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Options for getting Uffizi ticket

Posted by on

I am planning a very last minute trip to Italy and looking into getting Uffizi tickets. I looked on the official website and there are no early morning slots on either 4-Sept (Thurs) or 6-Sept (Sat) for two people. I really prefer early morning to avoid the high season crowds. I've read RS's advice for getting tickets and have a few questions:

  1. I can call the Uffizi "hotline" to make a reservation or ask my hotel to book a reservation for me. Could either of these have access to (early a.m.) timeslots that the Uffizi website does not have or shows as sold out?

  2. I visited the Uffizi once about 15 years ago in August. (I am not that old, but that last sentence makes me feel it!) Back then, I got to the Uffizi about 45 minutes before opening, was about the 5th person in line and had the Uffizi practically to myself. If I did this again, how good are my chances that I'll be able to get in as soon as they open, or within 30 minutes thereof? I'm thinking that online booking may take up so many slots that no-res visitors get in only at a snail's pace, and that getting there really early still won't do me any good.

  3. I've read online that the crowds tend to thin out in the late afternoons. Would this be true in early September? Because if so, I could just taking a reservation at 16h30. Having said that, my guess is it will still be really crowded at that hour!

I know there are other options of getting in early, but they are a bit pricey for us. The Firenze card is probably not worth it given we have only two days in Florence. To have a guide take us into the Uffizi in the morning, we would have to hire him or her for just the two of us and again, that is pretty expensive. Your insights are most welcome!

Posted by
15797 posts

Based on the lines we've seen there - and people I know who've waited in line for hours for tickets - I would not take the chance on just showing up. We had the Friends of the Uffizi passes, showed up first thing in the morning - during shoulder season - and the line was already really long. We were really glad we had passes. I don't recall that the line was any shorter when we left in the afternoon.

The only way to find out if there any any early morning openings left is to contact them by phone or have your hotel try the same. Otherwise, show up even earlier than first thing in the morning, and settle in for a wait until the doors open. Bring your breakfast and a book.

Posted by
3 posts

Tim - are the third party websites, such as the one you suggested, trustworthy for getting reservations? I don't mind paying a little extra to get the advance reservations from one of them so long as the reservations are "real."

Thanks to you both!

Selene

Posted by
168 posts

Great question. On the same topic, my family plans on buying a Firenze Card while we are there, but I've heard that you still have to wait in a line, smaller line, but is it better to make reservations even though you have a Firenze Card?

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