Revised 5/5/20.
If you’ve read my How to Spend 2 Weeks in Italy then you’re here to read how to spend four days in Florence on a budget, yes? Great! Here I will break down my my perfect 4-day Florence itinerary for any traveler, budget or not. I have done this suggested travel myself as a solo, budget, female traveler so, yes, these four fabulous days in Florence can be done!
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To help with your Italy travel planning, remember to check out my great travel information on Italy along with my suggested travel resources.
Don’t forget to also peruse my Guide to Budget European Accommodations for additional accommodation-planning information.
Let me state here that when I say “budget”, I mean your daily travel expenses should total €100 or less. Yes, it is very possible to visit Florence on less than €100. Or more! It’s up to you and your budget. The following travel guide can work for anyone, budget or not. The key factor that can push you out of the “budget” range is the accommodations you choose, not the attractions. Nice, huh?
Ok, now let’s get you to Florence on a budget!
From most Italy locations, it is more than likely you will arrive at the Florence Santa Maria Novena train station. From there you can take other trains or regional or local buses outside of Florence, if you wish. No rental car is really needed. The Florence historical center can really be done on foot, and if you’re staying within my recommended area (see map below), you can also walk to/from the Florence train station.
Explore the transportation options to and from Verona now to get the best deals and plan your trip to Florence!
Florence is larger than Siena but smaller than Rome. For optimum ease of walking and seeing the sights, it is recommended to stay within the historic district and walking distance to the train station. I recommend staying within the circle on the map:
For budget purposes, my hotel recommendation/value for the money with breakfast and taxes included at €54/night is Hotel Casci or Sunflower Guest House. Both are in great locations – walking distance to the train station – with pleasing breakfasts and staff, and include all of the lovely amenities you could need.
If you want cheaper accommodations, there are other hotels and hostels to choose from starting at around €25/night, depending on what amenities and location you want. Hostelworld has some great, Florence listings.
Conversely, if you want to pay more, take a look at Florence accommodations. I would still recommend staying in the suggested area noted above.
Many accommodations may not let you check in until 3-4pm, but if available, have them store your luggage until your room is ready so you can get out and enjoy Florence!
Explore the recommended stays or other apartment and home rentals, or hotel and hostel options, now to get the best deals on your upcoming trip to Florence!
The capital of the Tuscan region, Florence can be seen in two days or twenty. If you have never been to Florence, the following are attractions that would a shame to miss. You can easily do 3-4 Florence highlights in a day without being too tired, but I suggest you pace it out to enjoy the leisure time in Florence. Some attractions are free!
The reason why I suggested the following “musts” is that they are not-to-be-missed, amazing attractions, and, of course, they are also big tourist draws sure to draw long lines, especially April to October and on the weekends.
That said, the first thing you should do upon arriving to the Santa Maria Novena train station, before you check in to your hotel, is walk across the street from the train station (there are big red flags out front so you can’t miss it) and purchase a Firenze Card, which costs €72 and is good for three days starting at the first point of entry. Trust me, it is completely worth the money – not just because you get into the best attractions and you’ll have a great walking map, but that you pass all those people standing in line!
Even if the card is slightly more than all of the attractions you want to see, I feel it’s worth the extra expense for simply saving time from standing in lines. Seriously, if you see a long line in front of any of the attractions, go right up to the front door and show them your Firenze Card. They will let you right in! The time you save from lines is priceless. If you don’t get a Firenze Card, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Even though you have your Firenze card, you will still need to make a reservation to go to the top of the Duomo Dome and enter the Duomo Cathedral. These are the only attractions where the Firenze Card does not let you skip the line.
The first Duomo Dome tour of the day is 8:30am, which I highly suggest you get. When you’re done, you can then go down and enter the Cathedral.
If you do not book in advance online, you can go to the Duomo ticket office off the side of the piazza. If you wait to purchase and reserve at the ticket office, I recommended this being your next stop after getting your Firenze Card, or checking into your hotel. You’re only in in Florence for 4 days, and Duomo reservations could already be booked through those days so making your reservation is something you’re going to want to do early.
Explore the recommended attractions now to plan your upcoming trip to Florence!
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If it helps in planning what you would like to see, here is a list of annual events held in Florence and annual events held in the Tuscany region.
When in Florence, why not take a cooking class? That’s what I thought, so I did! Here is the class I took and had a wonderful time and met some great people. I recommend this Tuscan Cooking Class and Dinner activity when in Florence.
If you’re into wine tasting, like I am, and have a free day in Florence after using up your Firenze Card, why not take a half-day or full-day wine tasting trip and enjoy the Tuscan countryside?
The Tuscan region is famous for its wine so many fabulous wine tours abound for you to experience. Check out Tuscany in a Bottle if you need more inspiration.
If you’re on a budget and cannot afford a group wine tasting trip, how about trying a Do-It-Yourself wine tasting trip without a car, much like you did Montalcino?
Grassina, Rignano sull’Arno, and Greve are only a 36-minute, 49-minute and 60-minute bus ride from Florence, respectively. Doing one stop is easily doable, but why not try two? And you don’t have to worry about driving. All the better.
Explore the recommended activities now to plan your upcoming trip to Florence!
Why not brush up on your Italian before your trip to Verona?
My suggested Florence hotels can be booked for €216 for 4 nights (a fabulous breakfast and taxes included). If you get a better deal or choose a more budget-friendly accommodation, then your average daily costs with all meals could be less than €100!
With the that in mind, and having the Firenze Card (€72), here is my suggested 4-day Florence itinerary so you can see how budget-friendly Florence can be without sacrificing comfort or skimping on the major sites.
Note: prices below do not reflect lunch or dinner meals, and attractions prices may have changed slightly since time of writing.
Alternatively, if you wish to spend your last day outside of Florence:
I would love to hear if this was helpful to you. Post me your thoughts or questions in the Comments section below!
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Gwen is the Founder of CORR Travel and a global traveler and photographer with over 25 years of solo travel experience. She is also the Founder of the www.CORRConcepts.com sustainability blog. Travel is her passion and environmental sustainability and biodiversity protection is her "religion".
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