I don't know what you all were expecting from a tourism group but they do what they can and usually a bit more. You're an outsider in a strange place most likely. And guess what? In a different country too! Unless you know Tuscany yourself, sit back and enjoy the rides. Okay so the bus ride wasn't the most comfortable, as Americans need HUGE seats with power ports, etc. and cart service with snacks. Fun fact: they're driving manual transmission buses. OOOOORRRRR you can try to blend and deal with the hour or two long bus ride without plugging in your devices. It's not that bad. read more

Ciao Florence - Travel Services Near Me - Florence, FI

When my sister-in-law asked to do a tour of Lake Como, Bellagio and Lugano, Switzerland from Milan, this looked like a perfect fit. A bus ride to Como with guided tours and two boat rides on Lake Como. Plus, a discount for booking early. Count me in! When we arrived at the pickup spot by 7:40 as instructed, there were a lot of buses, but there was no guide and no labels on our tour bus. Spoke to the tour bus driver who confirmed that we were in the right spot but had to wait for the tour guide who was running late. The driver was amazing! When the tour guide Luigi (GG) finally arrived, he seemed confused. Was this his tour? He fidgeted with his information. As our party of five was first in line next to the bus door, we watched and heard everything. As this chaos was happening, a young man slid through the eager crowd. We thought that he was trying to cut in front of us, but he was actually delivering a bag filled with what looked like green earpieces that were promised in the details of the tour. They stayed in the bag the entire 11 hours and were never used. Apparently, GG never uses headsets. After a lengthy delay, GG finally found his list. He roll-called guests. People answered, but did not move until he explained. I call your name. You get on the bus. So much for getting a seat near the front, but I felt worse for a lady who was told to give up her window seat to accommodate a couple that arrived quite late for the tour. He also did not know if the WC on the bus worked or didn't work. The information given along the drive to Como was promising. GG was knowledgeable. He shared was interesting information, but the chaos continued throughout the tour. At Como, our first stop, he gave two different times and meeting places which caused confusion. Initially, he said to meet back at the bus on the side of the road but then added second meeting place. A family arrived late to the bus. He set the ground rules not to be late, or he would leave without you and your family, yet he himself arrived late for two of the stops (Bellagio and Lugano). We then walked to the cathedral following his very thin metal pointer that was hard to see. Many in the group of 40ish people could not see or hear him, but he informed us that he does not like to use earpieces despite the tour description. The information about Lake Como, the cathedral, the Roman walls, Volta and modern architecture was interesting, but you needed to be nearby to hear him. When we got to Argegno, the delay with the public ferry was not communicated well to our tour group. We rushed to use the bathrooms, grab a cappuccino and a pastry from the cafe and bar across the street. GG said to listen if he yelled to come back when the ferry finally arrived. In reality, we had plenty of time as we waited on the street for 32 minutes for the ferry to arrive. You would think that in 32 minutes, GG would have explained what was happening with the next part of the excursion, but no. We were given a ticket and then herded like cattle onto the public ferry. Our group scrambled to find a place to stand. There were no seats until some locals disembarked halfway into the ferry ride. We were literally scattered all over the boat, with no information given along the way including where to get off. Fortunately, I had looked at the timetables and reviews, so I knew not to get off until we reached Bellagio. The cruise took us along the lake with stunning views, and we guessed what we were seeing using our mobile phones or asking locals. About ten minutes before getting to Bellagio, GG located most of our group on the deck. He gave some information and let us know to get ready to disembark. Once back on terra firma, he pointed to a different meeting point near an orange sign and cautioned us not to be late. Again, he was late and as other members that we recognized arrived, we hoped that we had found the right spot. Bellagio apparently was free time for GG, so other than a recommendation to visit a Japanese garden, we received no information about this stop. Again, GG was one of the last ones to reach the appointed time to get on the next ferry. He was late, but he managed to come back eating a gelato. The ferry from Bellagio to Cadenabbia was very short, but scenic. Again, no information. Once in Lugano, we stopped at a museum to use their bathrooms. At this point, we lost GG. Using a better means like a flag or an umbrella or using the earpieces would have helped. Fortunately, he had pointed to the square from the moving bus where we would be meeting later in the afternoon. We did see him briefly at a beautiful church and then saw him again when he arrived later than most of our tour group. The tour was interesting, but so disorganized. Lake Como, Bellagio and Lugano in one day. So beautiful! Five stars for the itinerary, but many missed opportunities along the day. Had our guide followed the tour description, it should have been a five-star tour. read more

