With relatively few kid-friendly activities, Florence may not be the ideal destination for a family vacation. But it does offer enough entertainment to keep kids occupied for a few days. Spend the morning hiking up to Piazzale Michelangelo or the top of the Duomo. In the afternoons, wander Florence’s streets and squares looking for quirky sculptures or visit various interactive museums. And when it’s time for a break, cool off in one of Florence’s many gelaterie. Here are a few ideas for family fun in the art capital of Europe.
With its many pizzerias, gelaterie, and rosticcerie, Florence offers plenty of food options for children. Try these tips to keep your kids content throughout the day.
• In summer, an air-conditioned, kid-friendly place for lunch provides a respite from the midday heat.
• Picnic lunches and dinners work well. For ready-made picnics, drop by a rosticceria (deli) or a pizza rustica shop (cheap take-out pizza; diavola is the closest thing on the menu to pepperoni).
• Eat dinner early (at about 19:00) to dodge the romantic crowd. Restaurants are less kid-friendly after 21:00. Skip the famous places. Look instead for self-serve cafeterias, bars (children are welcome), or fast-food restaurants where kids can move around without bothering others.
• For fast and kid-approved meals in the old center, there are plenty of hamburger and pizza joints. For a good cafeteria, try Self-Service Ristorante Leonardo (a block from the Duomo). Gelaterie such as Perchè No! (Via dei Tavolini 19) are brash and neon, providing some of the best high-calorie memories in town. All of these are described in the Eating in Florence chapter.
The key to a successful Florence family vacation is to slow down. Tackle one or two key sights each day, mix in a healthy dose of pure fun at a park or square, and take extended breaks when needed.
• Incorporate your child’s interests into each day’s plans. Let your kids make some decisions, such as choosing lunch spots or deciding which stores to visit. Deputize your child to lead you on my self-guided walks and museum tours.
• Since a trip is a splurge for parents, kids should enjoy a larger allowance, too. Provide ample money and ask your kids to buy their own treats, postcards, and trinkets within that daily budget.
• Seek out kid-friendly sights, such as the Leonardo Museums, the Galileo Science Museum, or the Palazzo Vecchio (all described later). If you’re visiting art museums with younger children, hit the gift shop first so you can buy postcards; then hold a scavenger hunt to find the pictured artwork.
• Even if you have the most well-behaved kids in the world, mixups happen. It’s good to have a “what if” procedure in place in case something goes wrong, such as getting separated in Florence’s tangled streets. Be sure to give each child a business card from your hotel so they have local contact information.
• Italy’s national museums generally offer free admission to children under 18—always ask before buying tickets for your kids.
• Book ahead to avoid lines whenever possible, especially at the Uffizi and Accademia; see here. (Or you can get a Firenze Card and bypass lines, but at €72 and with no price break for kids, it’s an expensive alternative.) Long museum lines add insult to injury for the preteen dragged into another old building filled with more old paintings.
• Guidebooks can make history more accessible for kids. Try Florence: Just Add Water (excellent for travelers ages 10 to adult), easy to find in the US or in Florence (see bookstores listed on here). The pocket-size, spiral-bound Kids Go Europe: Treasure Hunt Florence, available in the US, encourages youngsters to journal and sketch.
• Context Florence offers a children’s tour program run by scholarly guides who make the city’s great art and culture accessible to kids (see here). Local guide Alessandra Marchetti also does kid-tailored tours (see here).
• Riding the little minibuses around the old town and up and down the river could be entertaining to some children. Propose the challenge of covering as many routes on the #C2, #C3, and #D lines as you can in 1.5 hours—the amount of time a ticket is valid.
• Families with kids can sometimes get price breaks on train tickets; see here for details.
After touring a bunch of hands-off museums, squirming kids will enjoy the hands-on activities at either Le Macchine di Leonardo da Vinci or Museo Leonardo da Vinci. They can burn off some of that human energy while powering modern re-creations of the brilliant scientist’s machines (see here).
Cost and Hours: Admission to each museum is €7 for adults (with this book, Le Macchine offers adults a €2 discount; the Museo offers €0.50 off), €5 for kids ages 6 and older, free for kids under 6. Le Macchine di Leonardo da Vinci—April-Oct daily 9:30-19:30; Nov-March Mon-Fri 11:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 9:30-19:30; for €1 extra they’ll throw in a slice of pizza and a Coke, in Galleria Michelangelo at Via Cavour 21, tel. 055-295-264, www.macchinedileonardo.com. Museo Leonardo da Vinci—daily April-Oct 10:00-19:00, Nov-March 10:00-18:00, Via dei Servi 66 red, tel. 055-282-966, www.mostredileonardo.com.
With a number of interactive activities for kids, this palace can be a good place for the whole family to explore together. For kids ages six and up, the Palazzo rents family kits—turtle-shaped backpacks filled with materials for helping kids learn about the Medicis and uncover interesting details about the place. The palace’s family program (Museo dei Ragazzi) offers a variety of activities for kids as young as four and up to teens (usually requires reservations). Enjoy brief performances portraying Medici history, or help your kids paint their very own frescoes. As the offerings are always in flux, call or email, or drop by to find out what your options are (
see the Palazzo Vecchio Tour chapter).
