FLORENCE TOURS
• Admission Tickets for all sites included
• Tours of Florence and Pisa
• Shore Excursions for Cruise Passengers
FEATURED FLORENCE TOURS
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from € 299
You are not a tourist but a traveller, and a sophisticated one. Then this is a Tour of Florence that you might like. During this tour you will see off the beaten path marvels that first-time visitors of Florence usually underestimate but they are actually hidden gems in a city that is a true treasure of art masterpieces. Our expert local guide will take you to less known yet unique locations that would give you a clear idea of the magnitude of Florence’s power…
from € 539
If you have just one day to see Florence then this your tour. Our guide will meet you at your Hotel (if located in the city center) and will show you all of Florence’s highlights including the stunning Academy Gallery. All entrance skip-the-line fees are included in the price. The guided tour is 6 hours long. A UNESCO World-Heritage site, Florence was founded in 59 BC by veterans who had served in Julius Caesar’s military campaigns…
from € 299
Originally intended as an administrative office, the Uffizi Gallery was turned into an astonishing art collection by the powerful family of the Medici. With its inestimable treasure of paintings, jewellery, sculptures, weaponry, and scientific instruments, it is still one of the most visited and beautiful museums of the world, with art pieces ranging from Middle Ages up to the Modern Age displayed in chronological order for a better…
Visiting Florence
Index:-
- Intro: The birthplace of the Italian Renaissance
- Tour Florence and Experience the Italian Renaissance
- A Walking Tour of Florence to Remember
- An Uffizi Gallery Tour, Like No Other
- See Michelangelo’s David, at the Accademia
- Go Off the Beaten Path in Florence
- Discover Pisa’s Square of Miracles: See the Infamous Leaning Tower
- Enjoy Wine Tasting in Tuscany
- Why Take a Florence Tour?
Florence: the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, the gatekeeper of civilization’s great treasures
Florence has enchanted visitors for centuries; when Goethe arrived in the late 1700s, he described the city as a ‘perfectly new and unknown world, opening up before me’. Stendhal felt dizzy just from the effect of ‘being in Florence… absorbed in contemplation of sublime beauty.’
In the centuries that followed, the powerful impact of Florence on visitors has not waned in the slightest; this city is like nowhere else on earth. A visit to Florence – to see the wealth of artistry on the streets, in the churches, galleries and the palaces – remains an exhilarating, dizzying and wholly delightful experience.
The English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, wrote in the 1800s: ‘Florence holds us with a glittering eye; there’s a charm cast round us, and we can’t get away’ – but, in a city of this caliber, why would you want to? The Brownings found Florence so enchanting, they stayed for 15 years! Although your visit may not be that long, even a quick day trip to Florence makes such a lasting impression, part of your mind’s eye will forever be locked on this remarkable city.
Join one of our Florence tours and experience this most beautiful city, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, for yourself.
Tour Florence and Experience the Renaissance
Florence is not only one of the most remarkable cities in Italy, but the entire world. This small city was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and, hence, set the agenda of Europe for hundreds of years to come. A Florence tour takes you to the heart of this unique and surprising Renaissance-city state, so you can experience its beauty first-hand.
Many aspects of modern life we think of as new phenomenon, like humanistic thought and global banking, were born of 15th century Florence. The cultural legacy of Florence is easily perceived by anyone who takes a Florence day tour – generations of wealthy rulers have left their mark on the town, in an abundance of the most sophisticated grand palaces, churches, piazzas and, of course, art galleries.
Florence may date back to 59BC, when soldiers from Julius Caesar’s army founded the town, but it was the late mediaeval period, and Italian Renaissance, that the city blossomed into the beauty it is today. This is in no small part due to the powerful Medici dynasty, who became Europe’s first great banking power – and great, private patrons of the arts. They emptied their coffers to commission artworks, and their infamous collection is now open for public viewing, in the Uffizi gallery – perhaps the world’s best collection of Renaissance art.
Perhaps it was the beautiful Tuscan landscape that did it – or a desire to escape from the violent (and bloody) feuds of the city’s warring leading families – but something produced, in the Florentine psyche, a leaning toward great art, that perhaps no other city in the world can rival. Florence gave the world Boccaccio and Dante – two Italian poets that made modern Italian. When it comes to decorative arts, Florence bequeathed the world some of the greatest Great Masters of the Renaissance; Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo, Giotto… the list goes on and on. In such a fertile time for scientific discovery and artistic innovation, Florence was at the heart of it all.
Modern Florence has preserved its Renaissance atmosphere remarkably well. As you take a Florence walking tour, it’s easy to recognize that these streets are the very same as those Da Vinci or Giotto would have bustled through, paintbrush under arm. The majority of the city center is pedestrianized, so no cars or scooters whipping past break the authentic atmosphere.
