Five Days in Florence, Florence, Italy

If you have any serious interest in good food and art, then Florence is somewhere you just have to go. This is the seat of the Renaissance and home to some of the world’s best art; the area of Italy that Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo came from. You’ll also find some of Italy’s best food and famous Tuscan wines like Chianti. But Florence isn’t just about food and art, it is a beautiful city that is quite compact and easy to explore on foot so a perfect destination for a short break.

Florence has a small airport but few airlines go there so usually people fly to Pisa and get a train from there. I flew with British Airways but Ryanair and easyJet fly to Pisa too. From Pisa airport take the shuttle train Pisamover to the central Pisa station - Pisa Centrale - which takes only about 5 minutes. A ticket from the ticket office just outside Arrivals at the airport includes this and there are clear signs to take you to the shuttle. At Pisa Centrale I managed to get a fast train into Florence’s main station - Santa Maria Novella - which took just 48 minutes but some trains are slower (fare is €13).

I booked my hotel through British Airways. Hotel Cellai is very central, just 10 minutes walk from the railway station and easy walking distance to all the main sights. It was a lovely, friendly hotel. To read more about it click here. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).