Skip to main content

The Best Tour in Florence: Renaissance and Medici Tales

Recommended by 100% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Florence, Italy
Very popular!
10+ bookings in the past 6 hours.
  • 2 hours (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

5.0
·
· Michael_T ·
Mar 2026
This tour was great. Don’t let the price mislead you. For a “free” tour where the guides base their pay on tips, they did not skimp out on information or effort. Giacomo our tour guide was fantastic. He was extremely personable, knowledgeable, and funny. My kids are still quoting lines from this tour. We were so glad we did this tour to start our trip in Florence.
· Dino_S ·
Feb 2026
Lots of detail and knowledge. Amazing. Even in bad weather it was great. Florence is amazing and this is a good starter for anyone

Overview

Discover the best of Florence, learn all about the Medici family and their role in shaping the Renaissance, and see the city’s hidden corners on this immersive, pay-what-you-want tour. Set off on foot to see highlights like the Duomo, Giotto’s Campanile, and Palazzo Vecchio, and learn the stories behind the sights.
  • This budget-friendly tour offers an affordable way to explore the city
  • Discover many of Florence’s top attractions and lesser-known landmarks
  • Learn the stories behind the sights from your guide’s commentary
  • Exploring on foot makes it easy to soak up the city’s ambiance

What's Included

  • Licensed Guide
  • Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • Piazza di San Lorenzo, 35R, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy

    The meeting point is in front of the façade of SAN LORENZO church (main entrance, not the entrance of the Medici chapels) next to the marble statue of Giovanni de' Medici who is sitting on a small throne. Look for a small red flag.

End point

  • Piazza della Signoria
    P.za della Signoria, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy

    The endpoint is only indicative and can vary slightly within the indicated area.

Itinerary

Your walking tour starts in front of San Lorenzo Church in the heart of Florence. Meet your guide next to the statue of Giovanni de' Medici sitting on a throne.

With this wide-ranging introduction to Florence, cover main attractions and hidden gems while you learn about the Medici family and their role in shaping the Renaissance.

After the Basilica di San Lorenzo, your first stops are the Palazzo Medici Riccardi and the Baptistery of St. John, one of Florence’s oldest buildings. See the famous Florence Duomo and the Cupola del Brunelleschi, the Renaissance masterpiece dome sitting atop it.

Next, pass the House of Dante, the museum and birthplace of the Florentine writer. Continue to the Piazza della Signoria and the Palazzo Vecchio. See the copy of Michelangelo’s “David.” Your tour ends in this convenient spot near the Uffizi Gallery.
1

Basilica di San Lorenzo

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

2

Palazzo Medici Riccardi

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

3

Battistero Di San Giovanni

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

4

Duomo

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

5

Campanile di Giotto

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

6

Cupola Del Brunelleschi

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

7

Museo Casa di Dante

5 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

8

Piazza della Signoria

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

9

Palazzo Vecchio

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

10

Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
  • Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour is made possible only thanks to your donations. We offer the tour in this way because we are confident in the quality of what we are providing. At the end of the tour, you will decide the appropriate amount to compensate for the expertise and professionalism of the guide who accompanied you. The only form of compensation for the guide is what you choose to donate.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

5.0
based on 11,043 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Exceptional tour of Florence!

Amy_C, Mar 2026
Wonderful sights, excellent information about Florence shared with us, extremely knowledgeable tour guide. We were extremely impressed with this tour and would highly recommend it as part of your Florence visit. A +++++++++

Perfect introduction to Florence

GeetaOberoi_T, Mar 2026
Great knowledge annd intro tour to Florence. It was the perfect amount of time to understand the history of the city and kept my teens engaged too.

Excellent overview

Mary_W, Mar 2026
Highlights of Florence detailed by a local guide with great inside stories into Firenze history and holistic storytelling

Love Debby and the "list"

Stephanie_L, Mar 2026
Debby was AMAZING! So sweet and knowledgeable. Much preferred this tour to the Go city ones in Rome.

Our tour guide was very...

Lisa_S, Mar 2026
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. It helped us decide what to see in more detail. Probably one of the best tours we did in our two weeks in Italy!

Curious about how the Medici shaped the city and art?

Lorne_C, Mar 2026
If you are interested in learning how Medieval political and historical culture shaped the art and society in Florence, you need to book a tour with Aurora Chiriaco. She is knowledgeable, engaging, and clearly enjoys her work as a tour guide. The time we spent with her set the stage for the rest of our visit in Florence; we had a framework for our experience of the city.

Sharing love of her city.

Jonathan_C, Mar 2026
Sh eshared the love of and pride in he citry. Excellent depth off knowledge and obvious pride in her city and its history

The guide had a great...

Richard_G, Mar 2026
The guide had a great sense of humour and was very knowledgeable. He recommended good places to visit and eat. Also gave us some historical information that was very interesting. I would recommend

This tour was great....

Michael_T, Mar 2026
This tour was great. Don’t let the price mislead you. For a “free” tour where the guides base their pay on tips, they did not skimp out on information or effort. Giacomo our tour guide was fantastic. He was extremely personable, knowledgeable, and funny. My kids are still quoting lines from this tour. We were so glad we did this tour to start our trip in Florence.

So glad I booked this tour. Excellent in every way.