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Our tour guide Alex was great and so helpful and friendly. He recommended the best gelato spot I've ever had in San Gimignano. Siena was beautiful and I loved the art and architecture of the cathedral. The bus ride was very enjoyable and I usually hate riding on a bus. There were charging spots and curtains in case you want to sleep. The views of the Tuscan hill country was great and lunch at the winery was delicious. Luca (the driver) was amazing and stopped the bus for me when I accidentally left my phone at the end. read more

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BEWARE!: Check your cc statement after you book with this company! My wife and I went to Italy in September 2024. While in Milan we contacted this tour group and reserved 2 tickets for a walking tour for a total of $151.07. Within a few hours, we decided to cancel this tour (several days before the tour and well within the posted time allowed for a full refund). It took several days to receive an email response acknowledging that we canceled and almost a month to see reverse charges on our credit card statement. Where we reviewed our credit card statement we noticed this company charged our card multiple times for varying amounts leaving us with over $450 in fraudulent charges. read more

Ciao Florence - Not sure how 1 transaction for $150 turned into multiple charges and left me owing over $450 to my credit card company! - Travel Services Near Me - Florence, FI

This was honestly one of the worst customer service experiences I have encountered in Italy. My family had an unfortunate accident prior to the tour and the customer service person was not empathetic at all when dealing with any accommodations to reschedule the tour. They were super slow in responsiveness and just kept restating their policy vs coming up with solutions to help. Super disappointing. We have several more tours booked with them this week and considering cancelling all of them due to the terrible customer service. Completely bummed out by these guys.. do better. read more

We did two tours with this company. One was very good, the other so-so. On the so-so tour we did not receive the guided portion of the tour in English as advertised and I had to request a refund 5 times to get it. We also had a meal on this tour. One of our party was vegetarian. We were told this wasn't a problem. It was. The food for the vegetarian came out minutes before our group had to leave, not with the other meals. There was not enough time for this meal to be eaten nor was there any refund for it. Kind of disappointing. read more

