The cradle of the Renaissance: the cathedral with Brunelleschi's dome, the Uffizi, Michelangelo's David, the Ponte Vecchio and sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo. A base for day trips to Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano and the Chianti wine hills; bistecca, gelato and leather goods. No direct flights — come via Frankfurt (MIAT + Lufthansa) or by high-speed train from Rome. Mongolian citizens need a Schengen visa; the Italian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar takes Italian visa applications directly.
🛂 Visa: Visa required · 90 days✈ Flight: 15h☀ Best months: April, May, June, September
#Renaissance#art#Tuscany#Pisa#Italian food#Schengen visa
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: April, May, June, September, October.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
Uffizi Gallery
Culture€25 on the day, €29 booked ahead (March–October high season; cheaper in winter); €16 from 16:00; free under 18Tue–Sun 8:15–18:30 (ticket office closes 17:30); closed Mondays
One of the world's great galleries, with Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus' and 'Primavera', and works by Leonardo, Raphael and Caravaggio. Buy timed tickets only on uffizi.it — in summer the queue on the day can last hours. The first Sunday of the month is free but very crowded.
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goThe Italian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar takes Italian visa applications itself — booking a slot on Prenot@Mi is step one. Florence's main museum tickets sell out fast.+
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Schengen visa: Italian Embassy (no VFS)
If Italy is your main destination, apply at the Italian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar (ICC Tower, 14th floor). Book the appointment by registering on prenotami.esteri.it; appointments run Mon–Fri 9:30–13:30. Fee €90 (ages 6–11 €45, under 6 free), with no third-party service fee. A decision usually comes within 15 days.
Tip: Prenot@Mi slots fill fast — start 2–3 months before your trip.
Attach medical insurance of at least €30,000 valid across Schengen, a return ticket, hotel bookings, bank statements and an employment letter; you cannot apply more than 6 months ahead. On first entry to Schengen the EES system records your fingerprints and face.
The Uffizi, the Accademia (David), Brunelleschi's dome and the Pisa tower all use timed tickets that sell out quickly in high season. Buy only on the official sites — uffizi.it, tickets.duomo.firenze.it, opapisa.it — look-alike sites charge several times more.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityVia Frankfurt you land at Florence's small Peretola airport (FLR); via Rome you arrive by train at Santa Maria Novella station.+
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T2 tram from FLR
The T2 tram leaves from outside the terminal for the Unità stop in the centre, next to Santa Maria Novella station. A ticket is €2, valid 90 minutes — buy from the stop machine or tap a bank card. Official white taxis charge a fixed fare to the centre.
Tip: In strong winds FLR flights are sometimes diverted to Pisa or Bologna — leave slack between connections.
If you land in Rome, a Frecciarossa high-speed train from Termini reaches Florence in about 1.5 hours; booking early in the Trenitalia app is cheaper. If you land at Pisa airport, take the PisaMover shuttle to Pisa Centrale and a regional train to Florence.
If your phone supports eSIM, buy and install a travel eSIM from Airalo, Holafly or similar before you leave: it works as soon as you land in Frankfurt or Florence. Pick a Europe-wide plan and it works in your connecting city too.
Tip: Download Florence and Tuscany in Google Maps and Italian in Google Translate for offline use.
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Italian prepaid SIM
Buy a SIM at a TIM, Vodafone or WindTre store with your passport — registration is required by law. TIM has a tourist plan. Iliad needs an Italian tax code, so it does not suit tourists.
🚇Getting aroundThe historic centre is small and largely pedestrianised — you will walk almost everywhere.+
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Buses and trams
Autolinee Toscane's city ticket rose to €2 on 1 August 2026 and is valid 90 minutes. Buy it in the at bus app or at tobacconists and newsstands, and validate on boarding — inspection fines are high. Buses are useful for Piazzale Michelangelo and Fiesole.
The historic centre is a restricted traffic zone (ZTL): cameras record plates automatically and each unauthorised entry costs €80–335; the rental company adds its own fee and charges your card months later. If you rent a car, pick it up outside the city or at the airport and park it.
