A VESPA TOUR FROM FLORENCE TO THE BEAUTIFUL CHIANTI HILLS, TUSCANY

Last Updated on 28th February 2026 by Bejal

Florence and the beautiful rolling hills of Chianti are a must visit location when in Tuscany. If you love a spot of adventure and Vespas, you can combine the two! Be ridden through the Tuscan hills with the wind in your hair as you make pit stops along the way to take in the views, admire the rustic Tuscan architecture, have a coffee and even peruse the vineyards! Read on to learn more about taking a Vespa tour from Florence and what to expect during this one day tour as well as all our tips.

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The BestTime to Take a Vespa Tour From Florence

We would say when it’s dry! So opt for shoulder season or summer but bear in mind, summer can be very busy and hot in Florence and Tuscany. We did ours in later September. It was around 25 degrees celsius and sunny all day long. But we did opt for a morning slot just incase things got a little too warm in the afternoon. Besides we wanted a nice leisurely lunch with wine and so it was best to do this following our tour rather than have lunch then book the experience for the afternoon.

Things to Consider Before Booking Your Vespa Experience

As always before booking your trip, we’d recommend the following considerations:

• Will you be riding and manoeuvring the Vespa on your own or would you prefer to ride on the back of a guide?
• The time of year you’ll be taking part in the experience.
• Would you like a half day morning or afternoon experience?
• The comfort of sitting on a Vespa and if you think you’ll be confident zipping around in the busy Italian traffic.

Be-lavie Tip: Bear in mind that to drive a 125cc Vespa, you will need a regular European car license and be over 18 years of age. We’d recommend you take out insurance too, even if you are part of a tour, led by a guide but are driving the Vespa yourself..

To Drive a Vespa in Italy: Important Facts

We recommend, you take note of the following points if you do plan to ride a Vespa yourself in Italy yourself.

• You must be 18 years of age or over.
• You will be required to hold a driver’s license from your country of residence. If you are not from the European Union you will need a drivers license from your own country, plus an International Driving permit (IDP).
• You must wear a helmet that has been safety approved.
• We’d recommend wearing shoes that are closed toe like sneakers or pumps or even strapped sandals.
• For a Vespa 150, 200, 300 cc, you’ll be required to have a motorcycle license.
• Be aware of Italian traffic laws and speed limits and don’t head onto motorway style roads.
• Ideally its a lot more helpful if you have previous experience.

‘Working WithLocals’ & ‘We Like Tuscany’

Being adventure seekers, we know all too well that safety is paramount so we made it a priority to look through recommendations and reviews to aid our research. As you probably know, we always look out for local tour guides and small business owners to showcase their hidden gems and less tourist trap attractions. Our search led us to a company called Withlocals who deliver authentic experiences, using registered tour guides who live and work in the city. Withlocals cover numerous cities on their website.

The process is pretty straight forward, You select the guide, which best matches your fit and send them a message about the experience with all the particulars such as dates, times, what exactly you’d like to cover and your interests. You then receive a personalised itinerary of your experience together with an offer. As these are personalised, you can fine tune them to include exactly what you’d like. A personalised experience also sounds pretty special and the itinerary is crafted to suit you and your party’s wish list for example.

A couple of days before our experience was due, we received a confirmation from our booking guide with a meeting point, the names of our Vespa drivers and their contact details. Withlocals works with We Like Tuscany, based in Oltrarno, Florence, who take care of everything on the day. You can also book a number of local and authentic experiences via We Like Tuscany such as walking tours, bicycle tours as well as the Fiat 500 drive into Chianti, which we also sampled.

Related Article: Tuscan Countryside and Wineries by Fiat 500 from Florence

A Vespa Tour From Florence: The Experience

The round trip Vespa Tour lasted about three hours and started at We Like Tuscany’s HQ, Oltrarno, Florence. Our drivers for the day were Jafet and Michelangelo. Be was riding with Jafet, who had a beautiful Tiffany blue vintage Vespa and Dr C was with Michelangelo who had a much faster bike, more of a motorcycle. We were offered the opportunity to change rides halfway through the experience!

