Best Time to Visit Florence

Florence sits in a bowl-shaped river basin surrounded by hills, which traps heat in mid-summer and chilly mist in mid-winter. For comfortable walking weather, open gardens and manageable queues, the sweet spots are April to mid-June and mid-September to late October.

Spring (April to May) brings mild days and the city's historic gardens into bloom. Late April and early May are when purple wisteria drapes the pergola of the Giardino Bardini in the Oltrarno and over 350 varieties of iris open in the hillside Giardino dell'Iris below Piazzale Michelangelo (which opens free to the public only for a few weeks each May). Easter Sunday brings the centuries-old Scoppio del Carro (Explosion of the Cart), when a mechanical dove ignites a fireworks-packed wooden cart between the Baptistery and the Cathedral altar.

Summer (June to August) is hot, dry and crowded. Afternoon temperatures in July and August regularly climb past 33°C on the stone pavements, with very little breeze along the Arno. On 24 June, Florence celebrates its patron saint, San Giovanni, with historical costume parades, the finals of the rough Renaissance sport Calcio Storico in Piazza Santa Croce and fireworks over the river. If you visit in summer, book air-conditioned morning slots at the Uffizi and Accademia, rest during the mid-afternoon heat and head out again after 18:00.

Autumn (September to November) is harvest season across Tuscany. September and October bring warm golden light, grape harvest (vendemmia) in neighboring Chianti, fresh bright-green new olive oil (olio nuovo) drizzled over toasted bread in November, and white truffles from San Miniato.

Winter (December to March) is the quietest and most affordable time to see the art. Apart from the Christmas and New Year week and Pitti Uomo menswear fashion days in January, you can stand before Botticelli and Donatello without a crowd. Pack warm layers using our packing guide.