Florence boat tour

If you are looking for a tour that will enable you to discover Florence from a unique and privileged point of view, this is the option for you! Thanks to our boat tour in Florence on the Arno river you can glide silently on the river and admire the beauties of the Tuscan city escorted by a prepared local guide who will talk about the history and the curiosities of this beautiful Tuscan city.

On board a 'Barchetto', a gracious characteristic boat, you will pass under the famous Ponte Vecchio and you will see the alternation of monuments and palaces known throughout the world. During your small Arno river cruise you can taste a good glass of prosecco and enjoy the splendour and romanticism of Florence at dusk, when the landscape is coloured of ochre, red and pink light.

Let's look at how this unmissable Florence river cruise takes place - one of the most original excursions in Florence offered by toscanainside.com.

At the planned meeting point you will meet the guide who will accompany you to the embarkation spot walking through the streets of the historic centre. During this short but pleasant walk you can admire Piazza della Signoria, since centuries the social and political centre of Florence; pass beside the Uffizi Gallery, which boasts one of the most important art collections in the world and, from the shore, admire the spectacular Ponte Vecchio which, in its upper part, is home to the Vasari Corridor, a treasure chest of precious paintings from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and portraits of great artists.
After having reached the boarding area, you will board the 'Barchetto' ... and from this moment you will step into the heart of this fascinating boat tour of Florence!

Before proceeding with the description of the itinerary, it is worthwhile to say a few words on the boat, used because it is part of the true Florentine tradition. The 'Barchetto' is a wooden boat - the shape of which is reminiscent of the Venetian gondola - that, in ancient times, was used for the transport of material used for the construction of the city walls along the river: today there are only four original ‘Barchetti' that sail the Arno in Florence! The boatman, an experienced local seaman, will expertly guide your boat using a long wooden oar: this ancient navigation system, called ‘a stanga', will enable you to gently float on the waters in a silence broken only by the lapping of the oar... in summary: a genuinely evocative guided river boat tour of Florence!
Curiosities: do you know why the sailors of 'Barchetti' are called 'renaioli'? In the past, the terms 'renaioli' or 'bucaioli' designated those involved in the collection of sands on the river bottom that were used for the construction of Florentine buildings-  mostly poor people who worked very hard. In order to resume the navigation along the Arno river, the 'renaioli' have now renovated some of their ancient boats and, helped by their inseparable wooden rod, they have become the river ferrymen of the city!

During your boat trip of Florence by 'Barchetto', the guide will reveal the secrets of the beautiful buildings that adorn its banks and tell you about the history of Florence and how the bridges and ‘lungarni' (embankments along the Arno river) have changed over the years… passing under the renowned Ponte Vecchio, he will talk about the Vasari Corridor and other wonders enclosed in the Tuscan city.
Among other things, you can admire the Ponte di Santa Trinità, esteemed as one of the most elegant bridges in Europe, that connects the homonymous square to the Piazza de' Frescobaldi. There are two important buildings at the bottom of the bridge: Palazzo Spini Feroni at the north end and Palazzo della Missione at the southern end.

Sitting comfortably on board your 'Barchetto' Arno, you'll also see Palazzo Corsini al 'Parione', a splendid example of baroque architecture that belonged to the Corsini family from which it took its name. Inside the building there is the homonymous Gallery, the most important private collection in Florence and the only eighteenth-century collection of paintings still complete today.

And if all this weren't enough... how about a glass of cool prosecco served on board? An opportunity to contemplate splendid palaces and picturesque views of Florence at sunset, enjoying one of the most popular white wines of Italy!

At the end of the Florence Arno boat trip you will be given a pleasant booklet to take home on the mini-cruise and on Florence... a little souvenir to remember this wonderful experience.

Rely on toscanainside.com to visit Florence: boat trips, guided tours through the historic centre, the Galleria degli Uffizi, the Accademia, the Vasari Corridor and many other destinations are waiting for you!