Florence City Center Exclusive Guided Tour w/ Accademia & David
Description
Relive the Italian Renaissance in Florence during this 2.5 hour private guided museum & walking tour covering highlights including the Accademia with Michelangelo's David. This private tour pairs you with your own personal guide to explore the history and secrets of Florence and its most famous citizens.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This tour includes a visit to the Academia, home to one of the world’s most iconic statues, David, by Michelangelo. Your guide will discuss the artistic mastermind behind this giant nude statue and his other 16th century works on display in the museum.
After the Galleria dell’Accademia you will explore the Piazza del Duomo, located in the heart of Florence. The square is one of the most visited places the city and in Europe!
In the Piazza del Duomo you will discover all about the Cathedral of Florence and its beautiful Dome which were designed by Brunelleschi in the XV century. During the tour however, you will not go inside the Dome but you will learn all about its fascinating history whilst observing it from the outside.
You will also see the Baptistery of the city, a religious building in Florence and one of the oldest buildings in the city. It is renowned for its three sets of bronze doors, which are one of the finest examples of renaissance art. *Other landmarks located in the Piazza del Duomo are the Loggia del Bigallo, a late Gothic building, the Opera del Duomo Museum, a museum containing many of the original works of art created for the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, the Arcivescoville and Canoncici’s palace, all located in the west zone of the square called Piazza San Giovanni.
Next, you will walk along what is known as Via dei Calzaiuoli, a wide and long pedestrian street connecting the Piazza del Duomo with the Piazza della Signoria. It is probably one of the busiest streets in the city, lined with elegant boutiques and fancy restaurants.
After this you will visit the Piazza della Repubblica, a public square that marks the ancient Florence. The square was completely re-designed in the XIX century and during the tour you will learn all about the changes done in the city during the period.
Afterwards, you will visit the Piazza della Signoria, the political square of Florence. The square is full of many original statues, such as the first public fountain of Florence, the Neptune which was done by Ammannati, or the amazing Perseus done by Cellini in the XVI century. There is also replica of David which was placed to show people where he stood before the statue stood before it was moved inside the Accademia.
The main attraction you will discover is the Palazzo Vecchio, the city’s townhall. It is considered the main symbol of civil power in Florence. The original building construction began in 1299 above the ruins of the destroyed Uberti Ghibelline towers and is attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio.
Just before finishing your tour, you will touch the nose of the “Porcellino”, a fountain of a wild board, an act considered to bring you good luck!
Your tour will come to an end at Ponte Vecchio, the main bridge of the city and the first built in Florence. It is the only bridge to have survived WW2.
Your tour will come to an end at Ponte Vecchio, the main bridge of the city and the first built in Florence. It is the only bridge to have survived WW2.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- It is imperative that you provide us with guests MOBILE PHONE NUMBER (including country code)
- Notes: Academia museum may be subjected to occasional closures without previous warning from the museum management. When this occurs, we will provide guests with an appropriate alternative if the museum opening time is delayed more than 1h from the tour starting time. In these cases we are unable to provide refunds or discounts. Appropriate dress is required for entry into some sites on this tour. No large bags or suitcases are allowed inside the museum, only handbags or small thin bag packs are allowed through security. Due to increased security measures at many attractions some lines may form on tours with 'Skip the Line' or 'No Wait' access. Some specific rooms inside the museum are subjected to a very quiet or restricted right to speak inside, in this cases your guide will provide the information about this places before entering the specific rooms where this rule applies. Some collections may vary along the year.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Notes: The tour route may be affected by national celebrations. When this occurs, we will provide guests with an alternative route still being able to see all the highlights on the tour. In these cases we are unable to provide refunds or discounts. No large bags or suitcases are allowed during this tour. We recommend comfortable shoes, a bottle of water, umbrella in case of rain and hat during summer. Due to increased security measures at many attractions some can’t be visited from the inside.
Reviews(71)
We really enjoyed this tour of Florence with our wonderful guide Giacomo (Jack)! We were captivated listening to the history and stories of this beautiful city. Highly recommend!
Wonderful tour of Florence, with Giacomo as our guide. Great balance of history, art, and humor! Gave us plenty of time to appreciate without too slow of a pace to drag on. Our guide was very knowledgeable but kept our teenage sons engaged. Highly recommended.
Excellent tour of Accademia and Florence Walking tour. Our guide, Annette, was very knowledgeable and taught us so much about the history of Florence. Excellent!
Our tour was great! If I could give Larissa more stars I would. she was funny and very knowledgeable. It made the experience of seeing David and a few parts of Florence so much more interesting and informative. I would highly recommend booking with Larissa if you have the chance.
We had a wonderful time on this tour. Larisa was our tour guide and she is fantastic. She was very knowledgeable and provided a lot of interesting anecdotes of the artists, influential families, and overall history of the times these pieces were made. She was funny and kept our interest for the whole tour. Definitely recommend booking a tour with her, as we learned a lot more than we would have just reading the plaques.
Our tour with Babylon Tours Florence was truly memorable! The experienced guide led us through the city’s artistic treasures, sharing entertaining stories that brought history to life. I appreciated the professional approach and how well they tailored the experience to our interests. It wasn’t just a typical tour; it felt like a heartfelt journey through Florence’s rich heritage. Thank you, Larisa Slavic, for such an amazing experience!
Our guide, Annette, was amazing. I forgot to ask her whether she has a degree in art or other formal training, but she was so well-informed. She explained so much political, world, and art history that it made the time we spent feel like much more than just seeing the amazing David statue by itself. We had a great time.
We were incredibly lucky to have Annette as our guide for several tours during our time in Florence, and she was absolutely outstanding. Annette is exceptionally knowledgeable about the city: its art, history, architecture, and the fascinating stories behind the people who shaped Florence. Every place we visited came alive through her explanations. We learned so much from her in a short time, and every tour felt thoughtful, insightful and inspiring. It genuinely enriched our entire trip. Highly recommended!
Best walking tour in Florence! Eleonora was a delight, passionate about art and made sure our experience was special! Recommend to anyone looking for a fun, educational experience!! Thank you Eleonora!!! You were wonderful!
Annette is thoroughly knowledgeable! Her presentation is paced and not overwhelming you with information at once. I appreciated that she wasn’t a tape recorder, spewing out preset tour, rather she fluidly fielded questions while covering all the highlights/history of Florence.
