
Florence: Walking Tour with Skip-the-Line Accademia Gallery
- Skip the ticket line
- Duration: 2.5 hours
- Private group
From
US$ 361.24
Per group up to 2
Palazzo Vecchio is one of Florence's premier museums, where you can explore many different layers of Italian history since Roman times.
Although only accessible from underground - the Palazzo was built directly on top of it - the ruins of a Roman theater testify to this building's age.
At 95 meters tall, this tower is the definitive symbol of Florence and absolutely the best place to take your pictures of the city's charming buildings.
There's more to the fortress than the Tower. Construction of the fortress began in 1299 under Arnolfo di Cambio. Today its battlements and sturdy stone structure symbolize political potence from times gone by.
This was built as the grandest room - originally intended to serve as the seat of the Great Council. Now it serves as the centerpiece for anyone's visit.
The maze of chambers with artwork and decorated ceilings by Michelangelo, among other prominent Renaissance artists, is not to be missed - you won't have seen anything like it quite on this scale!
If rain is in the forecast, access to the Tower of Palazzo Vecchio will be suspended for safety reasons.
Winter opening times for the tower are limited compared to summer (or high season), so if you're visiting between October and March, make sure to get there early in the day.
The way to the top of the tower is 418 steps, so don't attempt to climb if it may put your health at risk - there is no elevator.
On sunny days - and even when the sun's behind a cloud! - it's important to cover up with sunscreen. And even more so because you're nearly 100 meters closer to the sun!
We had a great guide who gave us a lot of information about the history of the palace and of Venice since the palace was erected. He was especially well educated in art history and pointed us to the most interesting spots. We would have missed many of them without his help. Besides the statues and paintings, we were most impressed with the building itself and its history in connecdtion with the history of the city. We were truly impressed to see for the first time the original painting of Machiavelli which is so well known from the title cover of his most famous book. We were very grateful for the competent guide.
We purchased the skip-the-line ticket to the museum and tower from GYG. When we arrived, we decided a tour guide would make the experience better so we paid the museum extra 5euro per person for a live tour guide. It was the same price as the audio guide and the live guide works for the museum so she’s very knowledgeable plus we were in a group of three and got access to a couple private rooms that would have been off-limits otherwise!
Our tour guide Rachele was fantastic. She engaged the kids in a fun, enthusiastic way. She was flexible and changed of itinerary based on our needs (bathroom brakes and walking distance between sights). She had a game and treasure hunt for the kids too. She even haver them souvenirs at the end. There was plenty of info for the adults too on the tour.
My girlfriend and I had a great excursion to the Palazzo Vecchio. It’s a must see when you visit Florence. The paintings are lit of this world and I’d recommend highly. Especially if you love the history of the Medici family and the renaissance.
The ease of meeting our rep was brilliant and receiving our tickets was quickly established. Despite the marathon being run the same day, there’s was helpful in getting us to where we needed to go.