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The Original Florence Walk – The Best Private Walking Tour

Join Florence’s Best Private Walking Tour and let us show you the highlights & intricacies of the city with our lively tour through the historic center of Florence

Enjoy your Florence Walking Tour with the Best

Our entertaining guides make the Original Florence Walk the most highly-rated walking tour in Florence!

Discover the Famous Florence Must-Sees

The World’s most beloved art capital is home to architectural wonders and historical treasures from the Duomo to Ponte Vecchio. We’ll show you Florence’s top attractions through fun and fascinating stories.

Explore Hidden Secrets of Florence’s History

Join our fully-licensed, specially-trained guides who will transport you through time and place. You’ll visit little churches, quirky streets, Florentine palaces and notice things you wouldn’t otherwise spot!

A Florence Tour that’s Different

We’re not your average tour company. We believe history should be entertaining and enlightening – especially when you’re on vacation! That’s why we choose only gifted storytellers as our guides. We want you to feel Florence’s vivid history come to life.

Florence’s Global Cultural Impact

Florence is a top destination for a reason. Its tangible past spans the ancient, medieval, and Renaissance. With our tour you’ll begin to understand the cultural impact that Florence had all across the world.

Florence – The cradle of the Renaissance

Follow in the footsteps of Florence’s infamous families and individuals on our walking tour. Who did they bury alive near the Duomo? What did Leonardo da Vinci do that Michelangelo could never forgive? How did the Medici family use famous artists throughout the centuries? And what propelled Florence to become one of the greatest art cities the world has ever seen? Together, we’ll peel back the centuries while witnessing some of history’s greatest testaments.

Tour Florence’s Architectural Wonders

Visit the churches of  Santa Trinità and Orsanmichele*, and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore*, a true Renaissance wonder. Amazing architecture, stunning sculptures, and fascinating frescoes (okay, we’ll stop with the alliteration!). Take in the San Giovanni Baptistery, Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, and Giotto’s bell tower. And, of course, admire Brunelleschi’s dome, while learning the stories behind it. How did a goldsmith and untrained architect create the Renaissance’s greatest wonder? It’s a story we cannot wait to share with you, among so many others.

Walk in the Footsteps of the Greats

Tread in the tantalizing footsteps of the Michelangelo, the Medici’s, and their Florentine rivals. What’s more, you’ll understand why the city’s historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Have Fun on your Florence Tour

Thanks to our small groups you can talk to the guide about your thoughts and ask all your questions. Discover who was buried alive near the Duomo. Then find out why Michelangelo never forgave Leonardo Da Vinci. Meanwhile, learn how the Medici family used famous artists throughout the Renaissance. Discover why Florence became one of the greatest art centers the world has ever seen.

Astounding Florentine Stories

Hear about astounding events that shocked the city’s local inhabitants. Witness famous the famous sculptures, frescoes and paintings of the churches of Santa Trìnita, Orsanmichele, and the Florence cathedral*.

Florence’s best kept secrets on your walking tour

Learn all about the hidden little secrets of Florence you won’t find on any other tour.

Highlights of Florence

See the Baptistery, Bell Tower, Gates of Paradise, Brunelleschi’s dome, the Vasari Corridor, Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, medieval towers, Renaissance palaces, famous shopping streets, and so much more!

Why Book the Original Florence Walk – The Best Walking tour of Florence?

  • Our great highly trained ArtViva guides are gifted storytellers – the best in Florence
  • The first company to do entertaining enjoyable small group high quality walking tours in Florence. ArtViva continues the excellence today
  • Enjoy seeing all the main sites and get correct information
  • Our fully licensed travel agency ensures peace of mind
  • Our great customer care
  • True local expertise that’s stood the test of time – since 1996
  • Small groups-we keep the groups small
  • Real people, with you in the city center – Say hello to us in our office in Florence!

What else to do in Florence? Try out these similar tours:

  • Private Early Morning Florence Walk – an early morning version of our Florence Walking Tour – beat the heat, and the crowds and enjoy the city to yourselves!
  • The Private Original David Tour – Visit the must-see David sculpture by Michelangelo at the Accademia Museum with our fantastic guides, skip-the-line and discover its beauty!
  • Private Masterpieces of the Uffizi – The best tour of the Uffizi galleries out there! Everyone is astounded at how fun our tour of the Uffizi is, where you meet all the big names of art history and understand what made these artworks so important

 

 

Tour Details

Sites visited on this tour:

  • Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore*
  • Church of Santa Trìnita*
  • Church of Orsanmichele* (Please note from October 2019 entry to Orsanmichele is limited due to construction work)
  • Baptistery (external)
  • Bell Tower (external)
  • Gates of Paradise
  • Brunelleschi’s Dome (external)
  • Vasari Corridor (external)
  • Piazza della Signoria
  • Palazzo Vecchio
  • Ponte Vecchio
  • Piazza della Repubblica

 

Weather
This tour runs rain or shine

Dress code
Knees, shoulders and backs must be covered for entry into churches.

Tour Length
3 hours-finishes near the Duomo

We recommend having lunch at Frescobaldi Restaurant if you are doing the Uffizi gallery tour with us next.

Time
The private tour can run at a time that suits you.

*On Sundays and religious holidays, the churches of Santa Trìnita, Orsanmichele, and the Duomo are closed for religious services. Please note that there is no priority entrance for the Duomo; entrance is strictly a first come, first served basis. In cases where lines are too long, the Duomo is covered externally only.

