Florence, Italy tours-any suggestions?

[LLD]

Going on the Rotterdam in October to the Mediterranean and one stop is Livorno offering tours to Florence. Went on the tour 2 years ago to Florence which was a longggg walking tour but I am thinking of doing the transfer to Florence this time which is only the transportation so Mom and I can do our own thing. My question is........Does anyone know where the drop off point is in Florence? This will help influence my decision. Any help would be great. Thanks.

[lougee1043]

here are exerpts of our land tour to florence ---hope you can find some benefit in it

 

 

 

Had lunch in the shadow of the campanille and the S. maria de flori. Salads, tortollini with crème and ham and can you believe it, large glasses of iced tea with ice. I knew that someone had to know the recipe.

 

 

Had reservations to see the David at 5. Made advance reservations. The only way to travel. Wonderful, awesome. Walked in at 4:45. We have all seen it in pictures. They don’t do it justice. You have to see it in person to appreciate the majesty of this work of art. I heard that the marble that the masterpiece was created from had been thrown away because it was flawed and it just laid in a vacant lot for some time. Then the master saw it and the rest is history. My history books never went quite so fast.

 

 

On the way back to the hotel we did a little window shopping on the via del canto de nelli. Street stalls and lots of leather goods. This was a scouting expedition, jan assures be that we will go back tomorrow.

 

 

We met our new friends Links4 for dinner at the trattori antellesi. Right next door to the hotel on via faenza. The hotel is 7 and I think the restaurant is 9.

 

 

Good food, good wine and nice people to share the evening with. Jan had shrimp and avocado salad and roast pork and potatoes. I had chicken breast with ham in a cheese sauce and we split pasta with mushrooms. After saying good nite to links4 with a promise to meet for breakfast in rome. Not a tough thing to do since we were staying at the same hotel. Stopped for a gelatto and walked for a while. Not a bad Sunday. Off to bed.

 

 

Walked towards the ponte vecchio, did a little shopping and watched them shoot some outdoor scenes for Hannibal. Walked on to the pitti palace

Walking back over the ponte vecchio jan stopped at the stalls where there is a statue of a boar that you rub the nose for luck. She bought a ________,________________,___________,______________,_________.That means that the vendors had good luck because she bought stuff.

 

 

Got into the church without waiting. The ceiling paintings are magnificent. When you see it and realize what equipment they had you realize what a masterpiece it really is. People were in the church in shorts. Felt it was totally disrespectful.

 

 

Walked to the synagogue. I think it has the 2nd largest duomo in florence. Moorish syle. Small Jewish community remains in florence and the upkeep of the building is funded largely by contributions.

 

 

Had a similar feeling in this building as in israel. We are survivors.

 

 

Walked back down via del canto de nelli. There was a stall that jan didn’t buy anything at and she didn’t want to hur tthe mans feelings.

 

 

Back to the hotel, a rest before dinner.

 

 

Our friends, (can I call you our friends LINKS4???) had eaten here the nite before and recommended it.

 

Tratoria casa linga via del michelozzi 9. Off piazza santo spirto and near the pitti palace.

 

 

I had antipasto de mare.- seafood salad. We split a spaghetti alll carbonara. I then had gran pezzo di vitella al jorno – veal chop. Jan had pollo arrosto – roast chicken with patate arroso – roast potatos.

 

A carafe of house wine and for dessert I had vin santo with contuci. Jan had tirimisu. Total cost was

 

70000 itl.

 

Back to the hotel for a good nites sleep for we leave for rome tomorrow.

[bebopper]

I know a fabulous private guide in Florence if you would like a reference. Feel free to privately email me if you'd like her email info.

[Copper10-8]

If you haven't seen it before, consider seeing the Campo dei Miracoli in Pisa with the leaning tower, the cathedral and the baptistry. It's awesome and amazing!

[montlee]

To LLD - are you going on 10/14? So am I. I'm registered on the roll call for that ship and date. Try them; they may have your answer.

[Charliesmom]

The Uffizzi (spelling?) Museum houses many, many masterpieces. If you are an art lover, it is worth seeing.

 

Roberta

[sail7seas]

The Academy and The David is mandatory viewing. It isn't possible for someone to go to Florence and miss David IMO

 

Of course, the Duomo and the famous doors. Magnificent.

