First Trip to Florence

Hi Debbie. My wife and I visited Florence in October 2015 - but only one day as part of a cruise. You have four, so you have time to see so much more than we did. Uffizi Gallery is a great choice. I also recommend the Accademia Gallery (Michelangelo's David). For me, the Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore) is a must. It had just removed the scaffolding for exterior renovations when we were there. It also has Duomo Museum and Baptistry. We did not have time, but Rick recommends the Bargello (Museo Nazionale del Bargello) for Renaissance sculpture. The Palazzo Vecchio next to the Uffizi would be good since you have the time. We used Rick's book Mediterranean Cruise Ports as our guide, and it was excellent. It has a chapter on Florence, and I highly recommend it. He also has guidebooks on sale now until Sunday, and he has a couple for Italy that would cover Florence. See his website. You will love Florence. It was my favorite city.

Adding to David's list, the Museum of San Marco (just up the street from the Accademia), the town of Fiesole (a few minutes' bus ride away, Piazzale Michelangelo for views of the city.

Good ideas above.... and having just been to Venice for Carnavale, and then heading on to Florence there were a few vendors at the market that had some masks for sale. Obviously, not the beautiful handcrafted masks that were available in Venice, but we say some that would be fine for souvenirs. There might be some stores that had them available, but all I saw were at the outdoor market.

National Geographic has a guidebook to Florence and Tuscany - they recommend a walking route from the south end of the Ponte Vecchio to San Miniato al Monte.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the ideas. Looking forward to Florence.

if you are coming in July make sure to book hotel or apartment early as July is usually crowded in Florence.

I studied and lived in Florence as a language student. It's wonderful!
Last year, I went back and it is still a treasure trove of a place.

I would recommend the following:
Visit the Pitti Palace in the Oltrarno (south of the Arno River) which also has the Boboli Gardens (a classic Italian garden). You can picnic there and since is is a terraced park, there are some vistas of the countryside. The Oltrarno is really cool because many artisans have their workshops there. You can peek in and see all the wonderful antiques, home decor shops, crafts. More locals hang out in the Oltrarno.

The San Lorenzo market is very cool. The lower level is traditional stalls. Try to go to the oldest stand that serves Tuscan food. You'll see local gathered around during lunch time.
Upstairs is the more upscale food vendors and they even have a cooking school there.

The neighborhood of Santa Croce is where all the gold-smith shops are and also there are leather shops.
Track down Vivoli Gelateria. This is one of the best gelaterias in Italy and owned by one family. Nice seating inside for free!

Walking up to the Piazzale Michelangelo to see the view of the city from the hillside is a must (as mentioned by someone else).
There is also a cathedral higher up the road/hillside that is also worth a visit. A shop by the cathedral sells goods made in Italian monasteries. Very cool stuff.

You'll want to return because 4 days in Florence will go by very quickly.

I would suggest you go to the Accademia as well as the Uffizi and make your way up to Piazza Michelangelo to take in the beautiful views of Florence.
If you enjoy wine, I would suggest doing a day trip in Tuscany from Florence. Last summer I did this with "Fun in Tuscany" and we did the Chianti Wine Tour. It was simply fantastic.