Florence is small — you can walk from one side of the historic centre to the other in twenty minutes — which is exactly why it makes such a good semester base. You'll learn the streets in a week, run into people you know constantly, and have the entire Renaissance on your doorstep. The move is to live like a local: book the big museums ahead so you never wait in line, eat at the market and the trattorias instead of the tourist traps near the Duomo, and use those cheap, easy trains to see the rest of Italy on weekends. Here's how to actually live here, not just photograph it.
See & Do
The headline sights are world-famous and packed — the trick is booking timed tickets online in advance so you walk past the queue, and going early or late to dodge the day-trip crowds. Most of it is walkable, so spread it across the semester instead of cramming. And do the climbs and the sunset spots on clear days; the views are the whole point.
The Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore) — The cathedral that defines the skyline. Climbing Brunelleschi's dome (463 steps) is a must — book a timed slot online, and save it for late in the semester when you actually know the city you're looking out over.
Galleria dell'Accademia (the David) — Michelangelo's David is bigger and better in person than any photo. You're basically in and out in 30 minutes, so buy the timed ticket online — the walk-up line gets absurd by midday.
Uffizi Gallery — One of the great art museums on earth — Botticelli's Birth of Venus, da Vinci, Caravaggio. Closed Mondays and always mobbed, so reserve a slot ahead and go right at opening.
Piazzale Michelangelo — The full-city panorama from across the river. Walk up at golden hour with a bottle of wine and your flatmates — if you do one thing in Florence, make it this sunset.
Ponte Vecchio — The medieval bridge lined with gold and jewellery shops. Cross it for free, window-shop the goldsmiths, and come back at dusk when it lights up over the Arno.
Pitti Palace & Boboli Gardens — The Medici's old digs across the river in the Oltrarno. The terraced gardens are gorgeous on a sunny day — go with a book, expect a line for tickets.
Piazza della Signoria — Florence's open-air sculpture gallery, right outside the Uffizi. A free replica of the David, the Loggia dei Lanzi statues, and the Palazzo Vecchio — the city's living room.
Basilica di Santa Croce — The Gothic church where Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli are buried, on a big square that hosts events all year. The leather school out the back is a Florence institution.
Where to Eat
This is the best part of living in Florence. Skip anything with a photo menu or a guy waving you in near the Duomo. Real Tuscan food is simple and cheap: schiacciata sandwiches for lunch, a trattoria pasta for dinner, gelato on the walk home. The Mercato Centrale is your move for both groceries and a proper meal — and bistecca alla fiorentina (a huge T-bone, sold by weight, ordered rare) is the splurge worth doing once with a group. The picks below are the ones students who studied here keep coming back to.
All'Antico Vinaio — The legendary schiacciata sandwich shop on Via dei Neri. Get La Favolosa, eat it on the curb, accept that the line moves fast. Best cheap lunch in the city.
Mercato Centrale — Ground floor for groceries — fresh pasta, cheese, produce, butchers. Upstairs is a buzzing food hall with everything from pizza to fresh truffle pasta. Go hungry.
Trattoria Mario — A no-frills family lunch spot by the market, open midday only, shared tables. Cash, a handwritten menu, and the real-deal Tuscan classics — this is how Florentines actually eat.
Bistecca alla fiorentina — The Tuscan T-bone, sold by the kilo and served rare. Trattoria Sostanza and Trattoria Za Za are the classic places to split one with a hungry group — order it for the table.
Gusta Pizza — Wood-fired Neapolitan pizza near Pitti Palace in the Oltrarno. Cheap, fast, and they fold your margherita into a heart. Cash only, expect a wait, worth it.
Gelato done right — Skip the neon mountains of gelato near the Duomo (that's the tourist tell). Go for natural, flat tubs at Gelateria della Passera or Gelateria dei Neri instead.
La Giostra — The romantic splurge near Sant'Ambrogio — candlelit, pasta with truffles and pear, free prosecco and nibbles to start. Save it for the night your parents visit or a birthday.
Oltrarno trattorias — Cross the river to Santo Spirito and Santa Croce's back streets for the trattorias locals actually book — places like Borgo Antico on the square. Cheaper, better, fewer tourists.
The Oil Shoppe — Students who studied here swear by this hot-sandwich counter near the Duomo — build-your-own toasted subs, generous and cheap. The go-to fast lunch when you want something other than schiacciata.
Pubs, Bars & Nightlife
Florence nightlife runs on aperitivo first, late nights second. Aperitivo is the genius Italian move — order a spritz or a negroni in the early evening and the snack spread is basically dinner. After that, the squares (Santo Spirito, Santa Croce) fill with people drinking outside, and the bigger clubs spin up late and usually charge a cover. Go in a group, sort your walk home, and lean into the piazza scene — it's free and it's the best part.
Aperitivo o'clock — The student dinner hack: buy one spritz, raid the snack buffet. Santo Spirito and the bars around Santa Croce do it best — start your night here every time.
Piazza Santo Spirito — The Oltrarno square where the night actually happens. People spill out of the bars onto the steps with cheap drinks all evening — the most local scene in the city.
The Lion's Fountain — The big Irish pub on Borgo degli Albizi, full of international students. Easy English, live music, and the default meet-up spot for the study-abroad crowd.
