Florence Private Walking tour with Skip-the-line to Accademia
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Florence, Italy
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Skip the crowds and see the best of Florence on a guided walking tour with priority admission to the Accademia Gallery. Led by an expert guide, explore the architectural gems of the Renaissance city while learning about important Florentine figures, such as the poet Dante Alighieri and the Medici family. Afterward, skip the long lines at the Accademia and head straight inside to witness Michelangelo’s ‘David’, as well as other impressive works of art.
- Renaissance Florence walking tour including Accademia Gallery
- Stroll around Florence’s historical center with an expert local guide
- See top Florence attractions such as the Ponte Vecchio and Brunelleschi’s Dome
- Skip the line to the Accademia Gallery (Galleria dell’Accademia)
- Learn about famous Michelangelo sculptures like 'David' and 'Pigrioni'
What's Included
- Licensed art-historian expert English-speaking guide
- Headsets to hear the guide clearly when more than 5 people
- Skip-the-line tickets to the Accademia's Gallery to see the original Michelangelo's David
- Maximum 12/14 people per guide to ensure a personalized attention
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Piazza degli Strozzi, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
The meeting point is in front of Palazzo Strozzi in Piazza Strozzi (Strozzi Square), where you will find your guide holding a sign with “Avventure Bellissime & tour name” written on it
End point
- Galleria dell’Accademia di FirenzeVia Ricasoli, 58/60, 50129 Firenze FI, Italy
Itinerary
Your tour begins in central Florence, where you join up with your guide and hit the streets with your small group.
Head first toward the historic Ponte Vecchio, stretched over the Arno River. Your guide points out the Vasari Corridor overhead, the city’s secret passageway. Constructed in the 16th-century by Cosimo I, the corridor once allowed members of the Medici family to travel stealthily through the city. Today, it houses one of the world's most impressive collections of self-portraits.
Continue through the old neighborhood of poet Dante Alighieri and the bustling Piazza della Signoria, where the Palazzo Vecchio sits. Stroll past the prominent Uffizi Gallery, which hosts some of the most famous Renaissance artwork, before making your way to the Florence Duomo. Admire Brunelleschi’s Dome, Giotto’s Bell Tower, and the Baptistery.
After exploring the city by foot, head straight inside the Accademia Gallery, skipping the long lines with a priority access ticket.
Michelangelo is the focal point of the Accademia, and your guide takes you through some of his most important works on display. Admire the unfinished sculptures, 'San Matteo' and 'Prigioni,' before making your way to the iconic 'David.' Examine the lifelike contours of veins and muscles, crafted from Carrera marble.
Your guide parts ways with your group after passing David, but you can continue exploring the gallery at your own pace for as long as you’d like, admiring works from Botticelli, Orcagna and more.
Head first toward the historic Ponte Vecchio, stretched over the Arno River. Your guide points out the Vasari Corridor overhead, the city’s secret passageway. Constructed in the 16th-century by Cosimo I, the corridor once allowed members of the Medici family to travel stealthily through the city. Today, it houses one of the world's most impressive collections of self-portraits.
Continue through the old neighborhood of poet Dante Alighieri and the bustling Piazza della Signoria, where the Palazzo Vecchio sits. Stroll past the prominent Uffizi Gallery, which hosts some of the most famous Renaissance artwork, before making your way to the Florence Duomo. Admire Brunelleschi’s Dome, Giotto’s Bell Tower, and the Baptistery.
After exploring the city by foot, head straight inside the Accademia Gallery, skipping the long lines with a priority access ticket.
Michelangelo is the focal point of the Accademia, and your guide takes you through some of his most important works on display. Admire the unfinished sculptures, 'San Matteo' and 'Prigioni,' before making your way to the iconic 'David.' Examine the lifelike contours of veins and muscles, crafted from Carrera marble.
