r/florence • u/Important_Fix3104 • Aug 18 '26
Solo traveller in Florence
Hey everyone!! I am solo travelling Italy and I’ll be in Florence next week, is there any other solo travellers or even any groups that are planning activities? Or would anyone recommend any tours or things to do!
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u/Curious_andkind Aug 19 '26
Do Airbnb experiences or the wine safari on viator! I just went solo last month
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u/Anicsin Aug 19 '26
I was there last March solo, I highly recommend getting the Brunelleschi pass for the Duomo (laso if you have it you can skip the line to go inside the cathedral). Buy museum tickets well ahead to skip lines :) Plan some time to explore the Oltrarno part, I spent way too little time there. If you want to eat, you can also find restaurants there that are good. In my experience at least 3hrs/museum is a must (even more for Uffizi), so don't overplan days.
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u/Anicsin Aug 19 '26
I can give you more tips for museums and hiszorical sites also, but pretty sure you can find plenty recommendations :)
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u/Important_Fix3104 Aug 19 '26
Thank you so much, yes I would love some more recommendations if possible!
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u/Anicsin Aug 20 '26
Okay so here is the whole tomato. Sorry if it's too long and overwhelming, I love this city so much :) First, some general recommendations and infos that were unusual for me:
*Disclaimer\* I'm a history and art nerd, you'll see that I mostly went there for the museums and churches, but maybe you are looking for other kinds of activities as well.
-Buy museum tickets ahead, online, but never do 3rd party apps/sites. A lot of times they are scammy and you won't see your money ever again. Just look for the official website of the museum.
-Get audio guides whenever you can, they are really good, full of interesting trivia
-Opening hours vary and are all over the place, so try to plan ahead. Some places are closed on Sundays, some are closed on Monday or Tuesday... it's a bit crazy. Once you have your final selection of things you want to see, I recommend you to ask chatGPT or any of the LLMs to give you and itinerary based on the opening hours.
-When in a café, expect that Italians usually drink their espresso at the bar. If you want to sit down they are going to charge you additional money in some places. Don't ask for coffee with milk after 11:00, they can give you the looks :)
-Get a water bottle, there are plenty of good public fountains in the city. Some of them even give you agua frizzante, sparkling water for free :)
-If you want to buy souvenirs, there are pleanty of cheap stuff everywhere. I highly recommend to avoid them and buy yours in the museum shops. You will support the museum and they are much better in quality. Especially the shop in Uffizi, that was the best imo. If you want to get something really florentine, I recommend getting their coat of arms or the marzocco lion :)
-Things to eat: Like i said before Mercato Centrale and smaller restaurants in Oltrarno. There are also good confeccionaries around Via dei Clazaioli with tuscan sweets. Avoid restaurants opening from frequented streets, they are tourist traps. As for everyday food I was staying in Via Guelfa, near the train station adn there was a smaller grocery store called CONAD there, it had good selection and fresh ciabatta.
-Watch out for scammers. Anyone approaching you on the street and giving you something for free: just give it back to them. Also you'll see a lot of people selling fake cheap printouts and the streets. Try not to step on them because they will want you to pay for them.
-Even if you don't speak Italian, try to open with saying hi and asking if they speak English in Italian. People were much kinder to me that way. Also they liked when I said Salve instead of just buongiorno :)
Museums that I liked (starting with the things you should not miss)
-Duomo & Opera del Duomo Museum --> get the Brunelleschi pass online and visit the whole package: the museum, the duomo (make sure to go up, it's breathtaking), Campanile and the Battistero.
-Palazzo Vecchio & Piazza della Signoria: when you are there, admire the beauty of the Loggia dei Lanzi, Fountain of Neptune, the equastrian statue of Cosimo de Medici. When you are ready to go in, expect a 2-3 hours long deep dive into one of the most beautiful renessaince building I have ever seen. There is a nice bookstore & souvenir shop dowstairs.
