May is one of the best months to visit Florence. Expect daytime highs around 24°C, nights near 11°C and roughly 8 rainy days across the month. Warm, bright and busy, with 24C afternoons and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino opera and concert festival running through the month. Book the Uffizi and Accademia well ahead now, because walk-up queues routinely pass two hours.
Day high
24°C
Night low
11°C
Rainy days
≈ 8
Verdict
Go
May is high demand: book 4 to 6 weeks out to keep these prices realistic.
Landmark stay€€€Arno views · Duomo and Piazza della Signoria
A Ferragamo-owned luxury address on the Lungarno with rooms looking straight at the Ponte Vecchio. It is expensive even for Florence, and the river-view suites are the reason people book it.
from ~550 EUR/night
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First visit€€Family-run classic · Duomo and Piazza della Signoria
A warm, family-run hotel in a medieval palazzo two minutes from Piazza della Signoria, so the Uffizi and the Duomo are both a short walk. The included evening aperitivo and the owners' tips are what reviewers keep mentioning.
from ~160 EUR/night
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Local life€€Loggia over the piazza · Santo Spirito
A Renaissance palace on lively Piazza Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno, with a top-floor loggia terrace over the rooftops. You sleep on the artisan side of the river, a five-minute walk across to the center.
from ~150 EUR/night
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Budget€Central hostel · San Lorenzo and Mercato Centrale
A small, well-kept hostel in a historic building near San Lorenzo market and the Duomo, with private rooms as well as dorms. It puts you inside the walkable core at a fraction of Florence hotel prices.
from ~45 EUR/night
Check pricesReal hotel photos · prices are indicative from-rates, not live quotes · booking links support the site at no extra cost
With highs around 24°C, May is outdoor weather: prioritize viewpoints, parks and long walks.
Duomo and Brunelleschi's Dome
TipThe cathedral floor is free to enter but the dome climb needs a separate timed reservation booked days ahead through the Duomo complex ticket; it is 463 steps with no lift and slots sell out. Take the earliest morning slot for the coolest, least crowded stairwell and the sharpest light over the city.
Giotto's Campanile
TipIncluded in the same Duomo complex ticket as the dome, the bell tower is 414 steps and usually has a shorter line than the dome. Climb it if the dome is sold out, because from here you actually get the dome itself in your photos, which you cannot from on top of it.
Ponte Vecchio
TipThe medieval bridge of goldsmiths' shops is free and always open, but daytime is a slow-moving crush. Come at 8am for empty photos or after 10pm when the jewellers shutter and the arches light up; shoot the bridge itself from the next bridge downstream, Ponte Santa Trinita.
Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio
TipThe square and its open-air Loggia dei Lanzi sculptures are free to wander at any hour, and the David outside Palazzo Vecchio is a copy on the spot where the original once stood. If you climb the Arnolfo tower inside, buy the palace ticket online and note the tower closes in heavy rain.
Ready to plan the full trip? Start from the 2-day Florence itinerary.
May is one of the best months to visit Florence. Expect daytime highs around 24°C, nights near 11°C and roughly 8 rainy days across the month. Warm, bright and busy, with 24C afternoons and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino opera and concert festival running through the month. Book the Uffizi and Accademia well ahead now, because walk-up queues routinely pass two hours.
Typical May days in Florence reach about 24°C, dropping to around 11°C at night. Layers work best.
Count on roughly 8 days with rain in May. Rain rarely lasts all day, so plans hold up well.