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Recommendations for Finalizing Florence

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In May, we will be traveling from Varenna to Florence. Some of our activities have already been scheduled.
Tuesday afternoon. Arrive in Florence. Take the iBike tour.
Wednesday - Wine Tour - pretty much takes the whole day. Maybe the Renaissance Walk?
Thursday - open for touring.

Friday open for touring until 5:00 p.m. cooking class (30 minute bus ride from hotel)
Saturday - Fiat 500 classic tour 9 - 11. Afternoon open.

Sunday - heading to Siena. Departure time is flexible.

We would like recommendations on how to schedule the things we would like to see on our open days and time. We are also debating the Firenze card. We don’t mind paying a little extra for convenience and flexibility. If we would be more efficient with reservations, then we are willing to use that method. In addition, we are not huge art lovers, and we don’t feel like we would linger long in the museums.

Here is our list:

Accademia
Duomo, Duomo Museum, Baptistery, and climb the dome
Uffizi Gallery [I thought the tickets were $12 looks like they are $24 in May]. ?
Santa Maria Novelle Church
Mercado Centrale
Ponte Vecchio
Rick Steves Renaissance Walk
Oltrano Walk and artisan Workshops
Fiesole
Courtyard of Palazzo Vecchio

If any time is left, we would like to see the following (if we don’t get to these - if we ever go back we can do them). We like to have options in the event that things change....

Lucca
Climb Campanile Tower
Boboli Gardens

Yes, I am a type A person.

Thank you in advance!

JF

Posted by
360 posts

We used the Firenze Card for our trip (four nights/3.5 days) and thought it was worth every penny. The savings in some of the lines (esp. for The David) were far worth it. We also used it for public transportation, even taking the bus up to the Piazzale Michelangelo (if you want a classic view of the city). Like you, we didn't dwell in museums (I think we lasted a little over two hours in the Uffizi), and we did most of what was on your list. One thing I might recommend is the Medici Chapel -- it's done in various shades of dark marble was really beautiful to look at (more than I expected -- went based on a friend's recommendation). As for how to plan, I would say to do it in geographic groups so you're not zig zagging around the city. And we generally do the longer items first in the day, so we're not worn out. And stop for gelato whenever you can!

Posted by
16708 posts

Uffizi Gallery [I thought the tickets were $12 looks like they are $24
in May]. ?

Yes, they're going to seasonal ticket pricing for the Uffizi, Pitti Palace and Boboli gardens in March so tickets will cost more for visitors during the warmer months (March 1 - Oct 31) than during the winter. They'll also institute some early-bird pricing for Pitti complex during the summer.

http://www.theflorentine.net/news/2017/07/uffizi-ticket-price-change/

I've been watching pricing on the Firenze Card to see if it rises accordingly but so far there's been no change, and no talk out there - yet, anyway - that it will.

It looks like you have roughly 3 sightseeing days to work with. Lucca would be an entire day so it's not really an "if there's time left" activity, and would cancel out one day of Firenze Card Value. These are the things on your wish lists which are covered by the card:

Uffizi
Accademia
Duomo Complex, but reservations are mandatory to climb the dome. If using the card, you can't make them until you're in Florence. The card does not allow you to skip lines at the cathedral itself, as it's free, and entry courtyard only of the Palazzo Vecchio didn't require a card or ticket when we were there.

http://www.firenzecard.it/index.php?option=com_eventfi253&view=vistas&task=viewplace&idplace=79&tipo=musei&lang=en

Santa Maria Novella
Boboli Gardens

The longest ticket lines will be at the Uffizi, Accademia and maybe some parts of the Duomo complex so to bypass them, it's either use the card or buy individual tickets/make reservations in advance. It comes down to convenience and math. With the card, you may find yourself stopping into a few more things that you would have without it? The Medici chapels left us cold but the Bargello and Museo di San Marco and were excellent. If you're not really into art, their smaller sizes and lighter crowds may appeal to you more than the Uffizi.

Do note that local transport is not covered by the regular 72-hour card, You need to purchase the Firenzecard+ card for an additional 5,00 € for that. Central Florence is very walkable, though, so other than the hike up to, say, Piazza Michelangelo (HIGHLY suggested, and stop into San Miniato (free) while you're up there) or to Fiesole, you may not need it. See the FAQ page of the website for Firenze+ info:

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

Best time-saving strategy for us is grouping attractions by area whenever possible.

Posted by
8460 posts

Accademia
Duomo, Duomo Museum, Baptistery, and climb the dome
Uffizi Gallery [I thought the tickets were $12 looks like they are $24 in May]. ?
Basilica di Santa Croce (amazing church where Dante, Galileo, Machiavelli and Rossini are buried.
Mercado Centrale
Ponte Vecchio

These are the must see items.

The two museums will take you about three hours each to see. The Duomo is not open every days so check out the days in advance. It takes a little time to climb to the dome.

We did a bike tour of Florence that was nice when we first arrived in the city. A good way to get around and see the city.

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