The excitement, artistry and intrigue of medieval and Renaissance Florence truly come alive on this walking tour. Stroll through glorious piazzas and meandering backstreets while hearing tales of feuding painters, Medici rulers and religious fanatics who all left their mark on the city. Learn about the impressive engineering of Brunelleschi’s Dome as you step inside Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, and get tips on the best shops, restaurants and gelato spots from a local guide.

Top-rated walking history tour of Florence
Get insider tips on the best places to shop and dine
Great introduction to the city for first-time visitors
Led by a friendly, English-speaking guide

What's Included

Headsets to hear the guide clearly
Local professional guide

Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Via Roma, 1r
Via Roma, 1r, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
Corner of Piazza Della Repubblica and Via Roma outside the Bar/Restaurant called Gilli

Start time

09:15 AM

End point

Piazza del Duomo
Piazza del Duomo, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
Tour ends at the Duomo

What To Expect

Your walking tour begins in central Florence, where you’ll greet your guide and receive an introduction to Italy’s prettiest city. As you visit highlights such as Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptsitery (Battistero), and the iconic Duomo, you’ll listen to tales featuring to affluent Medici family and the history of Italian cuisine.

Stroll through quaint piazzas and down hidden backstreets, and collect insider tips regarding the best restaurants and bars from your guide. The walking tour concludes at a location in central Florence.

Please note, shoulders and knees must be covered when entering sacred sites.

Piazza della Repubblica

Immerse yourself in history and listen to medieval stories with a three-hour walk around Florence’s essential sights.

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Church and Museum of Orsanmichele

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

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Operates in all weather conditions; please dress appropriately
A dress code is required to enter places of worship. No shorts or sleeveless/backless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements
Group cannot enter churches (including the Duomo) during mass/other closures
From April 2017 onwards, new priority entry regulations to the Duomo require viewing a mandatory 30-minute video at a theatre nearby. ArtViva management has thus decided to omit entering the cathedral during the walking tour until these regulations are repealed/changed.

Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

134 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 134 reviews

Very informative tour

Kelsey_D, Dec 2019

My husband and I attended this tour on October 1st, 2019 in the morning. Our tour guide provided a TON of information about the detailed history of Florence! There was a ton of walking involved but we enjoyed being able to see all of the sights. Definitely recommend this tour!

Response from Host, Jun 2020

Thanks!

Florence walking tour

Stephen_L, Oct 2019

Confusing as to were to meet and we almost missed the tour. But overall Laura the Tour guide was very nice and informative.

Mario definitely made it fascinating

Danielle_B, Oct 2019

Our guide Mario was very passionate and knowledgeable about Florence. He was the perfect person to introduce is to the city. We learned about the Medici family and their influence, Florentine history and secrets, all while enjoying ourselves.

Wonderful visit with Mario!

Shelley P, Sep 2019

We took the express tour with Mario a few days ago! He was so wonderful! Very intelligent, wellspoken, a great story teller and really brought the history of Florence to life! Would definitely recommend him and any ArtViva tour!

Superb walking tour

Voyager524513, Aug 2019

Angelo our guide was superb entertaining us on the history for Florence !!! We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and would highly recommend It to everyone. We were so impressed that we have booked More tours with this company

3 crucial things you need to know after booking!

Jeremy_T, Jul 2019

1. Wear shorts! Despite what the description says, you do not need long pants or covered shoes. I showed up in both during a 35degC summer, and was really regretful :( many others from my group were in shorts and slippers, and they were able to enter all the buildings. 2. Wait for your tour guide at LEVEL 1 - at the building. They say their offices are at level 2, but after walking up a long flight of stairs to find them, they will tell you to wait at the ground level 1 for the tour guide to arrive. 3. Bring your own high quality earphones! If you own a pair of nice in-ears, the headsets they give you use a regular 3.5mm output. They will supply you with apple earpod style earphones, but a nice sealed in ear will make your tour much more enjoyable. Beside that, the tour was AMAZING. Hands down the best money I've spent in Florence. Without them, you'd be walking around the street going "oh cool hole in the wall". My tour guide, Tatiana, was a former actress who gave us a tour with extreme enthusiasm and candor. She was amazing thank you so much! This might have been the best tour I've ever taken! :)

Excellent tour!

Susie_T, May 2019

We thoroughly enjoyed our 3 hour walking tour of Florence, Manoli was our tour guide and he was amazing! We learnt so much, and had such a great time walking around the beautiful Florence. I cannot recommend this tour enough.

Excellent professional walking tour

YurySch, May 2019

We enjoyed the tour with Angelo on a cold morning in Florence. Angelo is very knowledgeable, funny and enthusiastic - he makes you fall in love with Florence, its art and history (if you weren't already). The tour uses radio receivers for audio, which is very convenient. It works really well and makes the best use of the tour's time - the stream of information doesn't stop! The meeting point in the tour operator's offices, which also proved very convenient - the place is easy to find, and if one comes before time, there's a place to rest and the reception desk, where one can get information. We highly recommend this tour!

the first time I went to Florence I...

