Postcard worthy views of Florence: Duomo fron Piazzale Michelangelo

9 OF THE MOST AMAZING POSTCARD WORTHY VIEWS OF FLORENCE

26th November 2017

Affiliate Links Disclosure: Be-lavie participates in various affiliate marketing programs and is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you make a purchase using one of these links, we may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. For further information, read our Disclosure Policy

We all know that stunning postcard worthy view of Florence we see in glossy magazines taken from the famous Piazzale Michelangelo but any visitor to Florence will know their are spectacular views all over this outdoor museum city. This short guide shows you nine of the best views of Florence, where to capture them from, with Google Map locations as well as other useful information you may need for your time in Florence.

Pin & Save

Short of time? No problem, Pin 7 Save this article to Pinterest and read at your leisure!

Postcard Worthy Views of Florence Pinterest Pin with 4 mages overlayed with text

The Best Time To Visit Florence

Florence, due to its popularity, and it’s obvious to see why, is pretty busy throughout the year. We’d recommend shoulder season during late September and October is great for photographing views and capturing images in general. May and June are also pretty good but avoid late June, July and August as these are, firstly the hottest months and secondly also the busiest and crowded time of year to be in Florence. Personally, we tend to visit around September or October as the skies are clear of greyish wintry clouds and there are few rainy days, meaning there are lots of fabulous views to swoon over and capture. Autumn is a wonderful time to visit with the changing of the seasonal hues, which leads to great photography opportunities.

The Best Time of Day to Visit the Views

Now, this is a bit of a tricky question. If you are an early bird, then you may prefer to visit at sunrise or shortly afterwards before the crowds gather. This will give you some time to take in the views by yourself. If you want visit the views at a certain time of day such as sunset, then be prepared for there to be many other people around which could make it tricky to capture people free photography. A fine example of this is Piazzale Michelangelo at sunset, which lights up the skyline of Florence with the Ponte Vecchio and Duomo in the background.

The view of the Duomo dome from the rooftop at the Uffizi, Florence — The Duomo from the rooftop at the Uffizi

The Best Way to Travel Between Views in Florence

Due to the pedestrianisation of the historical streets in Florence, vehicles are not permitted, therefore the best mode of transport are your legs! Yes, walking is most certainly the best way to see all the beautiful views the city has to offer. You’ll also get to see the little hidden alleyways and gems that you wouldn’t see if you travelled by car.

Be-lavie Tip: The historical centre of Florence and much of the surroundings, is full of cobbled stoned streets, wearing the correct footwear for exploring is essential. We’s recommend trainers or low comfy shoes, like loafers. Leave your high heels at the hotel for fancy dinners or evenings out where you’re not walking much.

9 Amazing Postcard Worthy Views of Florence

Here are some of our most favourite views in Florence which are all easily accessible by foot including some completely free options too to help keep the budget friendly.

**Please note that we have used the Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore) as the centre point so all walking times are from here.

1. San Miniato Al Monte

We’re a little biased, but this is our very favourite of all the views and that’s why we want to tell you about it first. For those of you who have read our photoshoot article with Flytographer, this will look so very familiar! Not only is the view spectacular but all the many times we’ve visited over the years, it;s been pretty quiet and a far cry from the crowded streets of Florence! It’s actually also a lot quieter than Piazzale Michelangelo too.

It’s a nice walk from the centre and depending on your walking speed, I would leave about 45 minutes to do it in a leisurely fashion! It’s uphill, so ladies there will be some glowing! Just incase you’re wondering, we didn’t walk up there when we had our Flytographer shoot, we opted for a cab!!

We really were a little spoilt because this was really the first view of Florence we saw the first time we visited over ten years ago.