Hello everyone This is a very important warning - Do not book anything from the company Ciao Florence!! It is a fraud. They make you a booking, and charge you, But it is only "on the paper". They have no connection with the people that run the activity. Therefore, they will send you to the wrong location, and they will not inform them at all that you are supposed to come. Their service is the worst service l've seen in ltaly, and one of the worst all over the world. That is what happened to me: (This is only an example, most chances It will happen to you as well, Since this a non reliable company at all) I celebrated 10 years with my wife, in a romantic vacation in Italy, and all the other places were amazing - except of Ciao Florence. They are an anti-these for the Italian great hospitality, simply a big embarrassment for the country. W'eve booked a cooking class in Firenze, At 14:00 hrs. They sent me the address by WhatsApp. 1. We got there before 14:00. We even sent them massages before, when we were on the way there. We found out it is the wrong place, and there is nothing there. 2. Then we called them, it was still before 14:00, and they said it is the wrong place, and they need to check up and get to me by WhatsApp, and no immediate response is possible. 3. It was after 14:00, when they finally sent us the right location, and we went there. 4. When we got there at 14:05, we wrote them on what'sApp that we are there, and no one is there. The woman in the meeting place (Coffee shop) told us that this is the place, and the chef haven't arrive yet. 5. It was strange to me, because of the late hour, so I've sent them few more massages and called 3 times! All that time I got no response to the massages, and by phone they told me that you will check it out. 6. Only at 14:34, after 30 minutes, They wrote us to go somewhere else, And that the Chef was waiting for us for 10 minutes, and then went away and started already. 7. When we got there at 14:40, 40 minutes late, they were already in the middle of the class, and they were very surprised to see us. The Chef and his assistant said clearly, that they didn't get our names at all from the company, and they didn't know at all that there is another couple in the class. They didn't wait for us 10 min or even one minute - they never knew we were supposed to come. 8. These 2 lovely people, the chef and his assistant, helped us to get inside the class in the middle, event though it was 40 minutes after it started. It was very clear, that these 2 lovely people, Has no connection with your horrible people at the costumer service. So, what did we have here? Ciao Florence people never informed the class that we were supposed to come, not on time and not late. They sold us an activity, and charged us in advance for it, but it was only "on the paper". How can it be that they register people in their system, but don't tell that to the people that makes the activity, that these people are registered to the class and suppose to come. Then, after we were responsible, called them few times and massage you few times, They did nothing with it!! Only after 30 min, they've informed us they already started 30 min. Ago. For god sake, we were there these whole 30 min. Waiting, When we could just enter the class on time!!! And then, first time I saw in my life, Instead of apologizing - they lied to us straight to the face, in a written massage, When they said they've waited for us, And then we discovered they never talked to the people that runs the activity, this whole time, and they had no idea that we are supposed to come!! I've never seen such a thing in my life. They embarrassed me in front of my wife, They got us stressed instead of having fun, Their lazy and horrible people didn't raise a finger or a phone call to deal with the situation, check or inform the class chef, And then they lied to us. That was the worst service I've got anywhere in my life. I am shaken by it, and it actually ruins my vacation day. Of course, I wrote them this critic as well, immediately after the activity, but because their costumer service is so awful, No one got back to me, And they did nothing about it. Remember: The minute they charge you, they disappear. It is only a matter of luck, if you will get inside the activity you paid for. It is a fraud. Please be careful and do not book anything from Ciao Florence. Yours, David read more

Booked 2 tours with the local agency in Florence. The agents at the office were rude and not at all friendly. We were asked for only a deposit and were told to pay the balance at the meeting place. When we arrived at meeting place for both tours, the check-in personnel seemed annoyed that we did not fully pay, and had to process the balance! Everything seemed disorganized and hurried. The first tour to Piensa was led by a knowledgeable and friendly guide named Julia. Our first bus broke down just outside of Florence, but she handled the dela with patience and grace. She gave everyone attention needed throughout the tour and even suggested a wonderful place for lunch. Would have loved spending more time in Piensa and less in Montepulciano. Julia made the tour!! The second tour booked was for Assisi. This tour was a disappointment! While the tour is supposed to be about Assisi, we spent the least amount of time there. Ciao Florence enlisted a local guide who was a disaster!! The guide, Katia, was rude, hard to understand in English or Spanish, and had very poor knowledge of the area. I could have learned more from Wikipedia! She had very little insight to Saint Francis and Saint Clare, and there importance to the region or the church. She was frequently "out of breath " on the climb and insisted on heavily breathing into the microphone instead of stopping and delivering her message. At one point, the feedback into the earpiece was so bad, I had to turn it off! She refused help from our guide Cecili, who was a nice but timid person. She rece many complaints from other people, but didn't seem to know how to remedy the issue. I saw other tour groups who were receiving better service and wanted to join them. Ciao Florence can do better! read more

The AC was broken in the bus for the entire full day tour. When the passengers complained the driver said that everything was fine. When one of our passengers almost passed out and the rest of sweating beyond measure asked for different transportation the driver said he would fix it. Unfortunately it was not fixed. When you are in a suffocating bus and then walk the tour in the hot sun there is no way to enjoy your day through Tuscany. Beyond disappointing. I sent an email to my travel agent and the response they received from this company is that the driver states the AC was working but weak. To the driver step up and admit you were wrong and your response to all of us was rude! read more

