Florence has been stopped in its tracks more times than most cities care to admit — by floods, by wars, by the sheer weight of its own history. Yet it keeps going. The historic centre is largely car-free, the Duomo still dominates every rooftop view, and the audio guide Florence scene has never been more accessible. Whether you fly into Amerigo Vespucci airport (the tram T2 drops you at Santa Maria Novella station in around twenty minutes) or arrive via Pisa and a fifty-minute train ride, the city rewards those who take the time to look properly.
What to see in Florence
Orsanmichele Church
Few buildings in Florence have reinvented themselves quite so dramatically. This Florence landmark started life as a 14th-century grain market before becoming a church, and its exterior niches still hold sculptures by Donatello and Ghiberti — essentially an open-air gallery you can walk straight past without realising what you're looking at.
Museo di San Marco
A former Dominican convent where Fra Angelico painted a fresco inside every single monastic cell. The cumulative effect is quietly extraordinary. The museum also traces the turbulent story of Savonarola, who lived here — making it one of the more intellectually layered stops on any Florence sightseeing itinerary.
Hospital of the Innocents
Europe's first purpose-built orphanage, opened in 1445 and designed by Brunelleschi — the same architect behind the cathedral dome. The della Robbia medallions on the arcade are among the most reproduced images in Renaissance art. It now functions as a museum, and the loggia alone is worth the detour.
Palazzo Davanzati
A 14th-century townhouse preserved almost intact, showing how a prosperous Florentine family actually lived during the Renaissance. Room by room, it builds a remarkably specific picture of domestic life — furniture, painted walls, original fittings. The kind of place that makes the big museums feel slightly abstract by comparison.
Badia Fiorentina
Florence's oldest church, a Benedictine abbey founded in 978, tucked just off the main tourist circuit near the Bargello. Its bell tower has been part of the city skyline for over a thousand years. Inside, it's calm, relatively unvisited, and genuinely medieval in atmosphere — a proper contrast to the busier churches nearby.
Forte di Belvedere
A 16th-century defensive fortress perched above the Boboli Gardens, offering some of the most sweeping panoramic views of the city. It hosts contemporary art exhibitions throughout the year, which means the reason to visit shifts depending on when you go. The views, however, are consistent.
Church of Santa Margherita de' Cerchi
A tiny 11th-century church in the medieval quarter, said to be where Dante first encountered Beatrice. Visitors still leave love letters and notes at her tomb — a tradition that feels oddly moving given the setting. Small, unhurried, and entirely free to enter.
Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
Founded by Dominican friars in 1221 and still trading from its original premises, this is one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe. The interiors alone — vaulted ceilings, frescoed walls — justify a visit even if you've no intention of buying anything. Though most people do leave with something.
Audio guide Florence with Guipock
There's a particular kind of frustration that comes with standing in front of something extraordinary and not quite knowing what you're looking at. Florence, more than almost anywhere, rewards context. That's where the Guipock audio guide app earns its keep.
The audio is produced using high-quality generated audio across a wide range of languages and regional accents — British English, American English, Australian English, French, German, Spanish, and more. So whether you're travelling with a group whose first languages vary, or simply prefer to hear commentary in your own accent, the app accommodates that without any fuss.
Navigation works via a GPS-guided map that tracks your position as you walk. When you're approaching a point of interest, Guipock sends you a notification so you know to open the guide. You initiate playback yourself — the app doesn't interrupt you mid-thought. It's a subtle distinction, but it makes the whole experience feel considerably less intrusive than being talked at.
Before you leave your accommodation, download everything in advance. The offline download feature means the full audio content for Florence is stored on your device, so you're not burning through mobile data in the middle of Piazza della Signoria or scrambling for a signal in a narrow medieval alley.
Travelling as a family? The family sharing code allows each person to access the full tour from their own phone under a single purchase. And for younger visitors, there's a children's mode — the same route, but with shorter commentary, adapted language, and an approach that actually holds a child's attention rather than losing it after the first two sentences.
The app covers both the headline attractions and the less-visited spots — the kind of places that don't have queues but have just as much to say. For Florence tourism done at your own pace, it's a practical and genuinely useful companion.
