various sites for pre booking Florence museums

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pera lozac

Member
I would like to ask whether site http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/uffizi/ is regular and ok in terms of security, because it is 30% cheaper than the other i.e. www.ufizzi.com?

Since I intend to visit Florence last week of March, would appreciate if someone could tell me whether to pre book anything else but Ufizzi and Academia. We would like to visit Boboli Garden and it is not possible to book in advance through mentioned web site.

Tnx
 
online booking for Florence museums

Dear pera lozac,

[Of course there is, I was writing my reply below as you posted! :)]

There are many websites out there offering online booking for Florence museums, many of them from well before the official Florence Polo Museale (Uffizi and Accademia) website starting offering booking themselves, which is the first site you mention above.
I would hope it offers a safe platform on which to purchase tickets but we've never personally used the booking function on there. There have been a few on the forum here that have requested help with the procedure since it seems at a certain point the site turns into Italian only! That surely is not very helpful.

Aside from this, know that the museum sells only a limited amount of tickets for each time slot as it has allotted a specific number of guaranteed tickets to all its affiliates (which is the other site you've found). So if you're set on a particular day and time, you might not find tickets on that website but instead find them available on another affiliate website.

Having said all this, we recently started selling Florence museum tickets ourselves as an affiliate and if you book your museums through here you help support this website and forum (we are not the official regional or city promotion office for Tuscany or Florence). No pressure, though, really. :)

The Uffizi is the museum that almost always has lines, year round, but in late March you might be able to get into the Accademia with just a short wait. The Boboli Gardens as well as the various museums at the Pitti Palace don't need advance reservations. You might find no line at the ticket office and just a short line to pass through the metal detectors.
If you like sculpture, I highly recommend visiting the Bargello museum and if you're interested in seeing the final resting place of the Medici family, the greatest patrons on the arts that spurred the Renaissace, then you should visit the Medici Chapels. Both don't really require advance booking.

Let us know if you have any additional questions we can help out with and have fun planning your vacation! :)
 
Thank you very much on overwhelming reply and offer to book tickets through another web site, so, now I'm even more confused:)

Since we'll be spending four nights in Florence, two days will be focused on Uffizi, Academia, Duomo, Bargelo, Pitti Palace, Boboli, probably Santa Croce, but third day we intend to start at 8am and visit instantly Campo de miracoli, Pisa, and go back through San Gimigniano and Sienna. Is it viable by car or too enthusiastic?? Other idea is to skip Pisa, and visit the rest + go back through Chianti region (S222 if I recall)

Once again tnx
 
4 day itinerary ideas

I didn't mean to overwhelm you with my detailed reply, I just thought it was better to give you as much information as possible so that you could make your own decision. The point is that the first site, the b-ticket one, is the official site but if you don't find available tickets on that site for a particular date or time, you might still find them available on another site for the same dates and time just because of how the system is set up.

Two days for visiting all those churches and museums in Florence thoroughly might be a lot to ask of yourselves. Let me just give you an idea of how long it might take to visit each. The Uffizi requires at least 2-3 hours to visit, the Accademia about an hour, the Bargello at least 2 hours, the Boboli gardens are really large and you'll enjoy them if the weather permits. The inside of the Pitti Palace has all been turned into museums - 5 separate ones in fact. I've spent several hours in just one, I don't think you'll want to do more than that at one time otherwise it would require a whole day just for those museums.
The Santa Croce church, aside from the funerary monuments, also has a cloister attached with frescoes and other artistic masterpieces, I'd say at least an hour there is necessary if not more.
So just keep all this in mind and remain flexible once you're here, you'll decide then what to see from the outside, where to go in to explore further depending on your time and inclination.

The third day is for Pisa - if you will be renting a car and driving, I suggest on this same day you go to Lucca which is really close to Pisa and is a charming walled town. Then return to Florence and it will be a relaxing, unhurried day.

On your fourth day, you could drive down to San Gimignano on the Fi-Si roadway then continue on to Siena and on your return to Florence take the S222 road back north, also called the "Chiantigiana" road since it passes through Chianti.
Siena and Chianti are to the south of Florence while Pisa is to the west near the coast, so you can't really go back to Florence through San Gimignano on the same day you visit Pisa unless you take internal roads to cut across and which don't save you time. San Gimignano and Siena merit a whole day by themselves in any case. If you want, you could do Chianti in one day, Siena and San Gimignano on another and skip Pisa on this trip.

If you do a search on the forum for wine tasting in Chianti, you'll find several threads on here that offer suggestions of itineraries in Chianti that would take up a whole day.

Hope this helps a bit!
 
Once again, tnx a lot, whatsoever I've already made a plan to visit briefly Pisa, S.Gimigniano, and Sienna in a day. Maybe it is too optimistic, but with good car and early start at 8am hopefully will be viable.

Also, in my Top 10 Tuscany says that it is possible in a day to visit Academia, Ufizzi, Duomo and Santa Croce, if you have pre-booked tickets. So we'll see.

On our way home, we'll spend three nights in Venice, and if someone know anything about veniceconnected thing, and booking all range of products online (parking, museums, public transport, and most bizzare toilets:p), would appriciate to share with us.
 
As I wrote at different thread, we've arrived back from unforgettable trip throughout Tuscany. Two and a half days we spent in Florence (half day Duomo Opera Museum, and Baptistery, second day Bargello early in the morning, 12:30 Uffizi, and on our way to hotel at 16h Academia-magnificent David; final day we visited Santa Croce, Duomo view, and Pitti Palace Gallery-without Garden). Best gelato for me was Sicilian at Via Ricasoli 60r, on way to Academia, while my wife voted for Florentine gelato at Vivoli.

