Florence Itinerary Help

You really need to add the Uffizi. It's one of the world's great art museums. The Academy is almost like a quick side trip, albeit a very important one.

Dan- Thanks for the response. It was on my "try to see" list... but I do know in reading it should definitely be on my "must see". We just dont want to be "museumed out" before Rome!

Laura, I know what you mean about being museumed out. I was worried about the same thing, but just try to find a balance and don't feel like you have to see every inch of a museum. You won't be overloaded if you're stil enjoying what you see. If it's becomming work to tour a museum, then it's time to move on. Btw, Do you like shoes? How about the Ferragamo museum? It won't take very long, but may be something you'd enjoy. What about a wine and cheese tasting? We're taking one with Taste Florence this Wednesday (so excited!!!), I can let you know how it is. A tour into Chianti may be a good idea. Check out Castello di Verrazano, I know they have a few options where they pick up/drop off in Florence. Friends of ours did the executive tour and thought it was the highlight of their trip. We'll be doing a lunch tour there next Tuesday. Ciao (from Venice),
Amy

A bike tour of Chianti is fun. I was in Florence for four days and I decided to do a bike tour because four days was too much for me in Florence. I'm glad I did, it was one of the highlights of my trip. You can also take day trips from Florence, Sienna is nice and it's maybe an hour away by bus. Well worth it. BTW, 3 nights in CT might be too much. For me it would be. And 5 nights in Rome is just about right. Enjoy.

Amy- Thanks for the response! I was oping you would answer, since we seem to have similar itineraries and interests :) I am waiting to hear back on how your trip went- I hope your having a ball! I'm more worried about DH getting bored than myself... he is very active, and will feel very cooped up in museums. I think we are going to stick to the Accademia, and the Ferragamo museum sounds interesting! I also think he would like the Galileo one (he's an engineer)- but there is no pre-booking so I'm going to put both on our maybe list :) We have a full day cooking class planned, and we are doing a bar tour in Venice (recommended by Rick). I saw some 500 fiats that I think DH would like, including lunch in Chianti... I'm going to see if my budget will make it :) How many nights are you spending in CT? Are you going to Lucca? So jealous of you right now :)

Hi Andrew- Thanks for the response! We are actually going to go on a boat tour in CT, but I'm highly debating taking the train from Venice to Lucca... (we could get there around 12:30PM), and spending the afternoon/evening night there... then heading onto CT early the next morning. I think my DH would love to bike the walls of Lucca, and I would like to spend a night in a small town thats not CT. If we did that, then we would have 2 nearly a full 2 days in CT, arriving there in either the late morning or early afternoon (its about 2 hours). Laura

Skip Lucca. Try to see the Uffizi and it's Masterpieces then stroll the Ponte Vecchio afterward. It only takes a couple of hours at the most. Make an early reservation. Perhaps also the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens? "David" is a quick in and out. I love nothing better than to take a leisurely stroll through Florence. You never known what you will encounter. The Santa Croce Church and the Medici Tombs might also be worth a shout out. Why not take the bus to Siena and/or San Gimignano for a day trip?

We had a similar debate here but because we are traveling with kids. Too many museums overall? So I'm curious to see how others chime in. My neighbor is from Rome and suggested using Florence as an ideal home base for a few days. We made tour reservations with Artvia for a walking tour of Florence and then Uffizi and Accademia to make sure we're not wandering aimlessly. Then we have 2 days with flexibility so we can decide when we get there. Now on our list are a day trip to Siena and biking the ramparts at Lucca ... but, we can always change if we love Florence and want to see more or if the weather doesn't cooperate with a bike trip, etc. Or maybe when we get there, another hill town will come calling ... just our thoughts... have fun! :)

The David is probably one of the only things you'll be interested in the Accademia. It will be a very quick museum trip. I would highly recommend visiting the Uffizi as well as the Accademia, because it has a lot more to it. You can spend as little or as much time as you want there, but I think it is a valuable place to visit. Stop at the cafe inside and get some espresso, drink it on the patio overlooking the city. Another fun thing to do in Florence is walk (hike, really, it's a bit of a trek but very worth it) up to the Piazzale Michelangelo and get a beautiful view of the city. I took one of my favorite photos of Florence from there.

Laura Here is what you said. "I feel like we are not giving Florence justice, by doing two daytrips in the country; but they really fit our interests and allow us to see a bit of Tuscany, while staying in the city to get a bit of shopping/touring in. " What I hear from this is very clear. You want to see more in the country! Go for it! Stay in Lucca. IMHO, staying in cities is not the best way to see a country. And you are already staying 11 nights in cities! You will be in cities most evenings. So feel free to spend as many days or day trips in the countryside as you want. The whole point of a trip to Europe or anywhere is to travel to experience your interests. So others will give you advice but you must filter it through your own desires. Bobbie