Florence day tour without museums

I am looking forward to doing a shore excursion to Florence and hopefully Pisa. I am not big into museums however, so wondering what else is worth seeing there? Also, apart from "David" in the Accademia, is there other famous works worth seeing? Which would be best between the Uffizi and Accademia to visit, when I have no real passion or knowledge of art?

While Uffizi and Academia are on many top lists, there is plenty to do in Florence. You can make a day of it without even entering buildings of any kind be they museums or churches. The streets and squares are interesting in an of themselves. A walk to and across Ponte Vecchio is always nice, the outside of the Duomo is impressive. There are the fabulous Boboli gardens across the river as well as Piazzale Michelangelo with fantastic views.

Thanks KirkNC

Totally understand that some people don't want to do the museums. Good thing Florence has much more to offer for a daytripper!

Florence is one of those places where you can fill your day just walking around. Some things to try to add to just walking:

Mercato Centrale - the food market in San Lorenzo. I can literally spend a couple of hours there, walking among the stalls, sampling, taking photos of the displays of food, stopping in at one of the stalls and picking up lunch.

San Lorenzo outdoor market - pick up your cheap trinkets and scarves here. If you don't have a problem buying leather goods "Made in Italy" by Chinese laborers in sweatshops in Italy, go ahead.

Santa Croce Basilica and leather school - If you are into famous people's final resting places, this is a good one. Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo, all there. Behind the church is the leather school. Now, if you have the money, THIS is where you want to pick up that purse!!! It is actually a teaching school for leather craftsmen. There are some small items (coin purses, bookmarks) for sale at good prices as souvenirs.

Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy - has been in existence for centuries. Still makes it's perfumes, lotions, potpourri...

Take a walk on the Oltrarno - walk on the other side of the Arno - less crowded and you get a good look at the other side. Stop off at La Cariaia for some excellent gelato at non-tourist prices.

Walk up to Piazza Michelangelo - good views from up there. A great place for sunset (but you have to be staying in Florence overnight for that one).

Grab a gelato and sit in the beautiful squares.

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We did Florence without stepping foot into a museum and did not see everything that we had hoped to see. A good walking tour will help get you organized but you should not run out of things to see.

I've spent over a month in Florence over several trips and I have yet to set foot in the Uffizi. I'm not opposed to it or avoiding it, the museum just hasn't fit into my schedule as yet. As others have noted, there are many things to see and do in Florence that are not museums, as well as several other small museums well worth visiting.

Tons to see/do in Florence.

Rick Steves offers a free audio tour (download at https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/italy - you can also print his walking tour maps). In your case, I recommend the Renaissance Walk as it does not include museums.

The following is a link to three self-guided itineraries you can follow:

https://www.visitflorence.com/itineraries-in-florence/three-walking-itineraries.html

Its really a matter of priorities and if you intend returning. We are visiting Livorno in May next year and chances of returning are almost zero so we will be taking as many snap shots of both Pisa and Florence as we can in a day. We accept that we are only going to scratch the surface but our visit is what is. We arrive in Livorno on a cruise ship going to Pisa by train getting a photo outside the Leaning tower then onto Florence to see David at Accademia and Botticelli's Birth of Venus at Uffuzi and everything else will be a bonus. We have to be back in Livorno by 6.00pm

Slidergirl, thanks for these tips. I will be on a cruise with my wife and several of my in-laws. All of which I adore, however we will be hitting Florence mid cruise, and it sounds like a place I can take a "breaK" and branch out on my own. I love exploring food markets and restaurants.

Totally understand that some people don't want to do the museums. Good thing Florence has much more to offer for a daytripper!

 

Florence is one of those places where you can fill your day just walking around. Some things to try to add to just walking:

Mercato Centrale - the food market in San Lorenzo. I can literally spend a couple of hours there, walking among the stalls, sampling, taking photos of the displays of food, stopping in at one of the stalls and picking up lunch.

San Lorenzo outdoor market - pick up your cheap trinkets and scarves here. If you don't have a problem buying leather goods "Made in Italy" by Chinese laborers in sweatshops in Italy, go ahead.

Santa Croce Basilica and leather school - If you are into famous people's final resting places, this is a good one. Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo, all there. Behind the church is the leather school. Now, if you have the money, THIS is where you want to pick up that purse!!! It is actually a teaching school for leather craftsmen. There are some small items (coin purses, bookmarks) for sale at good prices as souvenirs.

Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy - has been in existence for centuries. Still makes it's perfumes, lotions, potpourri...

Take a walk on the Oltrarno - walk on the other side of the Arno - less crowded and you get a good look at the other side. Stop off at La Cariaia for some excellent gelato at non-tourist prices.

Walk up to Piazza Michelangelo - good views from up there. A great place for sunset (but you have to be staying in Florence overnight for that one).

Thanks all. I am so confused about which excursion to choose. Our ship gets into La Spezia at 7am and leaves at 7pm. Some of the ship excursions are down as 11 hours. Does anyone know what time we would have to be back at the ship for if leaving at 7pm? I know it is two hours each way to Florence. Will definitely be booking the ships excursion. Is it quick and easy to walk around Florence, like the Ponte Vecchio and Piazza Michelangelo and the squares and markets? I am thinking ideally I don't want the excursion longer than nine hours but would like to briefly see Pisa as well, without climbing the tower. Just want to see the tower really while in that area of Italy. I am presuming if the cruise company advertises excursions that are up to 11 hours long then we would be back to ship in time.

You don't have to worry about return time on a ship excursion. The ship will wait for you.

Florence is small and very easy to walk around.

Thanks all. I am so confused about which excursion to choose. Our ship gets into La Spezia at 7am and leaves at 7pm. Some of the ship excursions are down as 11 hours. Does anyone know what time we would have to be back at the ship for if leaving at 7pm? I know it is two hours each way to Florence. Will definitely be booking the ships excursion. Is it quick and easy to walk around Florence, like the Ponte Vecchio and Piazza Michelangelo and the squares and markets? I am thinking ideally I don't want the excursion longer than nine hours but would like to briefly see Pisa as well, without climbing the tower. Just want to see the tower really while in that area of Italy. I am presuming if the cruise company advertises excursions that are up to 11 hours long then we would be back to ship in time.

Ships excursions are guaranteed to be first off the ship and are guaranteed to return to the ship prior to sailing. This is a couple of reasons why one pays a premium to participate in a ships excursion