What to do in Florence with Children in the holiday season

Lots of activities to make Christmas magical for little ones

Christmas is a special season, with a magical atmosphere that involves both children and adults. For children, in particular, it is the most eagerly awaited time of the year, full of joy, surprises and sharing. Florence, with its illuminated streets, is the ideal place to spend the festive season with the family, and like every year there is no lack of activities for the little ones. From creative workshops, markets, Santa Claus villages and visits to museums, the city is transformed into an enchanted place to dive into the magic of the holidays.

Let's discover together the best Christmas experiences designed for the children to make the festivities even more unique. While to find out all you can do at Christmas in Florence, click here!

Santa's Cottage at Palazzo Vecchio

Until 24 December at Palazzo Vecchio, in the Teatrino del Cortile della Dogana, the Santa Claus House will be open, allowing children to write and post their wish letters in a special mailbox (every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). The letters will be sent directly to Santa's headquarters in Rovaniemi, Finland. Five letters will be drawn at random, and the winners will receive free admission to one of the MUS.E. workshops.

Santa Claus will be present at weekends to welcome the little ones.

Christmas markets in Santa Croce square

In the wonderful setting of Piazza Santa Croce the Christmas markets will be open again this year, with more than fifty stalls housed in typical wooden houses, where you can enjoy food from all over Europe, accompanied by a good vin brule. The Christmas markets are an opportunity for the whole family to immerse themselves in the Christmas atmosphere, and for the children there is Santa Claus's house, with games and initiatives. Looking for more Christmas markets to visit in Tuscany? Click here!

Florence Ice Village

In the setting of the Parco delle Cascine, the panoramic ferris wheel with its 55-metre height and the largest ice skating track in Italy, over 1300 square metres, return. A marvellous Christmas village, where you can visit Santa's little house and board the park train, a journey, dedicated to children aged 3 to 10, through the park, ending with a meeting with Santa Claus. (The activity is free of charge, scheduled for 23-28-29 December and 2-3-4-5-6 January).

Activities and events for children in museums

Once again this year, the Florentine museums have organised activities and events for young and old, with the aim of promoting a Christmas of culture and fun.

At the Museo Stefano Bardini, Santa Maria Novella and the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, the popular Percorsi a lume di torcia are back. Children and adults alike will be able to visit the city's museums in a special atmosphere and discover their wonders thanks to the light, which will offer a new perspective on the museums' masterpieces. Museo Stefano Bardini (20 December h17.30 for families with children aged 8-12 and h19 for young people and adults), at Santa Maria Novella (27 December h17.30 for families with children aged 8-12 and h19 for young people and adults) and at Palazzo Medici Riccardi (3 January h19 for families with children aged 8-12 and at 9pm for young people and adults).

There is no lack of initiatives at the Museo Novecento, including the Winter Camp that offers families with children aged 6 to 10 an opportunity to spend the Christmas holidays among art, fun and learning English, and the Atelier Novecento events dedicated to families with children aged 6 to 10, on 27 December and 3 January. On these occasions there will be a journey through the works of Amedeo Modigliani, Louise Bourgeois and André Butzer

At the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, on Sunday 22 December, Musei in Musica will be staged, a project developed in collaboration with the La Filharmonie orchestra, featuring the Cappella dei Magi. The public will be able to attend a musical journey that will go through the stages of the journey of the three kings, with music by Vivaldi and Schubert. Also at the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, on 6 January, all children aged 6 to 10 are invited to take part in an artistic activity centred precisely on the Epiphany and the feast of the Magi in the Renaissance.

At the HZERO museum, the miniature train museum, you can experience the magic of Christmas with activities for the whole family, workshops, modelling courses, fairy tale readings and much more. The marvellous 280-square metre model, the heart of the museum, prepares for Christmas with some new additions for the occasion, the Christmas train on the test track and the chance to write a letter to Santa Claus. In addition, there is no shortage of initiatives, such as Fiabe in carrozza (Fairy tales in a carriage), a free reading of tales for the whole family linked to the world of trains and the imaginary world of travel with actress Enrica Pecchioli (Saturday 28 December at 11 a.m. and 12 noon and Sunday 5 January at 3 and 4 p.m.)

From 15 to 27 December, children and families will also be able to participate in the HZERO Family workshops, while on 22 December, an intensive ‘One Day Lab’ modelling course in the ‘Christmas Edition’ version will guide enthusiasts and the curious in the creation of a small diorama to put themselves to the test with model railways.

The Science and Technology Foundation and the Planetarium also offer numerous activities for children during the festive season. Such as ‘’Il cielo del Natale‘’ on Thursday 26 December for children aged 7 and up (3.00 pm) and ‘’Natale spaziale‘’ for children aged 3 to 6 (4.30 pm); Sunday 29 December will be the ‘’Little Prince‘’ screened in the Planetarium. On Friday, 3 January 2025, ‘ Il cielo del mese’ for children aged 7 and over (3.00 p.m.) and ‘A spasso tra le costellazioni’ for children aged 3 to 6 (4.30 p.m.). On the occasion of Epiphany, Monday 6 January 2025 ‘La Befana al Planetario’ for children from 7 years (3 pm) and ‘Sul manico di scopa’ for children from 3 to 6 years (4.30 pm).

At the La Specola Museum and Museum of Geology and Palaeontology, Thursday 2 January and Friday 3 January 2025 ‘S-passo al Museo’ returns, the activity for children aged 6 to 11 to experience the Christmas atmosphere among animals, minerals, fossils and plants from all over the world.

Shows at the Theatre for the whole family

There is no shortage of theatre shows for the whole family, a unique opportunity to enjoy the festive season at its best (You can find a programme of all the theatre shows over the Christmas period here)

Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

From 3 to 5 January Fantasia, the live concert based on Walt Disney's films and directed by Timothy Brock, will be on stage.

Verdi Theatre

On Sunday 29 and Monday 30 December, the stage will be given over to A Christmas Carol, the Christmas musical inspired by Charles Dickens' work that has been thrilling audiences all over the world for decades.

From 4 to 6 January arrives the musical Peter Pan, directed by Maurizio Colombi.

Puccini Theatre

On 15 December at 16:45, the stage of the Puccini Theatre hosts A Christmas Carol, from Charles Dickens' masterpiece, directed by and adapted by Teo Paoli. On Thursday 26 and Friday 27 December, at 6 pm, it will be the turn of Alice in Wonderland with adaptation, direction and music by Teo Paoli.