Florence for 2 1/2 days- Uffizi and The David (tickets onlyor tours)

Our last trip, two years ago, we visited the Academia on our own. In addition to David, be sure to see the ancient musical instruments displayed at the right end of the building, where very few tourists seem to go.

For the Uffizi, Rick Steves was our tour guide, with his book and audio tour (which you can download off of his Website).

I used the Rick Steves audio tour for the Accademia and it worked great for this small venue.

I had a tour of the Uffizi with Context Travel - pricey, but essentially a private tour with only one other person. I felt it was worth the cost as it made a place that can be overwhelming much more manageable and the guide was truly an expert.
https://www.contexttravel.com/

I'll be there in October too! I like gardens so adding the Boboli Gardens. Will try to see the Pitti Palace, Duomo Museum, and the Bargello, because Rick Steves gives them all "three triangles." But current wisdom seems to be you can walk up rather than pre-book.

Just returned from our Road Trip from Florence, ending in Rome.
Book all tickets and tours in advance.

We got into the Academia easily with our timed tickets. Very little wait. Self guided tour was fine for this site.

If the Uffizi is on your itinerary, I strongly recommend using the private tour guide that we used.
We read about Michele Busillo private tour services on this site and we can't say enough how much we loved this experience.
https://guidaturistica-michelebusillo.com/tourist-guide-of-florence-and-siena/

"We can't say enough how much we thoroughly enjoyed our Uffizi Gallery experience with Michele. He described the history surrounding each painting to give a full story of the artist and the era they lived. His description of the progression of painting styles and what influenced the painters over centuries gave a clear picture of specific elements in each artist's work. We have used other guides and none compare to Michele's knowledge, professionalism and care for our comfort during the entire experience. We would highly recommend using Michele Busillo."

thank you all! I appreciate all your suggestions!