shopping in florence

There are always a lot of free things to do in Florence, from free museums to concerts and festivals.

• Check out the Florence Flyer for suggestions!

• Every state museum in Florence is free the first Sunday of every month, so take advantage of that. Here’s a link.

• Find a list of free activities around Florence.

Here are a few others not on the list:

• CATHEDRAL OF SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE

Appreciate the beauty of the cathedral every day from 10 to 5pm. The frescoes and the inner part of the Dome are worth the line, and even going downstairs and walking around the church that was in place of the Duomo, Santa Reparata, is free.

• GUCCI MUSEUM

The Gucci Museum inside Palazzo della Mercanzia in Piazza della Signoria is free for students.

• SANTA MARIA DE RICCI CHURCH

Located in Via del Corso, they offer free organ recitals every evening at 21:15.

• BASILICA SAN MINIATO AL MONTE

Considered as one of the most beautiful Romanesque buildings in Tuscany with an extraordinary and unusual interior. Located behind Piazzale Michelangelo with exciting views over Florence. Every evening at 17:30 you can admire here monks chanting.

• BRITISH INSTITUTE’S CULTURAL WEDNESDAY EVENINGS IN FLORENCE 

Every Wednesday at 18.00 from September to June there is a lecture, concert or other events in the Sala Ferragamo in the Harold Acton Library organized by the British Institute of Florence (donations, however small, to support  Library and Cultural Programme are welcome).  Check the program here.

Here are some other activities that are either free or very affordable:

• OSL trips and activities are free, incredible, and extremely well organized, so take advantage of them. Spaces fill up fast, so make sure you sign up as soon as the links are available in the Florence Flyer, which goes out at 6 pm every Sunday.

• Go to a soccer game: typically tickets will be 10-35 euro, but students can get up to a 40% discount, and the #17 and #50 buses run directly to the stadium.

• Ride the carousel at Piazza della Repubblica for 2 euro.

• Get a panino to go from All’Antico Vinaio or your favorite panino shop, take the #12 or #13 bus up to San Miniato al Monte, and sit on the church steps to watch the sunset over the Arno.

• Facebook Events is a useful resource for finding local festivals going on around the city. Strolling around is free, and many offer good and cheap food.

• Get a gelato and sit along the Arno, listen to music if there are local artists performing.

• Go to the opera. Tickets are cheap, usually 10 to 20 euro. Borrow a Maggio Card from the Office of Academic Support or Office of Student Life to obtain a student discount.

• Buy an OPA pass here for 18 euro and get access to the Duomo dome, bell tower, baptistery, crypt below the cathedral, and Opera del Duomo Museum.

• Have an aperitivo. A lot of cafés and bars offer a buffet and a drink for around 7 euro between about 6:00 and 8:00 pm.

• Take the bus up to Fiesole and admire the views and market, attend one of the free concerts organized by the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole.

• Rent a bike and go explore the city–watch out for cars, though. Prices vary depending on the place and the amount of time they are rented out for, but expect to pay approximately four euro for an hour, 10 euro for five hours, 15 euro for a full day, and 20 euro for 24 hours. A good place to rent them can be found here.

• Visit the Ferragamo Shoe Museum for 4 euro.

• Visit the Ospedale degli Innocenti for 9 euro and see Ghirlandaio’s Adoration of the Magi.