Five Days in Florence: City Walks and Siena

Florence rewards five full days: Michelangelo’s David, the cathedral’s sculpture, Botticelli at the Uffizi and the frescoes of Siena each get their own place in the week. Keep the first four days in Florence and take the train to Siena on the fifth. The order matters if you use the Uffizi’s five-day pass, and the cathedral interior has a narrower visiting window than its museum.

Before the five days

Museum days

Tuesday–Sunday for Accademia, Uffizi, Pitti and Bargello

Base

Historic centre between the Duomo and Piazza della Signoria; station-side edge for Siena

Reserve first

Uffizi pass entry, then Brancacci timed entry; Accademia slot if wanted

Start the Uffizi five-day PassePartout at the Uffizi, not Pitti or Boboli. It admits you once to each of those three venues over five consecutive days from your Uffizi visit, and the period extends to a sixth day if it includes a Monday, 25 December or 1 January. Keep the Uffizi and Pitti days close together. Accademia and Bargello also close on Mondays. Put the cathedral interior on Monday–Saturday, outside worship closures.

1. Choose the Uffizi entry date and time first if buying PassePartout, then set the Pitti and Boboli day within its validity.
2. Reserve a timed Brancacci Chapel visit for day two, and consider an Accademia time on day one to avoid a long wait.
3. Choose a cathedral-complex pass for the monuments you actually want: Ghiberti covers the Baptistery, Opera del Duomo Museum and Santa Reparata crypt; Giotto adds the bell tower; Brunelleschi adds the dome. The cathedral interior itself is free.

Compare the Uffizi-group pass with separate tickets if you will visit all three venues. The version including the Vasari Corridor costs €58. The standard pass saves money over on-the-day single admissions to Uffizi, Pitti and Boboli, priced respectively at €25, €16 and €10. An advance Uffizi single ticket is €29. The pass begins at your timed Uffizi entry, so do not plan Pitti first.

Day 1: Accademia and the cathedral

Begin at the Accademia at 09:00, then follow Fra Angelico through San Marco, Renaissance arcades and the cathedral’s original sculpture before an evening around Santa Maria Novella. Use a Tuesday–Saturday that is not the fifth Sunday of the month: San Marco closes on Mondays and fifth Sundays, while the cathedral interior closes to visitors on Sundays.

At the Accademia, Michelangelo’s David stands beneath the Tribune skylight, and the unfinished Prisoners on the approach make the contrast particularly clear. Reserve a timed slot if you want to avoid a long wait. Walk-up entry is possible, and a reservation adds €4. Last admission is 18:10.

San Marco Museum holds Fra Angelico’s Annunciation in the dormitory corridor and scenes including Noli me tangere in the former monks’ cells. See it in the morning: its last admission is 12:45, and adult admission is €11. Piazza della Santissima Annunziata is framed by the Ospedale degli Innocenti’s Renaissance portico. The optional San Lorenzo visit centres on Brunelleschi’s Old Sacristy and Donatello’s reliefs. Lunch at Mercato Centrale brings you back towards the cathedral.

Florence Cathedral’s free interior is the midday commitment. Enter before the visitor window ends at 15:45. Worship can interrupt access. This stop is not a dome climb, which needs its own pass and slot.

At the Opera del Duomo Museum, find Ghiberti’s original Baptistery doors, Donatello’s Penitent Magdalene and Michelangelo’s Pietà. The museum closes on the first Tuesday of each month, so shift this visit to another day if your first day falls then. Afterwards, Orsanmichele’s exterior niches include Donatello’s St George. At the Loggia dei Lanzi, look for Cellini’s Perseus. Rest before dinner near Santa Maria Novella. A market-counter lunch typically costs €12–20 and a seated dinner about €25–45 per person, depending on the menu and drinks.

Day 2: Uffizi and the old centre

From last night’s Santa Maria Novella area, start at the Uffizi at 09:00 for Botticelli, then visit Palazzo Vecchio’s great hall and Masaccio’s Brancacci frescoes before an Oltrarno evening in San Frediano. Avoid Monday for the Uffizi and Tuesday for the Brancacci Chapel. On Thursday, Palazzo Vecchio closes earlier, so keep its morning position.

At the Uffizi, give Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera room, then find Leonardo’s Annunciation. Choose a timed entry for the first visit on the five-day pass. Regular admission costs €25 when bought on the day, and walk-up entry is possible though queues may be long. Last admission is 17:30.

The Loggia dei Lanzi is an optional outdoor pause for Cellini’s Perseus and Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabine Women. Inside Palazzo Vecchio, the Salone dei Cinquecento and Medici apartments show how civic government and court life occupied the same palace. On Thursday, enter the museum by 13:00. On other days its last admission is 18:00. After lunch by Piazza Santa Croce, Ponte Vecchio’s shops line the river crossing, and just beyond it, Santa Felicita’s Capponi Chapel holds Pontormo’s Deposition, if accessible.

