About Florence - Currency, language and travel advice
About Florence

About Florence

Get all the information about Florence you need to plan your trip, such as the city's business hours, language, holidays, and many other essential facts.

Travel Advice

Travel advice for Italy. Passports, visas and identity cards to visit Florence and the rest of Italy depending on where you are from.
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Medical Insurance

Taking out travel insurance is the best way to know you're covered before travelling. Get to know how healthcare and insurance works in Florence.
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Climate

Florence has a warm temperate continental climate with sweltering humid summers and cold rainy winters. It also snows practically every year.
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Language

The official language spoken in Florence is Italian, like in the rest of Italy. Citizens working in the tourism industry will most likely speak English.
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Public Holidays

When do the museums and top attractions in Florence close? Find out when Florence and the rest of Italy celebrates its public holidays and observances.
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History of Florence

History of Florence

The history of Florence (Italy) from its foundation until it was made capital of Italy during the nineteenth century, including information on the Medicis.
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Firenze Card

Firenze Card

The Firenze Card is the tourist card of Florence. It offers unlimited use of Florence’s public transport and free entry to the main museum of the city.
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Other questions

Florence facts and figures

The capital of Tuscany has nearly 400.000 inhabitants. Known as the capital of arts, it has countless sculptures, piazzas, civic and religious buildings, palaces, markets, and museums which make it a unique destination.

Famous worldwide for its perfect preservation, Florence stands as it did during the fifteenth century. Nevertheless, thanks to the modernization projects commissioned by the city’s town hall, Florence is a perfect mix of modernity and classicism. One of the new projects worth highlighting is the new high-speed railway station.    

Currency

Italy’s official currency is the euro, like many other members of the European Union.

Prices

To get a general idea of prices in Florence, visitors can have an ice-cream for € 1.50 (US$ 1.60), get a takeaway pizza for € 5 (US$ 5.30) or have an espresso coffee for € 0.80 (US$ 0.90).

Current local time

The current time in Italy is CEST (Central European Summer Time) in the summer and CET (Central European Time) in winter, like Spain and France.   

Electricity, plugs and sockets

The majority of the plugs in Italy are "Type L" (Italian socket type) with three prongs. However, it is also possible to find the "Type C" (Europlug), both with a voltage of 220V.

Opening hours

Most shops in Florence open daily from 10 am until 6 pm. Some stores have longer opening hours. 

Healthcare system in Florence

If you are a UK citizen or from any other EU member state, you have access to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This card, which is free, will enable you to have access to Italian healthcare at a reduced cost or sometimes for free. For those from the United States, Canada, Australia or any country outside the European Union, it is not obligatory to get health insurance to travel to Italy. Nevertheless, we recommend buying some type of travel insurance before your trip since healthcare can sometimes be expensive. If you are from the UK you can apply by clicking on this link.

Helpful telephone numbers

  • Emergency number: 113
  • Florence area code: 055
  • Italy area code: 0039
  • Police: 112
  • Emergency medical services: 118
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