2013 Cost of Firenze Card

WE are in Tuscany now, and the price is what is quoted on line. I understand they have added 9 more museums. My brother bought a pass to avoid the lines, but when he got to the Academia for David, there was hardly any wait...maybe 10 minutes. Other museums were also short. He felt it was a waste of money if you are buying to avoid lines. That being said, maybe when you come there will be lines......but it seems the later in the year, the less crowded it gets.

It is indeed 72E. We travel to Florence end of next month. We AREN'T going to buy the card. I'm going on line to each museum site and buying tickets from here. With the Euro at $1.35 right now, that's $97 each for sights that we can probably see for a lot less. We don't plan on spending all day, everyday looking at art. We'll hit the top 2-3 places and then enjoy ourselves at the market and in the hilltop towns of Tuscany. There is a lot to see outside of museums...unless you are an art major and that's your only interest.

Here are Rick's updates for his 2013 Florence and Tuscany book. Yes, the Firenze Card has gone up. http://www.ricksteves.com/books/update/bk-rs-flo.htm

I agree with Ellen. Was just in Florence in July on a girl's trip and the Firenze Card at that time was 72 Euros and we did not purchase. Everyone had been to Florence a number of times but we thought at 50 Euros we would purchase and figure break even and maybe slip into some of the lesser sights but at the higher price we decided against it. That is quite a steep price hike if you ask me.

I was in Florence last week and it is 72 euros. I purchased it online before I arrived in Italy, then picked it up when I got there. Yes, 72 is a lot of money. But I was in Italy for a limited time, and my time is worth more than my money. It was extremely convenient, and we were in and out of museums/churches without the hassle of lines. The Duomo and its sites are also included. We pretty much did everything it offers, as well as use the free city WiFi. Sure, you could stand in line and buy the tickets. The wait time for the Accademia tickets was 2 hours. I waited in line for 15min. The Uffizi was worse. Like the guidebook recommends, figure out what you want to see, then price it out to see if its worth it. Im lazy so I just bought the card. Above all, do not wait in lines unless you love standing still forever, and wasting vacation time.

While this posting is too late for Jill I hope it might help other travelers to Florence. A great alternative to the Firenzecard it the "amici del uffizi card". It costs Euro 100 for a family (2 adults and 2 kids) and Euro 60 for a single adult, and while it does not offer access to all the museums the Firenze card offers it is valid for the whole calendar year (vs. 72 hrs for the Firenze card)and covers pretty much everything you would want to cover during a few days in Florence (Academia with David, Uffizi Galleries, Pitti Palace etc.. For most travelers it will prove to be a better deal than the Firenze card. You apply for it online (see link below) and when you get to Florence you go to the Uffizi and pay with your credit card or cash and pick up your card. BTW it has the same "line skipping privilidges" as the Firenze card. We tried the amici card during our last trip in September this year and worked great for us.

www.amicidegliuffizi.it/en_home.aspx