Should I buy the Firenze Card ahead of time, before getting to Italy, or should I wait until I get there? Is it easy to buy once I am in Florence? Thanks!
Liz
Posted by
Texan in CA
4418 posts
You can buy it there; if arriving by train, the TI (at SMN church) across the street from the station sells them (I've read they now sell them off to the right immediately after you've entered the TI; don't get into the long line deeper within the room, because that's probably not where you want to go!). It's also supposed to be available at some of the museums, but I haven't found a definitive list of those yet.
Posted by
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
22 posts
Yes, buy it at the TI that Eileen mentions. This TI is very helpful. You will also want to ask for the current list of museum opening hours (since they change all the time, so even 2013 guidebooks can be out of date), and a map (free). Do not get your information from any "tourist information" booth inside the train station, they are just fronts for selling you tours (unless that is what you want of course). We were 3 days in Florence, and although the Firenze Card at 50 Euros is pricey, we easily got our money's worth. The card covers some 50+ museums and includes the buses. You will mostly walk in Florence, but if you are in Oltrarno (south of the Arno), you can take the #12 bus to Piazza Michelangelo on your Firenze Card for a great view over Florence. From there you can walk down thru a rose garden back into Florence - nice walk. We enjoyed the Galileo Museum, Pitti Palace, Ufizzi Gallery, and Accademia.
With the Firenze card you avoid the long lines to get into the latter 2 museums.