Solo Trip to Florence Italy

Without a doubt, Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in Italy, and it’s a marvelous place for solo travelers. Why? The culture, food, and history make it an enjoyable place to travel for anyone, but it’s also a city that is easy to enjoy when traveling alone. Because the main historical sites are all in the center of town, it’s no problem walking to all the attractions. Plus, there’s a great selection of restaurants, and the Mercato Centrale Firenze is a huge indoor marketplace with fresh foods and lots of casual dining options.

If you’re planning your first trip to Italy, you’ll want to include a few days in Florence on your itinerary. I spent a month in Italy and stayed about a week in Florence. When I visited in late April to early May, the weather was perfect. Fall is also magnificent; while summers are hot and humid, winters are cold and dreary with lots of rain. So, spring and fall are the best times to visit Florence, but you can read more about the best time to visit various regions of Italy.

In this article I’m sharing with you my experience visiting as a first-time solo traveler to Florence. Overall, it was pretty easy, but there are a few things you’ll want to know before going to Florence.

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Is Florence Safe for Solo Travelers?

Yes, I found Florence safe as a solo female traveler. Even at night I felt safe walking by myself, especially in the central historic area where there are other people around late into the evening. But I wouldn’t walk around alone at night in Santa Maria Novella neighborhood, nor would I go venturing down dark alleys. Use common sense, listen to your gut instinct, and download Google Maps offline maps before you travel, so you don’t need cellular service to use maps.

Of course, like any other place where there are lots of tourists, there is the possibility of pickpockets, so keep your handbag close to your body and always be aware of your surroundings. Don’t drink too much alcohol; make sure you are always in control of your actions. Have fun, but don’t be careless.

Since I stayed in the Oltrarno neighborhood I was often walking back from the central historic district across the Arno River, and even late in the evenings I felt safe walking alone to my hotel. Your experience may vary, and your comfort level for walking alone may be different than mine. Keep this in mind when deciding where you want to stay in Florence.

LEARN MORE: 40 Best Italy Travel Tips

But Is Florence a Good Place to Travel Alone?

Yes, I think Florence is one of best cities to travel alone for a few reasons. As a solo female traveler here are ten things that I love about Florence:

1. Easy to get to by train
2. Florence is a very walkable city
3. The food is fabulous
4. Abundance of culture, historic sites, and museums
5. Fantastic markets
6. Excellent restaurants from budget to fine dining
7. Beautiful gardens
8. Plazas where people gather to eat and enjoy an aperitivo
9. Friendly and helpful locals
10. The laid back approach to daily life in Florence

I walked everywhere in Florence; there’s no need for a car or taxi (except when lugging luggage) if you love walking. If you have mobility issues, then taxis are readily available. I took the train from Cinque Terre to Florence, and then I took a taxi to my hotel in the Oltrarno neighborhood; the cost was around 17 euros for the taxi.

When you want to do things with other people, all you need to do is sign up for a group tour like this Uffizi and Galleria dell’Accademia walking tour. Or sign up for a full Tuscany day trip that includes visits to Siena, San Gimignano, and Pisa plus lunch and wine tasting at an organic family-run winery in the Chianti region, all with an informative guide and no hassle with renting a car and driving by yourself.

How Many Days in Florence?

Plan on spending at least 2 or 3 days in Florence, but 4 or 5 would be better. If you plan on doing a few day trips, then spend 7 to 10 days in Florence so you have time to see everything and also relax and enjoy the atmosphere in this magnificent Renaissance city.

You’ll find there is no shortage of things to do, and even if you are traveling on a budget, there are lots of free things to do in Florence. I stayed for 8 nights, but you could see a lot in just 2 or 3 days in Florence.

I wanted to see the main attractions and also just wander the streets checking out the shops and cafes, chatting with locals and other tourists. Also, for a few days I had friends in Florence that I wanted to spend time with.

