What to do in Florence and Venice (Italy, of course)

In My Humble Opinion
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In July, my wife and I will have two days in Florence and two days in Venice before setting off on a cruise to Greece with stops at several locations in the Balkans. I’ll ask about those places later, but since they’re included in our cruise, we don’t have to make any arrangements for them now.

But the Florence/Venice part of the trip is on our own, so we’re now looking at things to do, and therefore places to stay that would be convenient for those things. We have tentatively booked a hotel in Florence that is convenient for the big attractions – Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti, Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and the train station we’ll use to get to Venice.

We’re eying some places to stay in Venice, but haven’t pulled the trigger on that yet. But we intend to do so very soon, to make sure we have our choice of the best possible places. (We’re getting refundable hotel bookings, in case something better turns up.)

Having heard about the heat waves across Europe this past summer, we are only considering hotels with air conditioning.

We are far from rich, but we have designated this trip as a splurge, so we are not pinching pennies. Our provisional hotel in Florence is €300 per night, which is much more than we’d normally spend for an ordinary hotel stay.

We know we’ll be there at the height of tourist season; it was unavoidable. My wife has found services and individuals that will take you on private tours that supposedly can jump the lines at major attractions. It sounds good, but is it worth it?

So what advice do you have for visiting those two cities for two days each: places to stay, things to see, where to eat, how to get around, how to avoid the crowds?

Thanks.

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People will say St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, a gondola ride on the canals, Cafe Florian for pastries, etc. so let me give you one they may not suggest. I was just there and I suggest you get a reservation for Bistrot de Venise. It is a Michelin restaurant but not much more expensive than any other place you would go. You and the Mrs. will have a the dining experience of a lifetime.

If you had a third day I would suggest a tour in the Alps. We got to with 9 miles (5.5 Km) of Austria and the views were breathtaking. They looked almost fake, like they were so perfect, the colors so vibrant, that it was a painting for a movie set. Lunch was a little pasta/Austrian fusion place so I got the spaghetti (best ever) with a good Austrian beer to wash it down.

There is a hotel in Venice that scammed us. Refused to confirm the price after we booked then charged us double. For the money, we could have stay right at the square. If you want, DM me and I let you know which one it is so you don’t get scammed. It sounds similar to the cruise we took out of Trieste except the only Greek island was Corfu.

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There doesn’t seem to be any avoiding crowds in Venice, except possibly to wander away from attractions and walk through neighborhoods where Venetians actually live. There are occasional items of interest in those neighborhoods, just not the big ones. We went in April, the weather was gorgeous, but even then the crowds were pretty bad. Maybe plan to do most of your recreational walking in the mornings or late afternoons, when the tourists off the boats have left for the day.

For transportation aside from gondolas, you have the boat equivalent of buses (I forget what they call them, larger boats that go on the big canals and have regular stops) and the smaller motor boats called vaporetto (singular). The vaporetti are very expensive but they can go anywhere and you won’t get lost. If you are planning to take one of the bigger boats when you arrive at the rail station, be sure you have information from your hotel about which stop to get off at, and a map how to get from there to the hotel. I did not find the “bus conductor” very helpful.

I can’t give you a hotel name, ours was quite nice but I don’t remember the name. Many good hotels will have a small dock on a canal, but the main entrance will be on the opposite side, in some tiny square. Which is why you will need a map or instructions.

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In Florence: Baptistry of St. John with it’s golden doors, Palazzo Vecchio. Do not miss the Bernini sculptures at Uffizi. All available gelato stands.

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Florence is pretty much 100% about art and/or churches.

From what I hear the Uffizi lines are pretty awful during the summer, so it is probably well worth figuring out if there’s a way to get tickets ahead of time, or otherwise find out when the lines are the shortest. I went in December (12 years ago this coming Friday), so I didn’t have that issue.

This is good advice for just about anything touristy in just about any city though; you’ll spend more time in line if you just show up, versus if you plan it out and get passes ahead of time.

Personally I thought one of the coolest things in all of Italy that I saw was the Baptistery in front of the Duomo. It’s got mosaics from the 1100s inside that are superb. It’s also got the “Gates of Paradise” doors by Ghiberti which are also spectacular. Inside the Duomo, the sleeper hit is the museum under the Duomo- it’s the archaeology of the previous churches on the site - Santa Reparata, IIRC was the name of those earlier churches. The Duomo museum nearby is pretty cool- I highly recommend it as well. The Duomo itself is kind of lackluster compared to those things around it.

There’s a gelato place called GROM that’s pretty amazing that’s a few blocks riverward from the Duomo as well.