Melissa_C, Mar 2026
Alberto was excellent. Knowledgeable, fun, comprehensive and able to answer all of our questions. Plus after the tour, he stayed to recommend his favorite places to eat on both sides of the river. An excellent introduction to Florence. Really gave us a feel for the agent in history of this amazing city.

Highly recommend this overview tour!

Dana_T, Mar 2026
Samona was one of the best guides I’ve ever used. Her knowledge of history and art was exceptional and she was funny, engaging and kept a perfect pace. Highly recommend.

This is a great overview...

Margit_J, Mar 2026
This is a great overview of Florence. You see tons of stuff and then can decide where you want to spend more time later in your trip (and where you don’t want to use up time!). My 13 year old daughter and I enjoyed it - the guide was great - personable and funny.

Outstanding tour of Florence

David_H, Mar 2026
Our tour guide was excellent, a local and very knowledgeable about the people, art and history of Florence. She even took time to point out little known and recognized symbols and facts about the city. Outstanding!!!

Excellent tour

Caroline_Z, Mar 2026
Deborah was a fantastic tour guide. She brought the story of Florence to life. Highly recommend this tour. If you can watch the mini series Medici before the tour it would be helpful.

The best tour guide

Linda_M, Mar 2026
Fantastic tour, Elizabeth was the perfect tour guide blending history with a little humour! An excellent beginning for a short visit to the city of Florence!

Quick Overview of Florence

Diane_P, Mar 2026
Walking tour with the history of the Medici. Jacobo was our excellent guide. Fun tour that cover the highlights of Florence.

Book this tour!

EMILY_S, Mar 2026
Wonderful tour with a knowledgeable and friendly guide! We now know more things we want to do and see in Florence

100% no regrets

Susan_K, Mar 2026
No regrets! You really will experience Florence and it's hidden gems. Our English speaking guide was Manuel. He was knowledgeable and friendly. We've learned a lot more than we would have if we didn't use this walking tour.

Florence done right

Arcie_R, Mar 2026
Giacomo made visiting Florence such a wonderful experience for us! I’m not someone who enjoys history much but he made sure to keep it interesting and even made us laugh quite a bit which I appreciated because he kept the content relatable! Definitely an enjoyable experience.

This is the perfect way...

Ashlyn_G, Mar 2026
This is the perfect way to start off your trip in Florence. It gives you a good background of the history behind the most popular buildings and introduces you to the town. I would recommend doing this on your first day in Florence.

A great tour!

Amy_J, Feb 2026
This tour was so fantastic! Our guide Giacomo was so knowledgeable, personable and engaging. He brought the history of the city to life as we walked through the streets visiting many famous places. We got so much more out of this tour than if we were to just walk around the city.

Nice historical walking tour

SarahEsther_M, Feb 2026
I enjoyed this walking tour to learn the rich history of the city. It made me appreciate more my stay in this very beautiful city.

Outstanding introduction to Florence

Juliana_G, Feb 2026
This was a phenomenal experience to get my bearings in Florence and gain a deep appreciation for its history and architecture. Giacomo was an outstanding guide - extremely knowledgeable and witty! I explored Florence for a day on my own before taking this tour. I loved it at first glance, but my appreciation and enjoyment was so much deeper after this tour. I couldn’t recommend it more!

Fun interesting and informative

Tracey_L, Feb 2026
Excellent walk and discussion of many of the major landmarks associated with the Medici Family Our guide was extraordinarily educated in the field of art history and could convey the extensive story of the Medici rule in a fun informative manner definitely recommend this tour and the gratuity well deserved

A must do! Don’t miss out

Simon_W, Feb 2026
Deborah was an amazing guide. It was pitched just right. Informative, professional & funny. A very perfect introduction to Florence

Great intro to Florence

David_S, Feb 2026
Great way to be introduced to Florence. Very knowledgeable and pleasant. I highly recommend taking this tour if you are new to Florence.

Great way to see & learn about historic Florence!

Jessica_T, Feb 2026
We had a fantastic time with our tour guide, Deborah, and would highly recommend the Medici tales experience! Deborah is funny and an engaging storyteller - in fact, my 12 year old daughter has compared every other tour we have taken since and said “it was OK, but not as good as Deb‘s.” Please remember, these tour guides work on tips! Give generously.

Don’t pass up on this tour

Dino_S, Feb 2026
Lots of detail and knowledge. Amazing. Even in bad weather it was great. Florence is amazing and this is a good starter for anyone

Great Storyteller

Danielle_V, Feb 2026
Great storyteller. It was a very fun experience. We moved at a good speed and loved the buildings we got to see.

Must do For Florence

Inchara_T, Feb 2026
​If you are looking for a guide in Florence, look no further than this! Our guide Jacomo was incredibly knowledgeable and has a way of sharing stories that makes history feel alive. I really enjoyed his engaging style; he explained everything so clearly and gave me a fresh perspective on the city that I wouldn't have found in a guidebook. Highly recommended!

From $3.51

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 26 days in advance.

Compare Similar Experiences

1 / 3
Current
The Best Tour in Florence: Renaissance and Medici Tales


2 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$3.51
Palazzo Vecchio Tales - into Medici's secrets and mythology simbols


1 hour 45 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$146.68