Air Canada Vacations

Before you leave Canada

Entry requirements

A valid Canadian passport is required for Canadians intending to visit Italy. The passport should be valid for at least the expected duration of stay in the country. For all other nationalities, consult your consulate or tourist board for details. You can also visit www.voyage.gc.ca for up-to-date information.

Baggage

Please refer to aircanada.com for baggage information.

Airport check-in

It is recommended that you present yourself at the airport counter of the airline indicated on your voucher 3 hours prior to departure. Air Canada or Air Canada Vacations representatives will be available starting at 5 a.m.

During your stay

City highlights 

Located in the heart of Tuscany, the historic centre of Florence contains such wealth of masterpieces that it is difficult to separate the city from its art works.  In 1982 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the motivation being that it encapsulates the whole history of the city, from the ‘Roman quadrilateral’ in the Piazza della Repubblica area to the narrow streets of the medieval city, the splendors of the 16th-century Pitti Palace and the changes wrought at the time when Florence was the capital of Italy.
Florence’s city center is relatively small and easy to navigate on foot with a map in hand. Walking may well be the most effective and pleasant way to discover this city. Spend time strolling along the Arno or amid the city’s beautiful architecture and museums to best discover the history and traditions of Florence.

Getting around

Bus

City bus services (orange buses) are run by ATAF and LI-NEA. Ordinary and season tickets can be purchased from authorized sales points (bars, tobacconists, newsagents’) and from the ATAF booth in Piazza Stazione. Tickets must be validated in the machines on the bus. Tickets (validity 90 minutes) may be purchased directly from the driver for € 2,00 (no change given).

Taxi

Taxis can be called by phone or found at the various taxi ranks dotted around the city. Customers are advised to read the information about prices displayed inside the vehicle.

Bicycle

If you would like to get to know every corner of Florence or go on nearby excursions, one of the best ways to get to know every corner of Florence or go to nearby excursions is to rent a bicycle.   There are several companies that provide tourists with suggestions and itineraries for outside the city limits.  Florence has a network of bicycle paths that enables the cyclists to safely visit the city.

Ricksha

Each ricksha can provide transportation for 2 adults or one adult and two children. This is an unusual and ecological way to move around downtown and to visit the secret corners of the city.

Hackney carriages 

Hackney carriages are also called "Fiacchere" in Florence (from the french "Fiacre"), and "fiaccherai" were the cabdrivers in the piazzas of the city, when Florence had not yet a modern public transportation system. Nowadays  fiaccherai mainly work for tourists; They can drive their carriages even in the narrowest lanes of the pedestrian area, where other vehicle are not allowed.

Shopping

There is a wealth of choice for would-be shoppers in Florence.  

Via Tornabuoni –  find all the big designer names and top-class jewellers. Chic purchases can also be made in nearby Via della Vigna Nuova.

City centre - many traditional Florentine shops of historic status can still be found in the city centre. These range from antiques' shops packed with riches, especially in Via dei Fossi, Via Maggio and the surrounding streets, to the characteristic goldsmiths' and jewellery shops on Ponte Vecchio.

Oltrarno - one of Florence's most characteristic shopping areas starts in the Oltrarno, immediately after Ponte Vecchio, in the Santo Spirito neighbourhood.  Here you can find small bars, eateries and craft studios and workshops specializing in wood products, jewellery, lamps, metal vases, but also hat shapes in wood, classic Florentine straw hats and many other original items.
Santa Croce area - Florence is also famous for the manufacturing of leather goods: bags, shoes, clothing items. The leather shops are mainly clustered in and around this area. 

Markets

Some real finds can also be had, with a bit of luck, in the flea market in Piazza dei Ciompi. The Mercato del Porcellino (so named after a statue of a wild boar that can be found there) in Via Calimala was once known chiefly for its straw items, but now also sells various leather and hand-embroidered articles.

Anyone who enjoys strolling around market stalls should not miss the Tuesday market at the Cascine Park, or the San Lorenzo Market in the heart of the city centre, where you can buy souvenirs, clothing items and bags. In the two-floor covered market, a beautiful Liberty-style iron and glass structure, visitors can find a wide range of foods and groceries. Another typical market in Florence is that of Sant'Ambrogio, also housed in a masonry structure dating to the second half of the 19th century and covered with an iron and cast-iron pavilion. Grocers and butchers are in the covered area, while fruit, vegetables, clothing and household products are sold under the canopy outside. Finally, do not miss the colourful stalls at the market of free artisans in the garden on Lungarno Pecori Giraldi.