I don’t like to have a hectic itinerary when I travel; I prefer to have days where I simply walk around and eat my way through the city! You may want to sign up for a cooking class or take a day tour to Pisa or Bologna. Make sure you consider these things along with your budget when deciding how many days to stay in Florence.

Where To Stay in Florence

When you book your accommodations in Florence, you’ll need to decide if you want to stay near the tourist attractions or in a more residential area, still within walking distance to all the famous sites of Florence.

I chose to stay in Oltrarno, across the river from the central historic district, because I wanted someplace away from the main tourist area. I love walking, so I didn’t mind the 20-minute walk to the Piazza del Duomo historic area. In Oltrarno, I was close to Pitti Palace and only 10 minutes’ walk to Piazzale Michelangelo.

Hotel Recommendations in Florence

If you stay in Central Storico you’ll be close to the Duomo and Duomo Museum, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, Giotto’s Bell Tower, Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, and the Uffizi Gallery. So, if you’re only spending one or two days in Florence and don’t want to walk too far to see the main sites, then this is your neighborhood, but expect to pay top dollar for a hotel.

Hotel Spadai is an ideal location, only a two-minute walk to the Duomo, and features an extensive American-style buffet breakfast as well as soundproofing in the rooms. Check availability and rates.

San Lorenzo neighborhood is the market area, near the Basilica di San Lorenzo. The Solo Experience Hotel is less than a 10-minute walk from the train station and overlooks the Basilica de San Lorenzo. With soundproofed rooms and a big breakfast featuring homemade foods, the Solo Experience Hotel provides the perfect place to stay in Florence. All within walking distance to the top attractions and great restaurants. Check room rates and availability.

For a more residential atmosphere, you can choose a hotel in the Oltrarno neighborhood.

I stayed at the Palazzo San Niccolo and would recommend this hotel if you want more of an apartment-style hotel. My room included a kitchen with a fridge, dishwasher, and microwave, along with dishes and utensils, pots and pans. There’s a lovely garden if you want to sit outdoors and a big lounge area for breakfast. I loved this place for comfort, location, and the staff were wonderful. Check rates and availability now

 

Closer to Ponte Vecchio in the Santo Spirito neighborhood, look at Spirit of Florence Boutique Rooms for a mid-priced place to stay in Oltrarno. It’s close to Pitti Palace but also only about 15 minutes’ walk to the Duomo. Check availability

For budget travel to Florence, look at Santa Maria Novella neighborhood. For instance, the Home Boutique Santa Maria Novella is a cozy, mid-priced place to stay near the train station, with elegant spaces and balconies with garden or city views. Look at photos and check rates now

Things to Do Alone in Florence

Some of the top things to do in Florence are:

• Uffizi Galleries
• Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (The Duomo)
• Galleria dell’Accademia (home of the original David statue)
• Palazzo Vecchio
• Piazzale Michelangelo
• Ponte Vecchio (oldest bridge in Florence)
• Pitti Palace
• Boboli Gardens
• Mercato Centrale (huge food market)
• Take a cooking class
• Go on a food tour

You’ll want to book any of the top tourist attractions a couple of weeks (or more) in advance. Otherwise, you may miss out. Certainly, the Duomo (Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore) and Uffizi Galleries, along with Galleria dell’Accademia should be booked in advance.

There is no shortage of lesser visited sights in Florence but still worthy of your time, especially if you are in the vicinity of any of these places.

• Museo Galileo
• Museo Leonard Da Vinci
• Museo del Novecento
• Bargello Museum
• Visit a perfumery such as AquaFlor in Santa Croce or the historic Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella.
• Handmade shoes such as Stefano Bemer (Oltrarno)
• Le Rampe del Poggi (Oltrarno) fountains and beautiful view of Florence
• Giardino dell’Iris (Oltrarno) only open in spring when the irises bloom, late April to late May
• Giardino Bardini (Oltrarno)
• Jewelry museum of goldsmith Alessandro Dari (Oltrarno)

Besides the famous Duomo, these churches are also interesting (and less crowded) to visit:

