A perfect three-day tour of Florence

Allow about 8 hours: 45 minutes around the Duomo, 30 in Piazza della Signoria, 3 hours in the Uffizi and 90 minutes at Santa Croce, plus 35 minutes for walking, an hour for lunch and 40 minutes of arrival margin. The direct links between these stops total about 1.4 km; walking inside museums and travel from your accommodation are additional.

Start outside the cathedral. Walk around the dome, bell tower and Baptistery rather than treating the whole Duomo complex as one short visit. Continue towards Piazza della Signoria for the palace façade and the sculptures of the Loggia dei Lanzi.

Make the Uffizi the main visit, with time to follow the collection rather than rush from painting to painting. Fit lunch after the gallery and walk east to Santa Croce for the basilica, tombs and cloisters. Admission to the museum complex, not just a look across the square, is included in this budget.

For a slower day, finish after the Uffizi and lunch, and leave Santa Croce for another day. A dome climb or the Duomo museum needs its own time and, where required, a booked slot; replace another visit rather than squeeze it in. The Uffizi normally closes on Monday. Exact admission slots, church access and dated exceptions still determine the order.

Allow about 8¼ hours: 2 hours in the Palatina, 2 in La Specola, 45 minutes around Santo Spirito and 45 at Piazzale Michelangelo, plus 65 minutes for walking, an hour for lunch and 40 minutes of margin. Direct links total about 2.6 km, ending on the hill; the descent, hotel journey and indoor walking are extra.

Start at Palazzo Pitti with the Palatina collection, rather than trying to cover every museum in the palace. The picture-filled rooms are the focus; access to particular royal rooms can vary. Continue to La Specola for its ordinary natural-history collections. Anatomical waxes and other guided-only areas are separate visits, not included automatically.

Lunch and a slower stop in Piazza Santo Spirito break up the museum visits. Walk towards Piazzale Michelangelo in the late afternoon for the city view. Allow more time than the direct walking estimate for the ascent, rests and crossing roads; this is not a verified step-free route.

Prefer art and gardens? Replace La Specola with a separately arranged Boboli visit of about 2 hours rather than add a third long visit. For a gentler day, omit the hill and remain in Oltrarno. Pitti normally closes on Monday; La Specola and special rooms have their own access conditions.

Allow about 7¾ hours: 90 minutes at the Accademia, 75 at Palazzo Medici Riccardi, 45 around the market and 90 at Santa Maria Novella, plus 35 minutes of walking, 90 minutes for lunch and a café pause, and 40 minutes of margin. Direct links total about 1.2 km, excluding your accommodation and museum interiors.

Begin with the Accademia and Michelangelo’s David, allowing time for the other galleries rather than only the sculpture. Continue to Palazzo Medici Riccardi for the courtyard and Magi Chapel; the small chapel has a limited visit, so the palace allocation is not all time inside that room.

Walk through the San Lorenzo area towards the Mercato Centrale. Leave room for browsing and lunch, without assuming that every stall shares the same opening hours or dietary options. This is the day’s unhurried middle, not another museum appointment.

Finish with the church and cloisters of Santa Maria Novella, looking at the architecture as well as the art. For less indoor time, keep just one of the morning museums and use the extra time around San Lorenzo. The Accademia normally closes on Monday and Palazzo Medici Riccardi on Wednesday; these days can be reordered around your stay.