Any recommendations for Florence private tours?

[cruisinkidfree]

we have our first cruise coming up in june (13th out of barcelona) and are busy researching our excursions. we would like to do a private tour in florence (from what i have read the only thing in pisa is the photo op with the tower, and time may not permit to do both?!) and would love to see some countryside/vineyards as well as see a few museums. im having a hard time finding a tour that does both - any recommendations??

[Eloise4Ever]

I haven't done any private tours in the Florence area but last year we did do one organised by NCL called 'Pisa and a taste of Tuscany' which we really enjoyed. This involved spending some time at Pisa in the morning followed by a visit to an olive farm/vineyard. This was our third trip to the area and we had never bothered with Pisa before and wouldn't have this time either except we wanted to do the second half of the tour. I used to think "sure it's leaning tower but it can't be leaning that much"! I was therefore surprised at how much I enjoyed this part of the tour - the tower really does lean quite a lot! It's amusing to see everyone taking the obligatory "holding the leaning tower" up photos also :) I have to say it's one of my favourite 'sights' ever and I'm really glad to have seen it. There are street vendors selling fake 'designer' handbags etc if that's something you are interested in. Sounds tacky but it wasn't terribly in your face.

 

The olive farm/vineyard was great fun. Following a short tour we were served an amazing lunch complete with lots of different wines to taste. We met some great people and had a ball. The lovely waitresses even insisted we take the left over wine from our table away with us - let's just say the bus journey back to the ship was somewhat lively!! :D Before we left the farm we had the opportunity to purchase olive oils etc from the farm shop.

 

I am sure you could see more on a private tour but I would definitely recommend this particular one with NCL as it was nicely paced and if I recall correctly, quite reasonably priced.

[Chetsky]

We did a TA on the Solstice last Dec and we took four tours with RomeInLimo and I can't say enough good about them! AND if you have another couple to go with you, it will be less expensive than the ships tours plus you won't have to wait on stragglers to get on the bus.

 

We did the Pisa/Florence tour with a private guide and beat the crowds in Florence and all the museums. She even took us to a locals place for lunch. And don't worry about getting back to the ship - they have never missed getting back to the ship on time.

[jvsnana]

We were in Florence last November on the Gem and we saw Florence and Pisa on our own. We had plenty of time...of course we were the first ones off the ship and got the first train to Florence:) We listened to a Rick Steve's download on our way, so as soon as we got off the train we were on our way to see all of the sights. BEAUTIFUL! This was our favorite port and I would love to go back.

Have you been to the Ports of Call board? That's where I got lots of ideas for our Med. cruise. Here is the link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=595

Happy cruising;)

[cruisinkidfree]

I haven't done any private tours in the Florence area but last year we did do one organised by NCL called 'Pisa and a taste of Tuscany' which we really enjoyed. This involved spending some time at Pisa in the morning followed by a visit to an olive farm/vineyard. This was our third trip to the area and we had never bothered with Pisa before and wouldn't have this time either except we wanted to do the second half of the tour. I used to think "sure it's leaning tower but it can't be leaning that much"! I was therefore surprised at how much I enjoyed this part of the tour - the tower really does lean quite a lot! It's amusing to see everyone taking the obligatory "holding the leaning tower" up photos also :) I have to say it's one of my favourite 'sights' ever and I'm really glad to have seen it. There are street vendors selling fake 'designer' handbags etc if that's something you are interested in. Sounds tacky but it wasn't terribly in your face.

 

The olive farm/vineyard was great fun. Following a short tour we were served an amazing lunch complete with lots of different wines to taste. We met some great people and had a ball. The lovely waitresses even insisted we take the left over wine from our table away with us - let's just say the bus journey back to the ship was somewhat lively!! :D Before we left the farm we had the opportunity to purchase olive oils etc from the farm shop.

 

I am sure you could see more on a private tour but I would definitely recommend this particular one with NCL as it was nicely paced and if I recall correctly, quite reasonably priced.

