We are debating the merits of getting a Firenze card for our stay in Florence.
Card vs. reservations - For a popular museum, Accademia for example, will we get in just as fast showing up with the Firenze card as if we made a reservation for a specific time?
The website said it includes free access to Firenze wifi, but I thought that was free anyway?
Any other pros and cons would be appreciated.
Thank you!
The only point of buying a Firenze card is if u can recover the cost of 72euros in 3 days.
That would have been museum overkill for me.
The Accademia and Uffizi with reservation and the Duomo museum with an entry time reservation included in the price of the combo ticket was good enough for me.
The Bargello was unfortunately closed on our days in Florence but it has almost no lines according to Rick Steves.
So unless u are planning to do more i would not recommend a Firenze card.
But it's not just museums. It's also the various churches, palaces, etc.
As mentionned, make up the list of what you want to see based on what the Firenze cards is good for and then see if it's worth it.
I'm going back there in june for 3 days, looked at the list and decided that it was worth it for us.
At most sights, when you use the card you are in the same line as those who made a timed reservation. Also, most who buy the card will not visit enough sights to "break even" on the cost of the card.
That being said, it doesn't mean that there is no value to getting a a Firenze card. The best thing about the card for me is that is gives you complete flexibility. You don't have to be anywhere at any given time but you still have access the same as if you'd made a reservation. The second advantage is that, if a particular sight didn't take you as long as planned, you may may stop somewhere that you didn't originally plan because it is covered by the card.
On our visit to Florence we bought the card. We visited the Uffizi, Academia, the Bargello, the Duomo sights and the Pitti Palace. That's about 53 euros in admission fees. We also saw the Medici Chapel, because we were walking right past it and it was covered, and the Gallileo musuem, really interesting and a welcome relief from the art overload that you can experience in Florence. That's another 17 euros. Across three days, that's not really sightseeing at a breakneck pace and we effectively "lost" two euros on each of our cards.
We woke up the morning we planned to go to the Uffizi and it was a wonderful sunny day. We were able to change our plan and visit the Pitti place instead, enjoyng outdoor spaces on a beautiful day and went to the Uffizi the following day. A timed reservation wouldn't have allowed us to do that. For me, that kind of flexibility has value. You need to decide if it has the same value for you.
The deciding factor for me... while I'm not sure I'll benefit 100% of the ticket price (I think I'll at least get 50%) I feel like this is my way of supporting the wonders of Florence. There is only one Uffizi, one David (well, one original David), etc. and they're in Florence. I want them to be there for generations to come. Of course I wouldn't be so generous if I were buying for a family of 6. Only food for thought.
Thank you for the replies. I think we will get the card as there is a lot we want to see, and will appreciate the flexibility. And I liked the point about supporting the art in Florence...amen to that!
