Florence best views: a guide to the best viewpoints in Florence

Are you planning your weekend in Florence and want to know where you can take a picture of the best views of Florence? The Florentine skyline with the monumental dome of Brunelleschi is one of the most iconic and well-known sights in all of Italy.

But where can you find the best views of Florence?

Florence viewpoint is one of the most well-known images of an Italian city. One of the best views of Florence is from the panoramic terrace above the city. However, few people know that you can admire Florence from various points of view, some closer, others further from the center. If you want to take home some beautiful photos of Florence seen from above, here is my guide to the best views in Florence!

Where is the best view of Florence?

The most famous panoramic Florence viewpoint is Piazzale Michelangelo.

It is a panoramic terrace at the top of a hill that closes the center of Florence from the south. The Piazzale is part of an interesting urban project created by Giuseppe Poggi in the second half of the 19th century.

Best views of Florence: Florence skyline from Piazzale Michelangelo

The panoramic terrace is at the end of the so-called “Viale dei colli” that connects Porta Romana with the Arno River. Poggi’s idea was that the avenue would be the ‘most beautiful stroll in the world’, and the view of the center from here is certainly breathtaking. The terrace was dedicated to the most famous and talented Florentine artist, Michelangelo Buonarroti. Even today you can admire the bronze copy of his David in the center of the Piazzale.

Florence view: how to get to Piazzale Michelangelo?

The walk to Piazzale Michelangelo gives you the chance to discover some lesser-known corners of the city. To get to the Piazzale you can cross the Arno over the Ponte Vecchio and turn left after the bridge, walking along Via dei Bardi. Once you arrive in Piazza Santa Maria Soprarno, continue along Via dei Bardi which will pass behind the buildings overlooking the river and eventually changes its name to Via San Niccolò. In fact, after about 10 minutes you will arrive in the San Niccolò neighborhood, with its piazza in front of the church of the same name.

San Niccolò is a very interesting neighborhood where you can find not only bars and restaurants but also artists’ studios. Next to the church you can visit the studio of the street artist Clet Abraham; in via San Niccolò 44 Red, you can find Dhai Studio Art Gallery, where you will find the works of other Florentine artists, street art, and more.

Leaving the center of Florence through Porta San Niccolò, you’ll find the climb to the Piazzale. The steps of Monte alle Croci are still being restored today. To the left of the closed street, however, you will find the entrance to the Rose Garden, which you can walk through and then continue to the top of the hill. The Rose Garden is one of my favorite places. It has an enchanted garden quality. Inside you can not only discover a collection of different varieties of roses, but also the art of the Belgian artist Jean Michel Folon.

Passing through the garden, you will arrive at the exit at the top, located just below Piazzale Michelangelo. From there, continue up the road and you arrive in Piazzale Michelangelo.

To come back down to the center you can use the Poggi’s ramps as an alternative, which go from the Piazzale directly towards the river.

Best views in Florence: iconic spots

Piazzale Michelangelo is just one of the best views in Florence. If you want to take pictures of the center from different points of view, don’t miss these other places.

Florence view from the terrace of the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte

Just above Piazzale Michelangelo is the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte, one of the oldest churches in the city, founded in 1018. The Basilica of San Miniato is a place where history and art meet faith. So, it is definitely worth including a visit to San Miniato in your itinerary.

Moreover, from the terrace in front of the Basilica you get a breathtaking Florence view. San Miniato is located higher than Piazzale Michelangelo, so the perspective is a bit different. Without a doubt, the terrace is also less crowded than Piazzale.

Florence view from the Rose Garden

The Rose Garden is one of my favorite places in Florence. It is a little gem! The garden connects the San Niccolò district with Piazzale Michelangelo. From the garden you can admire one of the best views in Florence, obviously admiring the profile of Brunelleschi’s dome and Arnolfo’s Tower.

The Garden is a perfect place to get away from the crowds and chaos of the center. Here you can also have a packed lunch lying on the grass and admiring the view of Florence.

Florence view from the fort Belvedere

At the top of the southern hill, above the Boboli Gardens, is Forte Belvedere. It is one of the Medici fortresses built in the late 16th century to protect the state. Forte Belvedere was designed by the Medici court architect, Bernardo Buontalenti.

Today the fort hosts temporary art exhibitions and offers a privileged view of the centre of Florence.

Find out before your visit if it is open and if there are any exhibitions. If you find it open, stop by! You won’t regret it!

Florence view from the Oblate Caffè

The Oblate Library is located in an ancient convent on Via dell’Oriuolo, a few steps from the Duomo. On the top floor of the complex there is now a café from which you can admire Brunelleschi’s Dome. Here you can get a coffee and take pictures. It’s the ideal stop to take a break in between visiting the museums.

Florence view from the Verone Caffè

Another café with a view is located on the top floor of the Ospedale degli Innocenti, in Piazza Santissima Annunziata. It’s the Caffè il Verone. From here you can also admire the majestic dome of Brunelleschi.

