Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to arrive from the airport to downtown Florence and vice versa?
The Florentine airport is not so far from the city center. Using our limousine service you can easily arrive there in 20/30 minutes, depending on the traffic.
How many cities can we visit in a daily tour?
We suggest to visiting only two cities a day, in order to relax and be able to enjoy the beauties of our country.
Could you give us suggestions about restaurants or make a reservation?
Our professional local drivers are able to give you the best advice in choosing restaurants or make a reservation in advance for you.
How can we book your limousine service?
We are pleased to provide our services for you. You can contact us by sending an e-mail to info@chiantidrivers.it or visiting our website www.limousineflorence.com
Where in Tuscany have the most famous movies been filmed?
Under the Tuscan Sun a Cortona e Montepulciano. In many Tuscan cities, such as:
- “Inferno” in Florence.
- “Life is beautiful” in Arezzo.
- “Gladiator” in San Quirico d’Orcia.
- “Under the Tuscan sun” in Cortona and Montepulciano.
- The drama “I Medici” was filmed mostly in small medieval and renaissance towns as Pienza and Montepulciano.
- Many other movies have been filmed in Tuscany: Twlight Saga, Paziente Inglese, Letters to Julie.
How can I book your services?
See our Terms&Conditions.
Where will my chauffeur meet me?
Airports: Our drivers wait outside the luggage claim area, right outside of the custom. Probably many people will be holding signs and also your driver will be there posting your name on a board. That’s how you identify your driver.
Our service and price includes parking and waiting up to one hour after the scheduled landing time.
Our passengers should be able to reach us or the agency they book us through since you never know what can happen when you are on planes… in crowded and chaotic airports.
It can take about 20/30 minutes from the time when the plane lands until you actually get to the public lounge.
If it takes longer, for example due to lost luggage, passengers should come out for a second to tell the driver they will be late.
We normally start getting restless after 45 minutes and we don’t wait any longer than one hour from planes landing time.
If you carry a cell phone registered outside of Italy you also need to dial the country code +39 so the whole sequence should be: 0039 335 1806522.
Ship: You’ll find the car or van parked right on the pier where your ship docks at the time you set. Your name will be posted on its windshield or if allowed to park the vehicle the driver will walk with the sign at hand to the gangway. However, since most large ships have more than 1 gangways, if you don’t’ see your driver right away, look around for him, ask where chauffeur service vehicles stand, before you get frantic and assume he’s not there.
Hotel: Some companies or agencies who deal with particularly important people, instruct us to let our driver announce himself to the concierge as he reached the hotel but DO NOT want the passengers to be called in their room to announce that the driver or guide has arrived.
The assumption is “The passenger knows at what time the service is booked, when he is ready he will come down, don’t disturb the passenger announcing yourself” but the majority of the people will expect that we do announce ourselves when we arrive, and so we will do.
The concierges of the small hotels know each and every one of their guests so when we go in and ask for our clients they have no problem directing us to them, but that doesn’t always work when clients stay in a big hotel. In this case it’s a lot easier for the clients to spot the driver than it is for the driver to spot them.
Train Station: Arriving at the station, just as you get off the train, follow the flow of the people leaving the train till you get to the head of the train and you’ll see a person holding a sign with your name right on the platform where the train pulls in. If you don’t see the person right away, please wait a few minutes right there. Don’t run around the station to find the driver, you will NEVER find him this way. Sometimes trains arrive early, sometimes they arrive on a different track than the announced one, it may take a few minutes for the driver to locate where you are but he will. Another solution if they don’t meet you at the moment you arrive is to reach the Pharmacy inside the train station and stand there. Your driver will pick you up there.
Can i cancel my reservation?
Yes, of course but we have a cancellation policy:
- We will charge a cancellation fee of 100% if booking is cancelled 1 day or less before the event
- We will charge a cancellation fee of 50% if booking is cancelled 4 days or less before the event
How long does it take to arrive from the railway station to downtown Florence and vice versa?
The railway station is located right in the center of Florence. The time to arrive from there to your destination varies between 15-20’ depending on traffic and on the location of your hotel.
How many wine cellars can we visit during a wine tour?
Usually we need 1 or 2 hours to visit each wine celler and taste its products. In a day, we suggest visiting 2 or 3 wineries.
