Skip the line
Half Day Best of Florence Highlights Tour, with David & the Duomo
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Skip the Line at the Accademia Gallery to gain immediate access to Michelangelo’s ‘David’ with an expert guide to help you appreciate this timeless masterpiece.
This Florence walking tour wanders through the historic heart of the city visiting the major sights and telling you the stories that bring its streets and piazzas to life.
It took the invention of a new engineering technique to cap Florence's Cathedral. Admire the magnificence of the 'Duomo' on a guided tour that unveils its majesty.
Few cities in the world contain so many stunning works of art in such a small space as Florence. Cover all the highlights of this incredible city in just three hours on our Florence walking tours. With an expert, English-speaking guide to tell you the stories behind the sights, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the history and culture of Florence, bringing the city to life right in front of your eyes.
For most visitors to Florence, visiting Michelangelo’s ‘David’ is top of the to-do list, a fact that leaves queues for this masterpiece hours long during busy periods. We have Skip the Line Access and a pre-reserved entry time at the Accademia Gallery so you won’t waste precious time better spent inside. With an expert, English-speaking guide on hand, you’ll visit not just ‘David’ but Michelangelo’s unfinished ‘Slaves’ too. With your guide’s help you’ll be able to spot the sculptures emerging from the rock and learn about Michelangelo’s technique in sculpting – an art form he considered far above painting.
Viewing ‘David’ for the first time is a memorable experience, made all the better by the presence of your guide. They’ll show you the best angles from which to view him and explain why this statue of the youth who slew Goliath is so different from thousands of others.
Of course there’s more to Florence than ‘David’. Our Florence walking tours cover the best of the rest by foot with audio headsets so you can always hear your guide (you’ll have these in the Accademia Gallery too). We’ll enter Florence cathedral, known locally as Il Duomo for the stunning dome that crowns it. This incredible feat of engineering required a whole new process for its construction, which your guide will describe when you view it from inside and out. Inside, the Duomo is no less impressive, with elaborate marble floors mirroring its exterior and beautiful frescos lining the dome.
We’ll see the gold doors of the Baptistery here before setting off on our tour around the city. With your guide leading the way you’ll visit all the most important sights, including the iconic Ponte Vecchio bridge, the Uffizi Courtyard, the sculptures at Piazza Signoria and Orsanmichele Church.
You’ll also see some less-visited gems of the city, such as the leather market where your guide will explain why Florence is so famous for its leatherwork, and quieter streets and piazzas of the city with incredible stories to tell. You’ll hear them all from your expert local guide, a trained storyteller who will bring Florence to life for you throughout the ages – from the terrible Medieval era to the glorious Renaissance years.
Please note that because of religious festivities and on Sundays, access to the Duomo is restricted. Also in the afternoon the Duomo is always closed, in which case a detailed tour will be given from outside. Also on the first Sunday of every month, due to Accademia Gallery’s admission policies, we may not be granted admittance. If this happens we will offer an extended walking tour of the city. Due to increased security measures at many attractions some lines may form on tours with 'Skip the Line' access.
Please note that in case of long queues, it might not be possible to enter the Duomo during the guided tour. In this case the guide will give an explanation from outside.
On tours cancelled more than 72 hours before the scheduled departure time, we are happy to offer our customers a full refund. For tours cancelled less than 72 hours before scheduled departure time, we are unable to offer refunds. Instead we suggest that customers reschedule their tour for another time more convenient for them.
Changes made to bookings within the 72 hour window will be subject to rebooking fees to cover the cost of tickets purchased, transport, guide rescheduling, headsets and administration.
We strongly advise against arriving at the meeting point without a booking as we cannot guarantee that there will be space left on the tour. Our guides are unable to accept payment for tours so any bookings made on the spot will still need to be processed over the phone with payment by credit card.
A City Wonders tour is the product of meticulous research, detailed planning, and a passion for providing customers with travel experiences they will cherish forever.
With City Wonders it's not just facts, our passionate guides tell you the stories that bring the sights to life.
