Our Firenze Card Experience

We, however, paid 85 euro each, while theirs were 72, including the
public transportation option.

Your friends probably purchased the card before the price went up from 72 to 85€ on June 1. The increase was in response to individual ticket-price increases for the Uffizi and Pitti.

It's interesting that you note transport included under the base-priced cards as the transport option (Firenzecard +) under the previous 72€ card was an extra 5,00 €, and is listed as an extra 7,00 € for the current 85€ card

http://www.firenzecard.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20&Itemid=119&lang=en

"What does Firenzecard+ include?
If you add 7,00 € you can get Firenzecard+, that includes: access to the city’s public transport (Ataf&Linea buses and tram) for 72 hours from the activation for the cardholder and children in the immediate family under 18; 1 Museum Guidebook; 1 Firenzecard+ bag; special offers."

"How can I purchase Firenzecard+?
Firenzecard+ can be purchased: online on www.firenzecard.it at the same time of purchasing your Firenzecard and only if you buy a Firenzecard; at the Info Point Cavour with credit/debit card only; at the Info Point Stazione, Palazzo Vecchio Biglietteria, Cappella Brancacci, Museo Stefano Bardini, Museo 900, Museo di Santa Maria Novella. In case of online purchase you can decide: to collect your "physical Firenzecard+" at one of the collection points listed on the voucher you received after the purchase OR use the "digital Firenzecard", downloading our App. The price of Firenzecard+ is the same, whether it is bought online or in Florence."

Thanks for the detailed feedback on the Firenze card. I'm headed to Florence soon and was trying to decide whether to get it or not. Since I'm not going to the Uffizi (been there already), I decided not to get it. Great information.

Our experience with the Firenze Card was a little different, I think because we were there in November and not during a peak (and very hot) season. We walked right into everything, despite some places having extremely long lines. No wait at all for the Uffizi. At the Duomo - did you wait for the tower climb? Because the church itself is free and we did have to queue for that one. No Firenze Card needed but also no way to skip the line. EDIT I now see what you wrote. Sorry!

The thing I loved about the card is that I had no hesitation to drop into any of the museums on a whim and worry if I got a good dollar (or euro) for value. We saw some places that may have not been on my list. We spent two glorious hours at the Museo Galileo. If that wasn't included I am not sure I would have gone out of my way to go.

I am heading back for a week in November by myself and am thinking about getting the card again. This time I am weighing it against daytrips. All of our problems should be so difficult!

Agree with Erodgreg.
One of the advantage of this card, is that you don’t have to think about budget when purchased. You drop in everywhere.
I was there in june last year for 3 days and it was well worth investment.

We are going October 4 -7. The only thing I've purchased is the Duomo climb, with reserved time. We want to see Ufizzi, David, and ? This is our first visit.

We were there in mid October and experienced very short waits using the pass. In fact the longest wait (about 20 min) was to buy it at the SMN TI. The Accademia and Uffizi both had endless lines for entry, but we were in in under 15 min. None of the other museums or churches we visited had any lines to speak of. We definitely saved some money over the 3 days, and time, too, at the 2 biggest sites. Naturally the lines will be much worse in the height of summer (which is why we are never there then).

I really loved the Firenze Card. I saw all that I wanted (and likely saw more than I would have) without worrying about beating long lines. We used it just this past month, so the lines at Accademia and Uffizi especially long. I see how you might have a hard time with justifying the cost if you really like to linger or don’t have a lot of time in Florence, but it was excellent for our three days of usage. I’ll document all we did below to show how it could be useful

Day 1: Bargello, Duomo Complex (minus the Dome climb...this was something we actively chose not to do), Santa Croce. We shopped after this and went up to Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato

Day 2: Accademia, San Marco, San Lorenzo Complex, Medici Chapels, Santa Maria Novella, Brancacci Chapels

Day 3: Uffizi, Pitti Palace (Used it for Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments, Boboli Gardens, Modern Art Museum, and Argentine Museum), Palazzo Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio tower climb

Someone might come back and say we still didn’t break even. I didn’t count up the costs individually. But the card was definitely a nice way to smooth entry into things and not worry about reservations or exchanging vouchers, ect.
That being said, Accademia and Uffizi were the only ones who developed enormous lines, which popped up even before opening.

The Firenze card is great if you plan on visiting more than a couple of sights. There’s so much to see, that ability to pop into some of these other sites (Medici Chapel, Brancacci Chapel, etc) on a whim was a godsend. It seems like less an advantage for Uffizi.

Also, we bought ours in the morning at the TI just a block north of the Duomo. No line at all.