We booked a supposed tour of Siena, San Gimignano & Pisa thru Viator, and it was operated by CF. I have been on tours all around the world, and this was the worst one I have ever been on. My primary complaint is the description of the "tour", doesn't match the reality of what actually took place. For example, it says moderate walking. I do not consider walking (more like marching at some sections), eight miles to be a moderate amount of walking. In addition, there are 60 people in a barely air conditioned bus, and no masks were required. We wore masks, however the operator was not enforcing it. I'm pretty sure masks were required in Italy bc all the trains, metro, buses and taxis required passengers wear masks. In addition, we took another Viator tour (operated by a different co), and masks were required on the bus. If the tour description was more honest about what the day was really going to be like, I would have only booked the Siena, lunch & wine tasting portion. Those parts of the tour were really a tour. We had a local guide in Siena that walked us thru the square, and up to the duomo & cathedral. The lunch was relaxing and we were able to taste multiple wines. The SG & Pisa portion were like work. I heard a lot of people grumbling about having to march 3 miles roundtrip from the dropoff point to the entrance of Pisa. Lastly, some minor things I did not like were the guide kept on saying she was going to give us a bottle of water, that we never received. Additionally, after you have marched eight miles, they drop you off near the train station in Florence. Then you have to walk another half mile to catch a taxi: Ero incazzato (I was pissed off)!!!!! Do yourself a favor and avoid the three city tour of Siena, SG & Pisa offered thru Viator and operated by CF. The description doesn't match the lousy day we endured. read more

This is very much a delayed review but I used ciao Florence religiously when I was in Italy in 2019 and it was EXCELLENT. I was living in Florence for three weeks and on the weekend did some solo excursions and Ciaoflorence was a huge factor in my itinerary planning. When I went to venice, I booked their ghost tour which took you around all the spooky sights with a tour guide after dark. When I went to Naples, I booked their Vesuvius and Pompeii tour. The tour guide legit came to a meeting spot (located near the central naples train station and all the prime hotels), picked you up, took you to Pompeii, took you to lunch for some Napoli pizza, took you to vesuvius, and dropped you back off at the meeting spot (and even offered to drop you wherever else was most convenient if you wanted to scope out some more sites). It was absolutely excellent for solo traveling. Prices are super reasonable and there's always discounts going on so keep an eye out. After purchasing one tour from Ciaoflorence, they legit sent me a coupon for my next time shortly after which I did indeed put to use. Ciaoflorence has a plethora of other excursions from different sites. For instance, you could be based in rome and they can take you to florence by bus, give you a tour, and bring you back. When I return to Italy someday, I will indeed be using this once again (and I do recommend it to all my friends who travel there!) read more

Terrible tour and food. Rude staff as well. Would not do that again. The food and wine tasting was too many people packed in together.

Truly terrible tour experience. Book with any other company instead! Our tour ("Exclusive Tour of Florence Duomo with Dome and Secret Terraces Access") was at 14.15 and listed as 90 minutes long. We arrived a few minutes before 14.15 as instructed. In fact, all of the people who purchased tickets for this tour were there on time, except for ONE. This is the text on our ticket "Late arrivals and people who miss their tour will be considered a no-show and will not be eligible for a refund. The tour reservations have strict timings. If you are late, it will not be possible to join the group or reschedule, unless you pay for the activity again (subject to availability)." So why did 19 people stand for 45 minutes in the heat because there was 1 person missing? Absolutely unacceptable to inconvenience 19 guests for 1 who could not be located or reached by phone by the agency or the guide. At 30 minutes past the start time with no end of waiting in sight, I asked to use the WC, but was told it was not possible, that I would have to walk several doors down to Twister cafe and buy a drink to use their toilet. The cheapest thing was a can of Coke for €3.50 (everywhere else in Florence the same can is €1-1.20 euro). Really? We are stuck waiting and you cannot allow anyone access to the staff toilet? Finally, 45 minutes late we walk towards the Duomo. The guide kept getting phone calls from the office to check if we found the missing guest. So, every time she was trying to share something with the group on the walk, we are interrupted by a phone call. Then, from the time we arrived at the Duomo, took the tour through the ground level, ascended the 100+ stairs to the terraces, walked on to the terraces and were brought back inside.... was only 35 minutes. The guide asked for our audio lanyards back, wished us a nice day and left. For this short 30 minutes charade we (two adults) paid €178. An absolute joke. At this point, the time was about 15.45 -- the scheduled end time of the whole "90 minute" tour, even though the tour included ascending the Duomo... another 300+ steps, not a fast activity. Several parties in the group actually had to LEAVE being unable to ascend the Duomo -- as paid for -- because they had planned their day's schedule on a tour that would start and end on time. What else does one expect, especially with the strict language on the ticket about timely arrivals. Absolutely disrespectful treatment of the group as customers and our time. The agency did not care at all -- will never use them again. Avoid at all costs. Never in decades of traveling throughout Europe have I had such an embarrassing low quality tour experience -- shameful. read more