The Brancacci Chapel is worth the timed detour for Masaccio’s Tribute Money and Expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Reserve a slot before the 16:15 last entry. Time inside is limited to 30 minutes, with the rest of the stop for entry formalities. Admission starts at €10. Afterwards rest at your accommodation, then spend the evening in Piazza Santo Spirito and have dinner in San Frediano. A seated lunch near Santa Croce typically costs €18–30 per person, with a simpler meal costing less.

Day 3: Pitti, Boboli and the hilltop view

From San Frediano, begin across the Oltrarno at Pitti for Raphael, then take in Boboli’s avenues and Via Maggio’s stone palazzi before an uphill view over Florence and dinner in San Niccolò. Choose a dry day for the gardens: Boboli’s gravel and steps are harder in rain or heat. Pitti closes on Mondays, and Santo Spirito church closes on Wednesdays, so omit that optional stop then. The route has more climbing than the first two days.

Pitti Palace’s Palatine Gallery hangs Raphael’s Madonna della Seggiola among paintings by Titian and Rubens. Last admission to the palace is 17:30. The palace and Boboli have separate single tickets, or a same-day combined ticket at €22 (€25 in advance) which also admits you to Bardini. The €40 five-day Uffizi-group pass covers Uffizi, Pitti and Boboli but not Bardini: on-the-day single tickets for the three total €51, so it saves €11 if you visit all three. Visit the Uffizi first when using that pass.

Boboli Gardens’ amphitheatre, long avenues and Buontalenti grotto make this a landscape visit rather than a quick shortcut through a park. Keep Boboli in the morning in winter: from November through February it closes at 16:30 with last entry at 15:30. In March and October on standard time it closes at 17:30 (last entry 16:30). In the daylight-saving months other than June–August it closes at 18:30 (last entry 17:30), and in June–August at 19:10 (last entry 18:10). Steep gravel and stairways become slippery when wet. On hot days, take water and shorten the exposed walk. Florence summer heat advice helps when you need to replace the afternoon climb with indoor time.

Via Maggio’s decorated portals and palazzi lead towards lunch at Santo Spirito. The church’s wooden crucifix attributed to the young Michelangelo makes a short optional visit worthwhile if services allow. The church opens Monday–Saturday 10:00–13:00 and 15:00–18:00, except Wednesdays when it closes, so the 14:05 stop is for its exterior rather than the crucifix. On Sundays and religious holidays, visitor hours are 11:30–13:30 and 15:00–18:00. Bardini Garden adds a baroque staircase, wisteria pergola and terraced views. Its last entry is 18:30. The separate Boboli–Bardini day ticket costs €15 at the ticket office, while the Pitti–Boboli combined ticket includes Bardini.

After a rest, climb paved streets and steps to Piazzale Michelangelo. Late-afternoon light best reveals the cathedral and the Arno, but the 19:00 stop is an evening view in summer and dark in winter: see the panorama in daylight on another Florence day in winter. Continue down to dinner in San Niccolò. Lunch near Santo Spirito typically costs €18–30 per person, while a seated dinner below the hill is commonly €25–45, depending on the menu.

Day 4: Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce

From last night’s San Niccolò, cross back to Santa Maria Novella for Masaccio’s Trinity, then follow Donatello and Giotto through the Bargello and Santa Croce. The evening returns to Piazza della Signoria by the river. Do this route on a Tuesday–Thursday if you can. The Bargello closes on Mondays. On Fridays Santa Maria Novella opens later, and on Sundays it opens in the afternoon, so move the church after lunch rather than arriving at its doors at 09:00. The optional synagogue closes on Saturdays and Jewish holidays.

Santa Maria Novella brings Masaccio’s Trinity into a church also filled with Ghirlandaio’s Tornabuoni Chapel frescoes. Leave time for the cloisters. Its standard ticket admits you to the complex rather than just the nave. Last entry is an hour before closing. On Friday or Sunday, rearrange this church stop around its later visitor opening.

At the Bargello, Donatello’s bronze David offers a striking counterpoint to the marble statue on day one. Look too for Michelangelo’s Bacchus. The former civic building’s courtyard makes a pause between sculpture rooms. Last admission is 18:10. Lunch at Sant’Ambrogio’s market area typically costs €12–22 at a counter or €18–30 seated.

Santa Croce combines Giotto’s Bardi and Peruzzi chapel frescoes with memorials to Michelangelo and Galileo and Brunelleschi’s Pazzi Chapel. On Sundays and religious holidays it opens to visitors at 14:00, so this route’s 13:20 arrival is too early. Use a different weekday or spend that interval in the square before entry. Last admission is 17:00.