Do you offer your services only in Tuscany?
All our drivers were born and raised in Tuscany and are specialized in touring our region, but they also perform services throughout Italy.
What is included in your service (rate)?
Our rate includes: English speaking driver who will accompany you for the day, parking, motorway tolls, fuel and insurance. Rate does not include: food and beverage, entrance fees to museums and the extras in general.
What kind of services can I book with Chianti Drivers?
With ChiantiDrivers you can book any chauffeured driven vehicle for as long as you need, for business or leisure.
We have more than 8 people in our party, how can you take care of us?
Since our activity primarily revolves around Tuscany Touring, ChiantiDrivers has decided to own vehicles for only up to 8 passengers, since this is what we consider ideal in our area, but we could certainly book bus services with one of our most trusted associate bus companies, for those parties of 9 or more persons who want to travel in a single minibus or bus; however, before you request a bus, we advise you read through the following points.
1. Ideal Touring Solution: There are certain areas of Tuscany which are best visited using small vehicles therefore you may consider driving your group in 2 or 3 minivans.
There are areas where you can also easily use a bus. We will advise case by case what’s best to do depending on your needs and preference, but since the factors involved in such a choice are too many to list, if you are interested in evaluating the specific advantages of using multiple minivans versus a bus, you should write to us and we will competently help you understand what’s best for you.
Nevertheless in the following point we will give you an idea of what you may want to consider.
2. Less Walking. More Sightseeing, Less Stress and Tiredness. Licensed Limo Service Minivans up to 8 Passengers, per our traffic law are considered equivalent to taxis, can enter all the restricted areas of each city center all throughout Italy, reducing to zero the walking time otherwise required to go from the Bus Pick Up/Drop Off Point to the city centres, and vice versa at each visit.
This is huge advantage when you go to places like Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa or Lucca, where using a 16 seater or bigger, passengers would be forced to walk long distances to just reach the center from the drop off point and back for the pickup as these cities are surrounding by ancient walls where minibus can’t enter.
This means a lot of saved time, therefore more sightseeing within the same number of touring hours.
3. More flexibility. Dividing 9 to 16 people in 2 vehicles, since they may be different families or friends groups with different needs will give more options for each party to do whatever they want without needing to compromise with the rest.
For example on a day where the plan was to visit A, B and C, it may be that one minivan would do only A and B and the other B and C, thus making everybody happy.
4. Economy. Cost-wise there is no major advantage in using 1 x 16 seaters versus 2 x 6/8 seaters since 6/8 seaters don’t pay pick up and drop off permits which are charged by most municipalities in Tuscany and main art cities in Italy only to 16 seaters or larger busses.
For instance on a typical tour to Siena and San Gimignano: a 16 passenger Minibus would pay = euro 180 permit. Since 6/8 seaters don’t pay such permits, doing a tour to Siena and San Gimignano in total would cost only a little more than 1 single 16 seater.
5. Comfort. 6/8 seaters are more comfortable and better air conditioned than 16/25 seaters and can reach places in Tuscany (especially in Chianti) where 16 seaters cannot, or even where certain places could be reached by a 16 seater; sometimes the roads are so narrow that the driving time increases tremendously with such vehicle and the ride gets muck more rocky for the passengers.
6. Limousine Chauffeur versus Bus Driver. Even if you don’t want a DG’s but just a chauffeur service, it has to be clear that there is a substantial difference in the personability and customer care level of a bus driver versus a limousine chauffer.
Chauffeur service drivers are trained and used to deal with the needs of the most discriminating and demanding clientele, since they mostly deal with wealthy travellers who travel at 5 stars level and expect the best of every service. Certainly this gives a nicer ride and a more friendly feeling with the driver.
While a bus driver is primarily there to “conduct the bus”, a chauffeur is there to primarily “take care of the clients’ needs while driving”.
Are tips or gratuity included in your prices?
No, Tips in Italy are not mandatory, but it’s customary to give them in proportion to the quality of the service received.
It’s not a fixed percentage as it is in many countries such as in the US, we could say it’s proportional to how much the service fulfils or exceeds the expectations.
So it’s not given in case of a mediocre service, it’s minimal in case of average and it rises from there in a proportion the client decides. It is actually embarrassing to be asked how much tip is owed.
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