Your guide parts ways with your group after passing David, but you can continue exploring the gallery at your own pace for as long as you’d like, admiring works from Botticelli, Orcagna and more.
1
Piazza degli Strozzi
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Florence Historic Center (Pass By)
2
Piazza della Signoria
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Ponte Vecchio
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Duomo - Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Campanile di Giotto
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Galleria dell'Accademia
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 2 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Rucksacks/backpacks are NOT allowed inside Accademia Gallery!!!! As there is no deposit area in the vicinity, avoid taking any rucksacks/backpacks as due to the new rules you will not be admitted inside the monuments
- At times, Museums close without notice. No refunds are available as these events are beyond our control.
- Tour operates rain or shine
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.4
based on 236 reviews
Grace_B, Sep 2024
Somehow we ended up being the only people on this tour, so we had a private guide for the morning. What a great introduction to Florence! This is a good tour to do early in your stay because it helps you get your bearings. The best part is that it ends at The Academia so you can stay longer there and see the rest of the collection if you like.
Bradley_H, Jul 2024
We enjoyed the trip and hospitality. We also decided it was the best coffee of the trip. We look forward to our next trip with you.
Deb_C, Oct 2023
Our tour guide Lara was extremely knowledgeable in an entertaining way. We learned a great deal about Florence’s history and art. The tour was the perfect length at 3 hours.
Paul_D, Jun 2023
We had a wonderful tour and we really appreciated having the insights to the Florentino culture. The sights were expected to be spectacular, but learning the history made the tour so much more interesting.
CYNTHIA_M, May 2023
Great walking tour! Antonella was a spectacular guide. Very passionate, knowledgeable and proud of her home. Funny, too.
Elizabeth_B, Apr 2023
Our guide, Antonella Fantoni, brought the culture, architecture, and art of medieval and Renaissance Florence to life with her knowledge and enthusiasm. We were a small group (only five) and were able to ask lots of questions. I highly recommend this walking tour to really capture the essence of Florence!
Howard_P, Oct 2022
We had a wonderful guide named Antonella. She was fabulous, informative, kind and very helpful. We would do the tour again with her
Mark_S, Jul 2022
Excellent guide, who was en enthousiastic florentine herself, was very knowledgable about everything. We had a very small group of only 5 which was awesom aswell. Defentily highly recomended and worth its money.
Steven_E, Jan 2022
Katerina was a wonderful tour guide. We were fortunate to have only our family of four on the tour, so we received the perfect level of detail. We generally start our visits with a walking tour of the city, but it didn't work out this way for this trip. Instead, our tour was on the 3rd day, combined with multiple museum tours, which worked out perfectly. The museum itself is very small, but Katerina's knowledge was at the perfect level of detail. The highlight was really the city tour (though David is far more majestic than pictures make him seem), where we learned more about what we had seen the past few days. She even walked us to several points that were not on the tour, because we asked about them. Highly recommend this excursion and our guide.
Response from Host, Jan 2022
Dear Client,
Many thanks for your 5 star review about the Florence Tour you took with our guide Caterina. She will be very happy to read the wonderful comments about the time you spent with her touring you around her city.
Yours sincerely, Monica
31SandraH, Jun 2019
Our guide was almost fifteen minutes late and didn't apologise for that. She didn't carry a flag or brolly to make her visible and we did lose her at one point because it was so busy. When we entered the Gallery she gave us our tickets to look after but my friend lost hers in the rest rooms, we felt the guide should have kept them all together herself and counted us through. We did feel rushed through most of it, probably due to her lateness. However she was very informative and easy to understand and we enjoyed the tour overall. Would recommend as it gives you a perspective of the city as this was our first visit to Florence.
Response from Host, Jun 2019
Dear Client ,
Thank you for your detailed feedback about our small group Florence Renaissance and David Tour .
