Aurora

We are going to be in Florence for 3 nights which gives us 2 whole days and 2 half days. I wanted to visit the little towns in the Chianti area but do not want to drive. There seem to be a lot of tour companies offering one day excursions for small groups. Does any one have any suggestions or experiences to share on which may be the best one. Or can it be done easily by public transportation?

Thank you

JenniferW

Hello Aurora, I just returned from Italy last night. Part of our trip was 3 nights in Florence and we also did not want to drive so we booked a private driver to take us around Chianti.

The tour is called "A Day in Chianti" and it was lovely. Their email is [email protected]. We had the luxury of having a private driver while seeing the beautiful countryside.

He took us to a winery, villages, castles. It was from 9:00am to 5:00pm for $250 euros. I would highly recommend them. I will post my trip report once I am over my jet lag. Have fun on your trip, you will love Italy!

Aurora

Thank you Jennifer. That sounds really good especially since many of the private tours I was finding on the net were more expensive than the 250 that you paid. I am assuming it wasn't per person, or was it? Was it 250 Euros or Dollars, not sure since you have both in your message - I understand the effects of jet lag. Is it customary to tip the driver when you take a private tour like that? Would like to hear more details on your trip. We are getting really excited since this is our first trip to Italy and it is to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

Thanks.

JenniferW

The tour was $250 for both me and my husband. We were unclear as to whether to tip him or not so my husband gave him 20 euro since he was such a nice guy.
But I am not sure if we were supposed to tip or not. I will try and get my act together and post my trip report.

What a great anniversary trip! We definitely will try to go back once we save up again.

JenniferW

Oops, I meant to let you know that it was 250 euros, sorry!

Aurora

Thanks Jennifer. I checked out their website, it looks good but does not give details on cost or time etc. Did you make advance reservation before leaving from here or got the tour after you got to Florence. Did you check out other tour companies before going with this one?

Thanks for sharing all your experiences.

JenniferW

I did not look into other tour companies because I had read about their tour in someone's trip report on this website.

I made the reservation about a month before I left for my trip via email in which I confirmed the price and times. They did not require any deposit or payment until the day of.

I emailed them our hotel's address since they picked us up right in front of the hotel. I emailed them again a few days before I left just to re-confirm.

Loretta

Message:
Just got back from Tuscany. We hired a private guide in Florence named Alessandro Cammilli. He was wonderful. A native of Florence, he speaks good english, & knows some of the off the beated path sights. He's very reliable, & very reasonbly priced at $25 per hour for two, $35 per hour for four. He furnishes the transportion, & can take you to Pisa, to the wineries in Tuscany, to good restaurants, to and from the airport, etc. Alessandro is a good italian driver, just don't watch any of the cars when in Florence. Our trip would not have been the same without Alessandro's help. He can even reserve tickets to museums in advance.
You can reach him [email protected]



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Byrd

Here is another tour company to check out: Italy Independent Travel Team (www.masternet.it/home/IITT/2dgs.htm and click on Daily Excursions) In February our group of 8 hired a driver-guide who picked us up at our hotel in a large comfortable van. We spent a great day in Siena, Monteriggioni, and the countryside. Our guide was Guiseppe, who was knowledgeable and personable. The cost was about 50 euro a person.