Category · 25 guides

Travel Planning

Planning a Florence trip before you leave – how long to stay, what to book ahead, what a day actually costs, and which season suits the trip you have in mind.

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The Arno curves past Florence's riverfront buildings beneath Santa Croce, the cathedral dome and distant hills in clear daylight.

Editor’s pick

Florence in September: Harvest, Warm Days, Fewer Queues

The best-balanced month in Florence, if you get the timing right. Five degrees off August, the city open again after the ferie, the vendemmia half an hour away, and a crowd that only really leaves after the 15th.

16 min read

The Mercato Centrale in Florence in winter with the covered leather and clothing stalls of the San Lorenzo street market outside

Florence in August: Ferragosto, Closures & the Truth The month Florentines leave, and the myths about it in both directions. What actually shuts, why the museums stay open on Ferragosto, the free pasta and two tonnes of watermelon on the 10th, and why the last week beats the first. 17 min · 11 Oct 2026

Crowds in Piazza del Duomo in Florence in summer with the Baptistery, cathedral facade and bell tower behind

Florence in July: Heat, Estate Fiorentina & Early Starts The hottest, driest and sunniest month Florence has, and the one with the best free programme in it. The day plan that makes July work, where the open-air cinema is, when the sales start, and how to get out of the heat. 18 min · 10 Oct 2026

Calcio Storico players in blue and red Renaissance breeches grappling on the sand of Piazza Santa Croce, one with a bloodied forehead, an official in costume at the side

Florence in June: Calcio Storico, San Giovanni & Heat The best events month of the Florentine year and the second-hardest to walk around in. Calcio Storico, the 24 June fireworks and where to actually watch them, the free open-air cinema, and how to shape a day around the heat. 17 min · 9 Oct 2026

The view from the Rose Garden in Florence over olive terraces and the old city wall towards the hills, with cypresses and a bright cloudy blue sky

Florence in May: The Best Month, and How to Survive It The best weather of the Florentine year and the second-busiest month in it. The Rose Garden, the Iris Garden's last three weeks, Cantine Aperte, and the three habits that turn a crowded May into a great one. 19 min · 8 Oct 2026

The terrace at Villa Bardini with an ornate ironwork canopy, potted lemon trees, a gilded horse sculpture and the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio tower visible across the city below

Florence in April: Easter, Gardens & the First Crowds The wisteria at Bardini, the Iris Garden opening on the 25th, the Maggio Musicale starting in spite of its name, and the month Florence's booking windows double. How to plan around Easter and the spring holidays. 19 min · 7 Oct 2026

Piazza della Santissima Annunziata under a grey sky, the arcade of the Ospedale degli Innocenti with its blue della Robbia roundels, a bronze sea-monster fountain in the foreground and one person walking across an otherwise empty square

Florence in March: Shoulder Season Starts Here The best-value month of the Florentine year: the biggest sunshine jump of the calendar, museums still bookable a fortnight out, and winter hotel rates right up until Easter moves in. 20 min · 6 Oct 2026

Florence rooftops stretch along the Arno beneath Brunelleschi's dome, Giotto's bell tower and the hills under a cloudy sky.

Florence in February: Carnival, Low Season & What’s Open The last month at the winter price floor, with no public holidays, no queues, and one enormous carnival ninety minutes west. Weather, Viareggio dates, prices and what to eat before Lent. 13 min · 28 Sep 2026

Via de' Tornabuoni in Florence at blue hour, wet paving reflecting shop lights, only a handful of people in the street

Florence in January: Sales, Empty Museums & Real Prices The cheapest, quietest month of the Florentine year, with one expensive week hiding in the middle of it. The saldi, Pitti Uomo, empty museums and honest advice about the cold. 14 min · 27 Sep 2026

Ponte Santa Trinita and the Arno on a grey, overcast day in Florence

Florence in December: Lights, Markets & Cold Mornings Two different trips in one month. Weather, nine hours of daylight, the closure days that cost you a third of a short trip, what to pack, and everything to do that is not a Christmas market. 14 min · 26 Sep 2026

Florence seen through rain from the Villa Bardini terrace, the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio tower half lost in grey murk above wet rooftops

Florence in November: The Cheapest Month Worth Booking The wettest month of the year and the best value in it. Empty museums, low hotel rates, new olive oil, truffles, and the honest case for and against coming when it is dark by five. 14 min · 25 Sep 2026

Golden trees and the Oceanus fountain reflect in the pond surrounding the Isolotto in Florence’s Boboli Gardens.

Florence in October: Autumn Colour, Rain & Truffles Warm days, gold light, the second-wettest month of the year and the best food of it. What October actually does, when the colour turns, and why the last ten days beat the first three weeks. 13 min · 24 Sep 2026

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