Florence Half-Day Guided Tour: City Centre & Uffizi Gallery with Optional Lunch

Begin your exploration of the Medici neighborhood with this small-group guided tour, where you can visit the buildings that the famous Florentine family viewed every day with their own eyes: the majestic palace where they lived, the historic San Lorenzo Church, and the Medici Chapels, their mausoleum.

The magnificent Duomo monumental complex is just a few meters away: the Baptistery with its golden "Porta del Paradiso," the Cathedral with the famed Brunelleschi Dome, and the exquisite Giotto bell tower. Stop to see the towering and distinctive Church of Orsanmichele, a masterpiece of Florentine Gothic art embellished with statues of the patron saints of the powerful medieval trading guilds. You'll also visit the charming Straw Market, where you can rub the famed "porcellino's" nose (pig).

Check out Piazza Signoria, one of the world's most beautiful squares and the political hub of the city. In this "open-air museum," the magnificent Fountain of Neptune, with the imposing marble statue of Ammannati, and the sculptural treasures of the Loggia dei Lanzi, including Cellini's Perseus and Giambologna's Sabine Rape, will enchant you. The grand Palazzo Vecchio with Arnolfo's crenelated tower, one of Florence's most famous emblems, dominates the Piazza and may be admired in all its splendor.

Many works of art by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello, Giotto, Cimabue, Masaccio, and others are on display in the afternoon. Botticelli's polished works, including the absolute masterpieces "Primavera" and "Birth of Venus," are housed in one of the Gallery's precious exhibition spaces. The museum's icon, the second image, depicts the goddess's metaphorical birth from sea foam and embodies the ideal of beauty as a manifestation of purity and spiritual quality, which is typical of Renaissance Neoplatonic aesthetics. Visit the Uffizi Terrace, where you can take in an incredible and unique view of the city's most famous landmarks.