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I'm not getting the Firenze card I don't think.

From Oct 9th to the 13th my friend and I will be in Florence. So I have gone multiple times to the website for the Firenze card and see all the museums and historical attractions I'm interested are offered via the card except for climbing the dome if you wanted. I've read the 4 previous posts on this question. The one thing that sucks is that the card is valid for only 72 hours from when you use it for the first time. I see that most of the museums, gardens etc have a specific line for Firenze card holders so that helps speed up getting into the place. With the Uffizi and the Accademia you need to call the number and make a reservation time to get in. I need to call tomorrow and hopefully they will have available times for when where there. I think I read that these museums offer audio tours which is nice because you can walk at your own pace. Going on a tour is great too.

I read an article earlier on the pros and cons and there's no right answer. It just depends it said. I think I'm leaning to not getting it. I know someone said they did the math and compared the cost of all the attractions they planned to visit versus buying the card. Its about the same price. Its a convenience thing of already having paid for the museums etc and having a dedicated entry line. I think its great. Out of the almost 5 days were in Florence two of them will be out to visit Siena and an olive oil tasting tour. From that article I read it said that other then the Uffizi and Accademia the lines for the other attractions is generally fairly quick. It said on a occasions their might be a line but most of the time the wait isn't long. So I can call tomorrow to get our time slots for the Uffizzi and Accademia unless we decided to join a paid tour. We can also pay a little extra to get our tickets for these museums in advance and pay for the others when we decide to go visit them. That why we won't be in a huge line waiting to buy our tickets.

I don't want our trip to be too rigid. We need time for La dolce fare niente. So does anyone agree or disagree that the lines at the other attractions normally aren't too long? I think it will be better not having the card because then we don't have to rush seeing everything I want to see in 72 hours. Also we plan to join at least one tour of the city which may or may not already include one of the museums. Typing this out is helping me to process whats the best choice for us and I think its just buying the tickets as we go along. That way we can spread out going to the various museums over of 5 days along with our two day trips.

Posted by
15681 posts

Take note that the Firenze Card isn't currently covering entry to ANY of the museums. Whether it will or not by Oct. is anyone's best guess.

http://www.firenzecard.it/en

I don't expect queues to be long at most of the museums with the exception of the Uffizi and maybe the Accademia. But aside from that, based on what you wrote in a previous post, you've barely allotted 72 daytime hours just for Florence anyway. From that post:

Right now for our Florence portion I have 4 nights/ 5 days total. On
the first day in Firenze we arrive there by train from Rome at 10AM in
the morning and start to explore the city. Out of the five days there
two will be used to see Siena/ San Gimignano etc via a 1 day group
tour from Florence. And then another separate day trip would be to
hopefully visit an organic olive grove with oil tasting .

You'd only have 72 continual hours to use a card if the olive grove thing is a short tour on the afternoon of Day 4, and Siena/ San Gimignano is on Day 5. If you buy and start using the card at noon on day 1, it will expire at noon on Day 4. That said, your time for seeing the museums is pretty much the same whether you have a card or not. You just wouldn't have to plan for those continual hours.

If you haven't found it yet, this is the official ticketing site for most of Florence's museums: visiting hours for some of them, such as San Marco, can be tricky.
http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/uffizi/default_eng.aspx

And for the duomo complex:
https://duomo.firenze.it/en/home

Posted by
85 posts

Too bad on the Firenze card though for others. Yeah I just went to the website and tried to buy a pass just to see and it said temporarily suspended. Luckily it doesn't matter because I decided not to buy the pass. I just went to the Uffuzi gallery and was able to buy two tickets with an entrance time and it includes the Pitti Museums and the Boboli etc Gardens. You don't need a time for those places. We may not go to the Pitti museums and perhaps it would have been cheaper to just get the Boboli and the Uffizi tickets separately but buying the three together it said we will have a special line for getting in. Also we have 5 days I think to use it or something. The money is going to a great cause anyways so if we decided we were too tired to see the Pitti museums no worries. Definitely going to see the gardens. I love art but sometimes you can see to much all at once and your head spends.

Posted by
15681 posts

Yeah I just went to the website and tried to buy a pass just to see

It's stated that the pass isn't active right on the front page of the website.