 

thank you for the info! good to know ... we havent ruled out the NCL tours, just trying to find one that fits all the things we'd like to see. im glad you had such a wonderful tour - we are very excited!

[cruisinkidfree]

We did a TA on the Solstice last Dec and we took four tours with RomeInLimo and I can't say enough good about them! AND if you have another couple to go with you, it will be less expensive than the ships tours plus you won't have to wait on stragglers to get on the bus.

 

We did the Pisa/Florence tour with a private guide and beat the crowds in Florence and all the museums. She even took us to a locals place for lunch. And don't worry about getting back to the ship - they have never missed getting back to the ship on time.

 

i have seen a number of posts for this company ... i will have to check it out. it does sound like it has alot of what we are looking for - thanks for the info!

[cruisinkidfree]

We were in Florence last November on the Gem and we saw Florence and Pisa on our own. We had plenty of time...of course we were the first ones off the ship and got the first train to Florence:) We listened to a Rick Steve's download on our way, so as soon as we got off the train we were on our way to see all of the sights. BEAUTIFUL! This was our favorite port and I would love to go back.

Have you been to the Ports of Call board? That's where I got lots of ideas for our Med. cruise. Here is the link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=595

Happy cruising;)

 

thank you!!! i had no idea this board existed ... its easy to get overwhelmed with all of this info and research! im looking at it right now ... and its got some great info -thanks for the direction!!

[jvsnana]

thank you!!! i had no idea this board existed ... its easy to get overwhelmed with all of this info and research! im looking at it right now ... and its got some great info -thanks for the direction!!

Glad you found the link...it's a great help. Yes, it can be overwhelming, but if you are a planner like me, the more info the better:) Just remember that no matter how much planning you do, slow down and enjoy the cruise once you step onboard the ship! Let us know what your plans are for Florence once you decide:D

[IheartNCL]

We used romeinlimo in Rome and Florence/Pisa. second chetsky's comments. We met others on our cruise her in the forums and made all the arrangements. They even added on a private guided tour of the vatican....great.

[sjnyc323]

We also used romeinlimo aand they were fabulous

[CruisingGoddess]

We also used Romeinlimo in November. We went to Pisa, Florence, and an olive oil factory in the Tuscan countryside. Would recommend them to anyone! Check out my pics (link in my signature).

 

By the way, the most cost-effective way is to fill the van with 8 people. We organized our group on our roll call thread.

[chipmaster]

It may be getting late but I like the previous posters am a fan of RIL = RomeInLimo. They have a thread here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=986987

 

We used them in Livorno, two vans, 11 people + 4 additional tour shares. Was cheaper, way cheaper than the big bus tours from the cruiseline.

 

We were almost first group off the ship, got to Pisa at the opening, wandered the fields, wonderful! Climbed the tower, some say just a lame old leaning tower. Honestly it was a blast! Off to Florence, toured a historic church overlooking florence, visited the Accademia, did a little shoping, then on to St Croce Plaza for lunch and some walking around in a couple plazas and the church, and more shopping, off to Dumo and the doors, then to Ponte Vechio where my mom just had to buy some gold, finally some gellato.

 

Got back to the ship in the nick of time as I screwed up and told them we were departing an hour later then what the real schedule was. But we actually arrived even with that screwup about the sametime as the last tour busses

 

Like I said private and RIL is worth a consideration ;)

we have our first cruise coming up in june (13th out of barcelona) and are busy researching our excursions. we would like to do a private tour in florence (from what i have read the only thing in pisa is the photo op with the tower, and time may not permit to do both?!) and would love to see some countryside/vineyards as well as see a few museums. im having a hard time finding a tour that does both - any recommendations??

[CruisingGoddess]

I wanted to also mention that we used Romeinlimo in both Rome and Livorno/Florence and got a discount for booking more than 1 tour. Make sure to ask about this discount if you book more than one tour!