 

Meeting Point

Meeting point will be advised after booking

FAQ's

We accept most major credit cards and payment forms. Please see the bottom of our website for the payment types accepted.

Most of our customers enjoy having the benefits of a private tour. You have your own guide. You can have rest stops when you like. We can tailor the tour to suit your needs and preferences. We always choose the best guide for your needs, whether you are a family, an art school, or a company doing an incentive event.

All our tours except our Sex, Drugs and Renaissance tour are kid friendly. When doing a private tour with us, you have your own guide, so tell us in the notes of the booking the ages of your kids and we will tailor the tour and choose a guide that’s great for kids for you. We also have 4 special kids’ tours in Florence.

All tours are conducted in English only unless otherwise noted or requested. Other languages available for all private tours on request.

We are offering mainly Private and some Semi-private tours at the moment. We do not offer many semi private small group tours anymore due to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. The difference between Private and Semi-private is that the private tours are fully private tours with your own guide and the Semi-private are small shared group tours where individuals can join others.

The shared group tour runs in English only, but we can arrange private tours in other languages.

Snacks are allowed (better not to snack inside the churches) you will have a break at a café around 11.30am

This tour runs rain or shine!

Yes, the original Florence Walk is kid and family friendly. We also have a private Florence for Kids tour.

This is a 3 hour walking tour that includes church entry but there are no steps.

We allow a maximum of 15 adults per group. We do our best to keep the groups small, on rare occasions we may need to be slightly over.  

Reviews

11 reviews for The Original Florence Walk – The Best Private Walking Tour

  1. Sabine Poebing-Nania

    È stata un’esperienza molto speciale. Non solo per la pandemia di Covid e per la conseguente atmosfera speciale a Firenze grazie ai pochi turisti. Ma anche e soprattutto per via del tour quasi privato. Noi due eravamo gli unici e la nostra guida era accompagnata dal suo collega, quindi sembrava veramente come un tour privato. In termini di contenuti, non c’è sicuramente visita guidata migliore a Firenze se sei interessato alla sua storia e allo stesso tempo vuoi avere una ampia comprensione del centro storico. Il tour è stato molto divertente e abbiamo ricevuto risposte conclusive a tutte le nostre domande. Consiglo vivamente questo Tour.

  2. Thomas Reidenbach

    Alex, our guide, was excellent in every way. He gave us great insights into the history, architecture, and culture of Florence. He took us to places vistors could never find on their own. We highly recommend this tour

  3. Kathleen Rigby

    Our group of 7 people had a wonderful experience with Laura during our 3-hour walking tour of Florence. Laura was a delightful and knowledgeable guide who took us on a great tour of Florence and introduced us to many facts and information that we would never have known without her. I highly recommend Laura to anyone interested in a Walking Tour of Florence,

  4. Kay & Jim Schlembach

    We found ArtViva through Rick Steves’ Tuscany Guide. This is our second semi-private tour, and we were so pleased! Laura was kind, knowledgeable, and expert at pointing out historical & quirky highlights of Florence’s old city, including recommendations on street food. We did go back for lampredotta and a fabulous porchetta sandwich (located near the famous “Fontana del Procellino” – bronze boar statue). Laura’s love of Florence is infectious, and greatly enhanced our enjoyment of the city. Worth every penny. Can’t wait to schedule another ArtViva tour on our next trip to Italy.

  5. Elizabeth in Alexandria VA

    I found ArtViva after searching many other tour companies that offered “custom tours”. I selected ArtViva because they were willing to work with me to customize a private walking tour for my family and me, the price point was excellent, and they were very accomodating. The Artviva staff person, Faezeh was kind, efficient and very responsive to my requests. Our tour guide, Alessandro was amazing. He met us at our hotel, was willing to “pivot” regarding the walking tour and gave everyone a great experience (many age groups and people who were easily “churched out”). Best of all, I had asked him for a visit to a mosaic studio. He kindly arranged everything and it was a lovely way to cap a great walking tour of Florence’s 4 major neighborhoods. I highly recommend ArtViva

  6. Paul Steinke

    Our Artviva walking tour of Florence in June 2022 was led by a guide named Martina. She was extraordinarily knowledgeable, pleasant and adept at leading our group. She also spoke English very well, so there was no language barrier. The portable tour microphones were a great help as well. All in all we were quite pleased with our experience.

  7. Claire Mendez

    We booked The Original Florence Walk it did not disappoint.This is the second time I’ve booked w ArtViva when in Florence. Our guide was very informative and kept it interesting she had a lot of knowledge in history which made it more enjoyable to ask many questions. I would highly recommend this tour and when I’m back I will book another. Thank you ArtViva

  8. Debbie Stoner

    We learned a lot from Eleanora. She was well informed and very proficient in English. She customized the tour to fit our interests which we appreciated. We would recommend the tour. We tipped her directly. Thanks

  9. Dorothy Yundt

    Our guide was deep in knowledge and history of Florence, especially her love of art! The tour exceeded our expectations and we would highly recommend this as a great walking tour of Florence!

  10. Rodney Hayward

    Our guide, Martina met us at our hotel and did a great job introducing us to her home city. Her passion for Florence was only beaten by her incredible knowledge of the history of this incredible place. One of our group would recommend a short gelato break in the middle of the tour but other than that the tour was very informative and provided context for our few days here. Highly recommend the tour and our guide.

  11. Gloria Nemechek

    The tour guide was very knowledgeable and covered many historical highlights. We enjoyed our tour but thought price was out of line. Should be less. Thank you

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