You’ll see the Ponte Vecchio as you cross the Arno to the Pitti Palace, which is also pretty cool. I though the Accademia was kind of overdone- David is cool, but that’s pretty much all that’s there. The Bargello OTOH, is fantastic.

There is one non-church/art thing in Florence worth checking out- the Santa Maria Novella pharmacy, which is an old-school pharmacy/perfume shop. Pricey, but neat.

If you have time for a day trip, Siena isn’t far, and is pretty neat as well.

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We took 5 teenagers to Venice, Florence & Rome the summer before Covid. Doing tours of the museums definitely lets you skip the line, but there are other ways to skip the lines as well - some places do timed reservations, and I believe buying the city-wide museum pass lets you skip the lines as well. Having said that, we found the tours ranged from adequate to excellent. And you stay in the museum when the tour completes so you can go back and see whatever you like.
We had a private tour for the Uffizi and it was the high point of the entire trip - she asked our interests ahead of time, and was really invested in being interesting while educating us about the history and significance of what she was showing us.
One hidden gem in Florence was the Bargello National Museum. It’s a short walk from the Palazzo Vecchio, wasn’t expensive, wasn’t crowded (literally the only place that wasn’t), and has some amazing sculptures by the greats that you can walk right up to. It kept weird hours though, so find out ahead of time when they’re open.
If you’ve played Assassin’s Creed 2, going to the top of the Duomo is a must. Otherwise it’s optional - it’s a long, arduous, cramped, hot climb up and down.

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If you decide to visit the Florence that’s in Kentucky, don’t miss the city’s biggest attraction.

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I recommend the English Cemetery, Florence - Wikipedia , though two days in Florence just won’t be enough time. Add this to your list if you want:

  1. a walk and a break from Renaissance art
  2. in a not-so-touristy area
  3. some 19th-century history / connections to literature
  4. to support a local charity (they do a lot of good work with the local Roma population, and are very pro-book.)

For Venice, you want to step off the tourist walk from the train station to St Marks. Two or three blocks in any direction away from that. We stayed in the Dorsoduro last time, by the Accademia, and really enjoyed that.

I guess it really depends a lot on whether this is the first Italy trip or not. If it’s your first, my advice is limit yourself to one to two hours per museum: you won’t be able to take in or even see everything, so don’t exhaust yourself trying. Tell yourself you’ll come back!

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Beyond what has been recommended in Florence, I’d add the Museo Galileo, a wonderful science museum with focus on Galileo.

Another thing to do if you’re reasonably fit is to climb one of the towers for a panoramic view of the city and surrounding region.

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Fun fact: that used to say Florence Mall until some sort of conflict arose about advertising on a piece of public-owned infrastructure.

Other Florence: I liked the neighborhood south of the Arno more or less across the Ponte Vecchio. Lots of smaller shops and restaurants with more of a neighborhood feel than some of the more obviously tourist focused areas.

And I’ll look to see if I can find the link when I get home, but I went on a food tour of Florence with a couple of chefs. That was a huge amount of fun as the guys were real characters straight out of any number of kitchens I worked in. Plus the way they navigated one of the big markets in a way I never could was totally enlightening. They pulled together a small multi-course meal based on the best single item to get from a number of stalls.

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Venice: if possible, take the trip to Murano, it’s quite nice.
How do you feel about modern art? The Peggy Guggenheim Museum is very good.

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The chef-led tour I mentioned is this one…

Highly recommended.

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While in Venice, I very much enjoyed the boat ride out to Murano. We went to a glass blowing place and watched the people make all kinds of things from glass.

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Florence: don’t stay near the station. The general rule for for ANY European city break is ‘don’t stay near the station’ as that tends to be the seediest part of town. There’s plenty of taxis to take you there when you need to go.

Stay as close as you can to Piazza della Signoria/Santa Croce area.

Pre-book tickets to the Uffizi, it will save about two hours of queuing. I would skip the Pitti Palace - it’s so vast, you’ll struggle to see anything else in one day. I would instead try and see a few things in one day such as the Monastery of San Marco (nowadays a museum), Santa Croce (my favourite church, burial place of Dante and Michelangelo), the Accademia (get there for opening time - seeing David is worth it), the Baptistry in front of the Duomo. There’s also an incredible new(ish) Opera Del Duomo museum behind the Duomo which we loved. Skip going inside the Duomo - always massive queues and the interior is pretty stark. It’s the outside which is jaw dropping.

