A couple of questions about tickets to some Florence attractions

Where are you trying to buy your tickets?

If you go to the museum page there's no fee. And you can get the Uffizi combo ticket that covers Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens and something else-not the Accademia, though.

I just mocked up an order for 2 and took it all the way to CC and no fee showed up. Two people in May, both Accademia and the 5-day Uffizi Passepartout, pick up at venue. €108 for both. €38/ea for Uffizi +, €16/ea for Accademia. Just Uffizi tickets would be €24.

That seems reasonable to me.
It does look like they do peak season pricing regardless, though. March-October is peak.

https://www.uffizi.it/en/visit
Edited to add
I'm just starting to try to put my first trip together as well. I just tried to figure out the tower/plaza tickets and wow, they aren't making that easy- they do have fees, and figuring out availability, ugh. And, if the tower itself is just €2,5 more or a full €12,5 more-no idea. Maybe we'll try for October instead...

As above, make sure to go directly to the museum’s website to cut out the middleman fees. There’s no need to go through a tour company either, when all you want is admission. The Uffizi has timed tickets and the best strategy is to get a ticket for first thing when it opens, or as close to opening time as possible since the line often begins backing up the later your entry is.
BTW, the Uffizi has a nice cafe with views on an upper floor that makes a great venue for a cappuccino after you’ve seen the art.
Have a great trip!

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I am buying from the official Uffizi site, not any middle-man tour company.

What I meant by fee is, if you look at the price of the Uffizi entrance here https://www.uffizi.it/en/tickets for example, the first price that pops to my eye is the "Regular" entrance which is 12 euro. But if you read the last price there is an "Entrance reservation" of 4 euros. This is added to the Regular entrance price. That is what I mean by the fee.

I did miss the 5 day combined Passport ticket though. That looks interesting. I'm not sure what I am supposed to buy though. When I click on Buy Online for the PassePartout 5 Days option, it takes me to the ticketing site with a long list of all the museums. Am I supposed to click on each museum composed by the combo ticket and add it to my cart? Am I missing how to add a single combo ticket to my cart? Here's a picture to show what comes up when I click Buy Online for the PassePartout option:
https://imgur.com/a/AqoumIM

Thanks again!

Ok, so you have to find Galerie degli Uffizi and click the ticket button (after you've selected the date). Then you get a whole long list of times.

[Note- I'm on my phone so the layout may be different (better) if you're on a laptop]

Under the time box there's a +/- number of tickets box. At the bottom of that little selection box there's a very small rectangle that says "reductions and combo" Click that and another little list of boxes appears. Passepartout is almost to the end of the list. Change the quantity in that box to however many you need and then scroll allll the way to the bottom and add to cart.

There's a button to add more items and you can go back and add the separate Accademia tickets and then move on to checkout- but keep a close eye on the dates- they reverted to today when I went back to add the Accademia tix.
Hope that helps!

...the first price that pops to my eye is the "Regular" entrance which
is 12 euro. But if you read the last price there is an "Entrance
reservation" of 4 euros.

Just to add, James, reservation fees are not uncommon for advance tickets for many heavily visited attractions; just the price of avoiding looooong ticket lines! As well, tickets for the Uffizi (Pitti and Boboli) are indeed more expensive for high/shoulder seasons, and ticket prices at some museums may also go up if hosting a special exhibit.

Timed-entry reservations in general have also become more common to create COVID distancing.

If you have the time and interest for the Uffizi, Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens and National Archaeological Museum, the PassePartout 5-day combo ticket is a good buy; Passepartout Web Nominativo, 38.00 € including reservation fee per adult ticket for visits March 1 - Oct. 31st, You do have to choose a specific entry time slot for the Uffizi at the time of purchase.

https://www.uffizi.it/en/pages/combined-ticket

The Accademia doesn't show a higher ticket price after March 1 ; just the 4 euro advance reservation fee.
I don't see a combo ticket currently available for Palazzo Vecchio and Arnolfo Tower.

We have been trying to get Uffizi and Academy tickets for the past month, we are going in May, and we keep getting an error message.
Someone on the forum had said that they were not taking advanced reservations right now, has anyone had luck booking advance tickets?

California,

I’m also going in May and I keep getting that error message. I tried emailing them and b-ticket with no luck. I’d rather not call if I can help it, yet it would sure be nice to know. They need to put something on their website.

Wanderbug thanks, that appears to be the ticket! (No pun intended haha).

I don't know why when you click Buy Online under the Passepartout option it shows you all the possible museums and does not filter to show the Uffizi. But you are right, if you click for Tickets for Galleria degli Uffizi on the day you want, in the list of hours available that comes up, you can expand the "Reduced and Combo" and see the combined Passepartout option.

Though to make things more confusing, I selected a date in February just to compare the price difference between low and high season (high season starting with March tickets). For Feb tickets it does not call it a Passepartout but instead "Intero Cumulativo 5 giorni" which I believe is the same thing. It is only 18 euros in low season.

But for some reason, it says the following at the top of the page for tickets still in low season:

"A combined ticket costing only € 38.00 (instead of € 56.00) allows
the holder to visit the Pitti Palace, the Boboli Garden and the Uffizi
Gallery enjoying priority admission to all the museums in the
circuit."

