. Cash only. Among the most loved traditional dinners in Florence.

One Michelin star. Inside the Four Seasons garden — chef Vito Mollica's contemporary Italian. The garden terrace is the most beautiful dining setting in Florence.

Florence's most famous schiacciata sandwich — quality bread stuffed with cured meats and stracchino. The original Via dei Neri location still has queues. Multiple Florence locations now.

Open since 1733 — Florence's oldest café. On Piazza della Repubblica. Properly pulled espresso, pastries, the most-Florentine breakfast spot.

Florence's leading specialty coffee — multiple locations. The Oltrarno flagship has an excellent brunch menu. The most respected modern espresso in Tuscany.

Neighborhood pasticceria — the proper Florentine pastries (sfoglia, bombolone, schiacciatine). Where locals get their morning sweet.

Modern Oltrarno bakery — wood-fired ovens, sourdough, proper Tuscan loaves. The Tuscan focaccia is the order.

The 1874 covered market — ground floor is traditional vendors (fresh produce, meat, fish). Upstairs (since 2014) is a modern food hall with stalls covering all cuisines. Best for late morning.

A 17th-century Florentine palazzo turned cocktail bar — properly grand interiors, daily-changing cocktail menu. Among Italy's most internationally celebrated bars. World's 50 Best Bars regular.

1872 chocolate house — overlooks the Palazzo Vecchio. The hot chocolate is the most refined in Florence. Touristy now, but the Aperol Spritz with that view is a small luxury.

Italian-spirits-only bar — every cocktail uses Italian ingredients. The 1960s-styled interior. Properly Florentine, properly local.

Tiny Oltrarno wine bar — extraordinary by-the-glass list of small Italian producers. Properly serious, deeply local. Among Florence's most loved wine bars.

Oltrarno aperitivo classic — the snack buffet at sunset, the Negroni properly mixed. Where locals actually drink before dinner.

On top of the Westin Excelsior — the best central rooftop view in Florence, the Duomo and the Arno in one frame. Smart-casual; book ahead for sunset.

Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo's Annunciation, Michelangelo's Doni Tondo, Caravaggio's Medusa. The Medici family's collection — one of the world's greatest. Pre-book online weeks ahead.

Plan three hours minimum.

Michelangelo's David (1504) — the original. The 5.17m masterpiece in the dedicated tribune. Pre-book online; the queue without booking is 2-3 hours.

Florence's 20th-century Italian art collection in a former hospice — opposite Santa Maria Novella. Modigliani, Morandi, the Italian Futurists. The most thoughtful modern art space in Tuscany.

Donatello's David (the bronze one) is here — the original. Plus Michelangelo, Cellini, della Robbia. In a 13th-century podestà's palace.

Far less crowded than the Uffizi; arguably as important.

The Medici family's later residence — the Palatine Gallery (Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio), the costume gallery, the Boboli Gardens behind. Combined ticket with the Uffizi is the best value.

The original sculptures from the Duomo — Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise (the doors of the Baptistery), Donatello's Mary Magdalene, Michelangelo's Bandini Pietà. Reopened 2015 after major renovation.

Brunelleschi's 1436 dome — the largest brick dome ever built, still the city's tallest structure. Climb the 463 steps inside the dome (book ahead). The Cattedrale, the Battistero, the Campanile — all need separate tickets.

The 1345 medieval bridge over the Arno — the only Florence bridge the Nazis didn't blow up in 1944. Jewelry shops have lined it since 1593 (the Vasari Corridor runs above). Best at dusk.

The most photographed view in Florence — across the Arno to the Duomo, the Palazzo Vecchio, the tiled rooftops. Walk up via San Niccolò gate (20 minutes uphill); the sunset crowd is the experience.

The 1874 covered iron-and-glass market — ground floor traditional vendors, upper floor modern food hall. Among the most beautiful food markets in Italy.

The Medici family's 16th-century gardens behind the Pitti Palace — the model for Versailles. Cypress avenues, hidden grottoes, the panoramic view from the Boboli amphitheatre. Combined ticket with the Pitti.

The Florence panthéon — Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini all buried here. The Giotto frescoes, the Cimabue crucifix. Plus the Pazzi Chapel by Brunelleschi behind.

Climbing inside the dome — 463 steps, the Vasari fresco of the Last Judgement at close range, the rooftop view of Florence. The most spectacular climb in Italian architecture. Book online weeks ahead.

Covered above — but listed separately for what it is: 4.5 hectares of formal Italian garden in central Florence. Where locals walk in the evening.

Quieter alternative to Boboli — the wisteria-covered terrace in April-May is the most photographed flower spot in Florence. Combined ticket with Boboli.

1590 hilltop fortress between Boboli and San Niccolò — open during summer exhibitions only. The view from the ramparts is the city's best after Piazzale Michelangelo, with far fewer people.

Half an hour south by car — the heart of Tuscan wine country. Greve in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti, Radda. Hire a driver for the day.

The most accessible Tuscan countryside escape.

Etruscan-Roman hilltop town 15 minutes by bus from the center — the Roman theater, the view back to Florence. Where wealthy Florentines have summered for centuries. Half a day.