Lead-in price per person, based on two sharing. Tap any month and we’ll confirm live availability and the best price for your dates.
From prices are per person, based on two people sharing. What you pay depends on your travel dates, how many nights you want, your departure airport and anything you add — tell us what you need and a UK specialist will confirm your price. ATOL 10713 protected.
A holiday to Florence costs from £169 per person, based on two people sharing. That covers 3 nights and return flights from London. January 2027 is the cheapest departure currently on sale. Secure it with £99pp and pay the balance nearer the time. Every holiday we sell is ATOL 10713 protected.
Three nights at the Grand Hotel Adriatico or similar 4★ with return flights from London and daily breakfast listed in the package. ATOL protection under licence 10713 applies and a £99 per person deposit holds it. Regional UK airports are available at a supplement confirmed at enquiry. Gallery entry, the city tourist tax, transfers and travel insurance are not included, and your meal arrangement is confirmed in writing before you pay. It suits anyone coming for the art, which is most people. What you pay depends on your travel dates, how many nights you want and which UK airport you fly from.
Yes, and here is the honest reasoning rather than the usual answer.
Florence is small. You can walk from the station to the Ponte Vecchio in twenty minutes, and the historic centre is comfortably crossable on foot. That compactness means three nights is not a compromise — it is enough to see the city properly, with two full days for the galleries and a third for everything else.
| Length | Full days | What that realistically covers |
|---|---|---|
| Two nights | One | The Uffizi or the Accademia, not both, and the Duomo |
| Three nights | Two | Both major galleries, the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, Oltrarno |
| Four nights | Three | Adds a day trip — Siena, Pisa or a Chianti vineyard |
Three is the right length for the city itself. Four only earns its place if you intend to leave Florence for a day, which is a reasonable thing to want in Tuscany.
The Uffizi is one of the great galleries of the world and it is genuinely overwhelming. Two hours on the Botticelli and early Renaissance rooms beats four hours trying to see everything. Book a timed slot before you travel — queueing for it in person costs a morning.
The Accademia holds Michelangelo’s David, and almost nothing else most visitors come for. It is a short visit and worth booking for a specific time rather than treating as a drop-in.
The Duomo complex — the cathedral, Brunelleschi’s dome, Giotto’s campanile and the baptistery — is sold as a combined ticket. Climbing the dome is the better of the two climbs for the view of the city; the campanile gives you the better view of the dome itself.
Oltrarno, across the river, is where Florence stops performing. Artisan workshops, the Palazzo Pitti, the Boboli Gardens and the trattorias locals actually use. On a three-night stay it is the half day that makes the trip feel like more than a gallery tour.
January is the cheapest month, and the spread on the holiday is the widest of any European city break we sell — the same three nights cost July.
That is not a small difference on a trip of this price, and January in Florence is a genuinely good proposition: cold, quiet, and the Uffizi without the summer queues. Tuscany in July is hot, crowded and the galleries are unpleasant by mid-morning.
| Month | Notes |
|---|---|
| January | Cheapest; cold, quiet, empty galleries |
| November | Crisp, and still quiet |
| February | Lengthening days |
| October | Autumn light, pleasant temperatures |
| September | Warm, and the crowds thinning |
| May | Arguably the best weather of the year |
| December | Festive, and busier than November |
| June, August | Hot and crowded |
| July | Dearest, hottest, busiest |
For warmth without the peak, October and September are the two months where weather and price are both reasonable.
All quoted at enquiry against your dates.
Florence eats earlier than Rome and much earlier than Madrid — dinner from about half past seven is normal rather than early, which suits a short trip.
The thing to avoid is the run of restaurants immediately around the Duomo and along the main tourist axis to the Ponte Vecchio. They are not bad exactly; they are simply priced for people who will never return and cooked accordingly.
Cross the river. Oltrarno and the streets around Santo Spirito are where Florentines eat, and it is a ten-minute walk from the centre rather than an expedition. Look for a short menu and a room with more Italian than English being spoken.
Lunch is the value meal. Many places that are expensive in the evening serve the same kitchen at lunch for considerably less, and on a gallery-heavy day a proper sit-down lunch works better than a proper sit-down dinner anyway.
Tuscan food is plainer than people expect — bread, beans, olive oil, grilled meat. The wine is the other reason to be there, and a house red in a decent trattoria is usually a Chianti worth drinking.
Flights are from London with regional UK airports at a supplement confirmed at enquiry. Florence has its own small airport; many routings use Pisa, which is around an hour away by train and often the cheaper option.
Once you are there you will not need transport. The historic centre is compact, largely pedestrianised and entirely walkable — which is one of the main arguments for Florence over Rome on a short trip. Rome is ninety minutes away by high-speed train if you want a day out, and Venice about two hours.
Checked against GOV.UK foreign travel advice on 17 September 2026.
Italy is in the Schengen area, so British passport holders need no visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years of your arrival date and be valid at least three months after you leave. The 10-year rule is the one that catches people out — a passport renewed early before October 2018 can carry months that no longer count.
The EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System is rolling out, replacing passport stamps with fingerprints and a photograph on your first crossing. It is free, the record lasts three years, and the practical effect is extra time at the border the first time. ETIAS is not currently required.