This is actually helpful information, however, I did not see it at first when trying to book a time in May, because it no longer explains that. Instead it just says:

"From 1 March 2022, when purchasing a ticket for the Uffizi you will
be required to supply the first name, family name and date of birth of
the visitor for whom the ticket is being purchased."

This information seems less helpful to me than the other explaining what the combo ticket is haha.

Ok, again I really appreciate all the help. Thank you!

Now, the really hard part is deciding if I should trim the Pitti/Gardens from my itinerary as I may be cramming a little too much into the days I will be there. Hmm...decisions, decisions. This is the "problem" I am finding with Italy. There's just TOO much to see!

Hmm...decisions, decisions.

LOL, isn't THAT the case!! I feel your pain! 😬
If it helps, 'cuz I've been to the Pitti, it is a REAL time suck. I do not mean that in a negative way, it's just a lot, even for an art geek like Yours Truly. The Palatine Gallery alone is 28 rooms. Add the 14 rooms of the Royal Apartments, Modern Art Gallery, Treasury, Costume Gallery, Porcelain Gallery + the gardens, and you'll have Pitti-ed away the lion's share of a day.

Just some top line info so you can see what a visit might involve?
https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/pitti-palace-palatine-gallery.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Pitti

Hope this might be helpful for making a decision? To be honest, the two museums I'd do before this one would be the Bargello and San Marco but that's just me. :O)

Someone on the forum had said that they were not taking advanced
reservations right now, has anyone had luck booking advance tickets?

californiacuore, see this previous thread:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/trouble-booking-for-uffici

According to the THAT James, they're having system difficulties. He was successful for MARCH tickets by calling them. Whether they're selling tickets for April, May, June, etc yet. or when that might be would have to be communicated by their office.

Kathy, thanks for the advice! I am still in the "making a list" phase of my planning, but I only have 3 nights in Florence so really 2.5 days. I hope I'm not setting myself up to run from place to place. Currently I've got on my list:

Accademia

Uffizi

Duomo (museum, Baptistery, bell tower climb, and cathedral itself. I don't think I will climb the dome unless it's really worth it?)

Palazzo Vecchio (and tower)

Santa Maria Novella

Santa Croce

Hi James,
I’ve read that climbing the Palazzo Vecchio tower is as good or better than the Duomo climb and since you want to see the PV tower anyway, might be a bit of a time saver for you.
I’m having the same problem in deciding how and when to see Uffizi, Accademia, etc. Hope to see what you’ve done in a trip report once you return from a wonderful trip.

James, that's a nice list you have put together!

I'll admit that we skipped Palazzo Vecchio/tower last time as it wasn't as high on our list as some other attractions. We had no interest in climbing the bell tower or dome of the duomo either. The interior of the basilica may not take you all that much time to see, and Santa Croce shouldn't eat up a ton either so you may be able to add another attraction to the list, although I sure wouldn't make that the Pitti.

One thing I'd love to see you add is Piazzale Michelangelo. You could head up the hill for sunset later in the day when most indoor attractions are closed/closing. That, versus the campanile or the Palazzo's tower, is my personal choice for a lofty viewpoint as it doesn't involve an enclosed climb. Get there early enough to head up from the piazza a bit further to San Miniato al Monte basilica: very old and important to Florence, and offers an even loftier view from its steps/terrace/cemetery. Google up some photos from both vantage points, including some taken at dusk or after dark?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nabilishes/7043202579
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Florence_from_the_Abbazia_di_San_Miniato_al_Monte._Italy.jpg

Even better? Both places are free for the gazing; no tickets or reservations needed! Visiting hours for the basilica:

Church visiting info:
Monday-Saturday 9: 30-13: 00; 15: 00-19: 00
Sunday 8: 15-13: 00; 15: 00-19: 00
During the liturgical celebrations the Basilica cannot be visited.
Admission is free and reservations are not required for individual visitors, groups or school trips

If they're still there, there were one or two places near the piazzale for a beverage and/or light meal. We had a couple brews at one of them before our trek back downhill.

Kathy I think you read my mind! haha

Piazzale Michelangelo is indeed on my list I just left it off my previous post as it is not a museum or church per se. And while I was looking at it on a map, I did see the Basilica San Miniato is very close by so I think I will try to visit that too while I am in the area. I think I will do like you said and hit these later in the day hopefully around sunset. And yes I saw San Miniato is free to visit. A nice bonus!

James, I hope you get your tickets worked out, glad I was able to help you out at least a little 🙂.

I think narrowing the list down and balancing the types of things you're doing is probably the very hardest part of planning a trip. With a finite amount of time there's just no way to see it all. I've discovered that I cannot do just museums and churches. I need gardens and ice cream and lighter days or my brain overloads and can't appreciate the amazing art I'm seeing anymore.

I think Italy is even more challenging, there's so much, food, gardens, architecture, art. I'm having an impossible time.

It's also surprising me how busy and booked up the flights and hotels are already getting (considering covid). May is a bit last minute for us. I prefer longer lead times to get it laid out smoothly with all the logistics arranged. I make more planning errors if I don't have enough time so it looks like I may be putting off Italy until maybe fall.

I'm also hoping you will come back and tell us how it went!