Florence tours
Bicycle tours
I Bike Italy offers two hour city tours by bike, as well as excursions into Chianti on mountain bikes. Full-day tours (0900-1700) include lunch and a tour of one of the local vineyards. Bookings are taken in English over the telephone and a pick-up point in Florence is arranged.
Tel: +39 342 935 2395.Website: http://www.ibikeitaly.com
Walking tours
Visitors can arrange a private walking tour or book one of the group tours around Florence's key attractions online at www.walksinsideflorence.it, Walks include a tour of the Uffizi Gallery, departing from the reservations entrance at 1330 (Tuesday-Saturday); an Orientation tour for first visitors, a Florence in one day tour, a Michelangelo tour; Medieval Florence and its Basi. The walking tours range from two to three hours and don't include entry tickets.
Website: http://www.walksinsideflorence.itFlorence excursions
Cinque Terre
Once you clap eyes on Cinque Terre, you will never want to leave. Made up of five separate villages each with their own charms and all connected by train, this is one of Italy's gems. It is also a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Explore steep hills flanked by colourful pastel-coloured homes overlooking the azure waters of the Mediterranean. Delight in the views as you tuck into freshly caught seafood meals. To reach this area, take the train from Florence to La Spezia from where you have to catch another train to Riomaggiore.
Website: http://www.cinqueterre.it/enPisa
Visit Pisa and its legendary 54m-high (177ft) circular Leaning Tower. Intrepid visitors can hike up to six floors, with open galleries but there are 294 lung-gasping steps to the top. Make sure you leave time to visit the city's oft-ignored other landmarks, including: Piazza dei Miracoli, one of Europe's greatest groups of Romanesque buildings; the 11th century Duomo; the Botanical Gardens, amongst the oldest in Europe; and the former Benedictine convent of San Matteo.
Website: http://www.turismo.pisa.it/en/
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