Chianti tour was so enjoyable I booked a second tour the next day to the Val d'orcin region. Wineries and towns included were fabulous. I appreciated Gabrele changing my tour date after I booked a day that called for rain. They were very easy to work with and the tour runs smoothly. read more

If I could leave 10 stars I would. This tour provided us an amazing day seeing four of the five cities of the Cinque Terre by both train and by boat. This would have been enough for a perfect day, but I accidentally left my phone on the bus. Giuseppe was the driver for our tour. Our hotel was a 30-minute walk from where he dropped us off. Not only did he rescue my phone from the bus, but when I had trouble finding a taxi, the man actually offered to drive it to me to our hotel near the train station. We were leaving early the next morning for Rome, so I couldn't have picked it up from the office ... we were leaving before it opened. Giuseppe very much saved me and I cannot thank him or recommend him enough!!! Grazie mille!!!!!!! read more

We had so much fun on our wine tour with Constantino. For such a cheap price, we got to try 10 different wines along with meats, bread, and cheeses. Constantino was so kind and very helpful with any questions we had. I would absolutely take this tour again when I am back in Italy! read more

Ciao Florence - Travel Services Near Me - Florence, FI

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DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY!!!!! the directions they give are so ridiculously vague, you will never find the point of departure unless you are a native of Florence. After walking in circles for 20 minutes trying to find where the bus departs from the "bus terminal," come to find out it really leaves from underneath the train station. We missed the departure time and their solution was to give us €30 off a trip half the length of time. We spent €128 for a ticket that had no phone number, map, or physical address. Buyer beware! read more

Do not take any tours with My Green Tour- shop near Duomo. They scheduled for Tuscany tour on Saturday but scheduled for Sunday instead. We had plans for Sunday already. This guy refused to admit the mistake and refused to refund! Warning, they will not refund you anything read more

Ciao Florence - Tour company is the worst - Travel Services Near Me - Florence, FI

Yelper Jim D and I booked with the Ciao Florence Tours & Travels agency a tour of the Principality of San Marino and Bologna. As it turned out none of the tour portion of San Marino could actually be conducted by Ciao Florence Tours as there was a San Marino law that any such tours of San Marino must be conducted by a San Marino resident. The governing powers of San Marino will tell you that such is to assure you have "certified and knowledgeable" tour guides but I think to actually be a plug for Local 101 of tour guide union or meant to increase local employment. So, in actuality that part of the tour was contracted out, and the tour guide, as far as tour guides go, didn't amount to much. Being the foodie I am, I would have thought there would have to have been some local indigenous food specialty of San Marino, or at least something particular to San Marino that might distinguish it or set it apart from Italy. I there was, however, she didn't say anything about it. It was more like one of the tours wherein you'll hear the same, "one your right you'll see and old historic church, on your left is a view point of the valley below, you're now free to wander around on your own, just be sure to find your way back to your bus on time." So, pretty much a bunch of blah, blah, blah with little if any helpful or interesting content in what she had to say." Then, as for the Bologna part of the tour, which was conducted by Ciao, we were lead to the center of town and again pretty much left on our own. We were told of some decent restaurants, but not lead into them, told anything about the distinctive foods of Bologna, treated to anything as a group. For me this real letdown. After all, isn't the area world famous for certain sausages with the word "boloney" actually having been derived from their famed meat based sausages, especially those comprised of black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, celery seed and coriander seasonings? So, for me, again pretty much of a blah type of tour as it didn't do anything for them that I couldn't have easily accomplished on my own. The only reason to take one of these tours is for the ease of travel which Ciao attended to rather well. Other than that, since you are mostly left on your own, not worthwhile. So as actual informative tours go, meh! I've been on better. read more

