Travel + Leisure named Florence Europe's best city 2026 earlier this year, making its easy-to-traverse streets an ideal destination for a weekend away. Visitors can find world-famous art and fantastic pizza just steps from each other. Planning a trip to this Italian destination offers a combination of rich culture, accessible travel options, and distinct local traditions that attract millions of tourists annually.
Recent expansions by easyJet into city break package destinations make visiting the Tuscan capital simpler than ever. Travellers can take two-hour flights, book affordable package holidays, and enjoy weather that remains warmer than the UK. These factors combine to create a compelling option for holidaymakers seeking a short escape filled with history and culinary delights.
Why Florence Is Ideal for a Weekend Trip
Choosing a European destination often involves calculating the time lost to local transport and logistics. Florence removes this hurdle through its remarkably compact layout. The urban centre invites exploration on foot, allowing visitors to move between major cultural landmarks without relying on cars or buses.
Travellers can forget taxis and trains because Florence is insanely walkable, with its top attractions and restaurants all within spitting distance of each other. This layout proves perfect if you love a mooch without having to work out how to use a foreign public transport system. Walking through the narrow historic streets also reveals unexpected architectural details and small artisan shops that pass by unnoticed when using faster transit.
Exploring the Renaissance Art and Cultural Sights
The city is known for its Renaissance art, so most people head straight to the Uffizi Gallery to see Botticelli's most famous painting, The Birth Of Venus. The gallery holds an immense collection of priceless works from the period, drawing long lines of art enthusiasts daily. However, a wealth of other historic sites waits across the river for those willing to venture slightly off the beaten path.
Heading over the river to Palazzo Pitti instead provides a less crowded alternative with an equally impressive pedigree. Owned by the Medici family back in the 1500s, the palace was said to have inspired Versailles in France. Now it is home to five separate museums, with 500 paintings across 28 ornately decorated halls.
The highlight is Italy's largest Museum of Costume and Fashion, featuring pieces from Chanel, Dior and Schiaparelli. Speaking of fashion, make sure you don't leave without a leather souvenir, as Florentine leather is world-famous. There are more market stalls and shops than you can shake a stick at, so you'll be spoilt for choice for bags, belts and even more leather pieces.
Where to Find Authentic Food and Wine
Italian cuisine needs little introduction, but the local Florentine dining scene offers specific regional specialties that define the area. Traditional trattorias serve hearty Tuscan dishes, while modern pizzerias bake crusts that satisfy hungry walkers. Meals pair naturally with regional wines produced in the surrounding hills of Chianti and beyond.
Florence is hardly short of wine bars, but a personal favourite is Oratio, located in a tiny library dedicated to wine books where wines are organised into regions of Italy. Service is friendly, the menu is affordable, and you can pick up a book or two if you want to learn more about what you are drinking. This unique concept blends literary exploration with local viticulture for a quiet evening out.
The city also features Florence's famous wine windows, consisting of 300 portals in the city's stonework which were used to serve wine and food to people during the plague without risking physical contact. Glasses of wine are still passed through the windows today. A popular example operates as part of the restaurant Babae, where customers can even keep the plastic souvenir wine glass.
Where to Stay for a Quiet Historic Experience
Accommodation choices range from modern apartments to historic palazzos converted into high-end lodgings. Finding a balance between central convenience and quiet surroundings helps ensure a restful holiday after long days of walking through museums and galleries. Historic properties often retain original architectural features while providing contemporary comforts.
There is no better stay than at the 4H Palazzo Monnalisa, a city-centre hotel situated on a quiet street. The building dates from the 14th century but recently completed a two-year renovation, so rooms are modern and cosy yet arty and chic, featuring terracotta tiles and textured mural wallpaper showcasing famous Italian skylines.
The rooms surround a private garden courtyard, making it feel worlds away from the busy city. Breakfast is small but enough to line your stomach for the day, served as fresh pastries and fruit, or a hot menu offering dishes such as eggs benedict. The restaurant is located here too, with the bar on the other side to grab a wine to take to the outdoor patio.
The hotel almost feels like a museum in itself, from the painted wooden ceilings to its time-worn stone steps. Guests looking to experience a piece of local history while enjoying modern hospitality find this property meets both needs effectively.
Booking Your EasyJet Holiday to Italy
Arranging a trip requires coordinating flights, accommodation, and travel dates into a single itinerary. Package holiday providers streamline this process by bundling flights and hotel stays together under one booking reference. This approach reduces planning stress and often secures better overall pricing for short international breaks.
Getting and staying there involves specific offers currently available through major carriers. Three nights' room-only at the 4H Palazzo Monnalisa starts from £536pp including flights from Gatwick on February 5. Travellers can visit easyjet.com/en/holidays for more details and use code BLKFRIDAY to get money off bookings made before December 1.