• Basilica of Santa Croce
• Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
• Chiesa di San Salvatore in Ognissanti
• Basilica di San Miniato al Monte
• Basilica of San Lorenzo
• Basilica di Santo Spirito

Foods to Eat in Florence

A couple of the top local dishes in Florence are Bistecca alla Fiorentina (thick beef steak cooked rare) and lampredotto (fourth stomach of a cow). I’m not a big meat eater, so I did not even think about partaking in the ritual of Bistecca alla Fiorentina, but I noticed many restaurants serving the humongous slabs of meat. Be aware this steak (about 2 lbs of meat) is meant to be shared between two or three people, so it’s not a great choice for a solo diner.

I did try the lampredotto, and although I thought it looked quite delicious, my tastebuds decided otherwise. Perhaps it is an acquired taste. I have eaten tripe before, and it was okay—not my favorite dish, but I did eat it. As for the lampredotto, I only managed to have one bite. Even that was too much for me! Try it though; you may like it.

The main draw for me when it comes to eating in Italy is the pasta. Fresh, homemade, delicious pasta. Now I know why pasta is so popular in Italy and why Italians eat so much of it! Seriously, the pasta is outstanding. When in doubt, I order a pasta dish.

Florence has their version ragu tagliatelle, with wild boar, and I liked it a lot (almost as much as ragu Bolognese). Foods in Italy are highly regional; you can learn this by reading Gabi Ancarola’s article foods of Italy by region.

Visit Mercato Centrale

Also, when you’re hungry but you’re not sure what you want to eat in Florence, you should head over to the Mercato Centrale (in the San Lorenzo district), where there is a huge food court on the second floor. This is where I tried the lampredotto but also other foods, wine by the glass, and cicchetti. Originating in Venice, cicchetti are small bites, similar to Spanish tapas.

At the central market, there are dozens of vendors for you to choose from and enjoy a wide range of foods such as pizza, seafood, roasted chicken, pasta, meat dishes, vegetarian food, sweets, coffee, plus beer and wine.

The food court vendors are upstairs, while downstairs is where the fresh food vendors are located, and you should spend some time wandering here as well. If you like to buy food souvenirs, this is a great place to shop!

Aperitivo hour

In Italy, before dinner there is the aperitivo hour. It’s sort of like happy hour, but don’t expect drink specials and cheap bar food. Aperitivo is a pre-dinner drink, something to awaken the appetite. Typically this would be a Negroni, Campari, Spritz, or even a glass of wine, Prosecco, or light beer.

Aperitivo hour is generally from around 6:30 to 8:30 pm, and then you eat dinner either at the same restaurant or someplace else. There are a few places in Florence that do offer an aperitivo buffet known as an apericena (combination of the Italian words aperitivo and cena). If you are traveling on a budget, you may like to try the apericena at Kitsch 2 in San Marco neighborhood or Moyo in Santa Croce.

For a more traditional aperitivo hour try these places in Florence:

• La Prosciutteria at Via de Neri, 54 (central historic district)
• Fermino – Borgo Santa Croce, 31r (Santa Croce)
• Caffe’ Sant’Ambrogio – Piazza Sant’Ambrogio, 7r (Santa Croce)
• La Boite – Via Palazzuolo, 17r (Santa Maria Novella)
• Le Volpi e l’Uva – Piazza dei Rossi, 1R (Oltrarno)
• Il Santino – Via Santo Spirito, 60/R (Oltrarno)

Alternatively, you can order your aperitivo drink to-go or buy a small bottle of Chianti Classico and then walk to Piazzale Michelangelo to hang out with locals and tourists alike, enjoying the glorious views. On weekends there is often live music, so it’s a fun atmosphere and a great place to mingle. Piazzale Michelangelo is the perfect place to watch the sunset in Florence.

