ABC School

The cathedral interior is to a basilica pattern; it's vast and at first feels dark and empty. Give your eyes time to adjust, and admire the stained glass windows, funeral monument of Bishop d'Orso, and altar of St Zanobius. Below is the Crypt (M-Sa 10:00-17:00) with remains of the preceding cathedral of Santa Reparata, and the tomb of Brunelleschi. Giotto is believed to lie here somewhere, but his tomb has yet to be identified. Above is the soaring cupola or Dome. The cathedral is free, but you need a pre-booked ticket and time-slot to climb the 464 steps up to the Dome (entrance north side of the church). Slots are available M-F 08:30-19:00, Sa 08:30-17:00 and Su 13:00-16:00.

Outstanding fine art museum with Renaissance paintings and sculptures from classical antiquity. It's in a late 16th-century palazzo designed by Vasari, in two wings enclosing a long narrow courtyard, effectively a street, an innovation in its day. Originally the palazzo was magistrates' offices (hence "Uffizi") and state archives; then it came to house the Medici's vast art collection. However, one collections seems to have crossed purposes: the massive number of standardized portraits, placed in the hallway, seem to have been an ID system for identifying important foreigners when they came to town. The artworks are on the first and second floors, they keep the lifts well hidden. Highlights include Birth of Venus by Boticelli, Dukes of Urbino by della Francesca, Medusa by Caravaggio, Venus of Urbino by Titian, Annunciation by da Vinci, Pope Leo X and family by Raphael, Velasquez' self-portrait, Rembrandt's final self-portrait, and many other big names. Allow three hours for a visit. Uffizi specialises in the Renaissance, so although later styles are represented, examples are few: you don't really come here for the 18th- to 20th-century material. The restaurant/cafè has a large balcony overlooking the main piazza with good views of the Palazzo Vecchio, and naturally their prices reflect the views.

Used as a barracks and prison until the 19th century, this museum houses some of the best Renaissance and Mannerist sculpture. Big names here include Michelangelo, Donatello, Ammannati, Bandinelli, Andrea and Jacopo Sansovino, Desiderio da Settignano, Giambologna, and Antonio Rossellino. It also displays ceramics, textiles & tapestries, ivory, silver, armour and coins. Allow two hours. Not nearly as crowded as the Uffizi or Galleria dell'Accademia and paying a fee to book in advance is likely not necessary.

Highlights are Michelangelo's original David (the one in Piazza della Signoria is a copy) and his unfinished Slaves. It also includes Florentine painting, a museum of musical instruments, and Russian icons. No photography is allowed inside. N.B. the "Accademia di Belle Arti" next door is a university department, not connected with the Gallery.

The original Pitti was a banker; the palace has housed royalty but became best known for its Medici family treasures. It's now divided into four museums (same ticket): ground floor is the Treasury of the Grand Dukes; first floor houses the Palatine Gallery and the Royal and Imperial Apartments, second floor is the Modern Art Gallery and the Museum of Costume and Fashion. The Boboli gardens are just behind the palazzo.

This museum shows the evolution of the instruments used in various scientific fields such as mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, astronomy. The room of Galileo Galilei shows some of his original instruments as well as models from his drawings. The room of Spheres and Globes houses an excellent cartographic collection. In a rather macabre twist the museum also has the middle finger of Galileo's right hand on display. The museum offer some descriptions in Italian and English but you can access other languages by scanning QR codes (Chinese, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, German). The museum offers an open WiFi. It is recommended to have an idea of the principles behind the instruments (as the descriptions on the labels are rather generic). For that, you can download their free audio-guide app available in Italian and English (Google Play, Apple Store) and get an idea of the instruments displayed.