Guided Tours of Italy: the must-book tours.
Part 2: Rome and Florence
Guided tours of Italy: what to choose? You’re traveling to Italy and you’re hitting multiple cities. How can you make the best out of your vacation?
Here are our recommendations for Rome and Florence.
Rome
Rome is the biggest city in Italy, and it has one of the richest cultural heritage in the world.
History, archaeology, art, architecture, beautiful landscapes, great food: you can find them all in Rome.
It’s also the most popular tourist destination in Italy, and it can be difficult to choose the right tours to book. Here are the ones that we recommend if you have just a few days in town.
1. Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill Tour.
This tour will allow you to see the most important archaeological sights in Rome.
They’re usually very crowded, and it can be really difficult to find tickets for the Colosseum.
Booking a tour will usually guarantee skip-the-line entrance to the major sights, and you’ll be sure to hit the most relevant spots.
A private tour of the Colosseum is a must-do among your guided tours of Italy.
Being in a small group rather than a large one will allow you to avoid some of the most crowded spots, and have a much more personalized experience.
2. Early Morning Tour of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica
The Vatican hosts a marvelous collection of art, and it boasts some of the most important and beautiful buildings in the world.
It also has great religious and historical importance; therefore, it attracts millions of travelers every year.
The Vatican is almost always really crowded, that’s why we recommend booking an early morning tour.
It will not only allow you to enjoy much more the masterpieces but also to avoid the heat in the hottest months, as most of the Vatican Museum doesn’t have air conditioning.
Booking a tour of the Vatican Museum will usually guarantee skip-the-line access to St. Peter’s Basilica, which you cannot have if you go by yourself.
The lines to St. Peter’s can be really long, and you will probably have to line up in the sun.
Also for the Vatican, a private tour is highly recommended.
It’ll allow you to navigate more easily through the crowded rooms and corridors, and to spend more time in the areas that interest you more.
3. Piazzas and Fountains Tour (Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain)
The Piazzas and Fontains Tour is a classic experience among guided tours of Italy. This tour will help you discover the highlights of Rome’s historical center.
It’s usually designed as a walking tour, but if you book a private tour you can eventually ask your tour company to have a driver as well.
Getting lost among the streets of Rome’s city center can be a very charming experience. We certainly recommend just walking around on your own a bit, letting the city surprise you with its squares and baroque fountains.
But, before you decide to roam on your own, book a walking tour of the Piazzas and Fountains with a professional guide. They’ll help you tune in with the city, get a good historical background, and visit the most important sights like the Pantheon or the Trevi Fountain without worrying about lines and tickets.
Your guide will also help you find the best spots for pictures even in the most crowded areas.
If you want more in-depth info about must-book tours in Rome, read our article about Rome tours: the must-see sights.
If you want to know more about off-the-beaten-path sights, instead, take a look at this article.
Florence
Florence is one of the capitals of Italian culture. Some of the greatest Italian artists, poets, and scientists were born in Florence or lived in the most famous Tuscan city.
It’s the second most visited tourist spot on the Peninsula, and it’s full of great museums and world-famous buildings.
Just like in Rome, a few days is not enough to even scratch the surface of the immense Florentinian cultural heritage, but here you can find the must-book tours that allow you to see the city highlights.
1. Best of Florence.
It’s usually a walking tour that includes the main piazzas and the Accademia with Michelangelo’s David: sights that are essential for your guided tours of Italy.
On a typical Best of Florence Tour, you will visit Piazza Duomo (but you won’t go inside the church), Piazza della Signoria (you’ll see the palace from the outside) Ponte Vecchio, and the Accademia.
In the Accademia, you will see one of the most famous sculptures in the world: Michelangelo’s David.
It’s one of the most visited museums in Italy, therefore it can be hard to find tickets.
Booking a tour will guarantee you access to David, as well as provide the background that will allow you to enjoy the city more, even if you’re by yourself.
A private tour with a tour guide who has a background in art history is certainly a way of enhancing your walk through Florence’s city center.
2. Uffizi Tour
The Uffizi is the most important Renaissance Art museum in the world.
As you walk through its beautiful rooms, you will see paintings by Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael (yeah, three out of four ninja turtles), but also Caravaggio, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, and many others.
If you’re an art lover, the Uffizi is THE place to go, and it’s usually not as crowded as other really popular museums, like the Vatican or the Louvre.
We highly recommend to book a tour with a professional guide, preferably an art historian.
The Uffizi Gallery is so complex and dense with art, that having a professional lead you and give you the right amount of information is crucial to get an unforgettable experience.
3. In-depth tour of the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral)
If you like architecture, then you should book a tour that allows you to have a deeper experience of the Duomo and the buildings nearby.
A tour of the Duomo area will usually guarantee access to both the Cathedral (skip-the-line) and the Baptistery, which is also a gorgeous building.
Some tour companies offer a tour of the Opera del Duomo Museum, the perfect completion of an in-depth tour of Santa Maria del Fiore.
If you want to experience the Cathedral fully, then you should also climb to the top of the legendary dome by Brunelleschi, as well as the bell tower by Giotto.
Usually, guided tours don’t include these last two activities, but you can ask your tour planner to make a reservation for you so that you can take your time and climb both buildings on your own, at the end of the tour.
Thank you for reading! Here, you can find the first article about guided tours of Italy, which is about Milan and Venice.
If you’re looking for a tour, don’t hesitate to contact us.
