What to see and do in Florence over the 2024 Christmas season.

Christmas is a magical time of year in Florence and the city makes a perfect day trip from Rome. Here is a quick guide to the festive period in the Tuscan capital.

The 2024 holiday season in Florence began officially on 8 December when the lights on Christmas trees in the historic centre were switched on, with a Nativity scene containing life-size terracotta figures in Piazza del Duomo.

Florence museums

The Uffizi Galleries (Uffizi, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens) are closed on Christmas Day but open on 26 December.

A novelty this year will be the reopening of the Vasari Corridor on 21 December after eight years of major renovation works.

The Galleria dell'Accademia stays open until 18.00 on 24 December, Christmas Eve, with last admission at 17.15.

Christmas lights in Florence

Streets in the centre are festooned with Christmas lights along with videomapping on Ponte Vecchio as part of the Florence Lights Up initiative, until 5 January 2025.

There is ice skating at the Florence on Ice Village at Piazza Vittorio Veneto, along with a ferris wheel.

The Weihnachtsmarkt Christmas market takes place in Piazza Santa Croce until 22 December, with more than 50 stalls in wooden huts offering artisanal gifts and food.

Religious services

St Mark’s English Church celebrates Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at 23.30 and Christmas Day Mass at 10.30 on 25 December.

Getting to Florence from Rome

There are regular train services between Rome and Florence, for information see Trenitalia website.

Cover photo credit: Dan74 / Shutterstock.com.