Priority access in Florence museums

M

michal

New member
Hello. I want to come and visit in some of the Florence museums with my 10 years old son, he is on the autistic spectrum and got an international disability card. Do we need to purchase tickets; to book ahead or can we get a free entrance? Can we get priority access on the free admission days?
I would like to mention that my son does not have any physical disability.
Thank you
 
Ciao Michal, welcome to our forum!

Since you have the disability card, all you need to do is head to the top of any line and show that: you get to skip the line and then allowed in. At the ticket office, show it again and you'll get 2 free tickets, one for your son and one for you as the accompanying person.
NO NEED TO BOOK TICKETS!

Yes, on free admission days you would still get priority entrance, head to the top of any line you find. If possible, I would suggest you leave the busiest museums to another day so that you can enjoy the museums better. If you were to head to the Uffizi or Accademia on those days, you would find the museum at full capacity and I'm guessing it might not make your son happy to have that many people around. You don't mention when you're coming to Florence but hopefully you won't find it too crazy when you come. Crowds are getting big again, like pre-pandemic busy, so Florence's main historical center does get crowded from now and over the summer.
 
michal said:
thank you so much for your detailed answer and the good advises
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Lourdes: I was not sure where to post this request. We are going to be staying at Westin. I would like to find some NON Touristy type restaurants, where the locals eat. If you have 2 or 3 in mind, I would sincerely appreciate it. Thanks, Joe
 
Ciao Joe,
Locals eat at the more dinghy ones that are all not all shiny and new and flashy to call attention to them :D Just joking!! We also eat at the nicer places, depends on the type of food you're looking for but we do tend to avoid some of the places right on the main piazzas that have any person outside wanting to draw you in. That generally is not a great sign, looking to draw tourists in.

If you want Florentine and Tuscan fare, look for places that are small and have signs that say trattoria and osteria as part of the name. If you walk around, you'll find them - they might just have a small door and, if you peak inside, it might look pretty small inside, but generally they have indoor space hidden down a corridor. If you see a place that has people starting at noon, that's also a good sign.

One that I know locals love is Trattoria Mario on the piazza del mercato, good food and decent prices, comunal seating for most part and have to be in and out quick since it serves the local lunch crowd. Been there with friends and it is definitely local home cooking at its best.
Another one similar to that is Osteria Nuvoli, right near the Duomo. Both these places are pretty central but small and busy. I don't think either take reservations so you just need to head there and wait.

Nearby is Ristorante Quinoa, it is a gluten-free place that serves a mix of dishes, it is nicer but definitely serves good food and also appreciated by locals. Another one I like is Trattoria Marione al Trebbio, very close to Piazza Santa Maria Novella. I am sure you will find others, do share your favorites!
 
Lourdes said:
Ciao Joe,
Locals eat at the more dinghy ones that are all not all shiny and new and flashy to call attention to them :D Just joking!! We also eat at the nicer places, depends on the type of food you're looking for but we do tend to avoid some of the places right on the main piazzas that have any person outside wanting to draw you in. That generally is not a great sign, looking to draw tourists in.

If you want Florentine and Tuscan fare, look for places that are small and have signs that say trattoria and osteria as part of the name. If you walk around, you'll find them - they might just have a small door and, if you peak inside, it might look pretty small inside, but generally they have indoor space hidden down a corridor. If you see a place that has people starting at noon, that's also a good sign.

One that I know locals love is Trattoria Mario on the piazza del mercato, good food and decent prices, comunal seating for most part and have to be in and out quick since it serves the local lunch crowd. Been there with friends and it is definitely local home cooking at its best.
Another one similar to that is Osteria Nuvoli, right near the Duomo. Both these places are pretty central but small and busy. I don't think either take reservations so you just need to head there and wait.

Nearby is Ristorante Quinoa, it is a gluten-free place that serves a mix of dishes, it is nicer but definitely serves good food and also appreciated by locals. Another one I like is Trattoria Marione al Trebbio, very close to Piazza Santa Maria Novella. I am sure you will find others, do share your favorites!
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Sorry for reviving this dead thread, but we just got back from Florence, and I used these recommendations. We ate at Osteria Nuvoli (in the cellar) and Marione al Trebbio (and the non-Trebbio location as well) and they were both incredible.
 
tanmta said:
Sorry for reviving this dead thread, but we just got back from Florence, and I used these recommendations. We ate at Osteria Nuvoli (in the cellar) and Marione al Trebbio (and the non-Trebbio location as well) and they were both incredible.
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That's great to hear!! I went to Marione al Trebbio a few months ago and everything as yummy but I haven't been back to Osteria Nuvoli and now you've made me want to head back soon :D.

What was your favorite thing in Florence? And was there anything unexpected that you would have appreciated knowing ahead of time? Did you find the amount of construction going on overwhelming?

I am working on writing up some new articles and would appreciate any ideas from people who have come recently!
 
Lourdes said:
That's great to hear!! I went to Marione al Trebbio a few months ago and everything as yummy but I haven't been back to Osteria Nuvoli and now you've made me want to head back soon :D.

What was your favorite thing in Florence? And was there anything unexpected that you would have appreciated knowing ahead of time? Did you find the amount of construction going on overwhelming?

I am working on writing up some new articles and would appreciate any ideas from people who have come recently!
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I mainly travel for the food, so that was definitely my highlight. The porchetta at Nuvoli was probably the best pork dish I've eaten anywhere.
I loved the little cellar with the one guy running up and down those stairs with the food, taking orders, recommending wine when they'd run out of the bottle I ordered etc.

And the ravioli with wild board ragu I had at the pasta place in Mercato Centrale was also really tasty. I ordered a second plate!

My father-in-law really enjoyed going around Santa Croce seeing all the notable figures buried there.

The rose garden was nice—just down from Piazzale Michelangelo—still with good views but a fraction of the people at the top.

The construction work didn't bother us. We had to wait for the cranes to rotate a few times to get the best photo once or twice when we went to Giardino Bardini and things like that, but it was not a problem—I did notice that the large photo of the city they have on the wall at the airport also had cranes in the photo!

We were only in Florence for 3 full days (and one we spent on a tour around Tuscany) so we didn't try to see everything—we were soaking up the ambience (and Chianti) rather than trying to squeeze everything in.

Personally I'm a fan of learning how to find the hidden or local knowledge about food or cool places that are just off the beaten track.

Missing my daily glass (or two) of Chianti classico now I'm home though :cry:
 
WOW, thanks for sharing and providing general feedback, it is great to know what you enjoyed!!

As for the cranes... those have been there so long (at least 20 years) we pretty much consider them part of the view, unfortunately. ONE DAY they will finally go down and we will miss them :ROFLMAO:

3 days isn't very much to fit in Florence and Chianti and other parts of Tuscany, so hope you will be able to make it back and enjoy other parts of Tuscany. Siena is a personal favorite of mine, as well as some small towns in Maremma.
 
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