← Pisa Marathon·2 nights

Florence: Two Nights in Christmas Week

The Renaissance capital in the week before Christmas. Two nights, with the main museums booked ahead and a plan for the Monday closures.

Duration2 nights
TransitTrain from Pisa Centrale to Florence Santa Maria Novella, about 49 minutes to 1 hour
DepartsPisa

After the Pisa Marathon: Florence

The Route: Pisa Centrale → Florence Santa Maria Novella → Pisa airport (PSA) or Florence airport (FLR) Logistics: About 50 trains a day, with a fastest journey of about 49 minutes. The centre is flat and compact. Marathon Month: December Duration: 2 nights

Pisa Centrale ──(train, 49 mins to 1 hr)──> Florence Santa Maria Novella
                                                     │
                                       (10 min walk to the Duomo)

The Pisa Marathon is run in the week before Christmas, and the train from Pisa reaches Florence in under an hour, so two nights fits easily. Florence is a flat city with a compact centre, and you can see its main sights on foot. In December it is cold, and the queues are shorter than in summer. Check the timetable and fares at trenitalia.com or italotreno.it, and book the museums ahead.

December in Florence: cold, often damp, and dark by late afternoon. The city is decorated for Christmas. Many museums close on Mondays, so plan the first day around churches and walking.

Night One: The centre

Walk from the station to the Duomo, about 10 minutes. The cathedral, its dome by Brunelleschi and the Baptistery are in one square. The cathedral is free to enter, but the climb to the top of the dome is a long stair of more than 400 steps, and may not suit tired legs. Check the booking system for the dome. The Piazza della Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio are a short walk away on flat ground.

The Uffizi Gallery is closed on Mondays, so if you arrive on Monday 21 December, save it for Tuesday and book a time slot. Check the days for the other museums as well.

Where to stay. Look near the station or around the Duomo, where the walk is short. Check the rate, the breakfast time and the distance to the station before booking.

Where to eat. Florentine dishes include ribollita, a bread and vegetable soup, and bistecca alla fiorentina, a large T-bone steak cooked rare and shared. Book a table for the evening.

Day Two: The Oltrarno and the museums

Cross the Ponte Vecchio to the Oltrarno, the district south of the Arno, with artisans' workshops and the Pitti Palace and its Boboli Gardens. The gardens slope, and the winter hours are short. Check the opening. Return for the Uffizi, or the Accademia Gallery, which holds Michelangelo's David, at a booked time.

Getting back

For Pisa airport (PSA), take the train to Pisa Centrale and the PisaMover; for Florence airport (FLR), take the tram or a taxi. Check the services, and allow a margin around the Christmas travel period.