Florence audio guide that talks as you walk
Florence is where the Renaissance began: Brunelleschi's dome, Michelangelo's David, the Medici palaces and the Uffizi, all within a few minutes' walk of each other. With AI TourMate you don't need a pre-booked tour. Switch on GPS auto mode, start walking, and the app tells you the story of each place as you reach it — in your own language.
Have a listen
This is how the app tells the story when you arrive: Florence Cathedral (Duomo) · 0:47
In the app, every story is created on the spot, so each one is a little different. This is a pre-made example in the same voice the app uses.
Read the story
Stand in the square and look up at the great red dome. When work on the cathedral began in 1296, nobody yet knew how to cover a space this wide. The answer came more than a century later from Filippo Brunelleschi, a goldsmith by training, who built the dome between 1420 and 1436 without the usual wooden framework underneath. His secret was two shells, one inside the other, and bricks laid in a herringbone pattern, so each new ring held itself up. It is still the largest brick dome in the world. The striped marble facade in front of you is much younger: it was completed only in 1887. If you have the legs for it, 463 steps lead up between the two shells to the lantern at the very top.
How many places can the app talk about?
AI TourMate finds its stories in OpenStreetMap. Within the city limits of Florence, that means more than 880 named places, for example:
- 478 historic sites and monuments
- 222 churches and places of worship
- 115 museums and galleries
- 120 sights, viewpoints and artworks
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors, counted on October 25, 2026.
From Michelangelo's David to the Ponte Vecchio
From the Accademia past the Duomo and the Piazza della Signoria to the Arno, in one walk. The app narrates as you go — and keeps telling stories in the side streets too.
1.8 km · about 25 min walking · 7 stops
Tap a pin or a card to see the place.
What the app tells you about
In the app, each of these is a 1–2 minute story that starts as you arrive — your first one is free.
Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 1Galleria dell'Accademia
Michelangelo carved his David from a single block of marble between 1501 and 1504. The statue stood in the Piazza della Signoria until 1873, when it was moved here to protect it.
Photo: Gary Campbell-Hall, CC BY 2.0 2Florence Cathedral (Duomo)
Santa Maria del Fiore was begun in 1296; Brunelleschi's dome, completed in 1436, is still the largest brick dome in the world. You can climb to the top, 463 steps up.
Photo: Bradley Weber, CC BY 2.0 3Baptistery of San Giovanni
One of the oldest buildings in the city, famous for its gilded bronze doors. Michelangelo is said to have called Lorenzo Ghiberti's east doors the "Gates of Paradise"; the originals are in the cathedral museum, with copies on the building.
Photo: Thermos, CC BY-SA 2.5 4Giotto's Bell Tower
The painter Giotto began the bell tower in 1334. Clad in white, green and pink marble to match the cathedral, it is about 85 meters tall, and its 414 steps lead to a view of the dome.
Photo: Zolli, CC BY-SA 3.0 5Piazza della Signoria
The political heart of Florence for seven centuries. A copy of David stands where the original stood, Cellini's Perseus is in the Loggia dei Lanzi, and a plaque marks where Savonarola was burned in 1498.
Photo: Francesco Bini, CC BY-SA 4.0 6Palazzo Vecchio
Begun in 1299, the fortress-like palace with its tall tower is still Florence's town hall. Inside, the vast Hall of the Five Hundred is decorated with scenes of the city's victories.
Photo: Arek N., CC BY-SA 3.0 7Uffizi Gallery
Giorgio Vasari built the Uffizi from 1560 as offices for Cosimo I de' Medici — "uffizi" means offices. Today it holds one of the world's great art collections, including Botticelli's Birth of Venus.
Photo: Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 4.0 8Ponte Vecchio
The bridge was rebuilt in 1345, and since 1593 its shops have belonged to jewelers and goldsmiths. It was the only bridge in Florence the retreating German army spared in 1944.
Photo: Almaak, CC BY-SA 3.0 9Palazzo Pitti
The huge Renaissance palace became the main residence of the Medici in the 16th century. Today it holds several museums, including paintings by Raphael and Titian.
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 10Boboli Gardens
Behind the Palazzo Pitti, the Medici laid out one of the great Italian gardens, full of statues, fountains and grottoes, with views over the city.
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 11Basilica of Santa Croce
The largest Franciscan church in the world holds the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli, and a monument to Dante, who is buried in Ravenna.
Photo: Michael Wittwer, CC BY-SA 4.0 12Piazzale Michelangelo
This terrace above the Arno was laid out in 1869 and has a bronze copy of David at its center. It offers the classic view of Florence, especially at sunset.
Day trips from Florence
Pisa, Siena and the hills of Chianti are easy trips from the city. The app works there too, and on a road trip it narrates the towns you pass if you turn on GPS auto mode before you drive.
More about road tripsFrequently asked questions
Is there a Florence audio guide in my language?
AI TourMate narrates Florence in 14 languages, including English, Italian, Spanish, German, Japanese and Chinese. Everyone in a group can listen in their own language on their own phone.
Is it a ticket for the Uffizi or the Accademia?
No. The app tells you the story of the places around you as you walk. For the Uffizi, the Accademia and other sites with an entrance, you still need a ticket from the site.
Does it work inside buildings?
The app follows your location by GPS, so it works best outdoors — around the sites and in the streets. Inside large buildings, GPS can be inaccurate.
How much does it cost?
The app is free to download and your first story is free. After that you pay only for what you listen to, with credit packs — there is no subscription.
Explore Florence at your own pace
Free to download · first story free · no subscription