I’m lucky enough to have been to Florence a few times and I’ve also previously been on a family friendly tour of the Uffizi with my family back in 2019 with Europe 4 Kids. When we decided to head back to Florence this year with the extended family I had no hesitation in getting back in touch with Europe 4 Kids and asking them if they could arrange another tour.

When doing a city trip with kids, it can be tricky to keep them entertained for hours on end, but if you take lots of snacks, and use the right tour guide and make sure they are family friendly it can change the whole day. So we got back in touch with Europe 4 Kids Tours and are delighted we did.

We met up with Marco our tour guide from Europe 4 Kids Tours, at the main train station in Florence. There was 12 of us and so in order to ensure we could all hear what was going on we made our way to a quieter square and put on some headphones that meant wherever we were walking we could hear what Marco had to say.

Marco quickly won over the youngest member of our party. It can be tricky running a tour that needs to keep family member from 8-72 entertained, but with kind words and reassurance on asking as many questions as possible, Marco did.

Marco guided us brilliantly around Florence on a tour that took in the main highlights but leaving the stunning Duomo til last. Despite being a major European city, Florence is one of the “top walkable cities” in the world and in 3 hours we covered the main highlights.

So what did we see:

We started in Santa Maria Novella. The square used for competitions such as Palio dei Cocchi (a race with carriages), established by Cosimo I in 1563. We compared this to the horse race in Siena as we had been there earlier this week.

We moved on through the market to find Il Porcellino (the Italian “piglet”) which is the local Florentine nickname for the bronze fountain of a boar. He supposedly brings good luck when visitors rub his snout and put a coin in his mouth. If the water washes the coin from the pig’s mouth and it falls into the grate below, you will have good luck and you will be sure to return to Florence. If not, try again. The coins are used to support an orphanage.

No trip to Florence would be complete without a trip to the Ponte Vecchio, wandering across the bridge and understanding why it was built and when, but the best view of the bridge and the river is once you’re off it. Last time we were in Florence we visited the Uffizi but we didn’t book tickets in time. If you want to go to the Uffizi, definitely book this early.

After the Ponte Vecchio we wandered through the back streets to Piazza della Signoria and saw the life size replica of David and made sure we had time for Gelato!

Our tour in Florence ended with the spectacular Duomo. Marco had done a fabulous job of navigating us around Florence without us even catching sight of it. Given its size and its prominence in Florence that was an incredible feet.

At that point in the day, the party split and 6 of us went to see David, whilst 6 had an earlier lunch.

Booking tickets to see David is essential especially if you’re visiting Florence with Kids. Tickets being booked means you skip the queue. You do pay €3 per ticket for the privilege of booking but in my view its definitely worth it. Book direct though don’t get conned into spending excessive amounts on tickets. You really don’t need to.

For me David is quite simply spectacular and always worth seeing.

In summary, our tour with Europe 4 Kids was an amazing experience for our Mini Travellers and ourselves that we couldn’t have had enjoyed without Europe 4 Kids.

Europe4KidsTours are all now over Italy and also in 13 other European countries too. Highly recommended.

Parking in Florence

Having been to Florence before there are a number of ways to arrive; if you’re going to drive I would book a car parking spot. I’ve linked the details below because whilst it’s expensive to park in Florence for the day – this particular place is very very central and it reduces the time you spend walking after a long day exploring this fabulous city. They also park your car for you which is an added bonus in a very busy Italian city.  It’s Garage Bargello.

Train to Florence

Perhaps the easiest way to arrive in Florence, certainly for the driver, is on the train. The main train station in Florence is  Firenze Santa Maria Novella.

Florence Magic, Miracles and Tricks Tour Details

Tour Details

You and your family will walk through the historical center of charming Florence and see the most important and magnificent sites. Unforgettable squares – Piazza del Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, impressive old churches and buildings – Palazzo Strozzi, Church of Orsanmichele and Santa Trinita, and, of course, world known touristic attractions as – Mercato Nuovo and Ponte Vecchio…

No worries, you will not concentrate on a school-like history of the monuments, but will be inspired by fun and anecdote stories about people who create Florentine architectural mazes & the families who paid for them. We let the ghosts of the saints & sinners of the past speak and tell their stories, as we weave our way through medieval streets!

IN ADDITION:

+ Uffizi, 1-2 hours
Enjoy Florence’s world famous museum, the Uffizi Gallery. See the gallery’s most important masterpieces and experience Leonardo Da Vinci‘s genius, as well as Titian, Raphael, Botticelli and Caravaggio and many more!
You will discover Michelangelo and Botticelli‘s famous “Birth of Venus”. No lines for tickets
Tickets: please tell us if you’ll get your own tickets or we’ll book them!

+ Academia (David), 1 hour
See the David and some of the highlights. No lines for tickets
Tickets: prearranged by us upon request