Duomo to the Boboli Gardens, Florence: free self-guided audio walk
Quick answer. A free self-guided audio walk from the Duomo to the Boboli Gardens in Florence: 5 stops, about 1.7 km, about 25 minutes of walking plus about 34 minutes of listening. Start at the Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore, walk to Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of the city’s government for more than 700 years, and cross the Arno on the Ponte Vecchio, with its jewellers’ shops hanging over the water. In the Oltrarno, finish at the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens behind it, the Medici family’s open-air museum.
- Stops:
- 5
- Distance:
- about 1.7 km
- Walking:
- about 25 min
- Listening:
- about 34 min
Duomo to the Boboli Gardens, Florence: how long does the walk take?
About 59 minutes in all: about 25 minutes on foot over about 1.7 km, plus about 34 minutes of audio at the 5 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Duomo to the Boboli Gardens, Florence: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Florence Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, Pitti Palace, and Boboli Gardens. The longest stretch between two stops is about 0.6 km, about 8 min on foot.
Route and map
Opens Google Maps with walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
Santa Maria del Fiore, glowing with white marble from Carrara, green from Prato and pinkish-red from Siena.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Palazzo Vecchio · about 0.6 km, about 8 min on foot
Stop 2
The fortress-like seat of Florence’s government for more than 700 years, designed by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1299.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Ponte Vecchio · about 0.4 km, about 5 min on foot
Stop 3
Florence’s oldest bridge, lined with jewellery shops and houses hanging over the Arno on wooden brackets.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Pitti Palace · about 0.5 km, about 6 min on foot
Stop 4
The most imposing private residence in Florence, built to dominate and today the city’s largest museum complex.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Boboli Gardens · about 0.3 km, about 4 min on foot
Stop 5
The Medici’s private garden, begun after Eleonora di Toledo bought the Pitti Palace in 1549, now an open-air museum.
about 7 min of audio
How does this self-guided walk work?
The audio guides on this page stay free: open any stop to listen in your browser.
Live Walk Mode uses your location to narrate places as you walk. It opens in the Mappu app at the first stop, Florence Duomo.
Live Walk Mode: 2 hours for 50 credits (€4.99 Starter pack)
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: straight-line distance between stops plus 30%, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
Route checked by Mappu on October 11, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.