Top Florence Attractions

The beautiful Italian city of Florence is world-renowned as the top venue for renaissance art lovers and is an archetypal Tuscan delight. Although commercial sightseeing tours abound, they can be quite rigid in their approach and make you feel part of a herd. However, Florence easily permits the wandering traveler to independently discover its wonderful attractions.

The place to start for a tour of Florence is the historic centre or centro storico, a vast area crammed with beautiful buildings, statues, landscaped gardens and art just waiting to be discovered. You’ll get more out of sightseeing tours if you actually stay there and do short walks to specific venues. Alternatively if your visit to Florence is short, there’s plenty to see in the centro storico.

A top attraction in Florence renaissance art is the the impressive medieval fortress Palazzo Vecchio, which serves as town hall. From there you’ll get wonderful panoramic views of the whole Florence, in addition to the amazing Florence renaissance art housed within its exquisite chambers. Right in front of Palazzo Vecchio is the Piazza della Signoria, an al fresco museum containing the Fountain of Neptune overlooked by the statues of Cosimo and David.

Piazza del Duomo is one of the most popular portions of Florence renaissance art sightseeing tours with excellent reasons. St. John’s baptistry, the Opera del Duomo Museum, Loggia del Bigallo and Giotto’s Campanile are all unmissable examples of Florence renaissance art.

In Florence the Ponte Vecchio, an amazing historic bridge over the river Arno, is only a short walk away. This most unusual structure carries tiny but most impressive shops in Florence, most selling gold jewelery in amazing styles. Crossing the Arno takes you to the edge of the centro storico and to the slightly less-well frequented part of Florence known as Oltrarno.

For more Florence renaissance art look out for the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. Piazzale Michelangelo, the highest point in Florence, offers for some great views. For the more adventurous, through the gate known as Porta Romana, try finding Poggio Reale, Arcetri, which is Galileo’s area of residence, and Bellosguardo.

Click here for more information on Florence Sightseeing Tours, or visit our European Vacation advice website.

Top 5 Attractions in Lanzarote

First time visitors are often surprised to find that the small island of Lanzarote offers a large amount of visitor attractions and things to do. As the fourth largest of the Canary Islands is best known as a beach holiday destination.

But for those who can tear themselves away from the sun lounger Lanzarote boasts a host of natural wonders, some unique man made attractions and a number of picturesque and historic towns and villages. All of which are well worth exploring. Car hire in Lanzarote is affordable too – making touring the island easy.

Timanfaya National Park

Lanzarote was famously subjected to an enormous series of volcanic eruptions during the 18th and 19th centuries. Which covered much of the south of the island in lava and created around 300 new volcanic peaks. At the time these events obviously caused massive devastation. But today the Timnafaya National Park attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors very year and is by some distance the most popular tourist attraction on Lanzarote.

César Manrique Foundation

The island born artist César Manrique created his own home and the most unusual property in Lanzarote over five bubbles in the surrounding lava flow. Partly to illustrate that it was possible to create tourist attractions by working with Lanzarote´s volcanic terrain, rather than against it. Today his house is home to the César Manrique Foundation – who work to uphold Manrique´s efforts to preserve the island from over development. And operates as a fascinating house museum and art gallery.

Teguise

Teguise was the capital of Lanzarote until passing this mantle on to Arrecife in 1852. As the first Spanish settlement in the Canaries it remains a great repository of historic buildings and architecture. With some edifices dating back as far as 1455. On Sundays the quiet cobbled street come alive as Teguise plays host to the Lanzarote´s largest weekly market.

Mirador del Rio

Manrique transformed this former gun emplacement into a restaurant and lookout point in the 1970´s. Creating a breathtaking vantage point that very much resembles the lair of one of the baddies in a James Bond film. The Mirador is perched around 450 metres above sea level on the Famara massif rang of cliffs and gives visitors a great view down to the small island of La Graciosa below.

Cactus Garden

Explore one of the largest collections of cacti in the world. The Cactus Garden was created under the direction of the ubiquitous Manrique and features over 10,000 plants and 1400 species of cacti.

Top 5 Attractions in Lanzarote

First time visitors are often surprised to find that the small island of Lanzarote offers a large amount of visitor attractions and things to do.  As the fourth largest of the Canary Islands is best known as a beach holiday destination.

But for those who can tear themselves away from the sun lounger Lanzarote boasts a host of natural wonders, some unique man made attractions and a number of picturesque and historic towns and villages.  All of which are well worth exploring.  Car hire in Lanzarote is affordable too – making touring the island easy.

Timanfaya National Park
Lanzarote was famously subjected to an enormous series of volcanic eruptions during the 18th and 19th centuries.  Which covered much of the south of the island in lava and created around 300 new volcanic peaks.

At the time these events obviously caused massive devastation.  But today the Timnafaya National Park attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors very year and is by some distance the most popular tourist attraction on Lanzarote.

César Manrique Foundation
The island born artist César Manrique created his own home and the most unusal property in Lanzarote over five bubbles in the surrounding lava flow.  Partly to illustrate that it was possible to create tourist attractions by working with Lanzarote´s volcanic terrain, rather than against it.

Today his house is home to the César Manrique Foundation – who work to uphold Manrique´s efforts to preserve the island from over development.  And operates as a fascinating house museum and art gallery.

Teguise
Teguise was the capital of Lanzarote until passing this mantle on to Arrecife in 1852.  As the first Spanish settlement in the Canaries it remains a great repository of historic buildings and architecture.  With some edifices dating back as far as 1455.

On Sundays the quiet cobbled street come alive as Teguise plays host to the Lanzarote´s largest weekly market.

Mirador del Rio
Manrique transformed this former gun emplacement into a restaurant and lookout point in the 1970´s.  Creating a breathtaking vantage point that very much resembles the lair of one of the baddies in a James Bond film.

The Mirador is perched around 450 metres above sea level on the Famara massif rang of cliffs and gives visitors a great view down to the small island of La Graciosa below.

Cactus Garden
Explore one of the largest collections of cacti in the world.  The Cactus Garden was created under the direction of the ubiquitous Manrique and features over 10,000 plants and 1400 species of cacti.