Tip: If your hotel is inside the ZTL, give it your plate number in advance so it can register you.
Regional trains run from Santa Maria Novella to Pisa, Lucca and Siena; San Gimignano is reached by bus via Poggibonsi. Public transport to the Chianti wine hills is thin, so a guided tour or a rental car works better.
💳Money and taxes+
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Card and cash
Most places take cards, but small cafés and market stalls need cash. Withdraw euros from bank ATMs (Bancomat); independent ATMs at tourist spots charge high fees. A 'coperto' (bread and cover charge) on the bill is normal, and tipping is optional.
Tip: If the ATM offers to charge you in tögrög, say no — choose euros.
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City accommodation tax
Florence charges a per-person, per-night tax: 1-star €3.50, 2-star €4.50, 3-star €6, 4-star €7, 5-star €8, rentals and B&Bs €6 — for the first 7 nights only. Hotels usually collect it separately. In 2026 the city banned new short-term rentals in the centre and nearby districts, so check your Airbnb is licensed.
Non-EU visitors who spend more than €70.01 in one shop on one day can reclaim VAT — worthwhile for Florentine leather. Show your passport in the shop to get a Tax Free receipt and validate it at the airport where you leave the EU.
🍜FoodTuscan food is simple and hearty: bistecca, bread soups, olive oil and Chianti wine.+
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What to eat
Bistecca alla fiorentina — a thick T-bone steak sold by weight (usually from 1 kg) and served rare — share it between two or three. Also ribollita bread-and-vegetable soup, pappa al pomodoro, the lampredotto street sandwich and oily schiacciata flatbread. Children love gelato and pizza.
Tip: Buy gelato where it is kept in covered metal tubs with muted colours — fluffy, bright mounds are tourist quality.
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Meal times and coffee
Italians eat lunch in the early afternoon and dinner late in the evening; many restaurants close in between. Before dinner comes aperitivo — a drink with light snacks. Coffee drunk standing at the bar (al banco) is cheaper than at a table.
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Markets and groceries
Mercato Centrale and Sant'Ambrogio market sell cheese, salumi, fruit and cheap lunches. Buy groceries at Conad, Coop and Carrefour Express. For wine tasting, a guided trip to the Chianti village wineries is easiest.
In Tuscany police, ambulance and fire all answer on 112 — free, 24 hours, with multilingual interpreting. The Where Are U app sends your location automatically. The emergency department is 'Pronto Soccorso'; the children's hospital is Meyer.
Gangs work Santa Maria Novella station, the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, San Lorenzo market and crowded buses. Don't leave your phone on the table and keep your bag in front. 'Gift' bracelets and petition signers end in a demand for money; beware fake 'genuine leather' on the street.
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Heat and the Mongolian Embassy
Summers in Florence's valley are very hot — carry a hat and water, spend midday in museums and walk outside in the morning and evening. If you lose your passport, report it to the police (Carabinieri) and contact the Embassy of Mongolia in Rome.
The Duomo, Santa Croce and other churches refuse entry with bare shoulders or knees — carry a light scarf in summer. Be quiet inside, don't photograph during services, and take off your hat.
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City rules
Eating on church and museum steps or doorways, wading in fountains, carving monuments and drinking alcohol in the street can all bring fines. In the historic centre, pick a place where you can sit down to eat rather than picnicking on steps.
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Everyday contact
Say 'Buongiorno' (or 'Buonasera' in the evening) entering a shop or restaurant and 'Grazie, arrivederci' when leaving. Ask for the bill yourself — 'Il conto, per favore'. Haggling is fine at market stalls, but shop prices are fixed.
📱Useful apps+
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Transport
Trenitalia app — trains to Rome, Pisa and Siena. at bus app — Florence bus and tram tickets. Google Maps covers city transit well; taxis are scarce in Florence, so take one from a rank or call one by phone.
The T2 tram runs from near Santa Maria Novella to FLR; if you fly home from Rome, take the Frecciarossa and then the Leonardo Express from Termini to Fiumicino — leave plenty of time in between. Be at the airport 3 hours before an international flight: EES, Tax Free and security can be slow.
