Skip the crowds and see the best of Florence on a guided walking tour with priority admission to the Accademia Gallery. Led by an expert guide, explore the architectural gems of the Renaissance city while learning about important Florentine figures, such as the poet Dante Alighieri and the Medici family. Afterward, skip the long lines at the Accademia and head straight inside to witness Michelangelo’s ‘David’, as well as other impressive works of art.

Renaissance Florence walking tour including Accademia Gallery
Stroll around Florence’s historical center with an expert local guide
See top Florence attractions such as the Ponte Vecchio and Brunelleschi’s Dome
Skip the line to the Accademia Gallery (Galleria dell’Accademia)
Learn about famous Michelangelo sculptures like 'David' and 'Pigrioni'

What's Included

Professional English-speaking guide
Headsets to hear the guide clearly when more than 5 people
Skip-the-line tickets to the Accademia's Gallery to see the original Michelangelo's David

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Food and drinks

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Piazza degli Strozzi
Piazza degli Strozzi, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
The meeting point is in front of Palazzo Strozzi in Piazza Strozzi (Strozzi Square), where you will find your guide holding a sign with “Avventure Bellissime & tour name” written on it

End point

Accademia Gallery
Via Ricasoli, 58/60, 50129 Firenze FI, Italy

What To Expect

Your tour begins in central Florence, where you join up with your guide and hit the streets with your small group.

Head first toward the historic Ponte Vecchio, stretched over the Arno River. Your guide points out the Vasari Corridor overhead, the city’s secret passageway. Constructed in the 16th-century by Cosimo I, the corridor once allowed members of the Medici family to travel stealthily through the city. Today, it houses one of the world's most impressive collections of self-portraits.

Continue through the old neighborhood of poet Dante Alighieri and the bustling Piazza della Signoria, where the Palazzo Vecchio sits. Stroll past the prominent Uffizi Gallery, which hosts some of the most famous Renaissance artwork, before making your way to the Florence Duomo. Admire Brunelleschi’s Dome, Giotto’s Bell Tower, and the Baptistery.

After exploring the city by foot, head straight inside the Accademia Gallery, skipping the long lines with a priority access ticket.

Michelangelo is the focal point of the Accademia, and your guide takes you through some of his most important works on display. Admire the unfinished sculptures, 'San Matteo' and 'Prigioni,' before making your way to the iconic 'David.' Examine the lifelike contours of veins and muscles, crafted from Carrera marble.

Your guide parts ways with your group after passing David, but you can continue exploring the gallery at your own pace for as long as you’d like, admiring works from Botticelli, Orcagna and more.

Piazza degli Strozzi

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Florence Historic Center (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 2 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Rucksacks/backpacks are NOT allowed inside Accademia Gallery!!!! As there is no deposit area in the vicinity, avoid taking any rucksacks/backpacks as due to the new rules you will not be admitted inside the monuments
At times, Museums close without notice. No refunds are available as these events are beyond our control.

Tour operates rain or shine
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
Beginning Friday 6 August 2021 and until further notice, access to the Accademia Gallery and all related areas will be permitted only to those in possession of a Green COVID-19 Certification (Green Pass or equivalent certificate). Please remember to also bring your ID or passport to confirm your identity.
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
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

4.5

210 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 210 reviews

Great Guide

Howard_P, Oct 2022

We had a wonderful guide named Antonella. She was fabulous, informative, kind and very helpful. We would do the tour again with her

Awesome tour which delivers what it promises

Mark_S, Jul 2022

Excellent guide, who was en enthousiastic florentine herself, was very knowledgable about everything. We had a very small group of only 5 which was awesom aswell. Defentily highly recomended and worth its money.

Wonderful overview of Florence highlights

Steven_E, Jan 2022

Katerina was a wonderful tour guide. We were fortunate to have only our family of four on the tour, so we received the perfect level of detail. We generally start our visits with a walking tour of the city, but it didn't work out this way for this trip. Instead, our tour was on the 3rd day, combined with multiple museum tours, which worked out perfectly. The museum itself is very small, but Katerina's knowledge was at the perfect level of detail. The highlight was really the city tour (though David is far more majestic than pictures make him seem), where we learned more about what we had seen the past few days. She even walked us to several points that were not on the tour, because we asked about them. Highly recommend this excursion and our guide.

