Top attractions in Florence

The Uffizi Gallery is the city's top museum, and the place to see Botticelli's stunning "Birth of Venus." It's also wise to book your entrance ticket in advance to avoid waiting in a long line.

Michaelangelo's "David" stands in the center of the Tribune and rightfully so. Classical music lovers will also enjoy the exhibit at the Accademia Gallery's Museum of Musical Instruments.

It's Florence's, if not the world's, most famous statue, and people have been admiring "David's" chiseled physique since its unveiling in 1504.

A replica of "David" at the entrance of the Palazzo Vecchio indicates his original position here until 1873. The renowned Hall of Five Hundred is a part of the building's museum section.

Piazza della Signoria has plenty of statuary, with the gallery of the Loggia dei Lanzi, the equestrian statue of Cosimo I and the Fountain of Neptune, who slightly resembles Cosimo.

Known as il Duomo, the view from the Gothic cathedral's iconic, red-brick dome offers a sweeping panorama over waves of the city's terracotta rooftops amid rolling, Tuscan hills.

Dedicated to the city's patron saint, John the Baptist, Florence Baptistry in white and green Prato marble boasts an inner dome with lavish, golden mosaics.

It may appear ordinary from the outside, but it's the grandeur within that makes the Church of Santa Maria Novella well worth the visit. Its cloister also provides some moments of serenity.

Pastel-colored apartments upon shops selling art, jewelry, and souvenirs line the city's oldest and most unique bridge Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River. It's picture-perfect day and night.

Stroll across the Ponte Vecchio to the former Medici family residence. The Pitti Palace houses five museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art and the opulent Palatine Gallery.