Leave the Schengen area no later than the date on your visa — EES records your exit day automatically, and an overstay will hurt your next application. Carry Tax Free goods in your hand luggage and validate them before check-in. If you connect via Frankfurt, you exit Schengen there.
The original 5-metre marble David is here — the one on Piazza della Signoria is a copy. Also Michelangelo's unfinished 'Prisoners' and a room of historic musical instruments. A small museum; an hour is enough, but a timed ticket is a must.
Florence Cathedral (Duomo) and Brunelleschi's Dome
CultureCathedral free; Brunelleschi Pass with the dome €30 (ages 7–14 €12, under 6 free), valid 3 daysCathedral usually Mon–Sat 10:15–15:45; closed to visitors on Sundays and religious holidays; dome by time slot
The green, pink and white marble cathedral's 600-year-old red-brick dome is the city's symbol. Climb 463 steps past the 'Last Judgement' frescoes inside the dome to the top; no lift, and narrow. The pass also covers the Baptistery, the cathedral museum and the underground Santa Reparata.
CultureGiotto Pass €20 (ages 7–14 €7, under 6 free) — tower, Baptistery, museumDaily, tower by time slot (hours vary by season)
The 85-metre bell tower's 414 steps give a face-to-face view of the dome — with a shorter queue than the dome climb. The originals of the octagonal Baptistery's bronze 'Gates of Paradise' are in the cathedral museum.
A bridge over the Arno from 1345, lined with tiny goldsmiths' shops — the only bridge the Nazis spared in WWII. The Medici's private Vasari Corridor runs across the top. Best seen at dawn or sunset from the Santa Trinita bridge.
NaturePitti + Boboli €22 (€25 booked ahead); Boboli alone €10; free under 18Pitti Tue–Sun 8:15–18:30; Boboli from 8:15 (closing 16:30–19:10 by season), closed first and last Monday of the month
The Medici palace — Raphael and Titian paintings and royal apartments. Behind it, a vast hillside garden of marble statues, grottoes and fountains — good for children to run and rest in the shade. The 5-day PassePartout combines the Uffizi, Pitti and Boboli.
A terrace on the hill south of the Arno with the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio and the red roofs all in one view. Walk up the steps an hour before sunset; five minutes further up is the quiet church of San Miniato al Monte.
Culture€15 on the official site (online); free for children up to 11Mon–Sat 9:30–17:30, Sun 12:30–17:30 (last entry 17:00)
The 'Temple of Italian Glories', with the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli, Giotto frescoes and Brunelleschi's Pazzi Chapel. The square hosts a German-style Christmas market in December, and the leather school (Scuola del Cuoio) is next door.
FoodFree (meals €8–20)Food hall upstairs daily 10:00–24:00; ground-floor market in the mornings
An 1874 iron-and-glass hall: meat, cheese and vegetables downstairs, and upstairs a food hall of small kitchens — pasta, pizza, lampredotto sandwiches and bistecca. Outside, street stalls sell leather jackets and bags — haggle.
CultureMuseum €18 (+€1 presale); ages 18–25 €12; free under 18Museum usually daily 9:00–19:00, Thu 9:00–14:00; tower closed to children under 6
A fortress-palace that is still the town hall: the huge Hall of the Five Hundred, secret staircases and the map room. There are secret-passage tours for children. Outside, the David copy and the free statues of the Loggia dei Lanzi.
CultureTower climb €20, timed; children under 8 may not climb; cathedral free (timed ticket)Daily from about 9:00; until 22:00 on summer evenings
Take a regional train from Santa Maria Novella to Pisa and walk to the 'Field of Miracles'. Climb 251 steps up the 56-metre leaning tower — book on opapisa.it in advance. Half a day is enough; combine it with Lucca.
NatureSiena cathedral complex (OPA SI Pass) from €16; wine tastings €15–40Day trip; bus, train or guided tour
Siena — the shell-shaped medieval Campo and the striped marble cathedral. San Gimignano — a hill town of 14 stone towers and world-champion gelato. Between them, the Chianti vineyards and cypress-lined roads. Without a car, a guided tour is easiest.
