Private Guided Tour of Florence Basilicas and Their Cloisters

4.9 (7 reviews) 3 hours Free cancellation Private tour

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7 reviews

4.9

Private Guided Tour of Florence Basilicas and Their Cloisters — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Private Guided Tour of Florence Basilicas and Their Cloisters, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Embark on a captivating journey through Florence with a private guide. Start at the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, where you’ll admire its stunning Renaissance façade and masterpieces like Giotto’s "Crucifix." Explore the rich history of the Dominican Fathers and relax in the serene "Green Cloister."

Next, visit the Basilica di San Lorenzo, Florence's oldest church, to see the "Old Sacristy" and works by renowned artists like Donatello and Bronzino. Stroll through the beautiful "Cloister of the Canons."

Continue to Piazza del Duomo to marvel at the Cathedral, Dome, and Giotto’s bell tower, then head to Piazza della Signoria, an open-air gallery showcasing the Medici family's legacy.

Conclude your tour at the Basilica di Santa Croce, featuring Giotto’s frescoes and the tombs of legends like Michelangelo and Galileo. Discover the peaceful "Brunelleschi Cloister" and the harmonious "Pazzi Chapel."

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At a glance

Duration: 3 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–8
Guide: German, English, Italian, French, Spanish
Operated by: CAF Tour and Travel - Gray Line Florence

Ages: Infants (0–0 years) · Adults (1–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Earphones for groups of more than 7 participants
Included: Local professional Guide at your side

Not included

Not included: San Lorenzo Basilica: Full price ticket: € 6,00. Free admission for: children younger than 11 years old
Not included: Santa Croce Basilica (to be paid on the spot): Adult: € 8,00; Ages 11-16:...
Not included: Santa Maria Novella Basilica: Adult: € 7,50; Ages 11-16: € 5,00; 10 and under are free
Not included: Everything not mentioned as Included
Not included: Hotel pickup and drop-off

Itinerary

Basilica of Santa Maria Novella

one hour Admission not included

Meet your private guide and you will head towards the striking square where the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella stands with its splendid Renaissance façade by Leon Battista Alberti covered with white and green marble. Inside the Basilica, founded by the Dominican Fathers at the beginning of 1200, you will have the chance to see masterpieces such as the "Crucifix" by Giotto the "Trinity" by Masaccio and the spectacular frescoes by Filippino Lippi and Ghirlandaio and also hear the story of the "mendicant order" of friars who have always been present in this church. Your tour ends inside the elegant "Green Cloister" so named for its beautiful murals in green earth by Paolo Uccello.
Basilica di San Lorenzo

50 min Admission not included

In the heart of the lively Medici quarter, bordering the Piazza del Duomo, you will find yourselves in front of the Basilica di San Lorenzo, Florence's the oldest church, consecrated in 393 by Sant'Ambrogio, rebuilt in the year 1000 and enlarged in 1400 by Brunelleschi at the behest of the Medici family who chose it as their parish church. Inside the Basilica is the “Old Sacristy”by Brunelleschi with the tombs of the founders of the Medici family and works by Donatello, Bronzino, Filippo Lippi, Rosso Fiorentino and Pontormo, to name but a few. Leaving the church, you will enter in the impressive “Cloister of the Canons” at the centre of which stands an imposing 16th-century orange tree which was dear to the Medici family and became a kind of symbol of their dynasty.
Piazza Del Duomo

10 min

You will then pass into the Piazza del Duomo, the city's religious centre, where you will be able admire the Cathedral with its famous Dome, the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile (bell tower).
Piazza della Signoria

10 min

Soon you will arrive at the famous Piazza della Signoria, a concentration of architectural and sculptural masterpieces which has no equal in the world. Here begins the fascinating story of the powerful Medici family whose history was tied to that of the city for more than three centuries.
Basilica of Santa Croce

50 min Admission not included

Your tour ends at the Basilica di Santa Croce, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture with a facade clad in polychrome marble. This is the ancient church in which the Franciscan friars chose to set up and begin treating pelts and leather and meditate in peace in a place that was, at that time, located outside the city walls. We will admire, from close up, the beautiful frescoes by Giotto and Agnolo Gaddi, the “Crucifix” and “Annunciation” by Donatello and the world-famous funerary monuments and tombs of illustrious figures from the past such as Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. Next, you will enter the elegant “Brunelleschi Cloister” bordered by columns carved from pure stone, and then pass into the fourteenth-century “Ancient Cloister” at the end of which lies the beautiful “Pazzi Chapel”, a sublime example of Renaissance harmony, also the work of Brunelleschi.

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

Starting Time: at 10:00 am

Meeting with the guide at the entrance of Santa Maria Novella

End point

Using your ticket

Starting Time: 10:00am
The private Local guide is available for 3 hours
A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed.
Please be aware that in case of no-show, the guide will wait for you for a maximum of 30 minutes from the tour departure time. After that time, if nobody informed us about the delay, they are entitled to leave and no refund will be granted to any client who is not at the departure point at the established time.
We remind you that places of worship may be closed in case of any possible religious event not scheduled yet