Florence

Your plan sounds a bit too ambitious. It sounds like you are an art lover so you will probably want to spend at least 2 hours (probably more) in the Uffizi. You can budget about 1 hour (or a bit more) for the Accademia. The Bargello is worth a visit, but leave it for another trip if you want to have some time to wander, have coffee, gelato, more coffee, more gelato. It will be hot in July, so visting museums is a good way to go (you will be inside & at a cool temperature!) You should be able to fit in a visit to the Duomo, but maybe not a trip up to the top. Be sure to book your tickets online for the Accademia and Uffizi ASAP (today if you are going next month). If you do some research, you will be able to better determine what interests you. Also, if you are visiting lots of museums in other cities on this trip, you might be saturated by the time you arrive in Florence. However, the Uffizi will be a highlight if you are a Renaissance art lover.

Rick suggests to go first thing or last thing of the day. There are still quite a few ticket reservations available online. Between the Accademia and the Uffizi how much time does it take to travel between the two? I am thinking of booking one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. Or does it matter if I am making a reservation? Keeping in mind it is on a Saturday in July.

If I tried to see 3 major art museums in less than 24 hours, two things would happen: I be on art overload and my husband would revolt. The Uffizi, in particular, is overwhelming, on the other hand, the Accademia is pretty easy and THE reason to go is to see the David. So you can "do" the Accademia in 30 minutes unless you want to get into a detailed viewing of everything there. At the Uffizi it is easy to spend 2-3 hours. You can gorge on museums or perhaps balance seeing a couple of them during the hottest hours with quality time wandering around the city in the cool morning and pleasant evening hours.

I've been to the Uffizi the past 3 years in July. Last year it was SO hot and crowded in the most popular rooms that I was overwhelmed by the heat. My first visit with my family we spent the longest time (just under 3 hours). We spent less time at the Accademia.

I pack my days in Firenze with museums. I spend a lot of time at the Accademia, there is much more than the David, especially if you are interested in Michelangelo's method for sculpting. There is a museum of religious art upstairs from the 13th-17th centuries, and a museum of musical instruments. Highlights are definitely on the ground floor, however. You can visit in an hour. Up the street is Museo di San Marco, with an important series of paintings by Fra Angelico, each of the Friars' cells has a different painting. This is not a major museum, an hour here will suffice, not many tourists and it is SO CLOSE to the Accademia...

The Bargello is also impressive. It would make a very full day, but none of these museums is huge, not even the Uffizi, which would probably take the most time (2-3 hours).

Check hours to help you plan your day. The San Marco probably has the most restricted hours, but as I recall it and the Accademia open before 9am.

Zoé, 3 hours to visit all Uffizi is short. You will just have enough time to see the most famous paintings. At Uffizi take time to look at the wonderful ceilings!

Ellesara,

Unless you are an art historian, you might benefit from an organized tour of the Accademia and Uffizi museums. You can get escorted tour packages which include the admission and your tour guide is generally an professional in the field of renaissance art. I found our escorted tours well worth the money...

Heed the advise here and book your entrance times well in advance if you intend on skipping the escorted tour option. The lines for same-day walk up tickets can be blocks long for each venue.

It may be hard to fit more than two indoor venues into one day as most venues close in the late afternoon. Be sure to look at the web sites (in advance) for opening times. With only one day in Florence, you'll need to prioritize what you want to see based on time constraints. Luckily, the piazzas are always open...

Thank you kindly for all your help and suggestions.
I am trying to book the museums online and am wondering, can I book one reservation and then purchase as many tickets I need with the one reservation? Will that save on the reservation fees?

"With a single transaction, users may purchase up to 8 tickets, also to different Museums and Galleries."