Dining

Without a doubt the most celebrated Florentine dish in the world is the Florentine T-bone steak, which must be prepared using top-quality beef (never veal!) cut to a thickness of 5-6 cm and cooked on a charcoal grill, preferably using chestnut wood. It should be rare-done and dressed with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil after cooking.  The classic Tuscan first courses are the soup dishes:  papa al pomodoro and ribollita, hot bread-based soups.  Apart from the steaks, other meats that feature in Tuscan cooking are game, pork (including arista, pork loin cooked in the oven with garlic and rosemary), stews and boiled meats. Florentines also have a passion for livers: pork livers are wrapped in a mesh and cooked on skewers, with abundant bay and slices of bread stuck between the bits of liver. Chicken liver, together with veal spleen, are the base ingredients for the very popular liver pate canapés, an essential starter generally served with cold cuts like finocchiona, soppressata, sanguinacci, various kinds of ham, salami and sausage.

Dining out?  The streets of Florence are lined with osterias, trattorias and ristorantes serving such classic dishes as bruschetta al pomodoro, ribollita, and bistecca Fiorentina. Famed Chianti wines will not be hard to find, and, afterwards, countless gelaterias offer a perfect finish to a classic meal.

Sightseeing

Piazza del Duomo – Santa Maria del Fiore (also known simply as the Duomo) is the cathedral of Florence known for its distinctive Renaissance dome.  It is the symbol of Florence, a daring and majestic structure offering the most breathtaking view of the city and also of the interior of the cathedral.  Beside the façade stands another giant, Giotto’s campanile (bell tower), slender and many-coloured, also affording a fine view if the city. Opposite the façade of the duomo is the more ancient Baptistery of St John, with its famous bronze doors by Ghiberti and Andrea Pisano.  Together, the baptistery, the bell tower, and the duomo make up Florence’s Piazza del Duomo, the city’s religious center.

Piazza della Signoria – the political heart of Florence is home to the 13th-century Palazzo della Signora or Palazzo Vecchio.  Entering the inner courtyard you will notice the fountain of the putto by Verrochio and frescoes by Vasari.  The piazza is also adorned with many famous sculptures, such as Ammannati’s Fountain of Neptune, a copy of Michelangelo’s David and the 14th-century Loggia dei Lanzi, Cellini’s bronze Perseus and Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabine.

Piazza della Repubblica - the commercial center of Florence, offers yet another rich historical sketch. In the Roman era, this was the site of the forum, the very heart of the Roman settlement. During the middle ages it was the site of a bustling market, the Mercato Vecchio.  Today Piazza della Repubblica’s look is quite modern: the late 19th-century buildings house popular cafes, restaurants and shops, making it one of Florence’s most popular and lively public squares.

Uffizi Gallery – the most renowned and culturally rich museum in Florence and one of the most important museums in the world, the Uffizi is home to masterpieces by Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Andrea del Sarto.  In addition, the gallery holds ancient sculptures, miniatures and tapestries from the Medici collections.
Accademia Gallery - Michelangelo’s David, located in the Accademia, is a truly incredible sight that art lovers and curious travellers alike will surely appreciate.  The gallery also houses a series of Russian icons from the private collection of the Grand Dukes of the House of Lorraine and plaster models of works by 19th-century Tuscan sculptors.

Entertainment & nightlife

Florence is a city that offers a fairly wide range of night life both in the centre of town and the outskirts, suitable for all ages and interests.

Your departure from destination

Hotel checkout

Hotel checkout times may vary depending on the property but generally you must vacate the room by 12 p.m. (noon).

Duty-free shopping

After an absence of 7 days or more, Canadian residents are permitted to return with a maximum of 750 CAD of merchandise per trip without paying duty. Each time you leave Canada for at least 48 hours, you are eligible to declare up to 200 CAD of merchandise. A written declaration may be requested. Each adult is allowed 1.1 litres (40 oz.) of liquor, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or cigarillos, 200 tobacco sticks and 200 grams (7 oz.) of manufactured tobacco. To calculate the number of days absent, do not count the day you left Canada but include the day you return. If you include cigarettes, tobacco sticks and loose tobacco in your personal exemption allowance, only a partial exemption will apply. You will have to pay a minimum duty on these products unless they are marked “Canada-Duty paid.” Canadian made products sold at duty-free shops will be marked this way.

Customer care

For inquiries relating to extension of stay or change or hotel changes, please e-mail us at: prevoyageclientele@vacv.com We are at your service seven days a week; from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST Saturday and Sunday.