You bought the PassePartout for the Uffizi/Pitti/Boboli/Archeological Museum /Museum of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. You must visit the Uffizi FIRST before you can use the pass for any of the rest of the museums/gardens it covers. I might also suggest doing a virtual "walk" of segments of the Boboli on google maps before making a decision whether to do that one or not? It has been a disappointment to individuals expecting meticulous maintenance and lots of flowers. It's OK as long as you know what to expect.

https://www.uffizi.it/en/pages/combined-ticket

Posted by
85 posts

Thanks Kathy, for info. I've already bought our uffizi tickets earlier. Although we're heading to Siena and olive oil tasting those will be from Florence. It might be that we do a tour that combines both into one long tour or two different days. It's a mute point now anyways with Covid and not selling pass but I'm just going to buy tickets individually anyways. I will have flexibility so over the 5ish days there, we can spread out museums and the 2 day excursions. Thanks for the links. 🤗

Posted by
85 posts

Ok will check Boboli Gardens virtually but yes its not a typical gardens with flowers etc. If I'm not mistaken it's like most palaces of Europe that were grand with huge water features and manicured bushes that are in rows etc.

Yes I bought the 5 day pass and already have a scheduled time for entrance into the Uffizi. When you buy the pass it has you pick a time for the museum.

Posted by
15681 posts

You had mentioned doing not just Siena but a Siena/San Gimignano tour from Florence, unless you've changed that plan? Those are generally full-day tours of 12-13 hours so I don't see being able to add the olive grove thing to the same day. Remember that daylight will be somewhat short in October.

Posted by
85 posts

Hi Kathy no if we did both Siena and San Gimingano both then yes the olive oil tour would be on another day. If San Gimignano was removed and just Siena then maybe. Most tours have some wine tasting but maybe there's one that does oil tasting instead. Most likely I will do them separately but I'll have to see options and wants included etc.

Posted by
3777 posts

Liliana, we always go back and forth over buying these cards in different cities. I wish they didn’t have the time limit, they would be so much more appealing if you could have a 3 day card to use over say 6 days. The Amsterdam museum card is good for 31 days and 5 visits. This is such a better deal and less stressful. I am wondering now that every museum/sight needs a timed entrance since covid, if this will be the norm and the cards will no longer be necessary. We only ended up purchasing them to skip the lines, we never felt we saved much money. We shall see in time.

Posted by
26840 posts

Most major-city sightseeing cards are very time-limited. Often you can buy a 1-day card, a 2-day card, etc. The per-day cost is lower for the longer-lasting cards, but who wants to spend 3 days in a row jogging through museums? I certainly do not. Those cards don't usually work for me because I do not make short trips to museums; I either skip them entirely or I want to see all.the.things. The need to pre-book entry times at many sights this year makes it harder to be an efficient sightseer and make a card pay off financially.

I've found the cards for smaller cities often worthwhile, in contrast. Their goal may be different. Rather than skimming more money off tourists who put a premium on being able to flash a card (not necessarily working this year, of course--check every sight's website), some smaller cities seem to be interested in introducing some of their less-well-known sights to visitors. They often are valid for a week, which is a very generous time period in a small city. And they are usually priced very reasonably, so you come out ahead after seeing just a few sights. I was very happy with the Orvieto card and the Padua card in 2015.

I will also mention that both Lombardy (the Milan region) and Piedmont (the Turin region) have area-wide cards that could save considerable money for slow travelers. I look forward to buying those when I eventually get to Italy.

Posted by
85 posts

Yeah it seems like this is a hot question for Firenze. To buy or not to buy that is the question. At the moment it's mute anyways and I've decided to to just buy individually the sites so I'm not rushing and don't have to see all of them over 72 hours. I've used the City pass card when I was in NY and loved it from what I recall. It must have had longer valid days. The only other City where it might behoove us is for Rome. We're there just two days and plan to do the Vatican and then another day for the Parthenon, Colliseum other attractions. If we're on a tour they might include that in the price. I love having local guides. Food for thought.

Posted by
5955 posts

To buy or not to buy that is the question

There is nothing to question. The Firenze Card is not active and is not for sale now.

  • The only other City where it might behoove us is for Rome. We're there just two days and plan to do the Vatican and then another day for the Parthenon, Colliseum other attractions.*

You will need prebooked timed entries for the Vatican and the Colosseum. The Parthenon is in Greece.
The Pantheon in Rome is free and does not require a timed entry.