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Best tour ever!!!!!! The tour guide was so fun and the wineries we went to were amazing. I highly recommend this tour as my fiancé and I have been on many tours and this was the highlight of our trip in Florence. Trust this review!!! read more

Ciao Florence - Travel Services Near Me - Florence, FI

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Great tour from Florence to Cinque Terre with Antony, Constantino, Jako & Michael. Tour guides were fun and it was very organized. I would highly recommend this tour. read more

I booked a shuttle service through Ciao Florence from the port in Naples to Herculaneum. They sent me an email stating I should meet them outside the security gate. After the time had lapsed for them to show, I called and was told they were running late and were on their way. After waiting approximately another half hour, I finally received a phone call saying they were leaving now, they had waited for a half hour for me to show up at terminal 5 and I didn't show up. This was the first they had told me about a terminal to meet up at. If they would have told me that before, perhaps I would have been able to figure out how to get there. I told the person I wanted a refund, she said take it up with the company I booked through which was them and hung up. I emailed the company to ask for a refund and this was the reply I received, "I have looked into this and found out that my colleagues did their very best to help you, both my colleagues in the office and our local cooperators on spot! Having discussed with all the parts I conclude, unfortunately, that you were in the wrong spot because ... it can be the only explanation, because no one else has missed the tour and nobody complained, the actiivity has been run regularly!" read more

Horrible experience. we booked them as a pick up from the Florence airport. No one was waiting when we arrived. After we had waited awhile eventually all the people with signs disappeared. I went to the tourist desk and asked the woman to call the company for me. I could tell from her side of the conversation that they had not scheduled a driver. They sent one last second to pick us up and he was rather gruff. He told us that he was not supposed to be picking us up and as a favor came on the run to get us. He was rather upset as he was in the middle of a pick up of his own. When I contacted the company they lied and told me that there was a "technical issue in the previous service" so they had to send a new driver. they didn't send the new driver until I had waited long and called. If there had been an issue the company could have contacted me by phone, text or email as I had service but none of this was done. read more

We have used this company for several tours. The guide makes all the difference. We still remember Julio from our Cinque Terre tour several years ago, he was great! Most recently, Dario was our guide to Sienna and 3 other small towns for wine tasting and sight seeing. Dario was fully fluent in Italian, Spanish, French, and English. He spent the entire day translating between those 4 languages. The time spent in translation actually detracted from the experience. Feedback for the company would be to limit it to Italian and 2 other languages to save time. Lunch wasn't too bad, it was very filling! I advise giving yourself about an hour to find the meeting spot in the morning of the tour, after that the rest of the day will be great! read more

Amazing tour of Tuscany Wineries. Tour guide Constanino was so generous and funny! Last winery was VIP status. Highly recommend!!

We did the Siena and Wine Tasting Tour. Giulia was a wonderful guide and Luca a great driver. The wine tasting was very fun, even tho I am not much for red wine myself. At the winery I ate the best lasagna I have ever had in my life. I told the chef and he kissed me on both cheeks. Andrea, who led us in the wine tasting was very informative. Also, all the young women on the tour had to take selfies with him, as, even for me at 65 years old, I couldn't help but notice he was movie star handsome. My only complaint is we had too little time in Siena. I would have preferred at least 3 hours, instead of 2. But, all in all, a very enjoyable time. read more

I completed two cooking classes while in Florence. The first was pasta making with John and Martina. We began with a tour of the Central Market, sampling and learning about cheeses and various Italian meats. Then we headed to the culinary school, where we learned to make tiramisu and pasta. It was absolutely fabulous! They provide appetizers specific to the region and wine for participants. It was delicious! I met wonderful people and we shared a fantastic meal together. I made pasta immediately upon arriving home in the US. My family insisted that they will not settle for box pasta anymore. The second class I took was pizza and gelato making. My eight year old wanted to participate in the class as well. He was very pleased with the class. The instructors John and Katerina were informative and extremely child friendly. We had a wonderful experience! I would recommend the cooking classes. It was one of my favorite experiences while in Italy. read more

