Florence in 3 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs)
Florence in 3 Days on a Budget
Three days is enough to do Florence properly without overspending: the Duomo complex on its cheaper tier, the two headline museums booked around the peak-season queues, and a full day that costs almost nothing at all. Expect roughly EUR 40 to 45 on the free-heavy day and EUR 85 to 95 on the museum day, averaging out to around EUR 65 a day before lodging. For longer versions of this same trip, see the 4-day , 6-day , and 7-day budget itineraries; for the full cheap-and-free rundown, start with our Florence budget guide .
Book these before you go
- Accademia Gallery ticket : David’s home has less capacity than the Uffizi, so book 3 to 8 weeks ahead depending on season, even on a tight budget.
- Uffizi Gallery ticket : the standard ticket is this trip’s biggest single expense; book at least a month ahead in April to October.
- Duomo dome climb : only the Brunelleschi Pass includes it, the slot is fixed once booked, and it sells out weeks ahead in summer.
| Day | Focus | Est. cost (no lodging) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duomo complex, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio | EUR 45 |
| 2 | Accademia, Uffizi, Oltrarno dinner | EUR 90 |
| 3 | Piazzale Michelangelo, San Miniato, San Lorenzo Market | EUR 40 |
Day 1: The Duomo on the cheap
Buy the Ghiberti Pass (EUR 15) rather than the Brunelleschi Pass (EUR 30) at tickets.duomo.firenze.it unless the dome climb itself is non-negotiable; it still covers the Baptistery, the crypt, and the Opera Museum, which holds Ghiberti’s original Gates of Paradise panels. The cathedral nave next door is free on its own separate line, no pass required. Lunch on a schiacciata (EUR 4 to 6) from a bakery near San Lorenzo, then walk to Piazza della Signoria, where the Loggia dei Lanzi’s statues and the replica David outside Palazzo Vecchio cost nothing to see. Cross the Ponte Vecchio before dinner. Eat at a trattoria off the main piazza rather than on it; sitting at a table on Piazza del Duomo itself adds a coperto and servizio that a side street two minutes away does not charge.
Day 2: The two museums that are worth the money
Book the Accademia for the morning, when queue-free slots are easiest to get, and see Michelangelo’s David along with the gallery’s smaller paintings and instruments collection. The official ticketing partner is b-ticket.com . For lunch, get a lampredotto sandwich (EUR 3.50 to 4) from a cart near Mercato Centrale rather than sitting down anywhere in the museum district. In the afternoon, book the Uffizi’s newer after-4pm slot, EUR 16 on-site same-day or EUR 20 online in advance via tickets.uffizi.it , which is cheaper than the standard EUR 25 daytime ticket and gives a full afternoon and evening in the gallery. Have dinner in the Oltrarno, across the river, where trattorias run noticeably cheaper than anything within sight of the Duomo.
Day 3: The free day
This is the day the budget resets. Walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo (or take bus 12 or 13 for the price of a EUR 1.70 transit ticket) and arrive 45 minutes before sunset for a spot along the wall. Ten minutes further uphill, San Miniato al Monte is free to enter, and Benedictine monks sing Gregorian chant at Vespers most evenings. Spend the morning or early afternoon browsing the San Lorenzo Market and the Mercato Centrale food hall, both free to walk through even if you buy nothing. Close the trip with an aperitivo, drinks plus complimentary snacks, standing at the bar to skip the seated surcharges, and a final gelato (EUR 3 to 5).
Between the Ghiberti Pass, the after-4pm Uffizi slot, and a day that costs almost nothing, this itinerary proves the two real splurges in Florence are the Accademia and the Uffizi themselves, not the city around them.