Negroni at its source — The negroni was invented in Florence — order one properly at an old café-bar at least once. Strong, bitter, very grown-up; you'll either love it or learn from it.
Space Club — The big mainstream club near the train station — late nights, packed with students, expect a cover. Go once for the chaos, pre-game first to keep it cheap.
Wine windows (buchette del vino) — The tiny medieval wine hatches in the walls are back in use — a few pour glasses of wine and coffee right onto the street. A weird, very Florentine novelty to track down.
Rooftop aperitivo — Hotel rooftop bars (around the Oltrarno and centre) do sunset drinks over the terracotta roofs. Pricey, so it's a one-drink-and-the-view kind of stop — but worth it once.
Yab — The legendary student club just off Via de' Tornabuoni — students who studied here swear by it for the big nights out. Expect a cover and a packed dance floor; pre-game first and go in a group.
Red Garter — The long-running American-style bar near Santa Croce that the study-abroad crowd defaults to — sports on the screens, karaoke, cheap drinks and easy English. The reliable Tuesday-night move.
Markets & Shopping
Florence is a leather town, and bargaining at the open-air markets is part of the deal — never pay the first price. Beyond leather, it's the historic gold on the Ponte Vecchio, the luxury strip for window-shopping, and the outlets if you've got a free Saturday and a debit card you don't fear.
San Lorenzo Leather Market — The open-air stalls around the Mercato Centrale — jackets, bags, belts, pashminas. Haggle hard and never buy the first price; that's the whole game here.
Scuola del Cuoio (leather school) — The leather workshop behind Santa Croce makes the real, high-quality stuff and you can watch them work. Pricier than the market, but this is where the genuine jackets come from.
Ponte Vecchio goldsmiths — Centuries of jewellers packed onto the bridge. Even if you're not buying gold, it's worth a slow window-shop — these shops have been here since the Renaissance.
Via de' Tornabuoni — The luxury strip — Gucci, Ferragamo, Prada (and the Gucci Garden museum). Free to gawk, and Florence is where half these houses were founded.
The Mall & outlets — Designer outlets in the hills outside town — there are shuttle buses from the centre. A classic rainy-Saturday group trip if you're after a discounted bag.
Mercato Centrale (ground floor) — Also your grocery run — fresh pasta, parmigiano, prosciutto and produce for cooking in your flat during the week. Cheaper than any supermarket and far better.
Day Trips
Florence sits in the dead centre of Italy, and the trains are cheap, frequent and genuinely easy — this is the single biggest perk of basing here. Bank a few of these on weekends you're not flying somewhere, and remember Rome is only about 90 minutes away on the fast train.
Pisa & Lucca — Do both in one day. Pisa for the leaning-tower photo (an hour is plenty), then a short hop to Lucca — a walled town you can bike around the ramparts of. Easy, cheap trains.
Cinque Terre — The five pastel cliff villages on the Ligurian coast. Take the train, get the Cinque Terre card, and hike the trails between towns. The best day trip on the list — go on a clear day.
Siena — A perfectly preserved medieval city about 90 minutes by bus, built around the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo. Climb the Torre del Mangia and eat in the square.
Rome — The fast train gets you there in about 90 minutes, so Rome is a very doable day trip or easy overnight. Colosseum, Vatican, Trevi — book the big sites ahead.
Chianti wine country — The vineyards between Florence and Siena. A wine tour or a drive through the hill towns (Greve, Castellina) is the quintessential Tuscan weekend — best with a small group.
San Gimignano — The "medieval Manhattan" of stone towers, often paired with Siena on a day tour. Tiny, postcard-perfect, and home to a world-champion gelato spot on the main square.
Bologna — Italy's food capital, about 35 minutes north on the fast train. Tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini, and a young student-city energy. Go for lunch alone if you have to.
Venice — Around two hours by fast train — long for a day but very doable, and unforgettable. Better as an overnight if you can swing it, to see it without the day-tripper crush.
Practical Info
Budget: €55–85/day living like a student: schiacciata and market food by day, trattoria dinners split with friends, and aperitivo instead of a pricey night out. The splurges that add up are bistecca dinners, club covers, and weekend train trips.
Best time: April–June and September–October for warm, walkable weather without the brutal July–August heat and crowds. Winter is quiet, cold and cheaper, but many sights keep shorter hours.
Getting there: Florence's own airport is small and flights in are often pricey. Budget airlines fly into Pisa instead — from there, take the direct bus or train to Florence (about an hour) rather than a cab. Coming from elsewhere in Italy, just take the train; it's cheap, fast and drops you right in the centre at Santa Maria Novella.
Book the Duomo climb, the David and the Uffizi online with timed tickets — never wait in the walk-up line.
Aperitivo is the student dinner hack: one drink buys you a snack spread in the early evening.
Eat away from the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio — cross to the Oltrarno or hit the Mercato Centrale for real food at half the price.
Skip the bright, fluffy mounds of gelato near the sights; flat, natural tubs mean the real stuff.
Use the trains — cheap day trips to Pisa, Siena, Cinque Terre and Rome are the whole reason to base in Florence.
Always bargain at the leather market, and head out at night in a group with your walk home sorted.