Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Located in the heart of Tuscany, a stunning province of hills and mountains, the Renaissance capital of the world, with famous sons like Leonardo, Dante, Machiavelli and Michelangelo, is a sight not to be missed.

The world famous Duomo with the Brunelleschi cupola and the marble clad baptistry are simply stupendous, but not all the monuments are like this. The streets of the historic town centre are often narrow and dark, the palaces robust and intimidating. But have a look at the squares - wonderful mediterranean places where you will like spending hours sitting down, having a caffe and just watching people passing by.

However, Florence is a city of incomparable pleasure concerning churches, monasteries, museums, galleries and palaces. Among the things you can't afford to miss are the Uffizi Galleries, one of the best art museums in the world, the cathedral with the baptistry, the Santo Spirito church and the Ponte Vecchio. To get a great overview of the city, head for Piazza Michelangelo in Oltrarno (other side of river Arno) or farther up to the church of San Miniato.

The surroundings of Florence have many things to offer to the visitor as well as does the whole Florence Province. You can explore this region for weeks without being bored. For these day trips the city of Florence is the perfect starting point.

reater Florence now spreads several kilometres down the Arno Valley and onto the hills north and south of the city, but the major sights are contained in an area that can be crossed on foot in under thirty minutes.

A short walk southeast from the train station brings you to Piazza del Duomo, site of the Duomo itself and the neighbouring Baptistry. The compact district from here south to the river is the inner core, the area into which most of the tourists are packed, and which boasts the best-preserved medieval parts of Florence and the majority of its fashionable streets. Just south of the duomo is Florence's outstanding sculpture gallery, the Bargello. The large Piazza della Signoria, some 300m south of the duomo, is overlooked by the Palazzo Vecchio and the famous picture gallery of the Uffizi.

West of the duomo, and backing onto the train station, is the unmissable church of Santa Maria Novella . Immediately north of the duomo is the grand church of San Lorenzo , at the heart of a throng of market stalls around the covered Mercato Centrale . Clustered together just northeast of San Lorenzo are the monastery of San Marco , with its paintings by Fra' Angelico; the Accademia , home of Michelangelo's David ; and Piazza Santissima Annunziata , Florence's most attractive square. The main attraction in the eastern quarters of the city centre is the vast Franciscan church of Santa Croce .

South of the river - preferably via the medieval Ponte Vecchio , which is still picturesquely lined with shops perched over the water - lies the Oltrarno district, where the array of museums within the Palazzo Pitti exerts the strongest pull, and the church of Santo Spirito stands at the focus of a lively student quarter. Overlooking the city from the south is the lavish hilltop church of San Miniato al Monte .