I don't specifically know the drop off spot in Florence, but you can be sure it will be a central, easily accessible location.

Having been in Florence before, as you say you have, I would lean very strongly toward booking HAL's transporation but doing your own thing for the day.

Enjoy. Florence is so fabulous!!!

 

[LLD]

Thank you everybody for your input and ideas. I am leaning towards just getting the transportation to Florence and taking my time to see the things I enjoy most. All of your comments have made me even more excited about the trip. It's a great feeling!!!!

[FamilyofFourtoAlaska]

If you have been there before, skip the tours and head straight for the Pont Vecchio!:)

[Suite 16]

Two years ago, a group of us used Driving Guides, located in Livorno, for transportation to and from Florence. Some were dropped off to do their own thing, right in the heart of town. Two of us stayed with the driver to go to the Academy and Uffizi, for a few hours, then did our own thing until we were picked up with the whole group in a very convenient location - can't remember the name of the hotel where we gathered. The email address is dguide@ats..it I arranged this with Paulo, at Driving Guides, by email. Our driver was Giovanni. We were very satisfied, to say the least. Strong winds prevented our ship from arriving in Livorno on time - we were three hours late. The ship canceled all the tours to Florence, breaking hearts, but Giovanni was waiting for us with his van. We were among the very few who got to Florence from the ship - our day was shortened, but we enjoyed it none the less.

 

I would suggest trying to attract a few others to go with you - so much nicer than a bus ride, and more flexible. It would help with the price. Our cost per person was much less than the bus trip would have been.

 

Have a great time!

[bebopper]

The Academy and The David is mandatory viewing. It isn't possible for someone to go to Florence and miss David IMO

 

 

Of course, the Duomo and the famous doors. Magnificent.

 

I don't specifically know the drop off spot in Florence, but you can be sure it will be a central, easily accessible location.

 

Having been in Florence before, as you say you have, I would lean very strongly toward booking HAL's transporation but doing your own thing for the day.

 

Enjoy. Florence is so fabulous!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

A nitpick - you know that the doors are replicas? I understand the originals were removed for the Catholic anniversary celebration some years ago and have yet to be returned - believe they are in the Vatican museum but not displayed. I belive that is still accurate - correct me if I'm wrong!

[sail7seas]

A nitpick - you know that the doors are replicas? I understand the originals were removed for the Catholic anniversary celebration some years ago and have yet to be returned - believe they are in the Vatican museum but not displayed. I belive that is still accurate - correct me if I'm wrong!

 

I think you are correct. I think I remember reading that somewhere.

We saw the originals and they are exquisite. If there are replicas in place now, I venture to say the vast majority of us would not recognize the difference. Speaking only for myself, I would not dream of going to Florence and not viewing those doors.....replica or not. ;)

 

[TidePrideGA]

Suite 16, what is the email address for the driving guide? I have a friend sailing on the Spendour (RCL) in a couple of weeks and want to pass this on to him. I'm confused about the dguide@ats..it. Is it dguide@ats.it?

 

Thanks!

[Suite 16]

I think you are right - the email address for the Driving Guide company is most probably

 

dguide@ats.it just one dot, not two. I went back to my address book - I have one entry for the above email, and also one for dguide@ats..it - I think that is one dot too many.

 

I sent an email to Paulo - I have referred cruise passengers to him for a few years, but since we are all so anonymous on Cruise Critic, I have no idea if they used him - to ask if I have the right email address. It could possibly have been changed in the past few years. If I hear from him, I will let you know. In the meantime, your friend could contact him directly (hoping it's the correct address) to get prices, etc. As I said, we were pleased - clean van, and our young man driver was dressed so well - and was a very good driver in that Italian traffic!

[Suite 16]

PS - Just remembered - as a courtesy, Paulo also took care of obtaining our tickets for the Academia, and also Uffizi, arranging the times. That meant we went right by the long lines with no delay, and our driver was waiting for us when we exited each museum. However, I think these are within walking distance of where we were left off, but we wanted to see as much as possible as quickly as possible, due to our delay in reaching the city. Another thing - the van was able to go right into the center of the city and it's main attractions - the busses from the ship would have had to drop off passengers at the bus parking lot - not nearly as convenient.

