Day Trips To Florence On A Budget

Florence is usually on everyone’s Italian adventure list and rightfully so. A day trip to Florence on a budget can have so many sights so see. The city has a quaint and small Tuscan feel while also having the hustle and bustle of a major city. It’s a little smaller and all of the main attractions or main points to hit on your checklist are within walking distance of each other. Don’t miss a thing on my day trip to Florence guide on a budget.

 

I would recommend taking a train to Florence because it was extremely easy! The train station is in the middle of the city, and in walking distance, to anything you might want to check out. Depending on where you are traveling from the ticket price will vary. I was coming from Rome and it cost about 60 euros round trip, which was high compared to the other cities I ventured to.

Download the area to your Maps app on your phone so that you don’t have to carry one around with you.  Once you exit the train station you will see the dome of Cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore sticking out above the buildings. Most know this as the Duomo which is the picture above. Head in that direction and you can find several activities to do.

The San Lorenzo Market

Also known as the leather market. There are several rows of booths back to back selling all types of leather items. However, someone I met who was living there at the time told me that about 70% of the leather is fake. So with that in mind, of course, you could always get some nice looking and low-cost souvenirs. If you’re wanting to spend a little and find the real deal, then you can tell that it’s real by the touch and smell. If it feels really smooth and plastic like it’s fake if it’s a little rough or coarse and more flexible than it’s most likely real.

Right next to the San Lorenzo Market is the Mercato Central. They have several floors of nothing but food. Downstairs are the meat, cheese, wine, fish, pasta, eggs, truffle counters, etc. Upstairs there are vendors and restaurants to dine at. Italian, American, healthy, junk food, bars, gelato, etc. Whatever you could possibly want to eat they have. I would recommend eating here for lunch and then wandering around the city to your other sightseeing destinations.

 

The Cathedral and Piazza Duomo

Just a short walk from here and there is no admission to get into the church itself. Here in the Piazza, you will be able to see the exquisite detail of the cathedral and Baptistry.

For me the outside of the cathedral was the best part because as you look inside the only decorated or elaborate feature is the painted dome. The artwork depicts hell starting at the bottom of the ring and as you go up there are biblical stories and people of the bible all the way up to the top of the dome representing heaven. The gold doors in the picture above are on the Baptistry, which is one of the oldest religious sites in Florence.

Museums To Explore In Florence

If you have a limited amount of time on your day trip to Florence or just, in general, you will need to reserve a ticket. You can buy tickets to several museums in Florence.  If you don’t have a ticket reservation you will most likely have to skip them because the line for the tickets will be extremely long let alone the line to get in which can waste time that would’ve been spent inside.

Best Gelato and Restaurants

ZaZa is a great restaurant with amazing food, vino, and for a good price. However, if you are afraid of dolls you might not want to eat here because for some reason they line the walls with them.

The best gelato in Florence is at Venchi! They have 2 locations and the Nutella or Nocciola Gelato was AMAZING!!!!! I tried gelato all over Italy and this shop is up there in my top 2!

 

I hope this helps and you enjoy your stay in Florence! You can find more savings on my Travel Discounts tab to travel on a budget. follow my blog via email if you want more travel tips/hacks, destination ideas, and more! Ciao!