Cost and Hours: €6.50, free for those under age 18, covered by Firenze Card, family kit-€5; kids’ programs may involve a small additional charge (usually €2) and run Fri-Wed 9:00-17:00, Thu 9:00-14:00; tel. 055-276-8224, www.palazzovecchio-familymuseum.it, info.museoragazzi@comune.fi.it
See several of Galileo’s fingers on display, plus cool old telescopes and early chemical and science lab stuff. Engaging video screens illustrate scientific principles. Be warned that some parents find the museum’s displays on childbirth inappropriate for kids ( see the Galileo Science Museum tour chapter).
Cost and Hours: €9, €22 family ticket covers two adults and two kids ages 18 and under, cash only, covered by Firenze Card, Wed-Mon 9:30-18:00, Tue 9:30-13:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing, audioguide-€5, Piazza dei Giudici 1, tel. 055-265-311, www.museogalileo.it.
Climbing the dome of the cathedral is almost like climbing an urban mountain—you’ll spiral up in a strange dome-within-a-dome space, see some musty old tools used in the construction, get a bird’s-eye peek into the nave from way up, and then pop out to see the best city view in town.
Cost and Hours: €10 ticket covers dome climb and all Duomo sights, covered by Firenze Card, Mon-Fri 8:30-19:00, Sat 8:30-17:40, closed Sun, last entry 40 minutes before closing, modest dress code enforced, enter from outside church on north side, tel. 055-230-2885, www.operaduomo.firenze.it.
While kids are likely to be more familiar with Michelangelo’s David, they may prefer the works at the Bargello. This underappreciated sculpture museum in a former police-station-turned-prison hosts Florence’s most interesting collection of statues—with many bizarre poses ( see the Bargello Tour chapter).
Cost and Hours: €4, €7 with mandatory exhibits, covered by Firenze Card, Tue-Sat 8:15-13:50, until 16:50 during special exhibits (generally April-Oct); also open first, third, and fifth Mon and the second and fourth Sun of each month; last entry 30 minutes before closing, audioguide-€6, Via del Proconsolo 4, reservation tel. 055-238-8606, www.polomuseale.firenze.it.
This courtyard, filled with artists and souvenir stalls, is ringed by statues of all the famous Florentines (Amerigo Vespucci, Machiavelli, Leonardo, and so on)—great for putting faces on a sweep through history (see here of the Renaissance Walk chapter).
Find 500 different kinds of stones on display, demonstrating the fascinating techniques of inlay and mosaic work.
Cost and Hours: €4, covered by Firenze Card, Mon-Sat 8:15-14:00, closed Sun, last entry 30 minutes before closing, around corner from Accademia at Via degli Alfani 78, tel. 055-265-1357, www.opificiodellepietredure.it.
These adjacent gardens outside the Pitti Palace are landscaped wonderlands. While designed to give adults a break from the city, they’re kid-friendly, too. Tickets to the gardens cover the Costume Gallery, Argenti/Silverworks Museum, and Porcelain Museum at the Pitti Palace ( see the Pitti Palace Tour chapter).
Cost and Hours: Choose ticket #2 for Boboli and Bardini Gardens—€7 (€10 with special exhibitions), covered by Firenze Card; daily June-Aug 8:15-19:30, April-May and Sept 8:15-18:30, March and Oct 8:15-17:30, Nov-Feb 8:15-16:30; closed first and last Mon of each month, last entry one hour before closing, tel. 055-238-8614, www.polomuseale.firenze.it.
Originally constructed as a hunting ground and farm for the Medici family, Florence’s sprawling public park has lots of grass, historic monuments, and a playground. For a fee, families can cool off in the park’s outdoor swimming pool, the Pavoniere.
Cost and Hours: Park open year-round; swimming pool-€9 for adults, €7 for kids ages 4-12, open May-Aug daily 10:00-18:00, tel. 055-362-233.
Getting There: Head west of the old center along the north side of the river (10-minute walk).
This peaceful and breezy park, complete with playground, can be a welcome refuge from touring madness (open daily, dawn to dusk).
Getting There: It’s a 15-minute walk east from the Duomo. Or take bus #12 or #13 from the train station or the Piazza San Marco bus stop just north of the Duomo.
Older children may enjoy hiking up to this panoramic piazza for the superb view of Florence and the Duomo. Bring a picnic and eat lunch on the somewhat hidden terrace, just off the west side of the piazza.
Getting There: It’s a 30-minute hike up to the square, but the downhill walk back into town is easy and enjoyable. See here for info on alternative transportation.
For kids running on their gelato buzz well into the evening hours, this vibrant piazza has a sparkling carousel and lively street musicians.
Florence’s various markets are fun for kids ( see the Shopping in Florence chapter). Remember to haggle.
This side-trip from Florence is probably the most interesting for kids ( see the Leaning Tower Tour chapter; note that kids under age eight aren’t allowed to climb the tower).
Cost and Hours: €18 to go inside and climb to the seventh-floor viewing platform, the belfry is not currently accessible; daily April-Sept 8:00-20:00, Oct 9:00-19:00, Nov-Feb 10:00-17:00, March 9:00-18:00, ticket office opens 30 minutes early, last entry 30 minutes before closing, timed entry, reservations recommended, www.opapisa.it.
This tour, led by a quick-talking guide, is a 2.5-hour, 15-stop blitz of the town’s top sights. Families with younger children are provided with tandem bikes.
Cost and Hours: €25 for ages 12 and over, €20 for ages 6-12, children under 6 ride free, tours run daily March-Oct at 10:00 and 15:00, helmets optional, Via de Lamberti 1, tel. 055-012-3994, www.florencetown.com.