[TidePrideGA]

I think you are right - the email address for the Driving Guide company is most probably

 

dguide@ats.it just one dot, not two. I went back to my address book - I have one entry for the above email, and also one for dguide@ats..it - I think that is one dot too many.

 

I sent an email to Paulo - I have referred cruise passengers to him for a few years, but since we are all so anonymous on Cruise Critic, I have no idea if they used him - to ask if I have the right email address. It could possibly have been changed in the past few years. If I hear from him, I will let you know. In the meantime, your friend could contact him directly (hoping it's the correct address) to get prices, etc. As I said, we were pleased - clean van, and our young man driver was dressed so well - and was a very good driver in that Italian traffic!

Thanks! I've passed the info on to him. Since he sails from Barcelona on the 13th, he probably has everything booked and won't want to change things ... but if it were me I would go with this recommendation in a HEARTBEAT!

 

Now, got any similar words of wisdom for the Western Carib?

[Suite 16]

No, not for the Western Caribbean - we haven't been there in years, back when we just went along with whatever excursions the ship offered. Now we find our own, as we have done for the Mexican Riviera in November, when our whole family will cruise there.

 

But if your friend is going to be in Barcelona for a day or two before the ship sails, tell him that one of the best bargains for tourists there is the Bus Turistic. It's a hop off - hop on tour, with three intersecting routes. You can either stay on and get an overview of the whole city, or get off at various attractions and catch the next bus. They give you a little booklet describing everything, and the guides on board are quite helpful. It cost about 17 euros the last time we did it. Tell him not to miss Las Rambla - an open air market plus - not to be missed.

 

Also, if your friend wants a spectacular view of Barcelona and the Mediterranean, there is a fabulous hotel, Las Florida, high above the city, next to an amusement park. We got there by the Bus Touristic, getting off at the Tibidabo stop and taking a cab the rest of the way. (There's a tram, but it was closed when we were there.) We had a spectacular lunch on the terrace of this fabulous hotel - it wasn't cheap, but a memory not to be forgotten. Hope it is still there and thriving - it was recently opened in an older building, and is just beautiful. When I win the lottery, we are going back to stay!

 

Hope you enjoy the Caribbean - why not ask on the Cruise Critic boards for some suggestions of what to see and how to see it? We have had some great advice over the years from fellow cruisers.

[Cruising Illini]

We're on the Oct. 14 cruise and have arranged a private guide for Rome but will just take a cab at Livorno and go into Pisa. The Florence day is so LONG right after Rome that on our last trip we were happy we did not have to do them both together. There usually are a supply of taxis at Livorno to go into Pisa and of course there is the city tour.

I have registered on the Oct. 14 Roll Call and have suggested a meeting in the Crow's Nest our first day at sea -- you might check the list. Elinor

[Suite 16]

The email address for Driving Guides dguide@ats.it

 

I heard from Paulo which confirmed that I had the right email address. He even remembered me! I did have the name of our driver wrong - later I remembered he was Gianni, not Giovanni. As I said before, we were more than satisfied.

 

Just confirming this so you can tell your friend.

[TidePrideGA]

The email address for Driving Guides dguide@ats.it

 

I heard from Paulo which confirmed that I had the right email address. He even remembered me! I did have the name of our driver wrong - later I remembered he was Gianni, not Giovanni. As I said before, we were more than satisfied.

 

Just confirming this so you can tell your friend.

Thanks a bunch, Suite!

[m steve]

Spent 5 days there and couldn't see it all. I suggest going directly to the Duomo and from there you can walk to the fabulous market for food stuffs, ice cream, leather, truffles, neckties and scarf, etc. Then walk to the Academie to see the DAVID on the back street and look at all the terrific Euro kitchen ware. Ther is also a wonderful square near the Duomo w/ a fake David. After the Academie go to the Ponteveccio and shop for jewelery. Great designs seen nowhere elso. Then back to the ship to resupply your money for the next port and rest your feet. It's a great place and almost any restaurant will give you a great meal incl. chinese or McD. You will wish you had another suitcase.:)

[General Max]

Tidepride and suite16;

 

His name is Paolo Apollini and his website is http://www.drivinguide.com. We just booked him for a transfer / Rome tour from Rome to Civitavecchia for the October 22, 2006 Westerdam cruise.

 

Cheers

 

General Max