Florence itinerary: 3 days for the Duomo, Uffizi and Oltrarno

How to spend 3 days in Florence

Use day 1 for the Duomo area and the Accademia if seeing David matters to you, day 2 for the Uffizi and the central squares, and day 3 for Santo Spirito and the Pitti side of the Arno. Keep Florence as the base for all three days. There is enough here without using a full day for a hurried Tuscany excursion.

This is a three-full-day itinerary. A late arrival is an extra travel evening, not day 1. Four nights make the allocation easier; if you have only three nights, check that your arrival and departure leave three genuinely usable days. Suggested visit lengths and order are editorial pacing, not guaranteed admission times.

Day 1 morning: the Duomo complex or a shorter cathedral-square visit

Begin at Piazza del Duomo. If climbing Brunelleschi's Dome is your priority, book that time before fixing the rest of the morning. The Brunelleschi Pass covers the dome, bell tower, Baptistery, Opera del Duomo Museum and Santa Reparata, with one entry per monument. You do not have to do every included site that morning: the pass is valid for three calendar days from the selected date.

The dome slot must be on the pass's first day and cannot be changed or cancelled once issued. Bring identification with the ticket, and leave prohibited bags at the designated storage before joining the entrance. The dome has 463 steps and no lift. If a climb does not suit you, keep the square and choose an appropriate museum visit rather than buying a pass simply because it includes the most sites.

Day 1 afternoon: Accademia, San Lorenzo and a meal nearby

After lunch, visit the Accademia if Michelangelo's David is a priority. Allow roughly 1½–2 hours as a planning block, including arrival and checks, then keep the rest of the afternoon around San Lorenzo rather than booking another major gallery. If you do not want the Accademia, use the time for an unhurried central walk or the Duomo Museum within your pass validity.

The Accademia normally closes on Mondays. Its official site recommends reservations and names B-Ticket as its official online channel. It has no museum cloakroom and does not admit large bags or backpacks, so leave luggage before arriving. Do not plan this as an en-route stop with your suitcase after checking out.

Day 2 morning: give the Uffizi a proper block

Book the Uffizi for the morning if you prefer to do the longest painting-gallery visit while fresh. Allow about three hours as a starting planning allowance, more if you want a detailed visit, with lunch afterwards. Botticelli, Leonardo, Raphael and Caravaggio are among the artists represented; David is at the Accademia, not an extra room at the Uffizi.

The Uffizi normally opens Tuesday to Sunday, 8.15 a.m.–6.30 p.m., and closes on Mondays except special openings. Swap the days around that constraint. Its current regular named single ticket is €25 bought on the day or €29 bought before the entry date, checked on 24 October 2026. Neither price guarantees a suitable slot; compare the current offer and any concession eligibility at booking.

Day 2 afternoon: Signoria, the river and Ponte Vecchio

After lunch, use Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi exterior and the Arno as one compact walking sequence. Continue to Ponte Vecchio, then decide whether to cross for a short look at the Pitti side or save the longer Oltrarno walk for day 3. This afternoon needs no second major museum reservation.

If the gallery has used your energy, stay near the river and finish early. A short stay is easier when you can drop an optional walk without losing money on another timed entry. Palazzo Vecchio, Pitti and the Vasari Corridor are not automatically part of an ordinary Uffizi single ticket.

The exception on 30 October 2026

A national-strike notice says the Uffizi will guarantee opening from 1.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. on 30 October 2026, with last admission one hour before closing. Boboli Gardens are listed as open throughout the day. For that date, move the central walk to the morning and use a valid afternoon gallery booking if available; do not follow this itinerary's normal Uffizi morning order. Other closures or disruptions may occur.

Day 3: Santo Spirito, Pitti and an optional garden or viewpoint

Cross to Oltrarno and spend the morning around Piazza Santo Spirito and the streets towards Pitti Palace. Choose one substantial paid addition if you want it: Pitti for another museum-led visit or Boboli for a garden block. Buy the relevant admission rather than assuming that walking into the district includes either. You can also keep this a neighbourhood day with lunch and no major paid interior.

Afterwards, choose between a longer walk towards Piazzale Michelangelo or a shorter riverside return. The viewpoint involves an uphill approach and is optional, especially in hot weather or if stairs and slopes would make the day difficult. Do not use it as a luggage route. If you have unused Duomo-pass sites, visit them instead of adding a fourth sightseeing cluster.

Fit the Duomo sites around the three days

Do the dome on the booked first day of the Brunelleschi Pass, then spread other included visits across its three calendar days. The Opera del Duomo Museum is normally closed on the first Tuesday of each month; choose a different day within validity. The Baptistery's vault mosaics are currently not visible because of restoration, so do not buy the pass expecting an unobstructed mosaic view.

The bell tower also involves a stair climb and has no lift. You do not need two climbs to make the pass worthwhile for your interests. Pick the sites you actually want and keep meal and rest time between them.

If day 3 is also your departure day

Leave the paid interiors on the earlier full days and keep the final morning to a shorter walk near your base. Retrieve bags before heading to Firenze Santa Maria Novella for a booked intercity departure. Do not schedule a dome slot, a long gallery visit and a train as though each begins immediately after the last one ends.

With only two full days plus arrival and departure fragments, choose your main gallery and either a Duomo visit or the Accademia; keep Oltrarno as a shorter walking block. Losing an optional stop is better than building a day that depends on every queue being short.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Santa Maria Novella is useful for luggage and rail transfers; Duomo–Signoria puts the first two days close by; Santo Spirito suits a stay centred on the cross-river neighbourhood. You do not need a rental car for this plan. Compare the exact accommodation entrance and luggage walk rather than relying only on the district name.

Operational facts were checked on 24 October 2026. No live gallery or dome slots, room availability or date-specific rail seats have been checked. The route is not certified step-free; the dome and bell tower are specifically stair-only visits.

Arrival and shorter Florence visits

Use the Florence guide for Santa Maria Novella and airport-tram arrivals, or its two-day allocation if you need to reduce the visit. Keep transfer time outside the museum blocks instead of counting the train's scheduled arrival as the moment sightseeing begins.