[cruisinkidfree]

I haven't done any private tours in the Florence area but last year we did do one organised by NCL called 'Pisa and a taste of Tuscany' which we really enjoyed. This involved spending some time at Pisa in the morning followed by a visit to an olive farm/vineyard. This was our third trip to the area and we had never bothered with Pisa before and wouldn't have this time either except we wanted to do the second half of the tour. I used to think "sure it's leaning tower but it can't be leaning that much"! I was therefore surprised at how much I enjoyed this part of the tour - the tower really does lean quite a lot! It's amusing to see everyone taking the obligatory "holding the leaning tower" up photos also :) I have to say it's one of my favourite 'sights' ever and I'm really glad to have seen it. There are street vendors selling fake 'designer' handbags etc if that's something you are interested in. Sounds tacky but it wasn't terribly in your face.

 

The olive farm/vineyard was great fun. Following a short tour we were served an amazing lunch complete with lots of different wines to taste. We met some great people and had a ball. The lovely waitresses even insisted we take the left over wine from our table away with us - let's just say the bus journey back to the ship was somewhat lively!! :D Before we left the farm we had the opportunity to purchase olive oils etc from the farm shop.

 

I am sure you could see more on a private tour but I would definitely recommend this particular one with NCL as it was nicely paced and if I recall correctly, quite reasonably priced.

 

thank you for that info ... its good to hear good review about the cruise line tours as it seems most people opt for private. glad you enjoyed - i will look into it!

[cruisinkidfree]

Glad you found the link...it's a great help. Yes, it can be overwhelming, but if you are a planner like me, the more info the better:) Just remember that no matter how much planning you do, slow down and enjoy the cruise once you step onboard the ship! Let us know what your plans are for Florence once you decide:D

 

very overwhelmed right now!! :) just ready to have all the excursions set and get on board and enjoy!!

[cruisinkidfree]

We also used Romeinlimo in November. We went to Pisa, Florence, and an olive oil factory in the Tuscan countryside. Would recommend them to anyone! Check out my pics (link in my signature).

 

By the way, the most cost-effective way is to fill the van with 8 people. We organized our group on our roll call thread.

 

RIL gets great reviews, so we are looking into it! we have a post looking for others to join ... im hoping that we can get our group established as it does seem to be the most cost effective way. thank you!

[cruisinkidfree]

It may be getting late but I like the previous posters am a fan of RIL = RomeInLimo. They have a thread here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=986987

 

We used them in Livorno, two vans, 11 people + 4 additional tour shares. Was cheaper, way cheaper than the big bus tours from the cruiseline.

 

We were almost first group off the ship, got to Pisa at the opening, wandered the fields, wonderful! Climbed the tower, some say just a lame old leaning tower. Honestly it was a blast! Off to Florence, toured a historic church overlooking florence, visited the Accademia, did a little shoping, then on to St Croce Plaza for lunch and some walking around in a couple plazas and the church, and more shopping, off to Dumo and the doors, then to Ponte Vechio where my mom just had to buy some gold, finally some gellato.

Got back to the ship in the nick of time as I screwed up and told them we were departing an hour later then what the real schedule was. But we actually arrived even with that screwup about the sametime as the last tour busses

 

Like I said private and RIL is worth a consideration ;)

 

because of your post i have looked into it! i wasnt sold on having to hit pisa only for the obligatory leaning tower photo op, but since this company gets such great review and the trip seems totally do-able (although im sure it will be a long day!) we are going to try. i have a post looking for others to join our group to be more cost effective. thank you for all of your information!!

[szdiver]

Here is another vote for romeinlimo....we have used them two years now and each time we have been very impressed with how professional and friendly they are. Duman will make sure everything is done right and the price is on a par with all others around ....

I am now trying to get a group for next year's TA together for Rome and am very excited. RIL has already responded to me about 8-passenger vans, which are much easier to use than large buses....have a great time whatever you decide.

[christiecruise]

Hello,

 

We are just back from the May 9th Jade sailing out of Barcelona. Our tour guide in Florence was the most informative and fun guide that we have ever taken ANYWHERE!