Our fourth day was in car:) Early in the morning visited Pisa, Campo dei Miracoli (magnificent), and after that went to S.Gimignano (most beautiful old city) to buy Vernaccia, rare Tuscan white wine:), and south to Siena to sit down for a gelato at Palazzo Pubblico. When we climbed to "Facade" of Duomo we enjoyed a view and Sienna football fans that were so loud, that we heard them from the Stadium.

Next day we went to Venice but through S222, and it was worthwhile cause we bought some Chianti Classico at Verazzano, and visited only Greve in Chianti and Montefiorelle.

When we came to Venice, it was completely different story, overcrowded with tourists, small room (for four star hotel) and even more expensive bar and restaurants all around. Even though it is not Tuscany, I would like to recommend veniceconnected.com and way how the City can organize everything for their guests, even before they come. Great organization but I liked Florence more because there are a lots of students and citizens, while Venice is completely tourist city.
 
Ever since week-long Rick Steves Florence trip week of Thanksgiving '06, I've been even more enthralled with Firenze! Have to say as wonderful as the all-inclusive trip was (sans airfare), small group, etc., so many highlights were still missed (with Florence almost empty)! So, needless to say, can't wait to return! Although group setting can be lots of fun, finding this site, with so much information, including tickets which can be purchased well in advance, plus so many recommendations from those in the know (Lourdes) is wonderful! Now, Rick Steves sandwiches Florence in with Venice, Rome (& the coast) with even less time to explore. Remaining in one location with additional time is more appealing to me.

Lourdes, is there another tour company you recommend, or now - with so many excellent guides in every area, is it possible to plan a trip as fulfilling, if not more so, solo? Would love for next trip to be at least 2-3 weeks, if not a month!
 
planning your own itinerary is definitely worth the time and effort!

Fleur-de-lis:

Welcome to the forum! Florence is an enchanting city and the fall and winter is a great time to visit with less crowded streets and museums and restaurants.

While a small group trip organized by a travel agency has its many advantages, particularly for a first visit, there are many, many people today who prefer to plan their own itinerary and have more time to see what interests them the most. Personally, I find such trips to be more fulfilling because I get to see what I like, and have more time to enjoy everything as well since I am not just going down a carefully planned checklist with strict time-lines!

I think Italy is best experienced slowly... if you do have the opportunity of spending even just two weeks in Tuscany, you could rent an apartment for the time and take day trips to various parts of the region that hardly get covered in a planned group trip. You would definitely get to better enjoy everything you see, with time for it to sink in and not be under sensory overload!!
 
Thanks for the info- Do you have any knowledge of booking for the planetarium-its website says I have to phone them but thats quite dear fromEngland. There is meant to be a programme of events online but I cant find that ??
Also I am hoping to take my son to the Arcetri Observatory Florence but its website is unavailable. Does anyone know if it is open to visitors in August and if so how do I book tickets
Thanks so much
 
Ciao Possmum,

I am sure your son will love visiting both the Planetarium as well as the Observatory but both require very careful planning to visit. The website for the Arcetri observatory is this one: visite

The truth is that both are not that easy to visit... thus making it hard for people to visit them, and again, in turn, reinforcing their idea that they aren't "popular" and therefore are not made easier to visit! Hopefully, with the recent renovation of the Galileo Science Museum they'll realize that if they offer the services, people do use them - especially since kids love science when put into an easy and fun way to see and understand!

The short reply for your booking question: there is NO ONLINE booking for these two museums, the only choice is to call...... BUT, as both the Planetarium and the Arcetri Observatory are managed by the team of scientists at Arcetri - and I found an email address for Arcetri - I think you will be able to get more information and details for visiting both by EMAIL by writing to this address: richiesta_visita@arcetri.astro.it

Another two things to consider: first, you're visiting in August and that is when so many people close up and go on vacation. Lately, trend is to no longer close shop for the entire month but still you'll have to keep this in mind. Second, guided visits to the Observatory are done by a volunteer association only in the week of the first quarter moon at 9pm. So I hope your visit falls into the right week in August!!

So when you email, make sure to ask planned opening schedules (they should know whether they'll be open in August and when) and about reserving for the planetarium. They might say you can reserve closer to the date or just a few days ahead of time, the important detail now would be to know if and when they'll be open in August. Good luck - do let us know what they tell you, I am sure others would find the info useful!!
 
Hi- many thanks for that information-I hadnt seen your reply until now as I was waiting to be e-mailed about a reply !- sorry for the delay. That is all really useful, I will email them and then write- Actually it is the first quarter moon !!!
Regards!
 
Ciao Possmom,

Glad you came back on the forum and saw the reply -- when you reply, there is a "subscription" section further below the "submit reply" button that lets you receive notifications to any replies on the thread, that way you know when you get a reply and can come back to post again, if you need to :)

Glad it will be the first quarter moon right when you are here - the visit then should work out really well :)
 
I am so grateful there are people here willing to share information like this! It will be my first visit to Tuscany this summer. I have read all the info on this page and got all excited and then realized the thread is a few years old... Are the sites and info still valid? There is so much stuff to wade through I'm getting befuddled!! I need to look at cheap airfares, accommodation and of course where to visit... I cannot wait! :cool:
 
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