There are regular direct flights from UK airports to Florence but mainly to Pisa.

• Currency: Euro
• Time difference: (GMT+1)
• Flight from UK: Between 2 & 3 hours
• Visa: not required for UK passport holders
• Language: Italian
• National drink: Italian Wine, Grappa, Limoncello, Campari
• National dish: Pasta, Pizza

To skip the queues to the city’s main museums we recommend that you book in advance.

As the birthplace of two of Italy’s biggest names in luxury fashion - Guccio Gucci and Roberto Cavalli – it should come as no surprise that indulging in a little retail therapy is a regular Florentine pastime. Stroll along Via de' Tornabuoni for well-known brands (think Prada, Bulgari and Pucci) or head to the Oltrarno quarter for handcrafted paper, metalwork and jewellers. For free musical performances of opera and classical concerts, head to St Mark’s English Church or Chiesa di Orsanmichele.

Originating in Milan but embraced by Florentines, aperitivo is Italy’s version of ‘happy hour’. Seen as a pre-dinner appetiser, pay for a drink (usually a spritz) and then pick and choose from a buffet ranging from olives and bruschetta to bowls of pasta, plates of pizza and salads. For typical Tuscan fare, tuck into Steak Florentine, often weighing over a pound, wild board with pasta and cinghiale sauce or a dish of fagioli all’uccelletto – beans stewed in olive oil and tomatoes with salt and garlic for flavouring.

Known worldwide as the home of the Renaissance movement, no trip to Florence would be complete without a few hours wandering through the Galleria degli Uffizi; this gallery houses an extensive collection of Italian Renaissance art including the Birth of Venus by Botticelli. For a bird’s eye view of the city, climb the 414 steps of the Duomo’s bell tower and for the best view of the iconic Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence built in 1345, head to the Ponte Santa Trinita and capture its beauty away from the crowds.