Posted by
15681 posts

Lilliana, if you only have two days in Rome, you don't need a card. The Pantheon is free, the Roma Pass doesn't include the Vatican Museums. and the Omnia Card (which does include Vatican Museums) is notoriously overpriced; I've never seen a recommendation to purchase that one. Ever.

The Colosseum requires advance, timed-entry tickets, even with a pass. Most tours do include entry fees.
https://www.coopculture.it/en/culture/

Advance, timed-entry reservations are also required for the Vatican Museums:

https://m.museivaticani.va/content/dam/museivaticani/pdf/pop_up/covid_musei_vaticani_en.pdf
https://tickets.museivaticani.va/home

Oops. Was typing away at the same time as Christine so sorry for the redundancy.

Posted by
85 posts

Thank you ladies, Yes I know that the Firenze card is not offered right now. I was trying to be funny I guess. Shakespeare. I already bought my Uffizi 5 day pass with a entrance time to the museum there but maybe once you go there its only vallid for 72 hours . I've gone on docent tours and done audio headsets. I enjoy both. RS suggests in his book a tour company called Art viva and they look great. In some cases they're more expensive but you know your getting a quality guide. On Viatar there's lots of local tour guide companies that do walking tours of Florence or other cities but knowing which ones are good or not is difficult unless you read the reviews before booking. Art Viva is not the only game in town but because RS recommends them so I feel like I should use them. As you know from my post before I'm on a budget but having quality local guides is worth paying the $. Does it mean that the other walking tours etc offered via Viatar are not great guides?! I'll have to see length of time and cost compared to others tours and see whats better over all.

Posted by
5955 posts

Viator is a reseller, they do not actually run any tours themselves.

Look for the actual tour company and book with them.

Walks of Italy highly recommended and I believe they offer a RS discount.
https://www.walksofitaly.com

ToursbyRoberto.com
is another

I already bought my Uffizi 5 day pass with a entrance time to the
museum there but maybe once you go there its only vallid for 72 hours

You really need to review exactly what you bought and how it works.
If you purchased the PassePartout - it is good for 5 consecutive days. You must visit the Uffizi first.

Also note if you plan to visit Boboli Gardens on a Saturday you must have a reservation
https://www.uffizi.it/en/notices/Reservation-required-on-Saturdays-and-public-holidays

Posted by
2792 posts

You might want to take a look at the Amici degli Uffizi card http://www.amicidegliuffizi.it/diventa_socio.php?pg=8&ln=en
It can be a cost-effective investment if you're particularly interested in the Uffizi, the Pitti Palace & Boboli Gardens, and a few other local museums where the card is honored.
We found it to be the closest thing to a true VIP pass in that we could show up at the entrance any time we wanted and would be immediately ushered to the head of the line (the line going thru security that is). With it we were able to spend an hour or 2 spaced out over several visits and thus avoid the mind numbing experience of trying to cram everything into a single visit in order to "get our money's worth".
I wrote up a trip report after we returned from Florence a couple of years ago describing our experience in more detail. Can find it by using the search feature on this site if you're interested. It was a terrific cost saver for us - might work for you too.

Posted by
85 posts

Thanks Robert for that Info. I was actually thinking about becoming a member and seeing what the costs of that was versus going the other ticket routes. It looks like It would have been a little more if we bought the family member for 2 people. Is the line for members different and faster to get into the museum than people who have the 5 day Passport card? I think were fine as we have 8:30 AM entrance. If someone was to be in Florence longer I think it pays for itself. Ill look into the Accademia museum to see the pros and cons. If I'm able to get an early morning time slot for entrance to museum lines won't be long anyways. Maybe there's a discount at the museum cafe or when renting headsets etc. I'll be in Florence for 5 days but really only 3 for visiting the city all day. The other two will be day trips outside the city so 99% won't have time to go back to visit either Uffizzi or Accademia more than once

I'm hoping they changed the name of the Passport 5 day because when I purchased two last night In my confirmation email they named it differently as listed below. I think this is correct because who's going to want to buy a 5 day pass from the Uffizzi that wouldn't include the other locations but just the Uffizi and when I google this it seems that its for all locations associated with the Uffizi.