Everywhere you go, natural beauty intertwines with architectural prowess. As you walk from the Uffizi to the Ponte Vecchio, you will see some of the most impressive buildings of the Italian Renaissance – all framed by lush Tuscan hills, above the delicate, rolling river Arno. Beauty and history impresses itself upon you at every turn, in this truly enchanting city.
Florence’s entire historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and that status is well-deserved. The whole city itself is an open-air art gallery, as a walk through takes you past architectural masterpieces like Brunelleschi’s Cathedral and Michelangelo’s New Sacristy.
A Walking Tour of Florence to Remember
No Florence tour is complete without a visit to maverick architect Brunelleschi’s magnificent cathedral. The Cathedral and Baptistry stand out in this orange colored city, due to their external façade in the red, white and green of the modern Italian flag. Look closer at the octagonal Bapistry to take a closer look at the bronze external doors, with scenes from the Life of Christ and the Church’s founders. These ‘Gates of Paradise’ took Lorenzo Ghiberti 21 years to make and exemplify fine Renaissance craftsmanship.
Stroll on down to Piazza della Signoria and find yourself in an outdoor art gallery. Renaissance sculptures abound, such as Cellini’s Persues and all in the shadows of the imposing Ponte Vecchio. This late mediaeval palace was where all the most important political decisions in Florence were made – from here, the most beautifully decorated town hall in the world – the world was altered irrevocably.
If you want to escape from the heat and venture indoors, a private tour of the Uffizi gallery will not disappoint. Some of the most affective artworks in the world can be found here; including the transfixing and stirring masterpieces of Botticelli, his The Birth of Venus and La Primavera. Continue to the Accademia, where you’ll find yourself bowled over at the sheer scale of the world’s most famous statue, Michelangelo’s David.
Continue on to the Ponte Vecchio, a mediaeval bridge that still hides a hidden secret – a passage, still concealed to the naked eye, which connects the Medici family’s Palazzo Pitti to the government offices in the Palazzo Vecchio. This passage was designed by Vasari, favored architect of the Medici’s, who today is most famous for Lives of the Artists, an invaluable historical document and literary biography of the great Renaissance painters. The Ponte Vecchio promises fine jewelry shops and magnificent views of the Arno, Tuscan countryside and the city of Florence. If you’re visiting Italy for the first time — or second, third, fourth or fifth— nothing compares to a tour of Florence, from the best tour guides the city offers.
Uffizi Gallery Tour, Like No Other
Join one of our Uffizi tours and find yourself taken to the heart of this city’s great treasures. At one time, the Medici family were the most powerful families in Europe – not only the rulers of Florence for 300 years, but twice Queens of France, and ruling Popes four times! During their period of influence, the Medici amassed an astonishing collection of private art – which became the collection of the modern Uffizi gallery.
Our expert guide will break down how the Uffizi went from a 16th century government office, to the private art collection of the Medici and finally, as a public art gallery in the 1800s. Today, nowhere else can rival the Uffizi Gallery’s collection of Renaissance art. This immense collections spans over 100 rooms – going it alone often means losing the treasures to the crowds. Instead, take a private tour of the Uffizi and be guided to some of the greatest artworks mankind has ever produced.
Nowhere else has such a fine collection of Botticelli’s as the Uffizi. See his refined and sensual masterpieces; The Birth of Venus and La Primavera. Travel onward to see other great works, like Michelangelo’s profoundly moving portrayal of maternal love, his
Madonna of the Goldfinch. See unmissable masterpieces and the surprising treasures most visitors pass by, on one of our revelatory Uffizi tours.
See Michelangelo’s David, at the Accademia
See Michelangelo’s David in the flesh and be forgiven for thinking that the sculpture you’re looking at is flesh too – even though he stands at a whopping 17ft tall. Michelangelo’s masterwork in marble is as impressive for its sensitive realism as it’s scale. When facing David, you’ll understand the real size of the piece in a way pictures could never convey.
On one of our private tours of Florence, you will visit the Accademia, the art gallery best-known as the home of David. Our expert guide will enlighten you to the painstaking, time-consuming process taken to carve a marble sculpture of David’s size. They will enlighten you to fascinating tales from the life of Michelangelo, as you take your time viewing this astonishing, and still revelatory, artwork.
Continue on to other great masterpieces of the Accademia, including Michelangelo’s striking Prisoners, or, Slaves. Here, marble figures – both powerfully muscular and deeply sympathetic – struggle to escape from the marble slabs they’re encased within. Any who think only modern artists use unfinished features in their work will be surprised, and deeply moved, by these painful and sympathetic works – and any lover of Rodin’s Gates of Hell will spy a clear influence. Other highlights include works by Great Masters Botticelli and Giambologna, not to mention a rare collection of Stradivari violins, which will surely delight any music lover.
