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Destinations > Europe > Italy > Florence > Visiting Florence Attractions for Free

How to See Florence for Free

Visit Florence on a budget! Here’s how you can visit the main attractions for FREE.

The first Sunday of the month offers free admission to many of the popular sites. Having experienced a “Free First Sunday” in Paris, we anticipated the lines to be long and the crowds to be large. Many websites also advise to “be sure to make a reservation for Uffizi and Accadamia!” on normal days during peak season, May-November. We didn’t make any reservations!

So, we thought that we would only be able to visit two free attractions, but were expecting to probably only get to see one. Instead, we went to THREE for FREE and could likely have done more!

After seeing how crowded the other places were in Italy - like the Amalfi Coast and Rome - we were expecting Florence, which became more popular after the films Under the Tuscan Sun and Eat, Pray, Love were filmed here, to be just as crowded and busy. We didn’t realize how friendly it would be to walk around in Florence - and how much less crowded it would actually feel.

A Little Bit of Culture Shock

Additionally, as with any country, we encourage everyone to try and learn the country’s customs and culture before you go as it is not only respectful, but it can add a profound amount of understanding to the things that you see and experience while you’re in Italy.

• By knowing and respecting proper etiquette in Italy, you will also find your experience to be safer than the experience of other travelers. We are confident that you’ll look back at this short customs and culture guide as one of the main contributors to your amazing trip to Italy!

• Just being prepared with this book may save your sanity on your trip - we knew some people who hated their experience in Italy simply because of the unexpected culture shock that they experienced!

Setting Up Your Priority List

• Put on your walking shoes (Click here to see our favorite walking shoes!).

  Florence does have a bus system, but the city is small enough to walk around. Plus you might even run into the Duomo without even trying!

• Prioritize your “must-see” list.

  Don’t judge us, but we were pretty worn out with museums and historical areas after visiting Pompeii, Herculaneum, Naples, and Rome. So our top pick for Florence was the Boboli Gardens for the picturesque landscapes and greenery.

What we saw for free in Florence

• Prepare for the sun if you choose the gardens.

  If you’re visiting in summer, you’ll definitely want to have sunscreen, a bottle of water, and a hat (this hat has SPF). There are some trees and tall maze-like hedges that provide some shade, but if you want to explore the whole area you’ll have to cross some large open areas. If you’re just exploring the city and the museums there is more shade provided by the buildings. You can always cross the street or walk in a parallel alley to stay in the shade.

• Visiting Boboli Gardens (and museum).

  The line to enter ran down the side of the building and down towards the street. Go pick up your free tickets first! There’s a ticket office to the right of the entrance all the way at the end. If you just stand in the line to enter without a ticket, they will make you go get a ticket and then you have to stand in line again. Just go get the ticket first. The ticket office will hand you tickets for both the gardens and the adjacent Palazzo Pitti.

• Visiting the Statue of David at the Accademia Gallery.

  Next on our list was the Accademia Gallery where Michelangelo’s Statue of David is housed. There’s only one line to be in there. They hand you your free ticket when you enter. The sign said they were only allowing up to 500 mL of water in your bags so if you packed a larger water bottle make sure it only has 500mL or less by the time you enter. The statue was amazing to see in person, but there’s more to look at than just David. The room to the left of David was filled with fascinating sculptures you won’t want to miss. The second floor–or rather the first floor in Italy terms– was also educational and had some beautiful pieces.

• Visiting Uffizi Gallery.

  When we arrived at Uffizi it almost looked closed! There was no line extending out of the building so we were able to just walk right in. You’re handed a ticket when you enter, and you’ll need to hold onto it until you get to the top floor. No photos are allowed on the middle floor so just take a look around and enjoy. At the top floor you’ll show your free ticket to gain entry. The gallery was MUCH larger than we realized at first. You may want to do your research before going and decide what you want to see. Otherwise you can just wander the rooms and enjoy the artwork as you go.

Fitting in Everything

We actually visited a service at St Mark’s English Church before starting our Free Sunday tour around Florence and were still able to visit these 3 locations. I think it helped to go later in the day to Accademia and Uffizi as the lines were not very long at all. Uffizi is so large that unless you want to spend all day there you should definitely set a time limit if it’s first on your list. We’d recommend going later in the day when the crowd dies down. Even though you’ll have less time in the day before they close, you’ll probably be able to see more of the art as there will be less people in the gallery.

Do you plan to visit Florence on the first Sunday of the month? Let us know if you plan to take advantage of the free admissions!

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