We're thinking of leaving our luggage in left luggage at the Florence train station and immediately hitting uffizi and accademia. Is it a close enough walk to these places from the station or do you get a bus/taxi? I looked on Google Earth but it's hard to tell. Our hotel is south of the river and we don't want to waste time taking our bags down there only to come back up to tour since we'll only have one full day or so...
Posted by
Land of La
8714 posts
If I had only one full day I would walk from the train station (Santa Maria Novella I'm assuming) just so I could get a feel of the City. The Accademia is a way from the Arno and as the previous poster noted the Uffizi is right near the river. About a 15 minute walk from the train station I'd say. Same for The Accademia but just in the other direction. Florence is NOT a huge city. Very walkable and if you take you bags to your hotel when you arrive you'll have nothing to worry about. You do have reservations for both museums already, yes?
Posted by
Ottawa, Ontario,, Canada
521 posts
Hi Paige,
I dropped off my bag at the Florence SMN (Santa Maria Novella - the main station) baggage check. I was very happy I did it, but make sure you allow yourself at least fifteen-twenty minutes to drop off or pick up your bags as they work on Italian time there.
To get to the Galeria Accademia, it is about a fifteen-to-twenty minute walk, but it is through a great part of town and you walk right past the Duomo anyways. From the Accademia to the Uffizi, it is about the same time... and the Uffizi back to SMN is about the same time once again. Most of the major things are in the same area (Accademia, Uffizi, Duomo, and Ponte Vecchio) so as long as you have time to stroll around, it is easily done and I recommend it as the town is beautiful.
Just watch out for pickpockets, primarily in the tunnels around Firenze SMN station, as Rick Steves smartly mentions.
Posted by
St Louis
411 posts
Paige
Do you have your museum times reserved yet? Do that first so that you don't burn too much time standing in line. Depending on your arrival time and departure time and the time of your reservations you might be better off to take a taxi directly to your hotel. After dropping off your bags then walk back accross the Arno to the Ufizzi then on to see the David (or reversed depending on the reservation times. See the Duomo wander the streets have a relaxing dinner then wander back across the Arno for a gelato (or vino) near your hotel.
Posted by
OP
Nashville, TN, USA
34 posts
Thanks for the help. The hotel is in Oltarno area and we arrive in FLorence about 12:30 p,m. I'm in the process of making the reservations for the attractions but not sure how much time to allow for lines and how long to allow for the actual visit to Ufizzi, etc. Just going to wing it and space Ufizzi and Accademia about 2.5 hours apart. Then dinner near the hotel. To do or not do the Bargello and Medici....?
We really are more fans of food, wine and local flavor more than art. But the short amount of time really precludes a wine tour, etc.
Posted by
Petaluma, Northern California
345 posts
1.Allow more time for the Uffizi than for the Accademia.
2.Florence is a fabulous city, so I wonder why you want to spend your only day packing in BOTH galleries when you say that's not your primary interest? It's your choice, but you may want to consider if you over-saturate yourself on art galleries you may not appreciate the second gallery so much.
- A wine tour would be best when you're in the country, rather than in Florence.
Posted by
Slidell, LA
555 posts
Paige
Take a taxi from the train station to your hotel and get settled in, then head out on your walk. That will free you up from worrying about getting back to claim your luggage later.
From the Ponte Vecchio to Accademia will take you about 20 minutes, but stop at the Uffizi and get a reservation for later in the day if you aren't able to get advance reservations. We stayed in an apartment in the Oltrano section and walked everywhere. Lines at Accademia can be 30 minutes to 2 1/2 hours and if you're like us, you'll find yourself starring at The David for almost that long, not being able to tear yourself away from the detail.
In between these two museums is what I thought was the highlight of the three days we spent in Florence, The Duomo, one of the five largest churches in the world. Climb the 450+ steps to the top of the dome for the grandest view of Tuscany you'll ever see. And you'll be so close to the inside of the dome on the way down that you can almost touch the painting on it. Sorry your time is limited in Florence. If you can get it, find a local library that has Rick's DVDs and check out the one on Florence. If you can't, rent "Under the Tuscan Sun" and the first building you see after Diane Lane gets to Tuscany is a quick shot of the Duomo. Be prepared to pause the movie and you'll see why it is special. Built between 1296 and 1434, it took that long because no one knew then how to build the 152' diameter, 300' high dome. Have a great trip, and try to find a little extra time in Florence. You won't regret it.
Jim