The best time to visit Florence
Florence has no season when it's empty — only one when it's less full. If you only pick one month, it's September.
- Best
- April–June · September
- Summer
- July and August
- Winter
- Museums run the same schedule
The best months for Florence are April–June · September, warm enough for a full day on foot, with the crowds outside the Uffizi and the Duomo somewhat thinner than in July. If you only pick one month, it's September: summer is over, school has started, and the days are still long.
The gap between summer and winter
If you only pick one month — September. Temperature is the mean over the whole day (not the daily high), and a rainy day has at least 1 mm of rain; averages for 2021–2024.
The city sits in the Arno valley, with no sea to soften temperatures. Summer can feel stifling between the stone walls of the centre. Spring and early autumn keep day length close to summer's, with smaller crowds and a more bearable climb up the dome or campanile.
Long queues, short shade
July and August bring the biggest crowds of the year. The streets around the Duomo and the Uffizi fill from morning, and the stone and cobbles of the centre hold heat even after sunset. In summer the dome and Uffizi slots are booked in advance — there's no walk-in option left.
Shorter queues, the same closing schedule
Winter is cold. Nothing shuts because of it, though — the Uffizi, the Accademia and the Pitti Palace still run the same schedule, just with a shorter queue. Lingering is what's lost, since at the Piazzale or in the Boboli Gardens the wind off the hill is felt sooner than in the centre.
- Monday stays closed all year. The Uffizi, the Accademia and the Pitti open on no Monday at all.
- The dome opens late on Sundays. The first slot is only 12.45 instead of the usual 8.15, so a Sunday plan flips around it.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What's the best month to visit Florence?
The best months are April–June · September. If you only pick one, it's September — summer is over and the days are still long.
Is Florence too hot in summer?
The heat is serious and queues are long, so dome and Uffizi slots are booked in advance.
Do Florence's museums open in winter?
They run the same schedule as the rest of the year, including Monday, when the Uffizi, the Accademia and the Pitti are closed.
Ready for Florence?
Where to next
Mistakes everyone makes in Florence
→Five mistakes that cost time or a wasted ticket in Florence, and what to do instead.
San Gimignano · 38 km
→Walls with fourteen surviving towers out of what was once seventy-two, seen from the road before you even reach the gate.
How well does Florence suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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