Desserts

Another food you should try in Florence is the gelato. Similar to ice cream, gelato is denser and uses more milk and less cream, giving it a smoother texture. And like ice cream, gelato comes in a variety of flavors. Pistachio is a popular gelato flavor in Italy. I love chocolate gelato, but the fruit flavors are yummy too. And a scoop of coffee flavored gelato paired with a scoop of chocolate is my absolute favorite!

Gelateria De’ Medici is popular, and Venchi Gelato was always busy.

Some of the gelaterias in Florence are open late into the evening hours, so this is a great choice to satisfy your sweet tooth after dinner. Other desserts to try include tiramisu, handmade chocolates, and Zuccotti; also visit the bakeries for delicious pastries. Learn more about the best desserts to eat in Italy.

Snacks

When you want something to eat but not a full meal (or when you want to eat on-the-go) you can find healthy choices at the fruit and veggie markets. For not quite so healthy snacks, the bakeries will have a selection of pastries and muffins to satisfy your hunger.

When you need a quick meal to-go, panini shops are a great place to grab something delicious and affordable. I recommend Retrobottega Cibarie e Mescita at Piazza de Cimatori.

Breakfast in Florence

A typical Italian breakfast is a cornetto (croissant) and espresso. For me, that’s a nice start, but it’s not enough fuel to keep me going all morning. I need a bigger meal to start my day.

At many hotels in Italy they will serve a buffet-style breakfast (usually for around 15 to 18 euros) with salami, cheese, hard boiled eggs, toast, and a variety of baked goods and pastries.

You can also visit the neighborhood markets to buy fresh fruit for breakfast. Paired with plain yogurt and a pastry or two and a coffee makes for an affordable and tasty breakfast. The fresh fruits in Italy are superb; I especially loved the strawberries and oranges, which are bursting with flavor.

If you are craving an American-style breakfast, then go to Melaleuca on Lungarno delle Grazie, close to Ponte alle Grazie. They don’t take reservations, so get there early on weekends or expect to wait in line. I ordered the Big Breakfast: eggs, bacon, sausage, two slices of thick sourdough, half an avocado, spinach, and half a roasted tomato. I couldn’t finish it all, so I brought home leftovers to eat for breakfast the next day.

Melaleuca is absolutely the perfect place to stuff your face before a long day of walking around Florence. They also have very good coffee and a selection of baked goods.

For a Canadian-style brunch (mmm maple syrup!) go to Le Vespe Café on Via Ghibellina in Santa Croce neighborhood. They don’t open until 10 am, so I never made it here to eat, but the menu looks great, and reviews are favorable.

Traveling with Food Allergies

I noticed that a lot of menus in Italy feature allergy information alongside each menu item. Look for the symbols (like wheat, dairy, and nuts) and then find the list of definitions for the allergy symbols.

But importantly, do ASK your server to check with the kitchen staff if you are highly allergic to any foods, such as shellfish or peanuts, because sometimes the menu may not be updated with the latest info or there may be a high risk of cross-contamination in the kitchen prep area.

Better safe than sorry; always let your server know about your allergies.

I’m allergic to peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, and cashews (many of these are common ingredients in Italy), so I let the server know (and I type into Google Translate app “I am allergic to nuts” or speak the phrase in Italian “sono allergico alle noci”) so that they could advise me of items on the menu to avoid and which ones are safe to order.

What About Dining Alone in Florence?

I didn’t experience any problems getting seated at a table for one at restaurants in Italy during my solo trip in the spring. Although sometimes I did get the “only one?!” response when I said I was dining alone. Didn’t bother me; I am comfortable dining alone, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks.

Truthfully, most of the dining tables at the outdoor cafes in Italy are set so close together you are always dining with others LOL! Seriously, the small tables at the trattorias are sometimes only a few inches apart.

One thing that takes some getting used to is the fact that your server will usually not check on you after taking your order and serving the food. It’s okay; they ARE ignoring you. But this is normal in Italy.

Another fun fact about dining in Italy (even while by yourself) is that you will (rarely) feel pressured to leave your table when you have completed your meal.

