Florence Tours of the City
Visitors can arrange a private walking tour or book one of the daily guided tours around Florence's key attractions through Mercurio (tel: (055) 213 355; website: www.mercurio-italy.org). Walks include a tour of the Uffizi Gallery, departing from the reservations entrance at 1400 (Tuesday-Saturday), as well as a tour of the Pitti Palace and Oltrarno area, which starts in front of the Pitti Palace at 1630 on Tuesday and Thursday, and a ‘Florence Past and Present' city tour, which departs from the Ponte Vecchio daily at 1000. The walking tours range from two to three hours and include entry tickets. Commentary is from English-speaking local experts and advance reservations are required.
A number of walking tours are also offered by Artviva (tel: (055) 264 5033; website: www.italy.artviva.com). The ‘Original Florence Walk' departs from the company's office, Via Sassetti 1, taking in the highlights of the city with tales from the past. The tour takes 3 hours and runs daily at 0930. The company also offer private tours.
Bus Tours
There is no reason for most visitors to take a bus tour around Florence, seeing as the entire city, from north to south, can be covered on foot in just half an hour. Most of the attractions are closely grouped together and heralded by the whirr of camera shutters. Visitors who are lost and do not feel up to asking directions should follow the umbrella hovering above the crowds - it is guaranteed to be guiding a band of tourists to another one of the city's attractions.
However, for visitors determined to take a bus tour, CAF Tours (tel: (055) 210 612; website: www.caftours.com) and CentralSita Viaggi (tel: (055) 219 383; website: www.sitabus.it) both operate tours of the main city sites. There are daily departures at 0930 and 1430 from Piazza Stazione. These tours last for 3 hours. CAF Tours also run tours to designer outlet stores on the outskirts of Florence.
Bike Tours
I Bike Italy (tel: (055) 234 2371; website: www.ibikeitaly.com) offers excursions into the Tuscan hills on mountain bikes. Full-day trips (0900-1700) are available, including lunch and a tour of one of the local vineyards. Bookings are taken in English over the telephone and a pick-up point in Florence is arranged.
Tours of Florence
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