Florence – 2026
I hadn't been to Florence in years. When traveling with my family, we like to spend the first few days in a city before heading to the beach. We stayed for 3 nights in Florence, which felt like the perfect amount of time. It's such a walkable city.
We arrived around midday and headed straight to our apartment. With such a big group, we prefer renting an apartment over a hotel. This one was great. It can be hard to find a 4-bedroom apartment in Florence, and air conditioning is a must in the summer. Our host, Giovanna, was wonderful, and the apartment was in a great location.
Apartment: All Saints Mama Flat
Day 1
We wandered around for a bit, got our bearings, and then had dinner near our apartment.
Day 2
We had tours planned for the day. My mom had arranged for a guide, Eleonora, to take us to the three big attractions and she was fabulous. We had pre purchased all of our tickets, which made everything so easy and we skipped all the lines. Since it was extremely hot, it was also the perfect day to be indoors.
We started at the Uffizi Gallery. Eleonora @ele_catelani gave us a great tour and did a wonderful job keeping the kids engaged. Afterward, we had lunch behind the Duomo, and it ended up being my favorite meal in Florence. From there we toured the Duomo and then saw Michelangelo's David. In the afternoon, we stopped for affogatos at a little café that Eleonora said was much more authentic than the very popular tourist spots.
Badiani - better then Vivolo (always on Instagram) for gelato. It has been there since 1932.
Trattoria Buzzino - excellent local lunch right behind the Uffizi.
Jolly Cafe - very local morning coffee and fresh orange juice spot.
Day 3
We had no real agenda. My Mom, Dad and I went to the San Lorenzo Central Market. It was fun, there's a lot of leather shopping, but I found a great beach hat and bag. The food market inside the building is definitely worth walking through.
Afterward, we met everyone back at the apartment to cool off and have lunch before heading to the Boboli Gardens. We spent the afternoon shopping on that side of the river, where there are lots of cute little shops. There's also a great gelato shop right on the corner by the river that's worth stopping at.
After Boboli, my mom and I did a little more shopping before meeting everyone at Elixir Rooftop for a drink. It's definitely pricey, but the views over Florence are amazing, and it has a really chic atmosphere.
Day 4
Since it was Sunday, my Mom, Dad, and I went to Mass at the Duomo. Then we gathered the troops, headed to the train station, and continued on to Lerici.
