Florence travel guide — where to stay, what to do, and where to eat in Florence, Tuscany, Italy.
Family activities
Engaging experiences for travellers of every age.
Climb Brunelleschi's Dome
Climbing the 463 steps inside the double shell of Brunelleschi's dome is Florence's most memorable active experience for older children. The claustrophobic spiral staircase opens suddenly to the interior walkway where Giorgio Vasari's Last Judgment fresco surrounds you, before emerging at the lantern at 91 metres for a 360-degree Florence panorama.
Museo Galileo - Science Museum
Florence's science museum houses Galileo's original telescopes (with which he discovered Jupiter's moons in 1610), his finger preserved in a reliquary, and extraordinary Renaissance scientific instruments including celestial globes, mechanical clocks, and navigational devices. The instruments are beautiful objects in their own right, and the exhibits engage children through hands-on history of science.
Giardino di Boboli (Boboli Gardens)
The Medici's 16th-century formal garden behind the Palazzo Pitti offers 45,000 square metres of fountains, grottoes, sculptures, and woodland paths. Children enjoy the Grotta Grande (an extraordinary artificial cave with stalactites and sculpture), the Egyptian obelisk, and the elevated terraces and secret paths. The garden has several open picnic areas and water fountains.
Parco delle Cascine
Florence's largest public park (160 hectares) along the Arno riverside west of the city centre, originally a Medici dairy farm and hunting ground. The park has playgrounds, open green space, picnic areas, a cycle path along the Arno, and a large weekly market (Tuesday mornings). Popular with Florentine families at weekends.
Museo dei Ragazzi - Palazzo Vecchio
The Palazzo Vecchio runs specialist family programs under the 'Museo dei Ragazzi' (Museum of Children) banner, including guided tours of the palace focused on Medici family stories, costumed historical experiences, and workshops on Renaissance art and science. Activities are designed for children aged 5-12 and require advance booking. The Palazzo Vecchio's extraordinary frescoed rooms are explained through the lens of Cosimo I de' Medici and his family.
Lucca - Cycle the City Walls
Lucca's perfectly preserved Renaissance city walls (4.2 km circuit) are open as a park and cycle path at tree-canopy level, offering a unique and completely flat cycling experience. Bicycle rental shops at city gates rent tandems, children's bikes, and cargo bikes for families. The circular wall route passes towers, gardens, and views over the red-tiled city below — one of the most enjoyable family activities in Tuscany.
Family-friendly hotels
Accommodation designed with families in mind.
Hotel Davanzati
Hotel Palazzo Guadagni
Hotel Lungarno
Dining with kids
Eating out as a family.
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Family travel tips
Practical advice for stress-free family trips.
Book museum tickets for the Uffizi, Accademia, and Duomo complex online before arriving in Florence — walk-up queues of 1-3 hours are exhausting for children and waste the whole morning
Under-18s enter all Italian national museums free on the first Sunday of each month (Uffizi, Bargello, Palazzo Pitti) — plan this into the itinerary if dates align
Florence's cobblestoned streets are challenging for pushchairs and prams — a front-facing baby carrier is far more practical for children under 18 months in the historic centre
Gelato quality varies enormously; artisan gelaterie (real gelato) use natural colours, display gelato in covered metal containers, and taste incomparably better than tourist shops — go to Gelateria dei Neri (Via dei Neri, 9r) or Gelateria Vivoli (Via Isola delle Stinche, 7r)
Italian restaurants welcome children warmly and will often prepare simple pasta dishes not on the menu (pasta al pomodoro or pasta al burro) — ask the waiter
Schedule afternoon rest periods — the combination of summer heat, cobblestones, and queue management is tiring for young children; a 2-hour break in the hotel avoids meltdowns before the evening passeggiata
The Arno bridges and embankment are excellent for an early evening family passeggiata — children can play in the Bardini or Cascine parks while parents enjoy aperitivo at a nearby bar