We took the all day tour from Florence to San Marino with a stop in Bologna the tour guide was fantastic it was a smaller van going is 3 1/2 hours with just one stop in if you're old like me and Marcus you need a stop more than once there views from the top of the city are breathtaking Bologna was nice lots of people but I prefer Florence but if you have four or five days this would be a must tour but the tour only takes place once a week on Saturdays read more

Ciao Florence - The center square in Bologna - Travel Services Near Me - Florence, FI

Do not book with Ciao Florence. I had the misfortune of having to deal with this company recently. Never again will I book with Ciao Florence - they have no interest in customer care they simply want your money. Having read all of the other reviews I see now that we are not the only ones who have had a horrible experience with this tour company. I was horrified to read their responses to customers reviews - they have no problem in being horrible and nasty to people who have paid for their tour and simply didn't enjoy it. We booked the Siena and Chianti tour and were running late that morning as our taxi never arrived so we had to walk. We arrived at the meeting point 3 minutes late to be informed that the tour had left without us. The tour guide dealing with us was incredibly rude and unsympathetic. We were never contacted to see if we were on the way. She claimed to have tried to ring us but we had no missed calls and our phones were on loud the whole time. Having emailed back and forth with Ciao Florence looking for any sort of refund we have been left with nothing. We paid 189 Euro for the tour, were not contacted to see if we were close and were not offered any refund whatsoever. The tour company claim that 80 people were on this tour. I can guarantee that if 80 People had began to walk to a bus at 8.45 we would have seen them. We weren't given an option of running to catch up either. The complete disregard of customer care with this company is appalling. I tried extremely hard to deal with this matter privately via email but due to the responses I have received have no choice but to now take it public. There are plenty of other tour companies to choose from in Florence. Don't make the same mistake we did - don't book with Ciao Florence. We are not the only people who have been left at a meeting point because a tour left early. Please read other reviews which back this up. read more

Had booked a tour of Pompeii and Vesuvius with Ciaoflorence together with a friend. Actually we should be picked up at our apartment. Unfortunately, they simply changed this agreement without letting us know. Result: half a day lost in waiting and reorganizing. Ciaoflorence's only reaction: "The pick-up location has changed. I guess they forgot to tell you. Tough luck". Can only advise against it: do not book a tour with Ciaoflorence! Only costs a lot of money and a lot of time. read more

We are group of six people from the US stay at First of Florence and they booked for us with Ciao Florence to go on a full day tour 80 euro per person. We were waiting for them to come this morning from 6:50 am until 8 am for them to pick up us but they never show up. At eight am we ask the front desk to help us to call them, they said the street was block but We saw a lot of cars came from different street pass by our hotel this morning at that time. Can you imagine we are here the first time for three days and today is our last day here but we couldn't go to the tour except shopping. They were wasting our time. We are so disappointed with this company. Be careful when you book with them because it may happen again. read more

Do not use their services directly or in connection with another agency. These people are not only unhelpful but straight out unprofessional. We were in Florence and decided to take a tour to see beautiful Cinque Terre. We booked the tour with Viator (another agency which does not work) and expected to be done. I got a poorly identified voucher which indicated without proper formatting the begging time of the tour and then right below it beginning and end (I only noticed the first time when they pointed it out). We assume the second was the right time and were there 15 minutes prior. When we got there the bus had left (7:15) and the people standing there told us: "it left, there is nothing we can do". We asked: "what do you mean? Can we catch up with them? They were supposed to leave at 7:30". They explained that was the office hours and the tour departing time was 7am. Fine my mistake, I should have called to clarify. But when we insisted on getting help from them and they said they couldn't do anything (left right away) one of the girls (not wearing a name tag) told me in broken English: "that is your cheaty problem." In front of my children and mother who were half asleep since we had to be up by 6am and decided to walk there. They gave us a meeting place which was not properly identified and we had to wonder around for about 20 minutes. Had we known earlier where we were supposed to meet them, we may have made it. We asked them to put us on another tour and they said they can't do anything and kept pushing back until I asked my husband to just give up. We spend about 2 hours trying to get Viator to respond and they said the manager at the agency also swore at him and took even longer to come to an agreement. After all this she came down and offered to give us other tour, one of which we had done already (walking around gorgeous Florence) and the other wine tasting which I will pass on because I have minors with me, thank you very much. We ended up taking the train and going on our own. Spent €350 more, took 2.5 hours to get there, but we did it. I wish I had just done just that from the beginning. The towns are beautiful and is worth the ride. Just don't do it with these guys. read more

