Best of · FLORENCE VIP TOURS
Every trip has one free day too few. These 10 florence vip tours justify the slot, priced and timed so you can decide in minutes and get back to the fun part.
Spend three late-afternoon hours with an English-speaking chef such as Lisa, Jon, Alice, or Niccolò, learning pizza dough, sauce, and gelato basics. You make your own pizza, taste chocolate gelato, and finish with dinner, Chianti, recipes, and a class certificate.
“Federico was such a pleasure! Knowledgeable, funny and kind”
At Towns of Italy Cooking School, you’ll make two fresh pastas with English-speaking chefs such as Roberta, Lisa, Jon, or Tommaso, watch gelato being made, and eat your work with wine. The premium option adds a Central Market visit, seasonal tastings, ragù, pesto, and tiramisu.
“Roberta was an amazing host, teacher, comedian and chef. I learnt so much and had a great time. I can’t wait to try the dishes at home!”
Meet your English-speaking guide near Piazza San Marco for a 3.5-hour small-group tour of the Accademia and Duomo. You’ll see David and Michelangelo’s unfinished Slaves, enter the cathedral, visit its rare terraces, and climb Brunelleschi’s dome. Your 72-hour ticket also covers the Baptistery, museum, and crypt.
“This was a great tour. Nice, easy and short. The “skip the line” features were so worth paying for the tour! And starting early in the morning was ideal since it was so hot on the day we toured. Seeing The David in person was amazing. And climbing the Duomo was fantastic and had some great views from the top.”
Spend about three hours with a private local guide such as Ana, Maria, Giorgio, or Eden, tasting six or 10 Tuscan foods and drinks while walking through Florence. Expect market stops, historic squares, Ponte Vecchio, gelato, and plenty of local stories.
“You’d better arrive with an appetite! Giorgio was a wonderful guide. He was not only knowledgeable about the different foods and wines that were offered. He had an extensive knowledge of all of Italy’s various regions and their histories. It didn’t take me long to guess that he was a former history teacher! I would recommend Giorgio and Viator tour company any time! I’ve gone on many tours using them, and have never been disappointed”
Spend about three hours at Towns of Italy in Florence making filled pasta and tagliatelle, then watch a chef prepare gelato. Instructors may include John, Roberta, Lisa, Victoria, or Alice. The class is in English, suits beginners and vegetarians, and includes wine, soft drinks, recipes, and a certificate.
“We have taken several classes across the country yet this is by far the lowest scoring. On the bright side, the final result was good. But to tell the truth, class was boring, all 3 kids both from mine and other groups were absolutely bored and wanting out as soon as possible, and us grown ups were not even listening. Roasting customers for their cooking, nationality or way of preparing or storing food not cool. I mean, people can take a joke or two, but at some point, is just awkward and people just put up with it and wait for the class to be over. After very awkwardly reaching…”
Cook fresh pasta, spinach ricotta ravioli, and tiramisu with Accademia Italiana Chef graduates in a Medici-era venue near Florence’s Duomo. Guides such as Lucy, Kevin, Rafa, and Raffael lead a social 2 to 3 hour class with unlimited wine, a full meal, and take-home recipes.
“Instructor was knowledgeable, funny and made class enjoyable. Delicious pasta and the tiramisu was unreal! Great thing to do in Florence. was slightly confused about the location because said was at B&B hotel but was actually at Ristorante Rosso Crudo. Luckily there was a decent sized group outside the place that we figured was the other people in class.”
Spend 1.5 hours with a live guide and up to eight other visitors, focusing on Uffizi highlights such as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo, Leonardo’s works, and Caravaggio’s Medusa. Reserved entry saves time, and you can continue exploring after the tour.
“We were a family of 7 (including 4 children aged between 10 and 13) and there were also two other people in our group. It was very well organised from setting up each persons' headset to maximising our time once the tour srarted. Thrre was an unavoidable delay entering the Uffizi due to a visitor having a medical event. However, our tour guide Hilaria used this time well to share information about the building and interesting Florintine history. Hilaria was an amazing guide! She was very knowledgeable about each painting and used humour to share interesting facts about the art work and artist to keep everyone engaged. She was happy…”
Meet your English-speaking guide near Piazza San Giovanni for a guided visit to Florence Cathedral and, on eligible departure times, its restricted north terrace. Continue independently up Brunelleschi’s Dome, climbing more than 400 steps for close views of Vasari’s frescoes and Florence from above. Guides may include Giacomo, Liza, or Maria, though assignments vary.
“The terraces are impressive and it was interesting to have a different perspective of the Duomo and piazza. We stayed to climb to the top of the Duomo and that was a memorable experience. We loved seeing the incredible frescoes inside the dome so close- surprisingly arresting! Our guide from Ciao Italia was very knowledgeable but she spoke very quickly and without much engagement, so we did not absorb much of her information. Later we learned that we could have seen these things and the crypt, as well as the cathedral interior, with the Brunelleschi Ticket, and I think we might have enjoyed exploring without the guide.”
Spend 90 minutes inside Florence’s Uffizi Gallery with a guide, timed admission, and an audio headset. You’ll see major works by Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Caravaggio, plus royal portraits, while learning how the collection fits together.
“It is highly dependent on the guide. The museum is not to be missed but the guide left something to be desired. We lost the guide for over half an hour when she took some people in the tour to the elevator. We didn’t get clear instructions where to meet her and we lost precious time waiting and a few of us even had to go look for her in a crowded museum.”
Leave Florence at 7am for a private 13-hour day through all five Cinque Terre villages. Your guide, such as Angel, Daniele, Stefano, or Freddy, handles the train, boat, timing, and lunch while you explore Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso.
“Our guide Danieli was wonderful and the scenery of Cinque Terre were the highlights. Beautiful vista’s ad Danieli’s detailed explanations enhanced the tour. He was a wealth of information both on our 2 hour ride from Florence…and on our return trip. Great guide!! He truly felt bad about the train delays. The only negatives ….no reflection on Viator or Danieli..we’re the crowds of people in all 5 towns and the very poor train service. We wasted about 90 minutes on delayed trains and the hordes of tourists made it almost impossible to keep with our schedule. It was a great tour but when we got back to Florence we were…”
Pick a door, a deck or a driver.
