Hello,
we will be in Florence 18-23 January.
Do we need to either prebuy the tickets or do pay extra for skip the line for the usual museums eg uffizi, accademia?
Thank you
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1080 posts
Hello Pigletthepug,
It's never a bad idea to pre-buy tickets but I can't imagine that in January you couldn't wing it and just walk up and buy tickets. Only the Uffizi, Accademia (David), and climbing the Duomo are timed tickets that require you to be at a certain time and place. Many other cover a number of days - the Duomo pass and Passe Parte bundled Bobili Gradens and Pitti Palace tickets - so you can buy them ahead of time with a lot of flexibility as to when you use them.
If you have some "must sees" then I would go ahead and buy the tickets and sacrifice some flexibility for a guarantee that you will see it. Otherwise buy the multi-day pass tickets and go when you feel like it and push something off if you're too tired or not in the mood. Duomo passes include 5 different attractions including the (excellent) Duomo museum but there is no reason to do all of them the same day.
Skip the line tickets are generally a waste of money unless you're getting a good guide in addition and that interests you. Everyone goes through the security line so even then "skip the lines" tickets end up backed up if there is a wait.
Check which days of the week you'll be there and be aware of days certain attractions are closed and/or free to avoid disappointment.
Have a great trip,
=Tod
Posted by
San Francisco, CA (USA)
556 posts
Always best to purchase tickets to a destination in-advance.
Italy doesn't really have a low-season for tourism any longer; granted July-Aug tend to be much more hectic and chaotic than other perioids but, the point being is crowds and lines are a constant all year round.
Why complicate your trip by waiting in lines or, getting turned away because you didn't do a bit of prior planning which could've avoided any disappointments.
Posted by
Sioux Falls, SD, USA
3100 posts
Purchased our tix Sept 30 2022. Immediate entry to Academia, next day to Uffizi. No issues at all. Jan will be far less busy.
Posted by
22 posts
Pre-purchased tickets for the Accademia and the Uffizi when I was there in November, mostly because I wanted to go early. Everything else had no lines, with one exception. The Brancacci Chapel is undergoing restoration and only lets 6 people in at a time. So plan that in advance if you are interested in it . You get to go on scaffolding ( closed in, phew!) and are about an arm’s length from the frescoes.