Italy charges a city tourist tax, payable at the hotel rather than in the package price. It is a small nightly amount per person and it is not optional.
Restaurants often add a coperto, a small per-person cover charge. It is normal and not a scam, and it means tipping beyond rounding up is not expected.
Book the Uffizi and Accademia before you travel. Both use timed entry, both sell out in the busier months, and queueing on the day costs you hours you do not have on a three-night trip.
This trip is covered by our ATOL licence 10713 and we hold IATA accreditation 91285611. It is held with a deposit of £99 per person, with the balance due before travel.
Prices are per person, based on two people sharing. January and November are the two cheapest months by a wide margin and also the two most pleasant for gallery-going, which is an unusually happy combination.
From £169 per person for three nights, reduced from £220, including return flights from London and a 4★ hotel. January is the cheapest month and July the dearest — the widest spread of any European city break we sell. Your figure is confirmed at enquiry.
Yes, and comfortably. Florence is small — you can walk from the station to the Ponte Vecchio in twenty minutes — so three nights gives you two full days for the galleries and a third for everything else. A fourth night only earns its place if you intend a Tuscan day trip.
January, per person, and it is genuinely one of the better times to go. Cold and quiet, with the Uffizi free of the summer queues. November is the other bargain month. July is the most expensive, hottest and most crowded all at once.
The Grand Hotel Adriatico or similar 4★. Alternative properties closer to the Duomo or across the river in Oltrarno can be quoted against your dates, as can larger rooms and upgraded categories. Florence is compact enough that most central hotels are walkable to everything.
Your meal arrangement is confirmed in writing before you pay, so there is no ambiguity about what is covered. Ask when you enquire and we will tell you precisely what is covered.
Yes. Both the Uffizi and the Accademia use timed entry and both sell out in the busier months. Queueing on the day can cost you a morning, which on a three-night trip is a quarter of your time there. Neither is included in the package and we can arrange both.
The Duomo complex — cathedral, Brunelleschi's dome, Giotto's campanile and the baptistery — sold as a combined ticket. The Ponte Vecchio. And Oltrarno across the river, where the artisan workshops, the Palazzo Pitti and the trattorias locals actually use are. That last one is the half day people remember.
The dome for the view of the city, the campanile for the view of the dome itself. Both are stair climbs with no lift, and the dome in particular is a narrow, enclosed ascent. If you are only doing one and want the famous photograph, take the campanile.
Siena, Pisa and the Chianti vineyards are all within reach, and Rome is ninety minutes away by high-speed train with Venice about two hours. On three nights we would suggest keeping the time for Florence itself; a fourth night is what buys you a day out, and we price that on request.
No. Italy is in the Schengen area and British passport holders can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without one. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years of your arrival date and be valid at least three months after you leave. Checked against GOV.UK on 17 September 2026.
Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years of the date you arrive in the Schengen area, not simply be in date. Passports renewed early before October 2018 sometimes carry extra months that no longer count towards this, which is why people are turned away at the gate.
A biometric record — fingerprints and a photograph — replacing passport stamping when you first cross an external Schengen border. It is free and the record lasts three years, so later trips are faster. The practical effect is extra time at the border on your first crossing under it.
Yes. Italy charges a city tourist tax, payable at the hotel rather than included in the package price. It is a small nightly amount per person and it is not optional. Your hotel will collect it at check-in or check-out, usually in cash.
A small per-person cover charge that most Italian restaurants add. It is normal and it is not a scam — it is also why tipping beyond rounding up is not expected in Italy. It should be stated on the menu, and it is charged whether or not you order bread.
Florence has its own small airport, but many routings use Pisa, which is around an hour from the city by train and often the cheaper option. We confirm the specific routing for your dates at enquiry, since it varies by month and by airline.
No. The historic centre is compact, largely pedestrianised and entirely walkable, which is one of the main arguments for Florence over Rome on a short trip. You will walk a great deal, and the streets are cobbled, so comfortable shoes matter more than anything else you pack.
It is one of the best. Small enough not to be daunting, walkable, and with the two or three things everyone comes to Italy for concentrated in a square mile. Rome has more but demands more; Florence gives you a first Italian city you can actually finish.
Yes. We run a Rome and Florence twin-city break, and a six-night Venice, Florence and Rome itinerary with all the train connections included. Florence sits on the high-speed line between the two, which is what makes those trips work so well.
Ninety-nine pounds per person, with the balance due before travel. The trip is ATOL 10713 protected and we hold IATA accreditation 91285611. Prices are per person, based on two people sharing.
By Italian city standards, yes. It is not a nightlife destination and it winds down earlier than Rome or Milan. For most visitors that is part of the appeal after a day of galleries, but if you want late bars and clubs, Milan is the better city for it.
It works for children old enough to walk and to tolerate a gallery. The city is compact and safe, and the dome climb appeals to older children. For younger ones, cobbles, queues and Renaissance art is a difficult combination, and three nights may feel long.
January and November are both the cheapest months and, for gallery-going, the most pleasant — an unusually happy combination, and one reason those dates go early. Summer sells on volume rather than value. Gallery tickets are the other thing to sort well before you travel.
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Venice
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