48 Hours in Florence

In June 2018 I set of on a 12 day adventure, ticking off 7 cities in Italy. One of which was Florence. Prior to this trip I had never been to Florence and it is a place I have only ever heard good things about. 
We arrived roughly 3pm at Firenze Santa Maria Novella (which is the main train station) and it was an easy 3 hour train ride from Venice. Luckily our hotel was a short walk from the station so we were able to head out an explore straight away. 
One thing I will note is Florence is not as large as it's fellow Italian cities such as Rome and Milan and we found it very easy walking around and did not use public transport once during our stay. 

On the first night we visited the Duomo, it is best to arrive as the sun is setting as it makes the colours of the Duomo stand out so much more. However be aware of pickpockets and for much larger crowds. 

 Adjacent to the Duomo is Florence's main shopping street. It was full of well known brands such as Zara, Pandora and H&M. Head down the street named Via Calimala and explore the popular shopping district. 

On our one full day we rose early to head to Piazzale Michelangelo. As we were there in June with temperatures reaching 32 degrees we got up bright and early to start walking there. From the Duomo, it is an easy signposted 40 minute walk however there are a lot of steps which could be difficult during the heat of the day. It is definitely worth a visit with views of all of Florence in front of you. 

We then spent the rest of the day visiting the Ponte Vecchio which is the oldest bridge in Florence and shops have been on the bridge since the 13th century. 

Florence very much had the feel of a city, with a young population also full of bars and new restaurants. However it felt much more laid back in comparison to the business feel of Milan and Venice which is a huge tourist destination. It is somewhere I would definitely return to and recommend.