Response from Host, Jan 2022

Dear Client, Many thanks for your 5 star review about the Florence Tour you took with our guide Caterina. She will be very happy to read the wonderful comments about the time you spent with her touring you around her city. Yours sincerely, Monica

Interesting and enjoyable walking tour

31SandraH, Jun 2019

Our guide was almost fifteen minutes late and didn't apologise for that. She didn't carry a flag or brolly to make her visible and we did lose her at one point because it was so busy. When we entered the Gallery she gave us our tickets to look after but my friend lost hers in the rest rooms, we felt the guide should have kept them all together herself and counted us through. We did feel rushed through most of it, probably due to her lateness. However she was very informative and easy to understand and we enjoyed the tour overall. Would recommend as it gives you a perspective of the city as this was our first visit to Florence.

Response from Host, Jun 2019

Dear Client , Thank you for your detailed feedback about our small group Florence Renaissance and David Tour . I ‘m most surprised when you say our guide arrived late . Generally we ask clients to arrive a few minutes prior to the start of the tour , so perhaps the guide that day arrived right on time for the start of the tour and not earlier as Our guides generally do . Without knowing the day of the tour , I can not verify with the guide. I invite you to get in touch with us to let us the day in which you took the tour , so that we can investigate further. In regards to the Accademia tickets , I’m most sorry that your friend lost it . Unfortunately it is the Accademia policy imposing this rule this year , not us . I’m happy anyway that you found the tour enjoyable and informative . Yours sincerely Monica ,

An Unpleasant Experience...

Wilson_L, May 2019

First of all, the Tour Guide did not arrive 15 minutes before the pre-arranged time. Despite the rain, Catherina tried to manage the tour. She was thorough and knowledgeable with the places of visit. When we arrived at the Accademia Gallery, she gave us the entrance tickets prior to the security checks. And because of the crowd and rain, the security officers had to rush the screening and I dropped my ticket. Naturally, I had to pay for another ticket, which was uncalled for. To my horror, Caherina mentioned that such things did happen in the past and she should have issued the tickets post security screening. Question is - why this was not carried out?

Response from Host, May 2019

Dear Client , Thank you for your feedback about our Renaissance and David walking tour and I'm sorry you had to buy the Accademia tickets again - Unfortunately and maybe Caterina did not explain this , the problem is that the museum , due to the large crowds attending to it , imposes a certain procedure - It was an unfortunate event and I'm sure that knowing Caterina , she was really sorry about this inconvenient - Nonetheless and in spite of the rain , I appreciate that you also mentioned how Caterina handled the group well in spite of the bad weather and managed as usual to be a competent and knowledgable Florence tour Guide . Kindest Regards MOnica

Florence was great!

srobert9, Aug 2018

Antonella was a wonderful guide. She was very knowledgeable and made the tour exciting and fun! We will be back!

This was such a great tour! Our...

Ashley M, Jun 2018

This was such a great tour! Our guide Antonella was incredible--very knowledgeable and kept everyone interested. She not only took us to the main attractions, but also some hidden treasures-which happened to be my favorite part. Also, the skip the line to see the statue of David was well worth it. The line without pre advance tickets was so long and had 2-3 hour waits. Seeing David was incredible and Antonella also gave us some great info inside the museum as well. I would recommend this to anyone!

The guide for this tour was...

Michelle G, May 2018

The guide for this tour was outstanding. She knew a great deal about Florence and provided us with lots of information about what we saw. We enjoyed it entirely and recommend this tour.

This is exactly the tour you want to...

Kathryn_M, Mar 2018

This is exactly the tour you want to do in Florence. I have been 3xs in the last 2 yrs and this tour was the best-don’t let the price fool u. We were a challenging group of 10, ages 16-86 -she handled us perfectly. Personable, engaging and w/ a real passion for Michelangelo-that made us listen and learn.

This was one of the best tours in...