Galleria degli Uffizi, Sun 10.10.2021

Ticket details:
Entrance: 08:30 - 08:45
38,00 EUR ( Intero Cumulativo 5 giorni )

Entrance: 08:30 - 08:45
38,00 EUR ( Intero Cumulativo 5 giorni )

Posted by
15681 posts

Robert, the cost of the € 70,00 pp. Amici degli Uffizi card is not worth it for the few museums it covers for the few days they are in Florence, IMHO. It's not like they have time for repeat visits! Plus, the OP has*already bought the PassePartou pass for the Uffizi/Boboli/Pitti/etc. and for a little over about 1/2 the price.

We actually did buy the Amici degli Uffiz card some years ago when we had more days in Florence than the OP does, when it included MANY more museums than it does now, and you didn't need advance reservations for any of them. There's no way I'd personally buy this card for a short-term stay unless the goal is making multiple visits to the Uffizi/Pitti and missing some others of Florence's great museums. The card is really built for locals who can visit the few museums it covers many times annually, or folks on longer stays.

LOL, the Pitti was one giant time eater! We thought it chewed up more of that than the Uffizi! :O)

Lilliana, you've already bought the 5-day PassePartout pass...and it appears that you've already committed to a 08:30 - 08:45 time to enter the Uffizi. Stay with what you have and quit worrying about the queue; show up for your reserved time and you'll get in. They don't have to re-name the pass: if you bought a 38€ pass, you got one that includes the Uffizi, Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens and the Museum of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure.

https://www.uffizi.it/en/pages/combined-ticket

Also quit worrying about discounts on audioguides and whatever. It's been a really tough couple of years for tourism so pay whatever it is for the services you want to have? Besides, if economy is the goal, an audioguide tour almost always costs less that a human guide.

Posted by
85 posts

Thanks for letting me know that the pass I bought is the passport pass. As it had a different name listed on receipt then what was originally listed as said pass I thought i made a mistake. Now that I know that I have the right pass I wanted, all is great. Thanks everyone.

Posted by
15681 posts

You're welcome.
And do heed the advice not to book tours through Viator? If you would like suggestions from RS posters who've booked walking tours they've enjoyed and would recommend, then just post a new question. You'll get lots of responses!

Posted by
2792 posts

Sounds like the OP is all set.
I would make the point, however, that we found that one of the most beneficial aspects of the Amici card was that it was a true "skip the line" pass at the Uffizi - never had to worry about the rigamarole of calling for a set entry time and then having to plan the rest of our day around it. We just showed up at door #2 whenever the spirit moved us, flashed the cards, and were immediately ushered into the museum. That feature alone could make it a worthwhile option for many, though I do agree that to get full value from the card you need to spend more than just a few days in the city, or at least have a particular interest in the Uffizi with perhaps the intention of visiting more than once - the pass actually pays for itself after a second visit to the museum.

Posted by
15681 posts

We're more same page than not, Robert. :O)
As I recall, you were staying in Florence for a whole month, and I was insanely jealous!!! With that kind of time, the Amici degli Uffizi pass made perfect sense. I would have done the same!

Posted by
85 posts

Thanks everyone. No, I wish I was staying in Florence for a month. My sister though back In 1996 was in Florence for 8 months or so studying Italian. I've already got the 5 day pass for the uffizi so I'm good. I wish I had more time in Florence but alas only 3 days really. My original Itinerary when I was going to try and take my dad was fly to Rome and do 1 week each in Florence, Chiavari and Rome. My dad was born in a village near Chiavari so we would have visited his house, and some of the other towns perhaps near there like Santa Margarita which is pretty. Now that I'm taking a friend to Italy were going all over in what I think and hope is not a rushed trip. Ideally you have a 5 days to a week in all the major cities. I'd like to apologize to Rome. I'm only spending 3 nights and two days there. In my defense when you look at RS tours he does just two days to see the main attractions. If we were traveling for a month in Italy those extra days would have made a huge difference and I could have had more time to every location were going to and add the Assisi which I had to cut for time. If I'm lucky I will live there one day perhaps on a farm with olive trees. I could always fix my dads house and live there but it needs lots of work and technically other side of family owns it so I would have to buy it. It's sitting on the market now but no one wants it.