After ensuring we were comfortable, we were off zooming down the streets. Do note, a Vintage Vespa doesn’t go that fast, maybe 30-40 mph.

The first ten minutes of the ride, out of the city along the city walls and then uphill, on a sharp incline at times with cars and bikes whizzing past you at supersonic speed; you may want to hold onto your driver, But after the initial few minutes you’ll ease into position and start enjoying the ride as you start to get into the countryside were there is less traffic.

Our guides gave us snippets of history and local facts about olives groves, wine estates, monasteries, Galileo’s house and many more stories as we rode through the Tuscan hills into Chianti. It was really relaxing to be exploring with a slower pace, riding through the views of terracotta rooftops and Cyprus trees and aiming more away from the hustle and bustle of the city below us.

The views on the elevations were stunning and there was great banter between the four of us. The guides camaraderie was infectious and they had us in laughter throughout the tour, taking it in turns to overtake each other!

Before we made a descent back into the city, we visited a typical local coffee and grocery shop, where we took a rest, had some coffees and sampled some of their freshly baked bread drizzled with locally produced Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We were also given a short history about the local Chianti wines and small wineries in the area.

We then made our descent from the Tuscan Hills back into Florence via some of the most beautiful viewpoints including Piazzale Michelangleo and along the Arno to take in the famous Ponte Vecchio. We zipped along the side of the Uffizi and then back into Oltrano, where our experience came to an end.

A Vespa Tour From Florence: Round Up

A wonderfully exhilarating experience, with knowledgeable guides in one of the most beautiful, recognised landscapes in the world. Local guides meant we got all the lowdown on what to visit, where to eat, where to take an Aperativo with a knockout view and who makes the best Espresso!

This is a memorable tour, which we loved because we got the chance to sit back and enjoy the experience, rather than having to worry about focussing and riding the Vespa ourself. It felt completely safe with the experienced guides and it was great to learn some local knowledge along the way.

Top Tips For Riding a Vespa

#1. Ladies, you may be more comfortable wearing trousers than a skirt. Mainly to do with the position you’ll be sitting in!!

#2..Take as little with you. A small handbag or backpack is best as there is no where to store it.

#3. Make sure you’re camera has a neck strap. I was quite confident in not holding on towards the end so managed to take some videos with one hand but BE CAREFUL!!!

#4.Take some sunglasses as the Tuscan sun can be sharp on the hills and you really want to see the view instead of squinting.

#5. After about ten minutes, things won’t feel as scary if you haven’t been on a Vespa or bike before. Use your core muscle strength to steady yourself.

#6. Don’t be shy to hold on to your driver. They will make sure you are comfortable before setting off. I initially found going up hills a little tricky, Tuscan hills can be a sharp incline!, as there are no bars to hold onto and you do feel like you’re falling off but you won’t.

Recommended Florence & Chianti Tours

Although this Vespa experience with We Like Tuscany is a great way to explore the area, there are some other tours which focus on self driving in a small group, which you may want to consider too if you prefer this style. Additionally a few Chianti Hill tours which are perfect for small groups if you have a larger party and can work out more cost effective.

**Disclaimer: Be-lavie received a press rate for the Vespa experience in exchange for this review for Withlocals. All opinions, views and photography are honest and our own, and as always remain a copyright of Be-lavie.

The Details

• Street Address: We Like Tuscany I Via del Campuccio, 88 I 50125 Florence. I Tel. +39 342 935 2395.
• Find it Here: Map Location.
• More information: We Like Tuscany.
• Reviews: Read what other We Like Tuscany customers are saying.
• Price Range: $$, personalised experiences do cost more as you’d expect but are totally worth it.

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Resources To Help Plan Your Trip

 

 

 

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