Florence - Firenze Card

I haven't used the Firenze card so I am sure better advice is on the way, but I have used other city cards and if the sights are listed separately (see the web page for the card), they probably count as separate sights.

We were in Florence last week. We did not use this card, but did do all of the Duomo sites. If you have the Firenze card, you must take it to the Duomo ticket office and have them issue the tickets that you then need to enter each of the separate sites. When one has purchased the Duomo ticket, one also has the option to go to the reservation computers and schedule a time which then allows you to skip the lines, without additional charge..

The card is 72 Euro. The Duomo sites are 15 Euro total, and that card itself is good for 48 hours. Do you really need the Firenze card? Even adding the Uffizi and the Accademia and paying the surcharge for the line skipping reservation would be still be well under the Firenze card price.

Currently in Florence. Bought the Firenze card upon arrival. Just FYI, because of budget cutbacks, several of the tourist info sites have greatly reduced hours, so check for updates before you head out to buy the Firenze card. Have actually found the card to be kind of a hassle. Does not save you waiting in line at Uffizi, for example. You wait with everyone else at door number 1 who has reservations in a long line that stretched around the corner. At Piti palace, you are required to make a trip out of the way over to the bookstore to validate your card at that site before entry. And if you want an audio guide you need to get back in the ticket office line which negates the whole purpose of the Firenze card! I could be mistaken but I find that there is a general feeling from the staff at the individual sites that they are not very fond of Firenze card holders. Again, the real reason for purchasing it is to enhance convenience, as Rick clearly states that it is very hard to justify it economically. And when the convenience aspect is gone, I'm not sure it is worth the price. Hope this helps your decision.

I was just in Florence last week and did purchase the Firenze card. I can't speak for others' experience, but I feel it was worth the money for the time we saved not waiting in line for the Uffizi and Academia museums, and also skipping the line to climb to the top of the Duomo. We also went to the Duomo baptistry and museum as well as the Palazzo Vechio so I think we got good value for the price we paid. We did not climb the Campanile, but I found climbing the Duomo to be a bit of workout. I would personally not do them back to back, even with a break in between, but that's coming from somebody with asthma. I also think the view from the Duomo is better based on people I talked to who had done both.

We have just returned from Italy and a visit to Florence. We purchased Firenze cards and found them to have great value. There, as always, are a couple of caveats that come along with that.
First, the value of a Firenze card is not really economic, at least not for us. It is one of convenience and flexibility. I think the sights we saw with the card would have cost 55 euros. The Firenze card allow you to show up at any time of day and have a place in the reserved line. No commitment to a specific time. Complete flexibility and you definitely need a timed reservation to see the Uffizi and Academia. To me, that was worth 17 euros, but you need to make your own decision. Also, because you have pre-committed your money, you may stop into places that you normally wouldn't have and find something quite interesting. For us it was the Galileo Museum. Very interesting. A nice break from the art overload that can happen in Florence. But I don't know if we would have ever gone in if it wasn't covered on the Firenze card.
Second, in both Venice and Florence sights, "skip the line" doesn't really mean you don't have to stand in line. It means you get to stand in the short, fast moving line instead of the long non-moving one. It took about 10 minutes to get into the Uffizi at 8:30 AM, about 15 minutes at the Academia in the late afternoon, and about 30 minutes at St Mark's in Venice (our longest wait but the regular line was more than 2 hrs.).
Last, I don't think you have to do the Duomo sights all in one day. Once you have your ticket, you just present it at each location and they check off which one you are visiting. I think you'l be able to climb the dome one morning and the tower the next day. We did not climb either but went to the Duomo Museum one day and the Baptistery the next. As long as you are within your 3 day limitation on the Firenze card it's OK.

We were in Italy all of May 2016. Spent 5 nights in Florence and we purchased the Firenze Card . It was so worth it. In regards to the Duomo , we went inside one day and the next day we climbed the Bell tower, the Baptistry and also the museum for the Baptistry ( definitely do that, it houses the original bronze doors of the Baptistry) . You will have to make an appointment to climb bell tower , climb dome , go inside Baptistry and do the Baptistry museum even with the Firenze Card. Not complicated to do either. When standing at the front of the Baptistry , the place to make the appointments is going to be in a building to the right side of the Baptistry ( the WC public bathrooms are right there also). We were able to skip the lines for the Accademia and Uffizi Gallery which was great since they were long lines. We loved Florence !

The duomo complex combo. pass is simple. It is good for 2 days once activated. You obtain it for "free" with the firenze card or you could just buy it without the firenze card. You could obtain the pass and save it until your firenze card expires, then use it - depending on how many days you are in Florence. So, you most certainly can pace out the duomo complex over 2 days. There is the baptistery, the dome climb, the museum, the cathedral (always free), the bell tower, and the excavation site in the basement of the cathedral. You can see these in any order. You do not need an appointment for the bell tower. (I think the other poster was thinking of the cupola in the Medicee chapel complex.). The bell tower has multiple platforms. Take your time and some water. If you can't make it to the top - that's okay! If you can only do one - the dome or the bell tower - that's okay too! The views are similar. There are some great views from the top of Palazzo Vecchio as well - access with Firenze card. Just have Fun!
P.S. If you need a cheap and easy lunch near duomo - go to Leonardo's. Just bring cash.