Firenze Card

The Firenze card keeps you from standing in a long line to buy tickets not to bypass security check lines or entry lines. Avoiding a long line to buy a ticket is worth it.

As a follow-up to my earlier post, I went back and watched the Florence episode.

I'm quoting the transcript...

"Each day here, and throughout Europe, frustrated tourists who don't study their guidebooks waste precious hours in museum lines. Meanwhile, travelers who made a reservation by phone or purchase the city museum pass — as we did — are allowed right in."

Is there really is a special entrance for holders of the Firenze card which allows holders to walk right in? None of the museums require phone calls ahead of time to book a entry time?

Thank you.

You're trying to apply one sentence to dozens of different museums which have different supply/demand levels, policies and building limitations.

Generally, you need to wait in line to buy a ticket.
Then you need to wait in line to get in.

My understanding of the Firenze/Roma cards is that they eliminate, at the very least, the need to wait in line to buy a ticket. Sometimes you get more, but not at all locations.

Yes you will avoid the long queues to buy tickets, regardless of that you queue for security.
Week before last at the Uffitzi, it was about 20".
The line to buy tickets went all the way back to the river.
To see David it was 15" but this was because of the number of visitors still inside.
The line to buy tickets there went both sides back around the corners.

Although the Rick's statement on the video is general, it is primarily based on not spending precious hours in ticket-buying lines at the Uffizzi and Accademia museums, where they are the worst. Some places do have separate entrance doors for passes and reservations.

Last year (May 2014) I followed Rick's instructions to the letter, buying my ticket for the Uffizi online a few weeks ahead. Then 15 minutes before my scheduled time, I went to door #3 (Reservation Ticket Office), exchanged my voucher for a ticket (no line for this), walked past literally hundreds of people waiting to buy tickets, over to door #1, where fewer than 10 people were inline in front of me, and right in at the scheduled time, delayed briefly only by the security procedures. Couldn't have been easier.