The view from the cafeteria extends to the east. So, apart from Brunelleschi’s dome, you can also see the synagogue and the Sant’Ambrogio district. As with the Caffè delle Oblate, this is also a great place to take a break between your other visits! In addition, here you can discover the history of the Ospedale degli Innocenti, founded in the fifteenth century as one of the first orphanages in Europe. The architect was Filippo Brunelleschi, and the design became a manifesto of the new Renaissance architecture based on proportions and ideal figures such as the cube and the sphere.

For many centuries the hospital was home to children abandoned by their families, becoming a place of protection and care.

Certainly, in addition to visiting the bar, it is worth spending some time visiting the Museum of the Ospedale degli Innocenti, which tells the story of this place that was so very important to the local community.

Best views in Florence: unusual spots

Beyond the most famous viewpoints in Florence, the city hides surprising corners and unexpected perspectives that reveal a different and fascinating face.

Here are the most unusual views of Florence, I will reveal hidden spots and unique observation points that enrich the experience of those who want to know the city from an original and unconventional point of view.

Florence view from Brunelleschi’s dome and Giotto’s bell tower

To see Florence from a different point of view you have to climb. If you don’t have any problems with stairs, heights, and narrow spaces, it is definitely worth climbing to the top of Brunelleschi’s Dome and Giotto’s Bell Tower. These two panoramic points so close to each other actually offer two slightly different views. The dome is higher and the view of the city from here is simply spectacular. But if you climb the dome, you don’t see the dome itself. For this reason it is worth climbing to the top of the Bell Tower as well, to see the dome up close, so close that it seems you can touch it.

Climbing the dome is one of the most fun and fascinating attractions in Florence. Don’t miss it during your visit. Book your ticket well in advance, because between April and October tickets are often sold out.

Florence view from the Arnolfo Tower

Another tower from which you can see Florence from above is the Tower of Arnolfo, that is, the Tower of Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall of Florence.

Climbing the tower is one of the options during a visit to Palazzo Vecchio. Here too, you need to book in advance, because in the high season, tickets to climb the tower can be sold out if you try to buy the same day of your visit.

The Arnolfo Tower, in addition to a special Florence view, also tells an important chapter in the history of the city. In fact, Cosimo the Elder de’ Medici was imprisoned in the tower, before being condemned to exile in 1433.

The visit to the Arnolfo Tower allows you to discover the architecture and history of Palazzo Vecchio and to get to know one of the most unusual places in the city.

Florence view from the Convent of San Francesco in Fiesole

If you want to see Florence from a truly different angle, I recommend a half-day trip to Fiesole. Located on the hill that closes Florence from the north, Fiesole will allow you to get away from the crowds and chaos of the center. Florence seems completely different from here, like a calm and quiet city.

There are several Florence city views in Fiesole, but the most famous is from the convent of San Francesco. To reach San Francesco, once you arrive in Piazza Mino in Fiesole, you have to climb up the hill on Via San Francesco that starts east of the Duomo.

A trip to Fiesole is a great way to spend a half day outside Florence. Aside from the view from San Francesco, you can also visit the archaeological site with its museum, the Bandini Museum; meanwhile, If you enjoy trekking, you can walk around Monte Ceceri.

Florence view from a rooftop bar

What about admiring a view of Florence while sipping a lovely glass of wine or a cocktail? If this is to your liking, then book a table at one of Florence’s rooftop bars.

There is a wide selection: you can choose between the terrace at the top of the Hotel Continental, the Aria Rooftop of the Hotel Tivoli Palazzo Gaddi in via del Giglio, or a slightly alternative rooftop with a swimming pool at the Social Hub in viale Lavagnini.

Best views in Florence: the panoramic walk from Piazzale Michelangelo to Arcetri

One of the things I love most about Florence is the fact that the countryside to the north and south of the city begins practically immediately outside the walls. For this reason, on weekends we often set off on a walk up the hill to enjoy one of the best views in Florence.

One of our favorite itineraries starts from Piazzale Michelangelo. From here we head towards San Miniato al Monte. After passing the Basilica we turn into Passo all’Erta and then into via di Giramonte which takes us to Torre del Gallo and Pian dei Giullari.

We usually go as far as the church of Santa Margherita a Montici. After lunch at the legendary Trattoria Omero we go back down to the city, this time following via San Leonardo.

You will find many panoramic lookout points along this route. Florence appears here and there between the hills, increasingly far away. After a while you will also begin to see views of the surrounding hills, until you see the Certosa del Galluzzo and the countryside south of Florence.

Another interesting aspect of this walk is the history of Galileo Galilei. After being condemned by the Inquisition, the scholar spent the last years of his life in Arcetri, in the Villa il Gioiello. He could no longer publish his studies, nor give lessons to his students. During this period of his life he had a special relationship with his daughter Virginia, who lived as a nun in the convent not far from the villa. Today on the wall of the Villa II Gioiello there is a bust of Galileo and an inscription that commemorates his stay in Arcetri.

The scientific and astronomical tradition continues here in the hills, because the University of Florence has its astronomical observatory in Arcetri.

This walk is one of our ways to get away from the chaos of Florence, walking among the olive groves and to viewpoints in florence.

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