For Venice, do not stay in San Marco, it’s mobbed. Instead, stay in Dorsoduro - much quieter and more atmospheric. If you can afford it, book a water taxi to or from the airport - super memorable, very James Bondy. Do have a gondola trip - I had turned my nose up at the idea the first few trips I made there, but eventually took one when I attending a wedding. It’s much more fun than I expected and it matters not a jot that it’s super touristy - everything in Venice is super touristy.

Don’t miss going inside San Marco Cathedral, it’s very Byzantine and like nothing you’ll see anywhere else in Western Europe. Doge’s Palace also a must. Otherwise, Venice is for wandering along canals and eating cicchetti. Just soak it all in.

Research restaurants well as there are crappy tourist traps you don’t find in other Italian cities.

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Venice and Florence… My two favourite cities in Italy in one package. Lucky you.

Yes, I just wanted to say that. And confirm the importance of booking visits in advance. Also, getting lost in Venice’s little winding passageways and alleys is a must-do.

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My mind boggled when I saw San Gimignano in person.

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Thanks to all for the suggestions. We have spent most of the weekend researching and planning our time in Florence and Venice, and you have all been a big help.

We’ve booked both our hotels, and sketched out the tours and activities we hope to do, including some alternates in case of rain. The Galileo and Leonardo museums recommended here may be in the latter category.

@Saint_Cad: thanks for the suggestion of Bistrot de Venise. It looks very impressive. They don’t take reservations this far out, but I’ve put a reminder in my calendar to make one in April.

However, when I saw their prices, I was a little surprised by your comment that it is “not much more expensive than any other place you would go.” Obviously, paying well over €100 per person is not surprising in a Michelin-rated restaurant, but I thought that ordinary restaurants would be a lot less than that. What should we expect to pay for lunches and dinners at good but not extravagant places?

Since we’ve been watching Blown Away on Netflix, I am definitely interested in going to Murano. How much time should we allow to get there, see some good stuff, and get back to Venice? Paid tour, or on our own?

Thanks. We’re on the other side of the river from the station, but it’s convenient. Thanks for your other suggestions, too.

On the topic of ground transport, I have a few questions. Taking the train from Florence to Venice: there are two rail operators, the state-run Frecciarossa and the private Italo high-speed service. I can’t see the schedules or fares for July on either yet, but it seems that Italo is about 15 minutes faster and a little cheaper. Business class on Italo includes access to their private lounge in the station, but since we’ll be coming from our hotel, I don’t think that’s worth doubling the price of the ticket.

Any compelling reasons to choose one over the other?

For transportation within either city, are Uber or Lyft (our preference) available? How are the cabs? Do most drivers speak English? Are there apps for hailing cabs or other ride-share services?

For environmental reasons, cruise ships are no longer allowed in the lagoon, so we have to board in Chioggia, which is about a 90-minute drive from Venice. Any suggestions how we should make that transfer? (The cruise line won’t do it. We asked.)

This may be the subject for another thread, since I imagine many posters here already speak Italian, but any suggestions for trying to learn a little Italian in the seven months before the trip? Pimsleur, Babbel, Mondly?

Finally, although we’re close to having the whole Italian leg of the trip planned out, please keep the suggestions coming, since virtually everything we’ve booked can be canceled or rescheduled if you convince us there’s something even better. I’ll probably start new threads to ask about the Balkan and Greek parts of the trip in the next few weeks.

Thanks again!

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Oh, for St. Mark’s Basilica, get the after hours tour. It covers the whole church including the catacombs.

To make you jealous, the Venice Symphony was scheduled to play a concert in the plaza the night we took our tour. As we stepped out of the Basilica at the end of our tour (I mean literally walking out the door) overwhelmed by the experience, the symphony started playing. The song? O Fortuna. How many forces in the universe have to align for that to happen?

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We found Venice to be extreme in pricing after all, Venice is the largest tourist destination in the world. The restaurants we went to were excellent but very pricy. Florian is complete price gouging. They even charge you for the music being played but you are paying to eat at Florian and enjoy your coffee in St. Mark’s Plaza. And I told you we were scammed on our hotel room. But the tours are very reasonable and the souvenir kiosks have great deals. And if you are flying into Marco Polo Airport, consider the water taxi into Venice.

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Apparently, there is a train to take that takes you right to the port. Don’t I know since we went to Venice then the cruise? Well funny story (funny meaning not funny at all). We were assured by the cruise line a few times that the ship would be at the Port of Venice when I checked to make sure we were going to the right place. They even sent a map showing where the Port of Venice is - NW corner of Venice. We get there about 2.5 hours before the ship is due to leave to find out nope, the cruise ships are in the Port of Trieste about 90 minutes away via a 400 euro taxi cab ride.