I have seen many suggestions for making reservations in advance for some of the busier tourist spots. Should this be done from US a month or so in advance or while in Italy a day or so in advance? Difference?
Posted by
Seattle, WA
1317 posts
Like the other poster said, reservations for Colosseum/Forum are unnecessary. Either purchase a Roma Pass at the TI in Termini or purchase it or the combo ticket at the Palentine Hill office to avoid the lines (or at the Forum if you aren't going to Palentine Hill). Then you can bypass the long ticket counter line at the Colosseum and go straight up to the security check.
For the Vatican, there is now an option to purchase reserved tickets online. If you don't plan to take a tour, but are worried about lines, this would be a good way to go. With extended hours, the around-the-block lines generally aren't there anymore, except on the free Sundays and Wednesdays after the pope's audience.
The main advantage of making reservations in advance from the U.S. is you've got them and you know you won't miss out. The downside is you have to do a little extra work, call Italy, etc. or get your hotel to do it for you. Plus, advance reservations usually incur an extra fee (often, but not always worth it) and then you're locked into your plans for that day.
Posted by
OP
Nashville, TN, USA
34 posts
Sorry. Florence, Rome, Venice. In particular I'm talking about for the Accademia, Uffizi, Forum, Colisseum, Vatican.
Posted by
Ottawa, Ontario,, Canada
521 posts
The Accademia needs to be booked well in advance, especially for the summer months. It can book up even more than a month in advance.
Posted by
sauk rapids, mn
267 posts
we had our hotel in florence make our reservations for us a couple of months in advance . in rome we made reservations with angel tours for the vatican tour. we did not make reservations for the forum colesseum, etc. we used the roma pass for these sights. we traveled in march/april 2008 which was not crazy busy but busy enough to justify reservations for the big ones. good luck :):)
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
For the Accademia and Uffizi in Florence, I would suggest booking as soon as you know the date. This could mean a lot of months ahead. The site (http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/Uffizi/default.aspx) shows a calendar of what dates are available. This is often not really correct as posters on this site report calling direct and getting tickets for times shown as not available on the website.
You don't need any advance tickets for Venice. The Doge's Palace is one of the most popular but you've got to get there early before the masses of visitors from the cruise ships show up.