La'Chelle, Nov 2017

This was one of the best tours in our 3 weeks in Italy. The guide was entertaining, a wealth of knowlege and very passionate about her subject. The walk was not too strenuous even for the older members of the group and there was plenty of time to take photographs of the breathtaking views and artworks. In the Accademia Gallery our guide helped us to appreciate the mastery of Michelangelo and pointed out details that really made us appreciate each of his art works. The background detail on the statue of David and the insider information were incredible. You will be missing out if you miss this tour.

Excellent guide in Antonella. Very...

Robert K, Oct 2017

Excellent guide in Antonella. Very friendly and had lots of interesting anecdotes to share. You can clearly see that she loves the city and showing people around. A little surprised to see that there was a line for the skip the line visit to the Accademia Gallery but the wait wasn't very long. Really enjoyed this short informative insight into the city.

I really wanted to like our tour...

Vanessa C, Aug 2017

I really wanted to like our tour guide. Other tour guides we have had have been great - interesting, informative and quite often funny. The tour guide for this tour was really awful. He proceeded to basically tell everyone off before we even got into the museum. He was rude and lacked any really interesting knowledge of the pieces. He was the least historic and was not accommodating at every level. We were not the only people to feel this way on the tour. About 20 minutes into the tour we withdrew - it was not interesting and his aggressive style was not appealing. We enjoyed the Uffizi on our own after. The Uffizi itself is wonderful and worth seeing.

I like how the tour took us around...

Wen Qian C, Jun 2017

I like how the tour took us around and how our guide Antoinella was so passionate and telling us stories of how Florence like was in the past till how it became the Florence of today. It really helped us to appreciate the City of Florence even more when we are here.

Great tour - so informative and...

Laura N, Sep 2016

Great tour - so informative and entertaining too. The fact that it was a small group only 8 people made it a lot easier to get around the city and a much more personal experience as well. Would definitely recommend this to all first-time visitors to Florence. Even the torrential downpour half-way through didn't dampen our enthusiasm and enjoyment!

A wonderful way to hear about the...

Joyce H, Sep 2016

A wonderful way to hear about the history and visit highlights of this beautiful Rennissance city. Guide was knowledgeable and excited to share her city.

My husband and I attended the...

Louise R, Sep 2016

My husband and I attended the morning walking tour and skip the line Accademia tour with Antonella yesterday. She really showed us the best of the hidden gems of the old city. Her knowledge, enthusiasm and humour ensured all 6 participants had a wonderful few hours. As we watched the large tour groups wander aimlessly through the narrow streets looking bored, I could only imagine the text-book style information delivery they must be getting. Antonella on the other hand, with her 6 participants could stand us on a corner and point out every detail of the 12th, 13th and 14th century buildings and others of course before we went for a closer inspection. One of the best tours weve done so far this trip. Thank you Antonella.

Highlight of our visit to Florence...

Stephanie C, Sep 2016

Highlight of our visit to Florence. Our guide Ana was excellent, very informative, clear and interesting. Small group of 8 which made it more personal and Ana was happy to answer any question asked. Really enjoyed the different perspectives she showed us.

Seeing the David is a must in...

DianeS_T, Aug 2016

Seeing the David is a must in Florence. Seeing the real thing is very special, even though there are several copies around the city. Our guide was very knowledgeable and took us down some interesting out-of-the way streets in Florence before our Skip the Line view of David at the Accademia. Once inside as the museum limits the number of people inside at any one time we felt at ease and not at all rushed, pushed, etc. Everyone seemed reverent in the presence of this great work of art.

Our guide, Laura, was informative...

David G, Aug 2016

Our guide, Laura, was informative and very patient in answering all our questions. She also provided a few on-point recommendations. The tour was worth the extra money and made our experience much more robust.

We had a wonderful tour with only 8...

Linda J, Jul 2016

We had a wonderful tour with only 8 people in our group. Our guide was enthusiastic, funny and very knowledgable. In addition to the well-known sites, she also showed us some things that are less visited but still very interesting. We highly recommend this tour which ends with a visit to see David in the Accademia Gallery.

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