My husband and will be in Florence in late September 2019. We are art lovers, but averse to fighting crowds. Any suggestions from recent visits to the Uffizi Gallery? Is there a time of day/week when we might enjoy the visit more? Or recent experiences so we know what to expect?
Thank you!
Florence is a "year round city" in terms of tourism. I visited on a Sunday in February, it was busy but not intolerably so (I'm very intolerant of crowds so if I can tolerate it then most people should find it ok).
It's always going to be busy, there's no avoiding it. Either go first thing or late to minimise the crowds.
And watch out for free days or National Culture Days. The crowds then are very, very, very large 'cause the locals like a good deal as much as any American tourist.
When we were in Florence in June we went to the Uffizi several times - each first thing in the morning. Though the crowds had started to line up outside by 8 AM, we were able to enter with one of the first couple of groups and almost had the place to ourselves as a result, even at the most popular stops along the corridor. Was actually a very pleasant experience for an hour or so.
The timed entry scheme they've gone to does help with crowd control but it can start to fill up later in the morning and into the afternoon. Can get warm later in the day too, so my best advice is to get the earliest timed entry you can manage.
Just left Florence on the 31st of August. The gallery was not too crowded early in the morning. A lot of tours but easy to navigate after my tour was over. I spent at least another hour and never felt crowded. A fantastic way to spend a few hours.
