Hello all! My husband and I are traveling to Florence from Rome from April 11-13. We are staying at the Sette Angeli Rooms. We are taking a cooking class on the afternoon of the 11th. Do you recommend a skip the line tour for one day to see David and Brunellesch’s Dome? What other recommendations? Thank you so very much for your replies..
Posted by
Franklin, TN
223 posts
My short answer is yes. The line to the David was long and we walked right in. We did not visit the Dome, but I think, in general, a timed-skip the line ticket is always a good idea.
Edited - you don’t need a tour- I was just recommending a pre-purchased ticket so you don’t have to stand in the ticket line. Rick Steves audio guide was useful and enjoyable.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5810 posts
You don't need a tour for either of those. For the Accademia, get an advance timed ticket. Buy only from the official website. Note you must show up 15 min in advance to exchange your voucher for an actual ticket.
For the Duomo dome what do you want to do/see? It is visible from the outside from all over Florence, but best from P. Michaelangelo. You can see the inside of the dome from inside the Duomo, and no ticket is required just to visit the main area of the church . However if you want to climb up to the dome, that will also require an advance purchase timed ticket.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1275 posts
The Accademia which houses David - as well as other works of art - has timed tickets which you should definitely schedule ahead of time on a tight schedule. The same is true for Brunelleschi’s Dome tour which comes with a scheduled entry time window. The Dome tour ticket also covers all the other Duomo exhibits. You can also climb the Giotto's Bell Tower which let's you see the dome and those tickets are untimed so you can show up anytime to climb it. The Duomo museum is also very good.
https://tickets.duomo.firenze.it/en/store#/en/buy?skugroup_id=3006
https://webshop.b-ticket.com/webshop/webticket/eventlist?production=4
Both of these tickets will provide you with a time window - usually 15 minutes - so you show up a few minutes early and then they let you in at the appointed time. This is effectively skipping the line because you skip the ticket line. After that there is an airport security line but no one gets to skip that.
In general tours are only worth the extra cost if you really want a tour guide for context and more information because the tour guide is what you're paying for since "skipping the line" is not really a thing. The only exception is if you arrive somewhere without tickets and it's sold out or the ticket line is crazy long then paying for access may be worth it to you.
In April I'd be surprised if you couldn't show up without tickets and just buy them but on a tight schedule it's worth the piece of mind to have them in your hand at the cost of flexibility.
Florence is amazing, have a great trip,
=Tod
Posted by
1 posts
wonderful advice, we’re arriving in Rome than headed to Florence a few days after you, happy travels!
Anyone have advice on their favorite food tours for Rome? We’re on a tight schedule and trying to decide between evening in Trastevere (when we’ll be jet lagged) or morning food Testaccio tour - I was surprised to find some of the times we needed already sold out!
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4383 posts
Just an FYI on Florence, we were there last August, although it was very, very hot, it was not that crowded. We had 7 pm tickets to see David, passed by at 5 and they let us in as there was no line. Not much time is needed there.
Florence was a much smaller city than we thought it would be, so walkable. The Pitti Palace had so much to see in the walls and ceilings that we found it overwhelming. The gardens are vast but it was so hot with not much shade we didn’t stay too long.
After visiting we can understand why many people say it’s their favorite city in Italy.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1275 posts
Hello @curiouscat99, and welcome to the forum,
Proper forum etiquette is to start your own thread with a new question and not hijack other people's questions.
If for no other reason when you start your own thread the answers and/or notifications will come to you and not someone else.
Also searching the forum for similar questions using the search bar can often yield the information you're looking for and more. If after reading what's been posted you still have questions feel free to post your own and add to the discussion.
Welome,
=Tod
Posted by
OP
Montana
21 posts
Hello! Thank you all very much for your advice! We will definitely purchase our tickets as suggested and forgo the tours.. I believe Rick Steve’s has several audio walking tours so that will be perfect! Happy travels! Mary & Dan