Hello-We are going to Italy for 10 days at the end of May, and we have 3 nights/2.5 days in beautiful Florence. One day will be a tour of Tuscany, it's already booked. Leaving us a half day (arrival at SMN station at 12:30 on Friday), and a full day (Saturday) to explore the city. I would really like to see the Uffizi, Accademia and Duomo. My question is this--a full day tour with all 3 is available (Walks of Italy looks nice). Is it too much for 1 day with 2 kids? It's a bit pricey, but seems like a good value bc of the skip the lines, guides, etc. The other option I was considering was The Uffizi in the afternoon on the half day and the Accademia and Duomo on day 2. This will cost more because it's 2 different tours, but is it worth it to spread it out? Any recommendations appreciated. I want to do RS's walking tour (Renaissance walk I think). And maybe if time permits, was considering the Pitti Palace/Boboli gardens. They don't seem to be as popular as the others, and my kids may be too wiped out to see more museums, but we'll see. I'd love your expert thoughts! Thanks!
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Three major sights in one day might be overload for the kids, depending on how interested they are. The Accademia and Duomo complex (see the Baptistry interior as well) pair very well; if you can stand another museum, the Museo dell' Opere del Duomo has many beautiful pieces that used to be in the Duomo and Baptistry.
Posted by
OP
Nashville, TN, USA
444 posts
Thank you! I was worried that all 3 in one day might be a bit much. I think perhaps I will spread the museum love :)
Posted by
Vancouver, BC, Canada
1216 posts
You could pre-buy tickets for tha Accademia for the first afternoon. I believe if you do that you may skip the line. We bought tickets in the late afternoon on the day of arrival and waited in line. Because the attraction is not large and most tourists just run in to take a photo of the David and leave, the line-up moved very quickly. You could save a few dollars by not paying for a guided tour in this smaller attraction.
You can definitely buy timed admission tickets directly from the Uffizi, so you do not need to pay for a tour to skip the line. We did not use a guided tour, but I had a pretty good idea of the major paintings and I also had the Rick Steves audioguide. You would know better if your family prefers to have a guided tour or not.
If you can pay and skip the lines at the Duomo, that would be nice. We had line-up waits for the dome, tower etc. The line-ups were reasonable, but the time standing around does add up witheach entry.
Posted by
OP
Nashville, TN, USA
444 posts
Thanks! I was curious if we could do Accademia without a tour guide. I will look into options for the Duomo, as I expect it to be crowded and do not want to wait in lines if I can avoid it.
Posted by
Seattle
15 posts
We took the Florence in a Day tour from Walks of Italy last Spring and we loved it. My 9 and 11 year old and my parents (late 60's) all enjoyed the tour. Our guide brought the art and history of Florence to life. It is basically two tours with an hour break for lunch. It was expensive but absolutely worth it.
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5407 posts
I went to Florence recently with 4 kids all under the age of 18. We just ate a lot of gelato and sat in squares watching them run around. We didn't set foot in a museum or church and had a fantastic time.
Posted by
New Orleans
1207 posts
Consider also a couple of hours in the Galileo Museum, which is well structured to be appealing to youth. It's located right along the river, one block from the back of the Uffizi. Basically when you exit the Uffizi, you will be on back street. Turn right, go one block toward the river, and there's the Galileo Museum. It's full of models, interactive exhibits and if either of your kids is interested in science - mathematics, medicine, astronomy, etc. - may be a really cool antidote to art overload. Take a look at their website for more info: museogalileo dot it.
Posted by
OP
Nashville, TN, USA
444 posts
Thanks for the suggestion! I was thinking about the Galileo museum. It looks very interesting. We'll see if we can work it in. And Emily-- I do love the idea of just hanging out in Florence, people watching and eating gelato, but I can't go there and NOT see David :) Maybe on our next trip...one can dream... :)