Tours of the City
Walking Tours
Visitors can arrange a private walking tour or book one of the daily guided tours around Florence’s key attractions through Mercurio (tel: (055) 266 141; website: www.mercurio-italy.org). Walks include a tour of the Uffizi Gallery, departing from the reservations entrance at 1300 (Tuesday-Saturday), as well as a tour of the Academy, Pitti Palace and a Florence Past & Present city tour, which departs from the Ponte Vecchio. The short walking tours range from 90 minutes to two hours thirty minutes and cost from 27 (including entry tickets). Commentary is from English-speaking local experts and advance reservations are required.
A number of walking tours are also offered by The Original and Best Walking Tours (tel: (055) 264 5033; website: www.artviva.com), often departing from Piazza Santo Stefano. The ‘Original Florence Walk’ departs from the company’s office, Piazza Santo Stefano 2, taking in the highlights of the city with tales from the past. The tour takes three hours and costs 25.
Bus Tours
There is no point for visitors to take a bus tour around Florence, seeing as the entire city, from north to south, can be covered on foot in just half an hour. Most of the attractions are closely grouped together and signposted by the whirr of camera shutters. Visitors who are lost and do not feel up to asking directions should follow the umbrella hovering above the crowds – it is guaranteed to be guiding a band of tourists to another one of the city’s attractions.
However, for visitors determined to take a bus tour, CAF Tours (tel: (055) 210 612 or 283 200; website: www.caftours.com) and CentralSita Viaggi (tel: (055) 219 383; website: www.sita-on-line.it) both operate tours of the main city sites. There are daily departures at 0930 and 1430 from Piazza Stazione. These three-hour bus tours cost 39.
Bike Tours
I Bike Italy (tel: (055) 234 2371; e-mail: tour_info@ibikeitaly.com; website: www.ibikeitaly.com) offers excursions into the Tuscan hills on mountain bikes. Full-day trips (0900-1700) are available at 70, including lunch and a tour of one of the local vineyards. Bookings are taken in English over the telephone and a pick-up point in Florence is arranged.
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Tours of the City