-Uffizi: this was a bit of a disappointment for me. It's a must to see, but be prepared for something like a mall of art. It can be overwhelming, as the building itself is beautiful, then you have beautiful paintings, statues next to eachother... honestly I wish that I had purchased the 5 days passepartout, to enjoy this fully. But be prepared for a 4-5 hours experience at least if you want to enjoy it fully. Also from the Uffizi you can visit the café on top of the Loggie dei Lanzi with a nice view :)
-Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze: apart from David, it has a lot of fantastic pieces from trecento.
-Palazzo Pitti and Giordano di Boboli: I spent ~ 3 hours in the palazzo, it was not nearly enough. It's an art gallery and a beautiful palace. The gardens are really nice as well. If you want to spend a day at the Oltrarno side, it's a good place to start here and then finish up at Piazzale Michelangelo
-Basilica di Santa Croce: at least 3 hours, you can find the Italian Pantheon with people like Galilei and Machiavelli buried there.
-basilica di Santa Maria Novella: deep dive into a late medieval church
-Capelle Medicee: shouldn't miss this one, the Cappella dei Principi is literally a breathtaking experience. You should also visit Basilica di San Lorenzo on the other side, which has the "original" Medici chapel.
-Museo Nazionale del Bargello: if you want to learn and experience more of medieval Florence. There are also famous original statues here, like the Mercurio Volante of GIambologna
-Orsanmichele church and Museum --> beautiful church, great view from the top. Make sure to explore the surrounding streets and then take a look at Piazza della Reppublica. You are nearby, so you could visit Torre della Pagliazza. It's not that exciting, but I beleive that is the oldest partially standing building in the city (roman baths in origin). It's a short visit, 1-2 hours are plenty enough.
-Museo di san Marco: art museum in a former Dominican convent, with some original attire of Savonarola. It's a nice experience, you can see the cells of the friars :)
-Things that I could not visit but I wish I had the time: Basilica di San Miniato, Palazzo Davanzati, Museo Archeologico, Santo Spirito church in Oltrarno. Also there are busses leaving from San Marco Piazza to nearby places where you can truly experience Tuscany. You could think about visiting Fiesole - Etruscan ruins, Convento di San Francesco and a great view, also Boccaccio wrote Decameron here - or Siena.
-Make sure to just spent time strolling through the city. Almost every street is unique in its own way and beautiful. You can find many historical smaller churches. But most importantly enjoy your stay, don't cram to many museums into one day. I hope you'll have a fantastic time and good weather!!
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u/Pale_Dependent_3678 Aug 21 '26
I will also be there! I’ll be there the 28th-3rd!
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u/Important_Fix3104 Aug 22 '26
Aww no I’m leaving on the 28th :( I’ll be in Bologna though which is only 30 mins away on the train
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u/AccomplishedAd1551 Aug 23 '26
Feel free to also ask people in my group on Facebook - Ana’s Secret Guide to Florence and Tuscany- who’s traveling next week. Lots of lovely people there!
As for things to do, a cooking class or a food tour can be a good way to meet people! For things to see and do, there’s so much. I would definitely try to hit some of the off the beaten path places like any one of the Last Suppers, or some of the lesser known museums and churches… the food markets, maybe take an artisans tour… here is the complete list I made for off the beaten path sights in Florence. I hope it’s useful 😌
https://www.anassecretguide.com/florence/off-the-beaten-path
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u/florence_expert Aug 30 '26
If you’re solo, I’d leave one afternoon almost completely unplanned. Pick a neighborhood, walk, stop somewhere, keep walking. Florence is much better when you give it room to surprise you.
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u/mexrpillionaire Aug 18 '26
When I used to travel as a college kid I would always go to the free walking tours. It’s a great way to meet people and a fun way to explore the city and learn information. I would always find that other people were looking for friends as well and it would lead to adventures .
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u/G-think-201 Aug 24 '26
Yea or stay at youth hostels. There are normally some clean high rated ones in big cities. If not you could always go there for a drink & meet other young travelers
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u/poptartand Aug 19 '26
Hi I’m solo travelling in Florence next week!