 

I'm in the process of sorting through my trip flotsham in order to find you his business card so that you can contact Guido directly. Should be able to find it today and I'll repost, but I was so excited when I saw your question that I had to write immediately!

 

First, let me explain an insider tidbit that we discovered on our trip. There are three different levels of guides that have specific licenses to provide tours. The top tier is known as "driver guides" - they can drive you and get out of their car to walk and talk with you. Many of these are small companies with 3-5 drivers.

 

What they don't tell you on their websites is that they will have another "driver guide" from one of their network of small companies provide your tour if you are: going to a different city from where they are based; they have more tours booked than drivers.

 

Our group of 2 couples in our mid 40's - chose a service based in Rome that gets great reviews on CC and TripAdvisor. We chose this service because they offered personalization of the tour day and because of the pictures of their drivers - they looked young and fun! Our tour in Florence with Guido (from a Florence based company we learned later in the day) was fabulous - we lucked out with him. Our tour in Rome was also provided by a driver from a different service than the one we had contracted with - he was an officer in the "driver guide service" organization in Rome. Unfortunately, his personality did not fit our group. His tour was much slower paced, professorial and it was much less enjoyable than the day in Florence with Guido. I will make sure to find you Guido's contact information, so that if you are interested you can set up a tour with him directly!

 

Guido picked us up at 8 am from the Jade. Our ship was 20 min. to 1 hour late in disembarking on port days, and we were off closer to 8:20 am in Livorno. He immediately started getting to know us, while driving quickly to Florence "Firenze". We had asked to skip Pisa in order to spend more time in Florence and were very glad to have made that decision. Guido would ask us questions during the ride (which we decided were to assess our knowledge - in order to modify his tour information based on how much we already knew) - and every time we answered correctly he would exclaim "Bueno! Now you are the driver!" miming for us to take over the wheel, to which we played along and adamantly refused ;).

 

In Florence we whizzed around via back streets, always pulling up within a few paces of our destination. Guido would jump out, give a few last comments and direct us where to walk, then allowed us to explore on our own. We usually agreed to meet 20 min. - to 45 min. later at the place where he had parked (he would have to drive around sometimes to avoid a ticket). He was always waiting and ready when we returned. We loved this time to look on our own instead of just listening and being led everywhere.

 

Mid morning, Guido drove us behind Santa Croche to former dormitory of the Franciscan Friars which houses the Scuola del Cuoio (Leather School). We were taken to see first hand the process of imprinting gold leaf on leather, before entering the Basilica of Santa Croche.

 

We think that Guido realized that we enjoyed food and wine, so he offered us a simple lunch provided by friends of his with wine tastings "that would not take too long" or we could choose a quick bite of a sandwich somewhere along our route. We chose the "simple" meal with his friends - what an amazing decision!

 

This small wine shop had a private table in the back where they would hold wine tastings and occasionally simple meals for their friends (not the public). We started out with a Caprese salad (mozarella, tomato, fresh olive oil, basil) and the first of 8 small wine tastings! Next fresh bread wrapped in mortadella with 10 year aged balsamic vinegar drizzled on the plate, and a side of olives. Fresh hot pasta with delicious but light tomato, garlic, reggiano and high quality olive oil drizzled over the top was next. Finally small tastes of cheeses - and then - a tasting of 3 balsamic vinegars and 3 olive oils. They told us the order in which to try them, then asked for our favorites along with our favorite wines. We had unknowingly tasted wines ranging from 20 euros to 120 euros! Fortunately, we did not care for the 120 euro bottle!

 

There was no pressure to buy anything, but we all did leave with a bit of oil, vinegar and wine, which I'm sure is one reason the hosts were willing to accommodate their friend Guido's clients ;)

 

Walked the Ponte Veccio, spent 1 hour in the Uffizi Gallery - no wait for Guido's clients - although several frowns from tourists waiting in very long lines as we were let in by Guido's friends at the door.