The optional Florence Synagogue and Jewish Museum pairs its green copper dome and richly decorated interior with objects tracing the Jewish community’s history. From October to May, it opens Sunday–Thursday 10:00–17:30 and Friday 10:00–15:00; from June to September, Monday–Thursday 10:00–18:30 and Friday 10:00–17:00. Last tickets are sold 45 minutes before closing. Skip this stop on October–May Fridays: the projected arrival is after last ticket sales. It closes on Saturdays and Jewish holidays. Le Murate’s former prison courtyard now hosts cultural activities. After a rest, pause on Lungarno delle Grazie and eat near Piazza della Signoria, where dinner typically costs €25–45 per person, depending on the menu.

Day 5: Siena by train

From yesterday’s Piazza della Signoria area, head to Florence Santa Maria Novella station for an 08:00 start: Siena’s Piazza del Campo, Lorenzetti’s civic frescoes and the cathedral’s marble floor lead to dinner back in San Lorenzo. Siena’s station is below the old centre, so use the connection towards Piazza Gramsci. Regional trains via Empoli may run through or require a change; reach the Florence station early and allow for waits at both stations.

From Piazza Gramsci, walk into Piazza del Campo. Its curved brick expanse fronts the Palazzo Pubblico. For the return, leave time for the local connection and train boarding. The Siena Civic Museum opens 10:00–19:00 from March to October (last admission 18:15), and 10:00–18:00 from November to February (last admission 17:15). It closes on Christmas Day, while New Year’s Day starts at 12:00 and would require a different start.

Inside Siena Civic Museum in the Palazzo Pubblico, Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Allegory and Effects of Good and Bad Government fills the Sala dei Nove, while Simone Martini’s Maestà is in the Sala del Mappamondo. Give the paintings their time before going uphill to the cathedral.

Siena Cathedral’s inlaid marble floor and Nicola Pisano’s pulpit reward the next stop. For visits from 18 August to 30 October 2026, opening is 10:00–19:00 and last admission is 18:30, but religious celebrations can change access. The ordinary cathedral ticket costs €10 during the floor-uncovering period from 18 August to 15 November 2026. Book ahead for the limited-capacity Gate of Heaven tour.

Lunch near Piazza del Mercato typically costs €18–30 seated, depending on the menu. After the return train, rest before spending time in Piazza di Santa Maria Novella and eating around San Lorenzo at the local dinner hour. A seated dinner is typically €25–45 per person. If the train connection is slow, shorten the Florence square pause rather than your Siena museum visits.

If your five days shrink

With four full days, cut Siena. With three, also cut the separate Santa Maria Novella–Bargello–Santa Croce day. Keep the Accademia’s David, the cathedral and museum, and the Uffizi’s Botticellis as the Florence essentials. For a shorter visit, shorter Florence itineraries give their own daily order rather than squeezing these five days together.

If arrival is late or departure early, remove optional San Lorenzo, Santa Felicita or Bardini before disturbing a timed Uffizi or Brancacci visit. In rain, spend longer with Pitti’s indoor collections instead of Boboli and Bardini. In heat, shorten the exposed garden and hilltop stretches. In winter, keep Boboli early and take the Piazzale Michelangelo view before dark.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: opening hours, services, fares and charges, closures, and key figures. Route times and distances were calculated from geolocated stops.

• Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze e Musei del Bargello (GAMB) — opening hours
• Organizza la tua visita
• Opening hours
• Brunelleschi Dome | Opera Duomo, Florence | Official Site
• Musei del Bargello — opening hours
• Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze — service
• Comune di Firenze – Musei Civici Fiorentini — opening hours
• Comune di Firenze — Musei Civici Fiorentini — fares and charges
• How to purchase museum tickets | Uffizi Galleries
• Chiesa di Santa Felicita | FeelFlorence
• Parrocchia di San Frediano in Cestello — opening hours
• Uffizi Galleries — opening hours
• Tickets | Uffizi Galleries
• Augustinian Community of Florence — opening hours
• Gallerie degli Uffizi — fares and charges
• Fondazione Parchi Monumentali Bardini e Peyron — opening hours
• Combined ticket for Boboli Gardens and Bardini Gardens
• Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine | FeelFlorence
• Cappella Brancacci in Santa Maria del Carmine
• Opera per Santa Maria Novella — opening hours
• Santa Maria Novella — Official Box Office of the Florentine Civic Museums
• Istituto Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze e Musei del Bargello (GAMB) — opening hours
• Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze e Musei del Bargello — fares and charges
• Opera di Santa Croce — opening hours
• Opera di Santa Croce — fares and charges
• Jewish Community of Florence — opening hours
• Jewish Florence — closures
• Fondazione MUS.E; Caffè Letterario Le Murate — opening hours
• Direzione Cultura e Turismo del Comune di Siena — fares and charges
• Trenitalia — service
• Comune di Siena — opening hours
• Opera della Metropolitana di Siena — key figures
• Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore — fares and charges
• Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze — closures
• Combined ticket for the Uffizi, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens
• Tickets | Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore