La Spezia Shore Excursion to Florence with guaranteed return on time
La Spezia, Italy
- 8 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
·
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Make the most of your time at shore and visit the capital of Tuscany on this full-day shore excursion to Florence. Discover the Renaissance masterpieces of the city on your own or with a guided tour of the city which includes stops at the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio plus free time to enjoy the sights. This tour comes with a guarantee to make it back to your ship in time for departure.
- Explore a UNESCO World Heritage Site—Florence
- Enjoy time to go shopping and try local food (own expense)
- Stay connected on the journey with onboard Wi-Fi
- Choose from a transfer-only or guided option
What's Included
- Assistance on board
- English and Spanish speaking escort
- Free map of Florence
- Free wi-fi on the bus
- Comfortable journey with coach
- Return on time guaranteed
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- WiFi on board
- Accademia Gallery ticket (if option selected)
- Complimentary glass of wine in Florence
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Largo Michele Fiorillo, 19124 La Spezia SP, Italy
Upon debarkation, passengers must takes one of the free shuttle bus from the pier till the terminal (ride takes 5 minutes) Staff will wait for you at the terminal exit with wearing a GREEN T-Shirt
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Ticket Redemption Point
Largo Michele Fiorillo, 19124 La Spezia SP, Italy
Itinerary
La Spezia Cruise Port (Pass By)
1
Florence
4 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Galleria dell'Accademia (Pass By)
Piazza della Signoria (Pass By)
Mercato Centrale (Pass By)
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Pass By)
Ponte Vecchio (Pass By)
La Spezia Cruise Port (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Near public transportation
- Stroller accessible
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Departure times are subject to change due to arrival to Cruise ships
- Please, specify Ship Name and Boarding time
- Be sure to be at the meeting point at least 15 minutes before departure time, at the meeting point you will find the staff wearing a GREEN T-Shirt. No refund will be give in case of late coming
- If your ship makes an itinerary change or schedule change and you arrive in a different port or in a different schedule, please do not assume your tour has been cancelled. your tour will be schedule for the new port or for the new timing. Please call our representative to confirm the new details.
- Meeting point just outside the cruise terminal
- Return in time to the ship guaranteed.
- Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the entrance time at the Accademia Gallery ticket office
- If you have selected Accademia Option, you receive an ENTRY CODE by your escort the day of the excursion.
- Present the ENTRY CODE at the Accademia Gallery Box Office in order to collect your ticket
- In the event of changes to the itinerary due to events not directly dependent on our company, entrance tickets to the Accademia Museum cannot be refunded.
- Official Admission to the Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze: Adult (26+) €20.00. Additional fees cover ticket purchase, agency booking fees and customer service.
- If you book Accademia Tickets or Guided Tour, please insert all the customer names
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 60 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
This tour was awesome and the guide was awesome. A very relaxing ride to Florence and then the guide walked us around Florence so we could experience as much as possible. She was very knowledgeable. Also had guaranteed return to port on time. Would highly recommend this tour.
Reviews
4.1
based on 110 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
We purchased this tour to travel to Florence to see the statute of David. The addmission ticket was part of the tour. The tour employee walked us to the museum and was unable to provide the necessary tickets to enter. We were told we could ask for a refund and the employee left us in the street. Poorly run organization!
Pick up was well organised and on time. Driver and tour guide excellent the tour guide describing the itinerary clearly for the large bus group.
Excellent trip. Our guide, Marti was very knowledgeable, helpful, and kind. Long day, but if you want to see Florence it is definitely worth it.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for choosing our service for your trip to Italy. Your feedback will be helpful for our future travelers!
Florence is amazing and seeing David a once in a lifetime experience! It was a rushed tour though because of timing!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for choosing our service for your trip to Italy. Your feedback will be helpful for our future travelers!
Be aware you are on your own with this tour once you get off the bus. If you decide to walk, be prepared to walk several miles. The guide will give you a map and suggest options for you to see. The streets are difficult to match up with the map so using a walking app with your phone is helpful.
Lumi was so kind, patient and informative. She explained everything we needed to know about where we were going and if we wanted to go off and explore by ourselves, exactly where to meet up.
I highly recommend this experience and can’t see enough good things about Lumi!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for choosing our service for your trip to Italy. Your feedback will be helpful for our future travelers!
Viator gets you back to the ship in plenty of time! Our guide Lumi was knowledgeable, helpful, and fun! Our driver Jorge, was a great safe driver! We would definitely do this again!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
We appreciate you choosing our service for your journey to Italy. Your comments will help other travelers in planning their experience!
Excellent information from tour guide. Great value from start to finish everything was taken care of for us leaving us to enjoy the experience with any worry about logistics.
Great guide Lumi, she really looked after all the passengers including two who almost missed the coach back.
Great way to get from the port to Florence. Glad we didn’t have to do the tour but was able to meet the guide (Alex) in a local store to get back to the bus.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for choosing our service for your trip to Italy. Your feedback will be helpful for our future travelers!
Alex was very informative, gave us a lot of great information, and has a wonderful personality! Our driver Max kept us safe!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for choosing our service for your trip to Italy. Your feedback will be helpful for our future travelers!
It was a bus that took us back as. Forth to the cruise port. Easy. Clean. Alessandro was great. driver was safe and efficient.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We appreciate you choosing our service for your journey to Italy. Your comments will help other travelers in planning their experience!
Our experience was for transfer only, and everything went very smoothly. Manu from Shore Experience was very conscientious, and made sure that everyone knew how to get where they were going, and how to get back to the bus.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We appreciate you choosing our service for your journey to Italy. Your comments will help other travelers in planning their experience!
An easy and economical way to get to Florence rather than using ship princess cruise option.
Organsed at both ends
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We appreciate you choosing our service for your journey to Italy. Your comments will help other travelers in planning their experience!
We really enjoyed our guide, Mattia. He was funny and helpful and knowledgeable. We chose to visit the Galleria dell'Accademia, and most of the group did not. The bus was great and had good air conditioning which was a major plus on a hot day!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for choosing our service for your trip to Italy. Your feedback will be helpful for our future travelers!
The experience team made it so easy for us to go to Florence for the day right from our cruise ship. They were friendly and accommodating, and our guide gave a lovely overview of the history and region, along with a solid plan for us to experience the city in the four hours we had to spend. We love independent tours, so this was perfect for us. The bus has WiFi - ask for the password - and it’s quite comfortable.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for choosing our service for your trip to Italy. Your feedback will be helpful for our future travelers!
Very fast but great overview of Florence highlights, though not a true guided tour. Our guide, Martina had a large group (including others who didn’t book through Viator) but kept everyone very well informed about where and when to meet up. We added the Accademia portion and got to see Michelangelo’s David and other incredible artwork and sculpture. We had free time before the bus ride back to La Spezia to eat and walk around/shop. Our bus driver, Alessio was also terrific, and we got back to our ship with time to spare.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for choosing our service for your trip to Italy. Your review will be valuable for future travelers!
Overall it's a lovely outing, but it's fast paced and not relaxing. We decided to book the walking tour which on one hand was useful for a first time visit to see the main sights we only stopped at 3 of the many beautiful sights and were given 10 minutes to take photos. The walk is a fast pace, and I felt rushed. I made the error of booking a galeria ticket, to see Micheal Amgelos famous David. The gallery actually has many amazing works to see, but do do it all in a day is really rushed. You just can't take it all in, in 4.5 hours and also walk from the bus stop to all the sights. I would recommend a stay over in Florence. For those who only have a day, rather skip the galleria and stop at one of the squares and enjoy a meal or a Gelato. The tour guide was helpful and friendly. My mom (79) and I (56), enjoyed the day, but we did not sit, for not even one minute! We even ate our Gelato while moving and rushing to get to the gallery, not to miss our booked time. If you do decide to do the gallery, book it last, give yourself 40 minutes to walk back to bus, and 40 minutes in Gallery.
Also Florence is very crowded, so brisk walking is not really easy.
Overall it's a wonderful place with incredible sights, but really rushed, no time to shop or eat really, if you want to see the landmarks, but it is still amazing.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
We appreciate you choosing our service for your journey to Italy. Your comments will help other travelers in planning their experience!
The trip was great. All we needed was transportation so this was perfect. The guide, Marina, was wonderful.
The only negative was it was difficult to find the meeting point with so many tour groups around
Response from Host, Jun 2026
• Thank you for choosing our service for your trip to Italy. Your feedback will be helpful for our future travelers!
Marina was an excellent tour guide: very knowledgeable and well organized.
Everything was on schedule and as advertised. She provided key information during the walking tour without being overwhelming.
There was cold water and WiFi on the bus. Overall excellent experience during our day trip to Florence! 5/5.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
• We appreciate you choosing our service for your journey to Italy. Your comments will help other travelers in planning their experience!
We chose the transport-only option since we had been to Florence before and simply needed reliable transit from our cruise ship port. This was an excellent, hassle-free choice for that purpose.
The tour company maintained great communication throughout the day. There was also a guide on the bus who shared interesting details about the history and culture of the region. Once we arrived in Florence, we were free to explore on our own before meeting back at the designated time and place.
A quick tip for future travelers: The meeting location is near the train station, and that area can be a little tricky to navigate. I highly advise giving yourself ample time to walk back so you don't feel rushed.
Everything ran perfectly on schedule, and we arrived back at the ship with plenty of time to spare before departure. This transfer provided exactly what we were looking for, and I highly recommend it for a seamless day of independent exploration in Florence!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
• We appreciate you choosing our service for your journey to Italy. Your comments will help other travelers in planning their experience!
First time using Viator. Could not have been easier. Just like a ship excursion, but less than half the price. Transfer allowed for roaming at your own pace and seeing exactly what you wanted to see. Would recommend
Response from Host, May 2026
We appreciate you choosing our service for your journey to Italy. Your comments will help other travelers in planning their experience!
This was a great way to spend a few hours visiting the highlights of Florence. Marina our guide was excellent! She paid attention to details and was very communicative with us for meeting places and our pick up and drop off times. The tour gave us time to go on our own and explore, which we enjoyed. We had a few unruly passengers on our tour, but Marina handled the situation tactfully and with great professionalism, which solved the situation. She gave us a great day with great suggestions for places to eat and shop. You won’t be disappointed with this tour and tour guide.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for choosing our service for your trip to Italy. Your feedback will be helpful for our future travelers!
This is - in my opinion- the best way to get from La Spezia to Florence! I booked this then did my own planning in Florence (Accademia, Santa Maria, shopping, etc). It was perfect. My day, my way.
Response from Host, May 2026
We appreciate you choosing our service for your journey to Italy. Your comments will help other travelers in planning their experience!
We paid for a bus ride to and from Florence. There was a lot of confusion at the port as to which bus we were to get on (there were 3 guides from the same company). Of note, the bus driver wasn't friendly, never acknowledged or spoke to the passengers which isn't what we're used to. Once we arrived, we had a lovely day on our own exploring this fantastic city. We were all told to be back at the bus at a set time. Everyone made that timeline, however tje bus didn't. He was 20 mins late. Lastly, this trip said it was 8.5 hours. We returned an hour and 20 minutes late, good thing we didn't miss our ship. Not very happy with this company.
Response from Host, May 2026
We’re sorry to read your comment; however, it does not reflect the quality standards that our customers consistently confirm every day.
Friendly staff, meeting just outside the port terminal was easy and we were back in plenty of time for the ship.
Response from Host, May 2026
• We appreciate you choosing our service for your journey to Italy. Your comments will help other travelers in planning their experience!
The tour guide made the trip so enjoyable. He was personable, funny and gave us a good history lesson. Highly recommend to ask for this person for a tour guide.
Response from Host, May 2026
• We appreciate you choosing our service for your journey to Italy. Your comments will help other travelers in planning their experience!
Shuttle including walking tour is a perfect day to see the best of Florence. Our guide Frederico was informative but not overwhelming and gave a perfect amount of time to roam around on our own. Bus ride was very comfortable.
Response from Host, May 2026
• We appreciate you choosing our service for your journey to Italy. Your comments will help other travelers in planning their experience!
A good way to get a taste of Florence from our cruise. Allesandro was delightful and informative. Unfortunately the WIFI on the bus didn’t work for us so don’t count on it. Also be prepared to walk all over or as we did go off on our own and took a cab a couple of times. And remember Florence is crowded
Response from Host, Apr 2026
We appreciate you choosing our service for your journey to Italy. Your comments will help other travelers in planning their experience!
What’s not what I expected. To be dropped off at a bus station and then given directions to the museum on our own. Then to wait for another guide to hand us our tickets, and there was a big mixed up on our time to go in, with the guide arguing with the museum personnel, so he told us to wait in the line, and proceeded to leave. Then we had a map to get back to the bus station.
From
-10%
$51.21
per personWas $56.91
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Special Offer
La Spezia Shore Excursion to Florence with guaranteed return on time
110
8 hours 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$56.91
$51.21
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
- Water Tours
- Dining Experiences
- Full-day Tours
- Lunch Cruises
- Cruises & Sailing
- Food & Drink
- Day Trips
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Private and Luxury
- Private Sightseeing Tours
- La Spezia
- Water Tours - Cinque Terre
- Dining Experiences - Cinque Terre
- Full-day Tours - Cinque Terre
- Lunch Cruises - Cinque Terre
- Water Tours - Portofino
- Full-day Tours - Portofino
- Water Tours - Lucca
- Dining Experiences - Lucca
- Full-day Tours - Lucca
Attractions in La Spezia, Italy
More attractions near La Spezia, Italy