We took the Cinque Terre tour from Florence but because of railway strikes, they rerouted us from 4 towns in Cinque Terre to 1 town there and 2 other not-so-great towns. We couldn't take the boat or the rail trips scheduled yet Ciao Florence still charged us the full amount with NO discounts. As if that wasn't bad enough, they charged us 20 euros each for a really lame lunch. Cold pesto pasta and a limp, flavorless salad. The tour guide could barely speak English and his jokes throughout the trip were beyond awful. The sites were beautiful but honestly, use another tour company. This one was straight up price gouging. read more

Regarding the"Special Day in Florence Tour" An all day tour of Florence, program, guides information & knowledge, content, coordination of customers all excellent! However, I have 2 enormous complaints #1, the credit card machine wouldn't work and they requested cash......(felt like bait & switch). #2 at the end of the tour they just left us at the Uffizi Gallery no ride back to where the tour started. They need to clarify that at the beginning of the day when customers are giving them $100 euros per person-cash! I am so glad I didn't tip the guides as they got more than enough out of me. As I said tour & content excellent, just clarify details of payment and pick up drop off. read more

I've tried several times to visit Uffizi Gallery, but the long line in front of it has always discourage me. So I've booked a guided tour of Uffizi with CiaoFlorence to skip the line. I've been pleasantly surprised by the competence of our guide Patrizia, she has given us interesting information about art, artists and the Medici's family. read more

I DO NOT recommend this company. We were told to meet at bys terminal next to train station and look for staff wearing fushia jackets and that's all. We walked around the entire area surrounding the bus station and train station for an hour and a half. We called the company and were told to look for McDonald's. We got there, nothing. Called back and told to look for Burger King, none in the entire area. We told them where we were both times and they would not pick us up. We wasted 90 min of our stay here and never found them. Called the company and they would do nothing for us. We have another tour booked for tomorrow with the same instructions to meet so I told them to cancel it. Can not cancel they said. Contact travel agency. Worst set up and customer service I've ever experienced. There are several corners and landmarks they could have asked us to wait at so they could find us. Instead they left us and took our money and our wasted time with them when they knew we were right there at the stations!! read more

Took the Siena Tour with stops in San Gimiganano and a local vineyard. Nice preview of the area and town but not very personal. Like a big class trip with 80 people- bus was packed and there is a lot of walking which was hard for older patrons unable to keep up with fast moving crowd. Also, we took the English tour but they also spoke French, German, and Spanish which just caused for a lot of talking on the bus and repeating things several times. We wish there was more history and info shared on bus in English. We only had one day left in Florence so it made the most of the day but to truly experience Siena I would take a train and take a longer tour as there is so much to see! Vineyard was "ok"- again, not much of a tour or a tasting but good enough. Those seeking more in less time it's a great deal but those looking to take their time if they want to shop or relax I would avoid. Guides were great for commanding 80 adults and they hustled to get us back on time- even let us stow luggage on bus to leave right for train upon returning. read more

Ciao Florence - Travel Services Near Me - Florence, FI

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Horrible experience. Not worth the money. Expensive and our guide was a waste of time - "follow me to this church. OK, now meet me back here in three hours." We would have been way better off taking the train. read more

We went on a tour today to Pisa and Lucca with a sweet tasting. This was by far the worst tour I have ever been on. The pamphlet said this bus had wifi and it didn't. The tour guide a small woman was horrible. Her meeting instructions were not clear so we were constantly looking for people. Then the bus left and she realized she was missing two people. Shouldn't she have counted the people before the bus left. Save your money and go on My Tours and fabulous experience with caring knowledgeable guides read more