You may linger for another hour if you like, without ordering anything and without the server asking you if you want anything else, and without asking you if you want your bill.

In fact, you may find it somewhat difficult to receive your bill. When I did find it impossible to get anyone’s attention, I walked to the cashier station within the restaurant, and they prepared my bill and took my payment.

Coperti, Servizio (Service Charge)

Why do they charge a “coperti” (service charge or servizio) in Italy? This charge is often added to your restaurant bill as a fee for services at the table, basically to cover the costs of table coverings, condiments, and anything used at the dining table. It’s usually around two euros, but it can be more in the trendy restaurants.

Note that in Florence (and all around Tuscany), the bread typically does not include salt in the recipe. If you’re thinking, “That doesn’t sound yummy,” you are correct. Apparently, saltless bread is due to an exorbitant tax on salt back in the Middle Ages. The Tuscans decided to make their bread without salt rather than paying the tax, and the habit continues even though salt is now so cheap and readily available.

Do Most People Speak English in Florence?

You will likely encounter a lot of local people in Florence who do speak English, ranging from those who speak a little English to fluent English speakers and everything in between. And there are lots of American students doing study abroad in Florence, as well as a lot of other English-speaking tourists.

At the hotels, you can expect the staff to be fluent in English, as well as at many restaurants. At some of the markets, the vendors may not speak English, but you can make do with pointing at what you want or use the Google Translate app to help you communicate.

Don’t worry, you’ll be fine, even if you don’t speak Italian. I only learned basic phrases like please, thank you, excuse me, hello, goodbye, I don’t speak Italian, do you speak English, etc. Don’t get embarrassed if you make mistakes; just try to speak in Italian a little bit. The only way to improve is to practice. And it’s a beautiful language—the most beautiful, I think.

Also of note is that Italians are generally very helpful and, in my experience, even if they speak no English, they will communicate with their hands and/or use facial expressions to help you understand something.

Plus, you can use Google Translate or another similar app that will allow you to type or speak in English, and it will instantly translate the words into Italian. And of course, it also allows people to speak in Italian into the device, and it will translate their speech into English and display it on your phone.

Translation apps are also useful when trying to decipher a restaurant menu in Italy; you don’t have to guess what sort of food you are ordering and hope for the best, like I used to do!

Read our guide for more tips on navigating language barriers while traveling.

What if You Have a Problem in Florence?

Try to remain calm and think about how to solve your problem. If you need help, it’s important to get some help from someone you can trust, such as the local police, hotel staff, airport staff, or tourist information center. You can also call on friends or family or ask questions in travel forums online if you want to discuss your situation with others who may have good advice for you.

If it’s an emergency situation and you have been injured, robbed, assaulted, etc you should phone the emergency number in Italy 112 or ask someone to call for you.

Make sure to buy travel health insurance so that you are covered for medical emergencies. I used Seven Corners Travel Insurance and bought the one-year plan that covers all trips (up to 30 days each trip) for 365 days from the date of purchase.

Keep a list of emergency contact numbers handy, both on your phone and written down on paper, in case your phone stops working or gets lost or stolen.

• Italy Emergency number: 112
• Your hotel phone number
• Credit card and bank contact phone number for outside your home country
• Contact numbers for friends and family at home.

Make sure you have data, text, and phone service on your cell phone while in Italy. I used Google Fi since I was only traveling for one month to Italy. But the best option for most people is buying a local SIM card so you have data on your phone. If your phone uses an e-SIM, then you can purchase it online before your trip to Italy.

Final Thoughts

Easy to get to and no need for a car or even public transportation, Florence is one of the best cities for solo travel in Italy. With an abundance of museums and interesting historical sites along with spectacular Tuscan cuisine, all in a walkable and pleasant city, even if you are new to traveling solo, you should have no problems in Florence. Visit in spring or fall for the nicest weather and stay for as many days as you can to experience all that this Renaissance city has to offer.

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