My husband and i will be arriving Florence on Sunday 9/15/19 eatly afternoon from Rome. We will have the option of seeing the Uffizi or David that afternoon. Whichever we don't see Sunday, we will book to see Tuesday ( we will see Duomo on Monday). Would you recommend David or Uffizi for Sunday? Also, if anyone has recommendations for mini guided walking tours in Florence we'd love recommendations.
Best,
MA
I do not think order matters, I would let ticket availability dictate when you see each, then fill in the rest from there. Obviously Monday both are closed and their hours are basically the same, no late closures for either. I suppose if art is something you really enjoy, then maybe save the Uffizi for Tuesday when you have more time, the Accademia is more compact, and David is the main attraction, many do not get much beyond the central gallery.
Hi there -
I'd do the Uffizi on Tuesday because of this:
https://www.uffizi.it/en/notices/uffizi-open-during-summer-evenings-2019
Late-night hours there will enable you to stretch your daytime sightseeing. Also, the Accademia is smaller and will be more easily managed after the transfer process from Rome. Just in case you don't have the official ticketing site for both museums...
http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/uffizi/default_eng.aspx
As far as walks, we usually use those provided in many guidebooks so that we can move at our own pace. That said, this is a reputable company spoken highly of by many RS posters whom have taken their tours (in Rome as well). This might be a good choice for your first night in Florence:
https://www.walksofitaly.com/florence-tours/welcome-florence-walking-tour/
Rick also provides a free, self-guided "Renaissance Walk" audio tour which can be downloaded to your own devices.
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/italy
Depending on where you are staying, you might be able to combine parts of that tour (see the map) with your walks to/from the museums versus do it as an individual event; same with guidebook walks. That would free up more time for other things too. :O)
When you get there hit the TI just off the plaza. They are excellent walking tours for various areas.
As Kathy mentioned, Walks of Italy is well regarded. We took two tours of Florence with them. We took the morning walk of Florence which includes tickets to the Accademia to see David. We were given an hour there, which is plenty of time to see David, but not enough time for a deep dive in the museum. From there we toured the Duomo and did a general walk through the heart of the city.
In the afternoon, we took the Uffizi tour. Again, skip the line tickets were included. Our tour guide Marco has a Master's degree in Art History and he provided some great back stories to what we saw. There were only 6 of us on the tour, so he didn't use his radio microphone. The Uffizi was open late the night of our tour, so we had plenty of time after the tour to explore on our own.
Have a great time on your trip! My wife and I were fortunate. Our first visit to Florence was on a school trip in August 1966. We got to see the original Gates of Paradise panels on the baptistery door. That Fall, there was a terrible flood and the panels dislodged. Luckily, the gate around the doors trapped them and kept them from washing away.
The Accademia is much smaller than the Uffizi, so I would go to the Accademia on Sunday and visit the Uffizi on Tuesday when you'll have more flexibility.
Walking tours- ArtViva.
