We will be in Florence this June and are looking for tour guides. RS recommends private tours by Paola from florencetour.com. Many others on this site recommend the tours by Artviva, such as The Original Florence Tour.
Florencetour offers a 4-hour private tour for a small group (5 persons) for a total of 220 Euro + entrance fees to the museums (13E/pp). Artviva offers a 6-7 hour "3 tour" package for 94 Euro per person including entrance fees.
Either way, these tours work out to around 70 Euro/hour for our group. That strikes me as a little high, considering tour guides in Rome (such as often recommended Sky Rome Tours) charge 25 Euro/person for similar city tours.
I've largely read good things about both companies. However, I have read some questionable things about Florence-based tours in general from another forum site, such as lengthy stops for lunch (i.e., less tour time) and extra stops at shops where the guide receives healthy kickbacks.
Basically, with the incredible shrinking dollar, I want to pay good money for a solid tour with minimal time wasted for breaks or shopping.
Anyone have any experience or insight?