 

Great ride home - ended up talking US politics as he brought it up. Great conversations and felt like we had made a true friend in Florence. Can't say enough.

 

I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have, and will find the business card for you today.

 

Best wishes for a fantastic trip!

 

Christiecruise

[christiecruise]

Meant to add: Driver Guide for 10 hours was 550 euros, museums and other admissions were extra. We tipped 80 euros as it was such a great tour. Lunch with wine tastings, etc. 20 euros per person! Now that was a deal!:)

[cruisinkidfree]

Hello,

 

We are just back from the May 9th Jade sailing out of Barcelona. Our tour guide in Florence was the most informative and fun guide that we have ever taken ANYWHERE!

 

I'm in the process of sorting through my trip flotsham in order to find you his business card so that you can contact Guido directly. Should be able to find it today and I'll repost, but I was so excited when I saw your question that I had to write immediately!

 

First, let me explain an insider tidbit that we discovered on our trip. There are three different levels of guides that have specific licenses to provide tours. The top tier is known as "driver guides" - they can drive you and get out of their car to walk and talk with you. Many of these are small companies with 3-5 drivers.

 

What they don't tell you on their websites is that they will have another "driver guide" from one of their network of small companies provide your tour if you are: going to a different city from where they are based; they have more tours booked than drivers.

 

Our group of 2 couples in our mid 40's - chose a service based in Rome that gets great reviews on CC and TripAdvisor. We chose this service because they offered personalization of the tour day and because of the pictures of their drivers - they looked young and fun! Our tour in Florence with Guido (from a Florence based company we learned later in the day) was fabulous - we lucked out with him. Our tour in Rome was also provided by a driver from a different service than the one we had contracted with - he was an officer in the "driver guide service" organization in Rome. Unfortunately, his personality did not fit our group. His tour was much slower paced, professorial and it was much less enjoyable than the day in Florence with Guido. I will make sure to find you Guido's contact information, so that if you are interested you can set up a tour with him directly!

 

Guido picked us up at 8 am from the Jade. Our ship was 20 min. to 1 hour late in disembarking on port days, and we were off closer to 8:20 am in Livorno. He immediately started getting to know us, while driving quickly to Florence "Firenze". We had asked to skip Pisa in order to spend more time in Florence and were very glad to have made that decision. Guido would ask us questions during the ride (which we decided were to assess our knowledge - in order to modify his tour information based on how much we already knew) - and every time we answered correctly he would exclaim "Bueno! Now you are the driver!" miming for us to take over the wheel, to which we played along and adamantly refused ;).

 

In Florence we whizzed around via back streets, always pulling up within a few paces of our destination. Guido would jump out, give a few last comments and direct us where to walk, then allowed us to explore on our own. We usually agreed to meet 20 min. - to 45 min. later at the place where he had parked (he would have to drive around sometimes to avoid a ticket). He was always waiting and ready when we returned. We loved this time to look on our own instead of just listening and being led everywhere.

 

Mid morning, Guido drove us behind Santa Croche to former dormitory of the Franciscan Friars which houses the Scuola del Cuoio (Leather School). We were taken to see first hand the process of imprinting gold leaf on leather, before entering the Basilica of Santa Croche.

 

We think that Guido realized that we enjoyed food and wine, so he offered us a simple lunch provided by friends of his with wine tastings "that would not take too long" or we could choose a quick bite of a sandwich somewhere along our route. We chose the "simple" meal with his friends - what an amazing decision!

 

This small wine shop had a private table in the back where they would hold wine tastings and occasionally simple meals for their friends (not the public). We started out with a Caprese salad (mozarella, tomato, fresh olive oil, basil) and the first of 8 small wine tastings! Next fresh bread wrapped in mortadella with 10 year aged balsamic vinegar drizzled on the plate, and a side of olives. Fresh hot pasta with delicious but light tomato, garlic, reggiano and high quality olive oil drizzled over the top was next. Finally small tastes of cheeses - and then - a tasting of 3 balsamic vinegars and 3 olive oils. They told us the order in which to try them, then asked for our favorites along with our favorite wines. We had unknowingly tasted wines ranging from 20 euros to 120 euros! Fortunately, we did not care for the 120 euro bottle!