I ‘m most surprised when you say our guide arrived late . Generally we ask clients to arrive a few minutes prior to the start of the tour , so perhaps the guide that day arrived right on time for the start of the tour and not earlier as Our guides generally do . Without knowing the day of the tour , I can not verify with the guide. I invite you to get in touch with us to let us the day in which you took the tour , so that we can investigate further. In regards to the Accademia tickets , I’m most sorry that your friend lost it . Unfortunately it is the Accademia policy imposing this rule this year , not us .
I’m happy anyway that you found the tour enjoyable and informative .
Yours sincerely
Monica
,
Wilson_L, May 2019
First of all, the Tour Guide did not arrive 15 minutes before the pre-arranged time.
Despite the rain, Catherina tried to manage the tour. She was thorough and knowledgeable with the places of visit.
When we arrived at the Accademia Gallery, she gave us the entrance tickets prior to the security checks. And because of the crowd and rain, the security officers had to rush the screening and I dropped my ticket. Naturally, I had to pay for another ticket, which was uncalled for. To my horror, Caherina mentioned that such things did happen in the past and she should have issued the tickets post security screening. Question is - why this was not carried out?
Response from Host, May 2019
Dear Client ,
Thank you for your feedback about our Renaissance and David walking tour and I'm sorry you had to buy the Accademia tickets again - Unfortunately and maybe Caterina did not explain this , the problem is that the museum , due to the large crowds attending to it , imposes a certain procedure - It was an unfortunate event and I'm sure that knowing Caterina , she was really sorry about this inconvenient -
Nonetheless and in spite of the rain , I appreciate that you also mentioned how Caterina handled the group well in spite of the bad weather and managed as usual to be a competent and knowledgable Florence tour Guide . Kindest Regards MOnica
srobert9, Aug 2018
Antonella was a wonderful guide. She was very knowledgeable and made the tour exciting and fun! We will be back!
Ashley M, Jun 2018
This was such a great tour! Our guide Antonella was incredible--very knowledgeable and kept everyone interested. She not only took us to the main attractions, but also some hidden treasures-which happened to be my favorite part. Also, the skip the line to see the statue of David was well worth it. The line without pre advance tickets was so long and had 2-3 hour waits. Seeing David was incredible and Antonella also gave us some great info inside the museum as well. I would recommend this to anyone!
Michelle G, May 2018
The guide for this tour was outstanding. She knew a great deal about Florence and provided us with lots of information about what we saw. We enjoyed it entirely and recommend this tour.
Kathryn_M, Mar 2018
This is exactly the tour you want to do in Florence. I have been 3xs in the last 2 yrs and this tour was the best-don’t let the price fool u. We were a challenging group of 10, ages 16-86 -she handled us perfectly. Personable, engaging and w/ a real passion for Michelangelo-that made us listen and learn.
La'Chelle, Nov 2017
This was one of the best tours in our 3 weeks in Italy. The guide was entertaining, a wealth of knowlege and very passionate about her subject. The walk was not too strenuous even for the older members of the group and there was plenty of time to take photographs of the breathtaking views and artworks. In the Accademia Gallery our guide helped us to appreciate the mastery of Michelangelo and pointed out details that really made us appreciate each of his art works. The background detail on the statue of David and the insider information were incredible. You will be missing out if you miss this tour.
Robert K, Oct 2017
Excellent guide in Antonella. Very friendly and had lots of interesting anecdotes to share. You can clearly see that she loves the city and showing people around. A little surprised to see that there was a line for the skip the line visit to the Accademia Gallery but the wait wasn't very long. Really enjoyed this short informative insight into the city.
Vanessa C, Aug 2017
I really wanted to like our tour guide. Other tour guides we have had have been great - interesting, informative and quite often funny. The tour guide for this tour was really awful. He proceeded to basically tell everyone off before we even got into the museum. He was rude and lacked any really interesting knowledge of the pieces. He was the least historic and was not accommodating at every level. We were not the only people to feel this way on the tour. About 20 minutes into the tour we withdrew - it was not interesting and his aggressive style was not appealing. We enjoyed the Uffizi on our own after. The Uffizi itself is wonderful and worth seeing.
