First Sunday of the month

[billsalesnow]

We are doing a gourmet tour in Montecatini Tuscany that ends 11/2/25. Since we will be flying out of Florence we thought we would extend our vacation a couple of days and see Florence. I think we can arrive in Florence around 10 or 11 am Sunday and leave Tuesday 11/4 in the Morning. I am trying to figure out our best strategy. Some museums are closed Monday and I understand the first Sunday of the month is free and tickets are unavailable. I thought it would be easier to visit Museo di Palazzo Vecchio and the Torre di Arnolfo and maybe the Galileo museum on Sunday as these maybe a little less popular. Then on Monday we could visit the Duomo complex and the Mercato Centrale. I guess my question is to you think that would work? I'm not sure if tickets are unavailable because tourist are not included in the Free Sunday deal. Do you think these 3 museums will be very crowded on Sunday and slow us down with waiting in long lines?

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[Lourdes]

Everyone can visit the museum for free on the first Sunday of the month - and because tickets are free for everyone, there is no way to book tickets and try to skip the line. That's why you can't book those dates. Since you're coming in November, lines start to be a little better at all places. If you want to visit the Uffizi or Accademia, you should try on that Sunday, getting there on the early side.
Museo di Palazzo Vecchio also gets busy on the free Sundays, but should have lines that flow. Torre di Arnolfo is an extra added to Palazzo Vecchio, keep in mind that this one is not free on the first Sundays unless you're a local resident. Galileo museum is definitely less crowded in general, so makes a good choice for free Sundays. Duomo complex gives you ticket that is valid for 3 days if you want to climb the dome, so you can spread out the sites over your 3 days and not have to do them all at once.

 

[billsalesnow]

Everyone can visit the museum for free on the first Sunday of the month - and because tickets are free for everyone, there is no way to book tickets and try to skip the line. That's why you can't book those dates. Since you're coming in November, lines start to be a little better at all places. If you want to visit the Uffizi or Accademia, you should try on that Sunday, getting there on the early side.
Museo di Palazzo Vecchio also gets busy on the free Sundays, but should have lines that flow. Torre di Arnolfo is an extra added to Palazzo Vecchio, keep in mind that this one is not free on the first Sundays unless you're a local resident. Galileo museum is definitely less crowded in general, so makes a good choice for free Sundays. Duomo complex gives you ticket that is valid for 3 days if you want to climb the dome, so you can spread out the sites over your 3 days and not have to do them all at once.

Thank you. So I should be able to buy a ticket to the Torre di Adolfo for Sunday? If The ticket to the Duomo is timed, is there any advantage to the "skip the line" tickets? Will the "skip the line" tickets get me into the Opera del Duomo museum or San Giovanni Battista any easier?

 

[Lourdes]

For the Duomo, you do need to buy ahead of time in order to set a time to climb up the dome and the bell tower, the other sites within the same ticket allow you to go without a specific time within the 72 hour time frame that the ticket is valid.

Torre di Arnolfo you can just buy your ticket the day of directly at ticket office as there aren't time entrances. I've seen a bit of a line there are Palazzo Vecchio, but it generally moves fast. I've just checked and they do have a separate ticket just for the tower, so you can decide right there based on crowds whether you want to visit both the palazzo and the tower. Just make a note that the tower closes at 5pm while the rest of the palazzo remains open until 7pm.