Best Tours in Florence: Which Are Worth It in 2026
Updated: Oct 28
Updated October 2026
I have seen Florence alone with a map and behind a licensed guide. The art holds up either way, but a good guide adds the story. Here is which tours are worth it and which sights you can do on your own.
Not every sight needs one, though. Here is how I sort the tours: the ones worth paying for, the ones that are optional, and the places you can do perfectly well on your own. For the full list of sights, see the best things to do in Florence.
Quick answer: where a guide adds the most
Worth it: the Uffizi, the Vasari Corridor, Palazzo Vecchio secret passages, and food tours.
Nice but optional: the Duomo complex and the Accademia.
Fine on your own: Piazzale Michelangelo, the Oltrarno, churches and gardens.
Art and museum tours
The Uffizi
If I could book only one tour, it would be this one. The Uffizi is huge, and a guide walks you straight to Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Caravaggio without the backtracking I did on my first visit.
The gallery opens Tuesday to Sunday, with last admission an hour before closing. My Uffizi Gallery guide lists the must-see rooms if you go alone.
The Vasari Corridor
The Medici's private elevated passage, about 750 meters long and built in 1565, links the Uffizi across the Ponte Vecchio to Pitti. It reopened on 21 December 2024 after years of work.
Visits need a reservation. Corridor groups run Tuesday to Sunday, and you enter the Uffizi two hours before your corridor slot. You exit through the Boboli Gardens. In 2026 there were also Friday evening openings from July to November.
The Accademia and Michelangelo tours
David takes a few minutes to see, and the rest of the gallery is small, so a guide is optional here. Booking a time slot is the important part. A Michelangelo-themed walk that links David, the Medici Chapels at San Lorenzo and his tomb at Santa Croce is a good way to go deeper.
Duomo and architecture tours
You can do the whole Duomo complex on your own with the Brunelleschi Pass. It covers the dome, bell tower, Baptistery, museum and Santa Reparata for three calendar days. The dome climb is 463 steps with a fixed time slot.
A guide is worth it if you want to understand how Brunelleschi built the dome. Note that the bell tower is under restoration in 2026, with views partly reduced. My Duomo guide has the details.
Hidden Florence tours
Palazzo Vecchio's secret passages tour takes you through hidden stairways and private rooms of the Medici rule. Of everything on this list, it is the one I would book first after the Uffizi.
The palace is open daily, with shorter hours on Thursdays. For more below-ground sights, read underground Florence: hidden ruins and secret passages.
Food and wine tours
A food walk through the San Lorenzo market area and Mercato Centrale is the fastest way to learn what to order for the rest of your trip: lampredotto, schiacciata, pecorino, Tuscan olive oil.
A cooking class gives you something to take home. Compare options in my cooking classes in Florence guide. For Chianti wine country, a guided day trip saves you from driving.
Artisan and workshop tours
Florence still has leather workers, goldsmiths, marbled-paper makers and perfumers, many of them in the Oltrarno. A workshop visit is one of the most personal ways to see the city.
Tours for families
With kids, keep tours short and hands-on. When I brought family, a Leonardo museum with working models of his machines held the kids longer than any gallery did. The dome climb is a great adventure for older children, and the Firenzecard is free for under-18 family members traveling with a cardholder.
Active and offbeat tours
Bike tours cover more ground along the Arno and the city walls.
Night and legend walks show the darker side of Florence history.
Street art walks are a modern contrast to the Renaissance.
Garden walks through Boboli, Bardini and the Rose Garden near Piazzale Michelangelo.
How to choose a good tour
Choose small groups. Florence's rooms and streets are narrow.
Check that the guide is licensed for Florence's museums.
Book museum tours on days the museum is open. Most state museums close Mondays.
Leave free time between tours. Some of my best hours in Florence were the unplanned ones.
Stay central and every meeting point is a short walk: see where to stay near the Duomo.
Private or group?