Wen Qian C, Jun 2017
I like how the tour took us around and how our guide Antoinella was so passionate and telling us stories of how Florence like was in the past till how it became the Florence of today. It really helped us to appreciate the City of Florence even more when we are here.
Laura N, Sep 2016
Great tour - so informative and entertaining too. The fact that it was a small group only 8 people made it a lot easier to get around the city and a much more personal experience as well. Would definitely recommend this to all first-time visitors to Florence. Even the torrential downpour half-way through didn't dampen our enthusiasm and enjoyment!
Joyce H, Sep 2016
A wonderful way to hear about the history and visit highlights of this beautiful Rennissance city. Guide was knowledgeable and excited to share her city.
Louise R, Sep 2016
My husband and I attended the morning walking tour and skip the line Accademia tour with Antonella yesterday. She really showed us the best of the hidden gems of the old city. Her knowledge, enthusiasm and humour ensured all 6 participants had a wonderful few hours. As we watched the large tour groups wander aimlessly through the narrow streets looking bored, I could only imagine the text-book style information delivery they must be getting. Antonella on the other hand, with her 6 participants could stand us on a corner and point out every detail of the 12th, 13th and 14th century buildings and others of course before we went for a closer inspection. One of the best tours weve done so far this trip. Thank you Antonella.
Stephanie C, Sep 2016
Highlight of our visit to Florence. Our guide Ana was excellent, very informative, clear and interesting. Small group of 8 which made it more personal and Ana was happy to answer any question asked. Really enjoyed the different perspectives she showed us.
DianeS_T, Aug 2016
Seeing the David is a must in Florence. Seeing the real thing is very special, even though there are several copies around the city. Our guide was very knowledgeable and took us down some interesting out-of-the way streets in Florence before our Skip the Line view of David at the Accademia. Once inside as the museum limits the number of people inside at any one time we felt at ease and not at all rushed, pushed, etc. Everyone seemed reverent in the presence of this great work of art.
David G, Aug 2016
Our guide, Laura, was informative and very patient in answering all our questions. She also provided a few on-point recommendations. The tour was worth the extra money and made our experience much more robust.
Linda J, Jul 2016
We had a wonderful tour with only 8 people in our group. Our guide was enthusiastic, funny and very knowledgable. In addition to the well-known sites, she also showed us some things that are less visited but still very interesting. We highly recommend this tour which ends with a visit to see David in the Accademia Gallery.
John_C, Jul 2016
We really enjoyed this tour. Antonella was very passionate about her city and this made the tour. Warning - The skip the line at the Accademia didn't really seem to work as the queue for skip the line was as long as the normal queue. Antonella seemed to get us through the queue faster,mutha others, however we had a 12pm time allocation and we gained entry nearly 30 mins after this time. Despite this wait we rated it 5 stars.
Neil L, Jul 2016
This was a very informative tour. The guide knew a lot of details and made the tour interesting. I was glad to have skipped the line at the Accademia Gallery but apart from the David exhibit and some other unfinished sculptures of Michaelangelo there was much else to see in there.
Dawn S, Jul 2016
This tour was great! We had an awesome tour guide, Antonella. She made the trip. :
Patricia_S, Jun 2016
First time in Florence. Wonderful way to learn about the sites and to get to know the city. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, extremely personable and made us all feel right at home. It was great not to have to stand on the long lines to get into the Accademia Gallery. The small group is the only way to go. Plenty of time for our guide to answer our questions. Had we gone on our own, we would admired the David of course, but with our guide she told us things we would of never had thought about. For example that the hands were deliberately made too large for the statue and at different angles David's face looks different ages. From one side he looks like a man , from another side he has the face of a young boy. Our guide was marvelous. Enjoyed every minute
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