Hi Frugalistas! Continuing our travels in Italy, after our relaxing stay in Tuscany we spent two nights in Florence. I had been to Florence as a day trip over 30 years ago, but Mr Frugalfirstclass had never been, so we obviously had a lot of catching up to do. This is how we spent our two nights in Florence.
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Table of Contents
Arriving in Florence from Tuscany
We had organised to drop our car off at the airport in Florence. There is no reason to have a car in Florence itself, and in my opinion the airport is the best place to drop off a car in Florence. The autostrada from Tuscany will take you almost to the Florence airport. From the autostrada the route is very well signposted, and the rental car drop off area is remarkably well organised. We checked Google maps so we knew where the last petrol station was on the autostrada to make sure our tank was full before drop off.
There is a taxi rank located just outside where the car drop off area is located so we were on our way to central Florence without needing to go to the main terminal area. The taxi fare from the airport to central Florence is fixed price, which makes it even easier.
The drive from Tuscany to Florence, and then getting to our hotel took us the best part of half the day.
When you are planning a trip to Europe it is important to remember that it can easily take half a day to travel between destinations, by the time you check out, check in, travel, and do the waiting/queuing that invariably occurs whenever you travel. So for us, two nights in Florence translated into a day and a half.
frugal first class travel trip
How we spent two nights in Florence
We are not great museum visitors, so our time in Florence may not be how you would spend your time. We wanted to visit the Uffizi but decided that would be enough museum for us. We also did not particularly want to shop for leathergoods, so shopping did not feature highly on our agenda either.
We had decided to stay in the Oltrarno district (you can find out the details of our hotel in the planning section below) and were thrilled to find a very local market in its final stages in the little square in front of our hotel as we arrived.
After a long drive, rather than hit the big ticket items we decided on a Florence orientation walk and some lunch. Our first stop was the Ponte Vecchio which was heaving with people. Lots of people were taking photos and it was a friendly vibe, but I got the impression this might be one place to be careful of bags and other valuables – it was so crowded with tourists it looked like pick pocket heaven.
We wandered down to the Uffizi to check out where we needed to pick up our tickets the next morning, then headed cross town to Santa Maria Novella.
While I didn’t need to do much shopping I was on the lookout for a gift for friend, so we found the original Santa Maria Novella pharmacy. The queue was crazy long, so we passed…..
After a tasty lunch at the nearby Rick Steves recommended Ristorante Cafaggi, we wandered back to our hotel and installed ourselves loggia bar at our hotel for drinks and a light early dinner. Great atmosphere and excellent people watching – I noted plenty of locals.
Day two was always planned as our main sightseeing day.
First up was the Uffizi Gallery, home to Renaissance art. We had booked our tickets online on the official website. If you aren’t planning on booking a guided tour, the official website is really the only place to book Uffizi Gallery tickets. The website offers a bewildering range of combo tickets including other museums, but we booked a timed entry ticket just for the Uffizi.
As there are only 600 people allowed in the Uffizi at any one time, it is essential to book a ticket well in advance. Popular times do sell out quickly.
frugal first class travel tip
There are multiple entry points for the Uffizi which are all clearly marked. As you enter the Uffizi courtyard from the Arno River side the ticket booth is on the left hand side towards the end of the courtyard. You need to arrive around 15mins ahead of your entry time to collect your tickets. Have your booking confirmation handy on your phone as the queue to enter the ticket booth is strictly controlled based on your entry time – to even be in the queue you will be asked to show your confirmation. You will need to show your ID to collect your tickets.
Despite the queue the ticketing and entry process was remarkably smooth and we were in the museum in no time.
Despite the limit on tickets, it was quite busy, but we still managed to find our way through the crowds to get up close to the art. In addition to paintings the passage ways between the galleries were filled with sculptures.
The sculpture galleries also feature painted ceilings which are worth looking at in their own right.
I was very much looking forward to seeing one of most famous paintings in the Uffizi Gallery – Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. In such a busy art museum I must admit I was also filled with trepidation. Would it be overcrowded in the room so we couldn’t see it properly? Would it be underwhelmingly small? (Yes, I’m looking at you Mona Lisa).
But I’m happy to report my fears were completely unfounded. The Birth of Venus was even more beautiful than I imagined, and while the area around it was quite crowded, it was easy to get close enough to appreciate the beauty – and even take a passable photo.
We also managed to find the quintessential Florence view from one of the upper galleries:
If you would like to take a tour of the Uffizi Gallery I recommend a small group tour – much better help with the crowds. Liv Tours have an excellent 2hr option. You can find out more about it here >>
After the Uffizi we headed north out of courtyard into the busy Piazza della Signora and its famous Fountain of Neptune
Next up was the Duomo. We decided the 400+ steps to climb the tower or the dome were not for us, so we stuck to ground level. We enjoyed the rather austere interior of the Duomo which was surprisingly less crowded than the surrounding streets and marveled at the Baptistry doors and the magnificent marble of both buildings. I don’t feel we missed anything by not doing a climb.
We were hoping our dinner that night would be one of the highlights of our trip to Italy and it did not disappoint. We wanted to try the famous bisteca Fiorentina (Florentine steak) and headed to the rather homely looking Trattoria Sant’Agostino a mere five minutes walk from our hotel.
There is a real ritual to ordering bisteca Fiorentina. The meat is charged by weight, with “smaller” steaks generally weighing a still generous 800g including bone. The waiting staff will discuss the size of steak you want, and will bring it out for you to view before it is cooked. Unless you say otherwise it will be served rare – which I recommend.
The steak was magnificent and was half the price of the French equivalent we had eaten at a famous wood fire restaurant we had visited during our Bordeaux itinerary. It was also much nicer. The Chianti Classico recommended by our waitress was an excellent choice.
With excellent service and delicious food, our dinner at the very local Trattoria Sant’Angostino was one of the best meals we ate in Italy and was a memorable finale to our stay in Florence.
I know my Florence itinerary may not be your best Florence itinerary, but it suited us fine. We enjoyed walking the city and seeing the Uffizi. The Oltrarno was the right location for us – being close to the things we wanted to visit but having a very local feel. We saw beautiful art, spectacular architecture and ate fabulous food. It was certainly whet our appetite to see more of what Florence has to offer. I promise it won’t be another 30 years until I return.
Plan your trip to Florence
We stayed at the boutique Hotel Palazzo Guadagni in the Oltrarno. If you like an authentic, traditional hotel it is an excellent choice.
You can find out more about the Hotel Palazzo Guadagni here >>
If you prefer an apartment my preferred apartment partner in Italy is Plum Guide who personally inspect every property they list. You can find your perfect Florence apartment on Plum Guide here >>
My favorite small group tour operator, Take Walks has a tour of Florence that takes in the Duomo, the statue of David and Uffizi for a one day tour of all the Florence hits. You can find out more about this tour here >>
Both Devour Tours (the food tour arm of Take Walks) and Liv Tours have a range of food tour choices:
Check out LivTours Florence food tours here >>
Find Devour Tours food tours in Florence here >>
We found the Rick Steves Italy guidebook reliable and indispensable for making our trip to Florence a success.
Author’s note: We paid for our own stay and activities in Florence and visited in early October.
Last update on 2026-09-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API