Florence 2026: An Honest Take

Florence 2026: An Honest Take

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Florence is part of the magic that keeps drawing us back to Italy. Being the birthplace of the Renaissance, and ‘the spark that lit the powder keg’ of Western culture, means it will always hold worldwide significance. It is deservedly adored throughout the world, and many folks dream of being able to visit one day (or lovingly reminisce on previous visits).

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Despite the crowds, and the concept of a ‘shoulder season’ being almost nonexistent here, Florence is still highly desirable. But just how popular is Florence and how does it compare to other famous cities? Well, a recent Reddit post puts this into perspective:

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This chart takes a little bit of time to orient to, but I think it supplies a wealth of data that helps frame Florence. The big takeaway for me: the further up and to the right the city, the more that city will feel like it’s overwhelmed by foreign tourists. It’s no surprise that Venice is the furthest to the right and to the top. It’s been well documented that Venice is suffering from overtourism . The local population has declined, and there have been increasing measures, such as a daily tourism fee, to try and offset Venice’s overtourism. Florence is surprisingly the next city that is up and to the right on the chart, behind only Venice. Some other 2025 statistics the chart tells us:

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• Over 80% of its tourist nights are from outside Italy. Florence is not a city where Italians are the majority of the vacationers. Compare it to, say, Rimini, which has more visitors per resident than even Florence, but less than 40% of Rimini’s visitors are international.
  
  
• Florence has 32 visitors per resident on an annual basis; this is almost double Rome at 18 visitors per resident. While Rome’s 50.4M overnight stays is massively more than the 11.5M overnight stays that Florence has, it definitely ‘feels’ like there’s at least twice as many tourists.

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Unlike previous visits to Florence, we’ve noticed that the western culture of tipping has become more and more common. We were asked at several restaurants if we wanted to leave tips, which is extremely rare in other parts of Italy. The concept of da asporto (takeout orders) and iced coffees in plastic to-go cups shows up in even some of the most traditional places.

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It’s definitely something we aren’t used to seeing in Italy. Is it the new Italian way, modern conveniences, or accommodation to the demand of tourism? Ways of life are different in Italy compared to where we are from (the United States) and that’s what we appreciate. The things that make us different are wonderful, and we don’t want it to lose that uniqueness. We sincerely hope that when you visit, you try to acclimate to the local customs, and remember that things may not work exactly like they do wherever you call home.

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Florence: The Verdict

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Is it crowded? Yes. Will we hesitate to return? No. We find something new to explore with each visit because there’s simply too much to see and experience. This visit, we spent hours wandering around the Gardino di Boboli (Boboli Gardens) and standing in awe looking up at the frescoed dome in the Cappella dei Principi (Chapel of the Princes) at the Cappelle Medicee (Medici Chapels). The view of the Ponte Vecchio and the grand orange dome of the cathedral: we’ve seen them countless times and they never get old. And we all know that we travel to find the culinary delights that make each city and each region special.

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While we don’t think there are many, if any, “hidden gems” in Florence, the city proved to us that there are still great meals to be had here! Florence offers amazing cucina povera, some of the world’s best wines from the region, the Negroni was invented here, and they boast a seriously strong gelato game. Florence is timeless.

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Plan Your Visit

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Thinking of visiting Florence? Check out our Florence City Guide for recommendations on where to eat, what to see, what to try, the best gelato spots, and how to best experience the birthplace of the Renaissance.