During some periods of the year, Florence can prove a nightmare due to large groups of tourists coming to visit from all over the World. If you have time at your disposal, try to plan very well your trip or holiday to Florence. Best seasons for visiting Florence are at the end of Autumn, beginning of Spring or even during the Winter time; this way you’ll avoid the crowded periods. The climate is generally good and at the end of Autumn is quite pleasant to be out in Florence. The most crowded period of the year in Florence and also very hot, starts in June and lasts until August. Also prices are at the top in the Summer time at Florence.

Try to book a hotel room months in advance since all the year long, hotels are generally almost full of tourists. During winter time, starting from November till March (except the winter holidays period), you should be asking for discounted tariffs since it’s usually and off-season period and you can make important savings regarding your accommodation in Florence.

If it happens to arrive in Florence without having a staying arranged, head to the Consorzio ITA Tourist Information Centre located at Santa Maria Novella Central Station; this centre is open from 8:20 AM till 21:00 and you will get impartial accommodation advice.

Documents

If you are a Citizen of the European Union, you should have with you just your National ID; for tourists visiting Florence from outside EU, passport is compulsory.

Language

Generally, Italy is used with foreign tourists but in the big cities you’ll realize common Italians do not speak very well English. If you’ll be using public transportation, going to bars or restaurants or areas of Florence least visited by tourists then there is required for you to know few essential Italian expressions.

Addresses

The address system of Florence is somehow uncommon and it can confuse you. The City Numbers of Commercial Addresses are always followed by an “r” character from "rosso" (red color in Italian); while the residential address number is marked separately. So you might be surprised to see that number 24 /r can be right next to the number 24 of the same street or a roundabout farther.

Currency and Money

As most of the other Member States of the European Union and the Euro Zone, the main currency of Italy is Euro. You will find ATM’s in every airport, train station or bank, where you can use your card to cash Euro. Therefore you don't need to carry large amounts of money with you while traveling. Generally most types of Credit Cards are accepted in hotels, shops and restaurants but they might not be accepted in small shops or restaurants at the outskirts of the Florence.

Generally banks are open during the week from 8:30 AM until 16:00, except a lunch brake usually around 13:00.

Florence, like Rome, Venice and Milan, is one of the most expensive cities of Italy. The average price of a double hotel room with en-suite bathroom ranges between 90 and 140 Euro.

You can save money by having lunch or dinner in a trattoria or osteria, cheaper places to go out and eat then a restaurant, but serving great quality food, where you most likely can taste the traditional Tuscany dishes, so famous for their refined taste.

There are bars and bistros where you can eat Italian sandwiches: a tramezzino (small sandwich) will cost you around 2 Euro, a larger one around 3-4 euro, an expresso will be around 70-80 euro cents, sodas and refreshing drinks generally cost around 2 euro, while a beer will cost you between 3 and 4 euro. Attention: if you sit at a terrace in the down-town Florence you can pay two or three the regular price of a simple coffee. There are many bars who offer “tavola calda” (warm meal) services, where you can spend just 10 or 12 euro for a simple menu. If you are on a hurry and have no time to sit at a table, you can always grab a “pizza al taglio” (piece of pizza), spending not more then 5 euro.

A museum ticket will cost you around 8 euro and for a short taxi trip you’ll be paying around 8-10 euro.

Tourist Attractions

Florence’s main tourist attractions are concentrated in the city centre and you should be wearing comfortable casual clothes and shoes for a walk in the city – there’s definitely a lot to see and explore in Florence.

Commercial Centers and Institutions Opening hours

Generally shops are open from 09:00 – 12:00 and 16:00 to 20:00. Most of the supermarkets are open without any interruptions or brakes from 08:00 till 20:00. restaurants are usually closed every Monday morning.

The Gas Stations have the same opening hours as most of the shops, while the ones from the motorways (highways) are open 24/7 (non-stop).

Churches and Basilicas open between 08:00 – 12:00 and 16:00 till 18:00 or 20:00.

Most of the museums in Florence open from 09:00 until 19:00 but winter schedule could be shorter. Generally, the museums close on Sundays afternoon and on Mondays.

Post offices open at 08:00 or 09:00 in the morning until 14:00 during the week, while on Saturday and Sunday they close at 12:00. The Main Port Office in big cities remain open until 19:00. Florence Central Post Office is located at Via Pelliceria, 3, near Piazza della Reppublica, and at Via Pietrapiana, 53.

Internet and Public Phones

In case you need Internet connection, you will find Internet Caffes in every area or piazza of Florence. The tariffs are around 2 euro for an hour. In case you can’t find an Internet Caffe, people working for the Tourist Information Center will most likely help you in finding one. You can also visit beforehand the website cybercaffe.it. For using the Public Telephones in Florence you will have to buy a 5, 10 or 20 euro card, from every newspaper shop, tobacco shop or some bars.

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