A private guide costs more but lets you set the pace, ask every question and change the plan on the spot. For families, older travelers and anyone with a special interest, it is worth it.
Small group tours are a good middle ground: you share the guide with a handful of people and still get time for questions. Large groups with headsets are my last choice in Florence, where the rooms are small and the streets narrow.
Tours outside the city
Chianti wine tours with a driver, visiting two or three estates with lunch.
San Gimignano and Siena in one day, best with a private driver.
Pisa and Lucca half days.
Val d'Orcia for the classic cypress roads, a long day.
My day trips guide covers doing them on your own.
My ideal three-day plan with tours
Day 1: Uffizi tour in the morning, Vasari Corridor later in the day, Oltrarno dinner.
Day 2: Duomo complex on your own early, Palazzo Vecchio secret passages in the afternoon, sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo.
Day 3: market food walk in the morning, the Accademia at the end of the day.
Booking tips
Book the Uffizi, the Vasari Corridor and Palazzo Vecchio secret passages first, since they have small groups and limited slots. Ask your hotel concierge for recommendations; good concierges know which guides are excellent.
Read recent reviews, and look for licensed guides who know the city deeply rather than reading scripts. If your plans are complex, I ask my hotel concierge to line up guides, tickets and transfers together.
Private or small group?
Both have their place. Private tours let you set the pace, ask questions and follow your interests, which is ideal for families, couples and art lovers who want depth. Small group tours, usually limited to around 10 or 12 people, are more social and easier to fit into a busy itinerary.
I avoid large groups of 25 or more in museums: you spend more time listening to a headset than looking at the art. Whatever you choose, ask about group size before you book.
Licensed guides
In Italy, guiding inside museums and monuments requires a license. A licensed guide has passed exams on art, history and the city, and carries an official badge. They often know the custodians and the best order of rooms. Ask your guide for their license number if you are unsure. Hotel concierges and reputable agencies work with licensed guides.
Walking tours of neighborhoods
Some of my favorite tours have no museum at all. A walk through the Oltrarno with a local guide shows you workshops, hidden courtyards and gardens.
A medieval Florence tour reveals tower houses, wine windows and the streets of Dante's city. Evening tours of ghost stories and legends are popular with families. These are often the tours that change how you see the city.
Tours by bike, Vespa and e-bike
Active tours are a great way to see more ground. Bike tours of the center and the riverside are easy and flat. E-bike tours climb into the hills to Piazzale Michelangelo, San Miniato and even Fiesole without much effort.
Vespa tours take you into Chianti on the scooter made famous in Italian films. Choose a reputable company with well maintained bikes and helmets.
Combining tours with free time
The best itineraries balance guided time with free time. A guided morning at the Uffizi followed by an afternoon wandering on your own, or a food tour on your first day to learn what to order, then eating on your own for the rest of the trip. Guides give you context; free time lets you make the city your own.
Questions I ask before booking
How many people? How long? Is entry included? Is it a licensed guide? Is the meeting point easy to find? What is the cancellation policy? Clear answers usually mean a good company.
Reviews and recommendations
I read recent reviews, look for named guides who are praised repeatedly and ask my hotel for their favorites. Personal recommendations are often the best.
FAQ
Do I need a guide for the Uffizi?
No, but it is the museum where a guide adds the most, because of its size and the history behind each room.
Can you still walk the Vasari Corridor?
Yes. It reopened in December 2024 and visits require a reservation through the Uffizi.
Does the Firenzecard include tours?
No. It covers museum entry for 72 hours. Transport needs the Firenzecard+ add-on, and guided tours are separate.
What is the best tour in Florence?
For most people, a guided Uffizi tour, followed by the Palazzo Vecchio secret passages.
Are private tours in Florence worth it?
Yes for families and special interests, because you set the pace.
About the author
I'm Jason GaNung, and I write every guide on Florence Life. I have spent extensive time in Florence over many trips, and I have stayed in many of the hotels and villas I cover, so my picks come from my own stays, not press releases. More about me.
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