What to do in Florence when it rains: complete guide to activities and practical ideas

An authentic open-air museum and symbol of the Italian Renaissance era, Florence is one of the best-loved city in the world.

It is rich in points of interest and able to captivate every kind of traveller.

It boasts a UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic centre, enchanting gardens and parks, locations hidden locations to discover and numerous testimonies of Italian art.

It is a city that can fascinate at any time of the year, at any hour of the day or night.

But what to do in case of bad weather?

In this article we have identified the best activities for a rainy day in Florence.

The intention is to offer the reader many ideas to make a holiday in the city truly unique even if it rains.

Evening activities to do in Florence when it rains

Visiting Florence when it is raining can cause many problems and cause many people to avoid moving around the city.

But the enormous wealth of destinations and destinations that the territory offers ends up providing many ideas even for evenings characterised by bad weather.

For example, Florence boasts numerous theatres, museums, temporary or permanent exhibitions, churches and basilicas.

Museums open in the evening

Florence’s portentous artistic heritage has led to the creation over time of a large number of museums and art galleries.

Just think that of the 15 most visited art museums in our country, 5 are in the city of Florence.

And many of these offer extraordinary openings throughout the year or remain active until evening hours.

So what can we do when it rains in Florence in the evening?

One of the activities is to visit museums.

Let’s find out which museums in Florence are open in the evening:

Uffizi Gallery: on Tuesdays it is open until 9.30 pm. From Wednesday to Sunday until to 6.30 pm;
Accademia Gallery: Tuesdays open until 10pm, Thursdays until 9pm, other days until 6.50pm days until 6.50 pm;
Medici Chapels: open daily until 6.50pm;
Treasury of the Grand Dukes: open Tuesday to Sunday until 6.30 pm;
Museum of Fashion and Costume: open Tuesday to Sunday until 6.30pm;
Porcelain Museum: open Tuesday to Sunday until 6.30pm;
Palatine Gallery: open Tuesday to Sunday until 6.30pm;
Gallery of Modern Art: open Tuesday to Sunday until 6.30pm;
Palazzo Vecchio: open Friday to Wednesday until 7pm;
Bargello Museum: open on Saturdays until 6.50 pm;
Museo Novecento: open from Friday to Wednesday until 8pm;
National Archaeological Museum of Florence: open on Thursdays until 7pm
Palazzo Davanzati: open Fridays and Saturdays until 6.50 pm;
Leonardo da Vinci Museum: open daily until 7.30pm;
Giotto’s Bell Tower: open daily until 6.45pm;
Baptistery of San Giovanni: open daily until 7.30pm;
Dome of the Duomo: open Monday to Friday until 6.45pm;
Opera del Duomo Museum: open daily until 7pm;
Gucci Garden Museum: open daily until 7pm.

Indoor Gastronomic Tours

The heritage of the city of Florence is not only made up of art and culture. A rich component is represented by the culinary tradition, typical products, recipes and dishes that have made the cradle of the Renaissance famous throughout the world also for its food.

Here is a series of indoor gastronomic tours in Florence that we can do even in the event of rain:

Mercato Centrale: this is the food and wine heart of the city, the most important market in the territory. Structured on two covered levels, it offers specialities such as bistecca alla fiorentina, pane sciocco, lampredotto, wine, oil, salami and cheese;
Florence – Chocolate workshop and tasting: in the historic centre, Venchi organises an exclusive experience to learn about and taste chocolate;
Local trattorias and osterias offer the opportunity to take an authentic journey through the history of local flavours thanks to dishes such as fettunta, Tuscan crostino, ribollita, panzanella, tripe.

Ideas for families and children

Visiting a city in the rain becomes even more complex and nerve-wracking if we are travelling with children and teenagers.

It is always important to have good alternatives available to prevent boredom in children.

What to do in case of bad weather in Florence with children?

Here, too, art and culture come to our aid, offering valuable alternatives: from visiting interactive museums, workshops with creative activities so popular with young people, and participation in cultural participation in cultural events and shows.

Visits to interactive museums

What to see indoors in Florence with children?

Among the most important attractions are those that give children the chance not only to observe but also to act and intervene, to actively participate.

For this reason, one of the must-sees is the Leonardo da Vinci Interactive Museum.

It is the only truly interactive museum in Florence, where children can try out and use the machines designed by Leonardo da Vinci in his Codices.

The Leonardo Interactive Museum is at Via dei Servi 66/r and exhibits interactive machines such as the giant tank, the paddle boat, the aerial screw, the hydraulic saw, the wing test, the printing press, the mechanical drum, the screw or Archimedes screw, the vertical ornithopter.

Workshops and creative activities

We remain inside the Leonardo da Vinci Interactive Museum.

Here, children and young people can also take part in educational and interactive workshops.

Here they can try their hand at building the bridge, the self-supporting dome, Platonic solids and polyhedra. But also work on the stomachion or loculus archimedius, a mathematical game first described by Archimedes.

We then move on to the Museo degli Innocenti. Here stands the Bottega dei ragazzi, which offers creative educational workshops for children and young people with the aim of teaching the language of the artistic heritage.

The activities are inspired by the style of the ancient Renaissance workshops and based on the philosophy of learning by doing.

Alongside these, there are numerous other locations that offer workshops for children and children and young people: