Tours and Daytrips from Florence

In Florence you can enjoy its architectural, artistic and historical gems, but you can also get lost in the Tuscan countryside, villages and vineyards such as Siena, Pisa, Assisi, Chianti or San Gimignano. Here are the best tours and excursions in and around Florence.

The best introduction to a city like Florence, especially if it's your first time in the capital of Tuscany, is with a guided walking tour of its historic centre about the Renaissance and the Medici. This way, you will soak up the majesty, architecture and history of must-see places such as its Cathedral, the Duomo.

You will cross the Ponte Vecchio, one of the most famous bridges in the world, nowadays full of jewellery shops and originally occupied by the city's butchers, or the bustling Piazza della Signoria, an authentic open-air museum full of sculptures.

What's included in this tour

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To travel to Florence and not explore the beautiful Tuscan countryside is a real sin. If you are also a wine lover or curious about the secrets of one of the most prestigious wine regions in the world, this is the tour for you.

This guided excursion to Tuscany with a visit to a winery will transport you to landscapes of vineyards, forests and olive groves, in a horizon dotted with Romanesque parish churches, villas and castles. You'll visit a family-run winery, where you'll taste their prized Chianti wine, and picturesque hilltop villages, such as medieval Greve, where the region's most important wine fair is held every year, and Castellina, known for its great fortress and Etruscan settlements.

What is included in this tour

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To get a comprehensive, but very in-depth, idea of all that beautiful Florence has to offer in the most personalised and comfortable way, choose a private walking tour of the old part of the city. Thanks to your guide, you will learn first-hand everything you want to know about its main points of interest, such as the Basilica of San Lorenzo and the church of the Medici family.

You will see the fundamental Piazza del Duomo, with the Cathedral, Brunelleschi's Dome, Giotto's Bell Tower and the Baptistery of St. John and the Casa di Dante Museum, in the medieval quarter, where Dante Alighieri and Beatrice, among others, used to live.

What is included in this tour

Itinerary

If there is one thing you should not miss on a longer visit to Florence, it is a trip to the nearby town of Pisa to see one of the most famous monuments in the world, its Leaning Tower, a World Heritage Site originally designed to be the bell tower of the Duomo.

Pisa is a small town, but highly recommended. It can be covered in just a few hours, so going from Florence with this afternoon guided tour of Pisa is a great plan. On your visit you will see all the sights of Pisa, starting with one of the main centres of medieval art in the world, Piazza del Duomo of Pisa, called 'Piazza dei Miracoli' because of the monuments it encompasses: the Tower, the Baptistery and the Duomo, known in the past as true miracles of architecture.

You will also see the oldest church in Pisa, the Church of San Sisto, and the Piazza dei Cavalieri, the political epicentre of medieval Pisa and home to one of the most famous universities in the world, the Scuola Normale di Pisa.

What is included in this tour

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Here is a complete article with the best excursions to Pisa from Florence so you can see the most recommended ones.

What about seeing Florence on a pleasant bike tour? With this guided bike tour you will also cycle through the historic centre of this fascinating city, but pedalling leisurely through its charming cobbled streets. Or maybe you prefer the guided electric bike tour, also lasting two hours but a little more comfortable.

You will see areas such as the artisan quarter of Oltrarno; the Piazza della Repubblica, in the heart of the city; the most beautiful bridges, Ponte Vecchio, Ponte Santa Trinita and Ponte alle Grazie or the last residence of the Medici dynasty, the Pitti Palace.

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One of the advantages of Florence's geographical location is that it allows you to visit charming towns and villages nearby. For example, if you're in Florence and you want to visit Pisa and the small town of Lucca, another dreamy place with an impressive collection of Etruscan ruins and Renaissance architecture, you can do it in the same day.

Lucca has a huge, circular Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, the Guinigi Tower and the Cathedral, as well as charming narrow streets. You'll also get to taste one of its most emblematic sweets, the buccellato, a delicious ring-shaped cake.

What's included in this tour

Want to make your tour of Florence as authentic as possible? Do it on board of an iconic Vespa. A comfortable, exciting and very Italian way to get lost in the narrow streets of the historic centre of Florence and admire the best panoramic views of the city.

Accompanied by a guide, you will climb up to the most important viewpoints of Florence, such as its highest observation point with postcard-perfect views, the Piazzale Michelangelo, or the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte, one of the greatest examples of Romanesque architecture in the whole region and another of its highest points, to capture your best memories in photos.

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To discover the three most emblematic destinations in Tuscany, choose this full day guided tour to Pisa, San Gimignano and Siena. You will discover the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Piazza dei Miracoli; the medieval streets of beautiful World Heritage Site San Gimignano and Siena, with its magnificent cathedral and Piazza del Campo, where its famous Palio di Siena horse race takes place.

In addition, you will enjoy a traditional Tuscan lunch in a wonderful winery in the Tuscan hills with bruschetta, salami and fresh cheese, a plate of tagliatelle with ragù sauce and a typical dessert, accompanied by a Chianti wine tasting.

What is included in this tour

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Here is another article on the best day trips to Siena from Florence which will be very useful if you are especially interested in visiting Siena.

This is the most complete tour, as it includes the excursion to Pisa, Siena and San Gimignano. For a very reasonable price in relation to all that it includes, you will take away the most unforgettable and complete memory of southern Tuscany, thanks to the visit to some of the greatest jewels of the region.

You will walk through the Tuscan landscapes, full of vineyards and bucolic countryside; you will stroll through the medieval town of San Gimignano, known for its impressive towers and frescoes, and discover the charming historic village of Monteriggioni, an incredible medieval village enclosed by walls.

You will travel through the village of Chianti to visit a charming hilltop winery where you will taste three excellent local wines and a traditional lunch and end your journey in Siena, strolling through its narrow medieval streets flanked by splendid palaces and visiting the Basilica of San Domenico, a marvel of Renaissance art erected in the 13th century in honour of Saint Catherine of Siena, and the 12th century Cathedral of Siena.

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Did you see the film 'Under the Tuscan Sun' and fell in love with its landscapes? Now you can discover them in person thanks to this day trip to Assisi and Cortona to the beautiful village where it was filmed, Cortona, which you can explore on your own.

You will also see the birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi, who left the wealth of his family in the 13th century to preach in the streets of Assisi, and of one of his first followers, St. Clare.

In Assisi, you will take a guided walking tour of its main historic buildings, including the Basilica of St. Francis, one of the most beautiful churches in Italy with stunning frescoes by Giotto, and the interior of the 9th-century Santa Maria degli Angeli, believed to be St. Francis' favourite place of worship.

What is included in this tour

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If you would like to go further into the organisation of your trip, I recommend you to read my detailed guides on Florence Uffizi Gallery Tickets and Visits, Florence Accademia Gallery Tickets and Visits y Florence Cathedral Tickets and Tours, which for me are the must-sees of the city.

If, on the other hand, you're looking for a way to get around the city as comfortably and quickly as possible, you should consider the tourist bus option. Although at first glance it may seem too touristy (redundancy aside), it also has its advantages. Check them all out here: Barcelona Hop-On Hop-Off Buses.