 

There was no pressure to buy anything, but we all did leave with a bit of oil, vinegar and wine, which I'm sure is one reason the hosts were willing to accommodate their friend Guido's clients ;)

 

Walked the Ponte Veccio, spent 1 hour in the Uffizi Gallery - no wait for Guido's clients - although several frowns from tourists waiting in very long lines as we were let in by Guido's friends at the door.

 

Great ride home - ended up talking US politics as he brought it up. Great conversations and felt like we had made a true friend in Florence. Can't say enough.

 

I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have, and will find the business card for you today.

 

Best wishes for a fantastic trip!

 

Christiecruise

 

thanks for such a thorough review!! im so overwhelmed with options right now ... its good to hear such a detailed and thorough review -i like that they can customize. there are a number of things we'd like to see and we of course want to get a locals perspective as well. did you see david in accedemia? or just do uffizi? i think we may have found the link - is it http://guidos-tours.it/ ?? then maybe that sends us to travels in tuscany for sightseeing tours ... hmmm - will look into it! it might be perfect for us - there are 4 of us (adults) going so it will be nice to get this taken care of so we can stop the research and begin to look forward to it all! thanks again for such a detailed description ... please confirm if this is the site when you get a chance! :)

[christiecruise]

Hello again,

 

Yeah, you have the wrong Guido. Our guy was 45 years old, slender, wearing an Italian black leather jacket.

 

I am so sorry that I can't find his card. I found the card of the wine shop where we had lunch and emailed them asking for Guido's contact info. - will hopefully get it tomorrow.

 

You say that you are overwhelmed, but please try to keep your spirits up. It is really not as difficult as it sounds. We were 2 couples like you, and got around just fine on our own most days. Confidence!

 

Write down a few phrases for each country - please, thank you, where is.., bathroom! Just say those, smile and be sincere and locals will be helpful! I cannot stress how far a smile and a simple greeting will go...it did wonders for us. Better bathrooms at the Pompeii Ruins, a second shot of Absinthe in the El Quatre Gats cafe in Barcelona.

 

Be confident, don't take the cruise tours! We took private tours on two days, and on our own the remainder. In retrospect, we would have done all days on our own - except that our day with Guido was so fantastic, it made up for the next day with a lesser guide.

 

I hope to have an email address for you tomorrow for Guido - via the wine shop that I emailed tonight.

 

Really, any more questions - please feel free to ask me - but in general, be confident! You will have a great time!

 

Sincerely, Christiecruise

[christiecruise]

So sorry to have missed sending you this information.

 

We went to a Piazza first where there was a replica of David, then on to the Accademia to see the one and only. So glad that we did, it was much better than the copy. The Uffizi - we had no wait (although most other tourists waited for over an hour) - spent 1 hour there. The only major site that we missed seeing on the inside was the Pitti Palace. You just can't do everything in 10 hours, but Guido got us to the best and most. You could skip the one-hour lunch and fit in something else, but we wanted to experience Florence and not just tour it. So it was a perfect day for us. I'm sure you could ask about stopping in the countryside on the way...

[christiecruise]

Hi Crusinkidfree,

 

Just noticed that we may be both stay-home moms. I would love to share my thoughts with you - there are ways to do this great itinerary on the Jade, without breaking the budget. Please let me know if you would like my tips, I'd enjoy sharing them with you :)

[cruisinkidfree]

Meant to add: Driver Guide for 10 hours was 550 euros, museums and other admissions were extra. We tipped 80 euros as it was such a great tour. Lunch with wine tastings, etc. 20 euros per person! Now that was a deal!:)

 

christiecruise ... would love to get all your tips as well as info for the "right" guido!! :) email me at bobbibagwell@gmail.com ... THANKS!!