The Best Tour in Florence: Renaissance and Medici Tales
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Florence, Italy
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
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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
- Audio devices are REQUIRED by city regulations.€1.50 per person
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 SignoriaP.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.
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 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
2
Palazzo Medici Riccardi
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Battistero Di San Giovanni
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
4
Duomo
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Campanile di Giotto
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
6
Cupola Del Brunelleschi
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
7
Museo Casa di Dante
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
8
Piazza della Signoria
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
9
Palazzo Vecchio
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
10
Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi
10 minutes • Admission 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
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 11,917 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Excellent tour to book! Aurora was so kind and very knowledgeable about the history of Florence. Worth mentioning is her clear instruction and communication while leading a large group - you can tell she has experience! Anytime the group stopped, she was mindful of noting for the group where we can stand, sit, and most of the time lead us to shade (much appreciated!!). She also shared a Google Maps list of recommendations which is above and beyond what we expected. Thank you!!
Great tour and wonderful experience! Highly recommended! Our tour guide was very experienced and had tons of information!!
Good length of tour with lots of examples of local history.
Local tour guide who came across as very knowledgable with some good anecdotes.
It was a pity, when the tour finished, that there was not a chance to ask any questions or get advice on what else to see or do in Florence from a locals perspective.
We learned about the area and the history of the Medici family and legacy. Aurora (our guide) went above and beyond answering all of our questions and helped us decide our next adventure.
Our guide Deborah did an amazing job at telling the exciting story of Firenze and the Medici family, while also highlighting other people of significance and giving general good tips about the city.
Samona is just the best, you can just feel her love for her city. She spoke clearly and showed us some really marvellous things!
It was a great way to begin our stay in Florence! There is so much history and the stories were fun to hear. My family loved it!
Elisabetta has a real talent for story telling and so much knowledge about Italy. My children hate tours but we're intrigued by Elisabetta's words and information and asked her lots of questions and were so happy they offered to help carry the flag to lead the tour. My 9 year especially said she was the best tour guide ever. Really kind and answered all our questions and gave honest information about local area. The best tour. Book it, you wont be disappointed. Tour on 13 Aug 2026
Great way to understand the history of Florence and the influence of the Medici family. Really great value and we had a great tour guide!
Amen, our guide was very insightful and took us to many scenic spots. Also inside one of the churches and around Forence. He shared its long history. Its a great way in the private cart. Highly recomend!
Jacobo , our tour guide was very knowledgeable. Nice English accent that made it easy for us to understand him .
Informative, with a little exercise. Walking is very leisurely, plenty of opportunities to sit during the history/stories. Fun to hear the stories and stand in the spots where they happened and see the structures that were created.
Debbie is very pleasant and polite person.
Very knowledgeable about the medici and the history of Florence.
She took us around the back roads and showed us the historical buildings.
I would highly recommend this tour as its very informative and well worth the money.
At the end of the tour we gave some donation as we were very satisfied with the tour.
Great walking tour about some of the history of Florence. Our guide Deb was excellent and a great story-teller.
Our tour guide was excellent! Aurora was knowledgeable, funny and did a great job making sure that we all stayed hydrated (it was early August 2026 during a heatwave). We walked all over Firenze (Florence), learning the stories behind the architecture, art, and culture of the city. I also really loved that this tour started in the evening (rather than only having options in the morning). We arrived in the city just after lunchtime, so it was great getting to explore the city just after we arrived rather than having to wait until the next day. I highly recommend this tour. For a phenomenal price (the Viator free is just a processing fee; you can tip your guide whatever you think the tour was worth), this tour is accessible to most everyone (regardless of your budget), and if you take the tour when you first arrive in the city, it will help to orient you, so you can get around the city more efficiently during your stay.
Our tour guide was a beautiful, small woman with a big personality. She was funny and sarcastic as well as very knowledgeable and easy to listen to. The tour was more than expected for the price and I was very disappointed that their electric payment system was not working so I was unable to tip. Bring cash and tip her well because you will truly enjoy the experience.
I recommend this tour. We had a very dedicated guide...even at over 100F he found a way to deliver jokes and make connections about the wonderful history of Florence. He stopped always at shaded spots for explanations and nothing felt rushed.
Unfortunately my daughter didn’t feel well and we had to cut the tour short, which was a real shame as we were really enjoying it. Giacomo was a very interesting and engaging guide who brought historic Florence to life for us.
An AMAZING way to get the outdoor highlights of Florence and then decide what you want to see further. Francesca was a native of Florence and gave a great tour with local insights and fun flare. Highly recommend for a 1st time visitor!
Guide was very knowledgeable and good sense of her job, she shared facts without bias or political themes.
Simona was an excellent tour guide! She did a great job telling the history of Florence and the Medici family. Would highly recommend this tour!
Great way to see major historical sites within Florence. If you want to get a sense of where everything is, do this tour. Great way to learn a lot in a short period of time about this city! We had Samona for a guide and she was absolutely fantastic! Her English was perfect and the headphones to hear her were clear. Never had an issue with connection. Would recommend to anyone looking to get a crash course on Florence.
Great way to discovery Florence's history in a brief 2 hour tour. Our guide Aurora was very knowledgeable and included great little annecdotes along the way. Wear comfortable shoes as wyou will be standing and walking for 2 hours.
It's a great way to spend a couple of hours in the city learning about the Medici family and their impact on Florence and the history behind the monuments. Our guide Deborah Tini was amazing and such a great storyteller engaging at every step.
This was an absolutely fantastic tour! Alberto was great! He explained the history of Florence and the Medici family. The pace was spot on. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Florence!
Giacomo was a fantastic guide! Very knowledgeabke and entertaining. It was very interesting learning more about Florence and the history of the Medicis. Giacomo gave attention to details we would not have expected, including places where we could refill water bottles on a very hot day and recommending places to eat different kinds of food in the area. He definitely went above and beyond, and I would recommend this tour to anyone!
The Guide was a great story teller who connected people and their periods during the tour so we had a great time with him, however his multiple appeal for a tip was the downside.
Best city tour ever had! Debby is not just knowledgeable but also super engaging. Would recommend to everyone who visits Florence!
This was a great and informative tour and free of charge. However if there are things you want to enter you want to either choose to go on your own or do another tour. It was great to hear about the history and culture of Florence and with this information we’re enabled to choose what to do next.
Deborah is very knowledgeable and kept out attention the whole time. Thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommend.
From $3.55
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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