Go Off the Beaten Path in Florence
Want to break away from the crowds, to find the underrated gems in Florence’s crown? Or, have you been to the city before and want to find out more about this astonishing Renaissance city? If you answered yes to either of those, our Off the Beaten Path Florence tour might just be the one for you.
Join one of our Off the Beaten Path Florence tours to see the sites of the city most tourists miss. Join our expert, local guide – a buff on all things art history – on this remarkable our, that will take you across winding cobbled streets, to some of the most beautiful places in Florence. Visit the beautiful Palazzo Davanzati – this mediaeval palace survived an unfortunate series of demolitions of other mediaeval buildings in the 18th century. The enchanting Room of the Parrots is a highlight; here, red frescoes seem as rich and sensuous as a thick wall hanging, all adorned with charming parrots in myriad colors.
Onwards to the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, an elegant Renaissance building that once housed the Medici family, and the Palazzo Vecchio. Austere and mediaeval, the Palazzo Vecchio is suitably stern for a former government building. Here, many of the biggest political decisions in Florentine history were taken – which irrevocably altered the history of the world. Inside, our guide will take you through grand rooms which belie its austere façade. See great artworks by great masters and hear more of the strange tale of the lost frescoes of Michelangelo and Da Vinci. Join this alternative tour of Florence to take in the amazing sites of the city most folks miss – and see some truly spectacular art.
Discover Pisa’s Square of Miracles: See the Infamous Leaning Tower
If you have a passion for exploring the wealth of architecture and culture under the Tuscan sun, breakaway from Florence and take a Pisa tour; a city that was once Rome’s great rival.
We proudly offer half-day private tours of Pisa and shore excursions, from Livorno, that will take you to the heart of Pisa. In no other Italian city does mediaeval gothic architecture reach the height of refinement as it does in Pisa’s magnificent Square of Miracles. Look upon the architectural triumph of the Cathedral, the Baptistry and, of course, The Leaning Tower. Find yourself amazed that these wonderful delights on the eye are nearly 1000 years old.
Everyone has seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa reproduced in countless photographs, but it’s impossible to truly appreciate the tower’s surreal, cheeky, grandiloquent beauty, until you stand before it. Our expert, local guide will explain the history of this iconic tower and its mysterious, tilting affliction. Learn more about how this wonky masterpiece altered the course of science forever, through its profound influence on Galileo, the father of modern physics.
Pisa’s Piazza dei Miracoli (“Square of Miracles”) is much more than the Leaning Tower. The Cathedral, Baptistery and Monumental Cemetry all give an insight into the great wealth of this mediaeval city at the height of its influence – at that time, Pisa had ambitions to rival Rome. Allow our guide, a local history expert, to impart their knowledge on the fascinating history of this unique city – a history that spans the Etruscan era, to the present day.
Enjoy Wine Tasting in Tuscany
Tuscans know how to enjoy the finer things in life; our private Florence tours, which take you inside the city’s refined palaces and sumptuous art collections, make their passion for beauty very clear. The Tuscan inclination toward all things luxurious doesn’t stop at interior design – Tuscan wines are among the best in Italy.
Nothing complements a visit to Florence like tasting the Tuscan sun on a Tuscany wine tour. If you are arriving by cruise ship, one of our private drivers will pick you up from the port of Livorno and drive you to central Florence, in utmost comfort and style. From there, enjoy a 3-hour tour of all the main sites in Florence’s remarkable, historic, Renaissance city center.
After seeing some of Florence’s great masterpieces – like Michelangelo’s David – find yourself whisked away to the Tuscan countryside. Just one look at the landscape and you’ll understand why generations of people have been captivated by these jolly rolling hills, lined with impossibly thin, impossibly fluffy pine trees.
When you’re in the heart of the magnificent Tuscan landscape, get out to a picturesque Florentine vineyard, where you’ll enjoy this decadent wine tour. Sit, back, relax, and sample the best in Tuscan wines, alongside delicious, locally-produced appetizers.
There is surely no better way to spend a day than experiencing the excessive beauty of Renaissance Florence, then washing it down with a hearty glass of red (or two, or three…) in a picture-perfect landscape.
Why Take a Florence Tour?
Florence was once the wealthiest city in Italy and, for a time, the most influential place on earth. Florentines set the tone of European culture for centuries that followed, and their influence knows no bounds. From the development of modern literature, decorative arts and even modern banking – there is no feature of modern life that Florentines haven’t taken a hand in.
One of our Florence tours will take you to some of the most impressive jewels in European civilization’s crown – and help you gain a greater understanding of the exhilarating era in which they were made. Some of the greatest thinkers Europe ever produced – Dante, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Galileo, Goethe – spent their time in Florence, under the Tuscan sun. Why don’t you follow in their fine footsteps and take one of our Florence tours?
If you are a Cruise passenger, arriving in Livorno or La Spezia, we have wonderful Shore Excursions available for you. Check out our Shore Excursions to Florence and Pisa.