Patti_F, Jul 2018

the first time I went to Florence I took this tour and thought it gave a wonderful. guide to Florence. when I took my son back this year I booked this again as I knew it would show him things that he wouldn't see just walking around. Hilda was our guide and she was great to work with. I highly recommend her and this tour.

Hilde was a fantastic guide. She...

Jill M, Mar 2018

Hilde was a fantastic guide. She really brings the city to life in a very interesting and unexpected way. There are so many things to discover about Florence, you'll never learn them all, but you will see and learn about a number of very interesting places, people and things. It's easy to catch Hilde's passion for the city as she shows you around one of the most fascinating cities in the world. This tour was well worth it.

We arrived at the office at 9.10am...

Ginette H, Nov 2017

We arrived at the office at 9.10am - the information sheet said to arrive at 9.15am. The office door was locked, so we couldn't take the lift up to the second floor, again as requested. Shortly afterwards a lady arrived, opened the office door and quite rudely told us to go off and get a coffee and come back at 9.30am for the start of the walk - so why we were asked to arrive at 9.15am? Another couple also arrived at that time. Not a good impression to be given. Fortunately the rest of the experience was first rate. Ishmael was waiting for us at 9.30am and we had an excellent three hour walk with him. He was polite, extremely knowledge and gave us the information in a very friendly way. I would not hesitate to recommend his walk. We did the tour on our first morning, so he gave us a great overview of what else we should try to see during our stay in the city.

This was an excellent tour. Just...

Sandra_H, Sep 2017

This was an excellent tour. Just seven of us with Ismael our guide and our headphones which was an excellent way to become acquainted with Florence. We did this trip on our first full day in Florence and really enjoyed it as Ismael provided some facts you will not find in a tour book. Would highly recommend this trip for all 'newbies' to Florence.

This was booked as a walking tour...

Lisa M, Sep 2017

This was booked as a walking tour. There wasn't much walking! We walked to a church, Ponte Vecchio Bridge and a couple of piazzas. In between our guide gave us a lot of history about Florence. She is passionate about her city and knew a lot of history. In fact she gave us so much information that nothing sank in. You were awash with information. You are given earphones, which does make it easier. To pick up your guide you have to find their offices. To do this we needed a map. In fact we found it much easier to get around Florence on our own with the map!!

My boyfriend and I did the walking...

Jill J, Aug 2017

My boyfriend and I did the walking tour our first morning in Florence just to get acclimated. Little did I know how much I would learn!!!! I wish I could remember our guide's name....she was amazing!!! Her mom is from Colorado and her dad is from Florence and she was raised in Florence..she had the best insights for us and TONS of interesting Florence history that I've been rebelling to my family. She really was the best!!!

very good tour, I really enjoyed...

Yvonne M, Aug 2017

very good tour, I really enjoyed listening to Ismail. He is very knowledgeable about Italian history, culture and easy to understand. The tour was great value and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Florence who does not mind a long walk!

If you are going to explore...

Mr I C P, Jun 2017

If you are going to explore Florence, you really should do this to understand it better. It is best done on your first full day - it sets the scene so you understand the history of the place and why it is what it is. With a good guide giving you some insight, you notice more as you walk around during the rest of your stay. I have to say Riccardo was exceptional - born and bred in Florence he is telling you about his home town with a great level of knowledge.

We booked this tour for our first...

John H, Jun 2017

We booked this tour for our first day in the city and it was a nice way to get introduced to where things were while learning a little as well. Wear good shoes for walking since the streets are cobblestone.

I didn't expect the walking tour to...

Jon B, Jun 2017

I didn't expect the walking tour to be as wonderfully educational as it was. You learn how the art scene developed through the power struggle between the church and the merchant class. Corina was an incredible guide with a perfect British sensibility. When you can ask a seemingly simple question and receive a historical and entertaining answer, you know it's something special. Absolutely recommended, particularly at the beginning of your stay in Florence. This tour can change how you look at the city.

We booked this tour with Viatour who...

Patrick H, Jun 2017

We booked this tour with Viatour who used local company ArtViva. Our guide Silvia was very informative and headsets meant that we could understand and hear everything she said. We took this tour on our first day in Florence and it was very useful as it showed us the local points of interest. Would definitely recommend.

Amazing experience and I really...

Collin L, Jun 2017

Amazing experience and I really learn a lot from Riccardo, Ricard, Richard if its easier for some to remember. Funny guy! Well knowledgeable. Would highly recommend this tour for those going to Florence for their first time.