I only have 2 days in Florence. Would you reccomend hooking up with some tours to get the most in the least amount of time??? any favorites???

<BR> <BR>Personally, we were on a tour when we arrived in Florence and decided to separte from them when we got there. The best thing to do in Florence, or any city in Italy, is get lost. Get a map and find your way around to the sites you 'need' to see...and find some that maybe only wouldn't have seen otherwise. <BR> <BR>For example, did you know that dogs rule Florence? Just look at the street corners, in the warm places of sun beams and shadows. They are king in Florence. Just a memory I had and felt like sharing. <BR> <BR>Otherwise, if you're still wanting to know what to see and where to go and stay, try doing a search on the word "Florence" on this forum. Enough has been written about it, I'd wager, to fill a library a couple of times.

anyone else?????

Karen. I will be going to Florence for the first time at the end of this month. I'm not sure if my opinion is valid since I've never been. I'm only doing one tour on my trip and that's to Chianti because I won't have a car. Florence seems very accessible and walkable. It seems that a tour group would be a waste of time and you wouldn't have time to linger where you'd like. I'd skip it. If you plan on going to Uffizi or Accadmia, be sure to reserve tickets (055 294883).

Vita, <BR>I will also be in Florence this month and want to see Chianti, and also will be without a car. Can you please let me know about the tour you are taking? Thanks!

Karen <BR> <BR>Two days is what you'll need to see the major stuff. I didn't take a tour, just got all the info together and did it myself. Florence is to get around by walking. <BR> <BR>And do make the reservations in advance, as Vita suggested. <BR> <BR>You'll have no problem doing this on your own.

Karen, I booked with CAF tours (www.caftours.com). I'm doing the afternoon excursion with dinner. This might be a good option for you so you can do museums in the morning. There's also an afternoon option without dinner if you'd rather be in Florence at night. <BR> <BR>The afternoon excursion with dinner is offered on Tuesday and Friday. This is a description that someone at CAF tours gave me of the Friday excursion: Castello di QUERCETO for wine tasting, snack and wine cellars visit, then the little village of Greve, the hearth of Chianti Classico, the parrish Church of S. Leolino near Panzano in Chianti and dinner will be served in a restaurant between mercatale and Panzano in Chianti. <BR> <BR>This is Tuesday: Another Castle for wine tasting wich is CASTELLO IL PALAGIO, another parrish church of S. PIETRO IN BOSSOLO, a village called BARBERINO VAL D'ELSA and restaurant nearby. <BR> <BR>There's also another tour operator that looked interesting called The Accidental Tourist (www.accidentaltourist.com). They do tours in Chianti Colli Fiorentini.

karen, it depends on what interests you and on what you want to see. <BR>If you are interested in art of the Renaissance, you will want to see at the very least the Uffizi, Accademia, and Bargello museums. The former San Marco monastery also has some precious frescoes by Fra Angelico. For the Uffizi and the Accademia you can order advance tickets to avoid the usually long entrance lines; another source for advance bookings is www.waf.it <BR>Then there are the churches, so many, with stunning architecture and sculptures. Then there are the great <BR>gelaterie (ice cream shops, except gelato is better than ice cream.) <BR>As others have said, the heart of Florence is quite small and can easily be explored on your own. <BR>It will be a matter of prioritizing what you want to see. Any good general guidebook will outline the top spots, and even suggest walking itineraries. <BR>One good map is "Streetwise Florence." <BR>I have a file on Florence; if you'd like to see it, email me.