Reserve Tickets for Museums in Rome and Florence

Hi Mandy, For Florence sights it's time consuming but not difficult to phone. Also it's probably the least expensive for the reservations: ticket price plus E3. (Every site I found charged way too much which is a shame because that would make it so easy!)
It's too late to call today but Monday through Friday the reservations center is open 8:30 - 18:30, closed Sunday. After being on hold 5 minutes the call will automatically terminate and you just need to re-dial....that's why it took me exactly an hour to get our reservations for Florence.
The number for the Florence museums is 011.39.055.294.883. We already have our reservations for the end of September. You might also find it easier to call your hotels in Rome and Florence to see if they can get you reservations....that's what Rick suggests.
Sorry I don't have Rick's 2007 Rome book so I can't help you there.

You don't need ticket reservations for the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill. Just go to the ticket booth at the foot of the Palatine Hill and buy your ticket. I've never had to wait on line there. These sites do not have timed entries like the Florence museums do. Also, as the above poster suggests, call the number in Rick's book for the Florence museums. It's never taken me more than 10 minutes to get my ticket reservations, so I guess I got lucky.

Hi there -- We just returned from a trip which included Florence & Rome. Definitely reserve ahead for Florence museums using the number Rick provides.

In Rome everyone has to wait in the security line in front of the Colosseum . . after that we told the guard we wanted a guided tour and were directed to a window which required about 2 minutes of waiting for that ticket. Excellent tour. Avoid the tour 'hawkers' out front. Other option already provided is a good one . . if you don't want a tour . . go to the Palatine Hill ticket office to buy your ticket. (All tickets combine the two sites Palatine Hill/Colosseum.)

The wait outside the Vatican Museums is horrible! We got in line by 8:45 a.m. and shuffled along in an incredibly hot line until 11:15 before we got to the ticket office. My advice is to book a tour - either through Vatican phone number or via a private tour group. Tours go in at 8:30/8:45 while regular ticket sales don't start until 10 am. Good luck!

Book the Vatican as people say and book the Borghese (and be aware that you only get 2 hours to look at the phenomenal collection they have). In Florence, book both the Academia and Uffizi, although some guides can get you into the Academia without wait even lacking a reservation (ours did).