uffizi & accademia in one day?

How long will you be in Florence? I wouldn't do the two museums in one day. The Uffizi will take at least three hours (IMO.) The Accademia can be done in a much shorter time. However, I think the two in one day might be overload.

We will be in Florence for 3 nights. I am also wondering if there is any advantage to booking online vs through our hotel. Any opinions?

I am a "casual" art lover, probably less than you. I have only 2-1/2 days in Florence so I am doing two back-to-back tours, which will take the better part of the one day, of the Uffizi and Accademia. I go in October. If you are going later, I will let you know how it was. I am using Artviva Tours for these two museums.

It certainly depends on your ability to absorb. I saw both in one day and did fine. Accademia in the morning (easily in and out in an hour/hour and a half-depending on how long you want to stare at David-not much else worth time in here) and Uffizi in the afternoon (allow 3 hours). If you have 2 days, it might be more enjoyable to split them up. If I were to do it again, I would tackle the Uffizi in the morning while i was fresh. So much there to appreciate.

It's not so much the size of the galleries that will trip you up here. Both of these you could do in a day, yes; the problem is accounting for all the time you'll spend in line waiting to get in. If you get to the Uffizi early enough in the morning (say by 8 am, it opens at 8:15 am) you should have very little problem, but plan for very long lines at the Accademia: we got there around 8 or 8:30 am and still waited in line outside for 2 hours (and we had reservations). The delays arise from the fact that both museums regulate how many people are in the building at any one time. Realistically, I'd schedule one gallery per day, and get as early a time as you can. Once you're inside, expect large (and sometimes pushy) crowds in the Botticelli room (the Birth of Venus and La Primavera) in the Uffizi, and around Michelangelo's David in the Accademia.

You can certainly do both in one day, though my preference would be to spend an entire day in the Uffizi -- so much to see there. Depends on your stamina and ability to avoid Stendahl's syndrome! The Accaedmia is much smaller, as someone else pointed out. If you like sculpture and/or Michelangelo, then I'd highly recommend the Bargello too. So many fantastic sculptures there, yet it seems to be "off the tourist map" to a certain extent. No crazy crowds and lines like the Uffizi. Mathew

Chris,
Are you saying that even if you have reservations, there could be a long wait just to get in? I thought that was the whole point of reservations! Thanks everyone!

You can do both. The Accademia is a very short visit, 45 minutes to an hour. You can do it at the end of the day when the crowds are less. In that case, do the Uffizi as early in the day as possible. I'd set aside 3-4 hours at least. That gives you time between to rest, eat lunch and lose the museum fatigue. Your hotel can easily make the reservations for you.

We've been to the Accademia several times and have always gone in the very late afternoon about an hour before it closes and just walk right in. We have also gone in the evening when it has late openings with no waiting and no crowds. These times have been mostly in October so I would not expect quite as many people as in the summer. We have also gone to the Uffizi several times about mid afternoon when there is a very short line. I would hope that getting a reservation or tour lined up would help you eliminate some of your waiting in line issues that you'll see. Like others have said, you can adequately see the highlights of the Accademia in about an hour or less but you should plan to spend about 3 hours in the Uffizi and try to avoid the shuffle. Enjoy!

Cynthia, Yes, it was my experience that sometimes you still had to wait, even with a reservation. The museums are pretty strict about monitoring how many people are in the museum at any one time, so you might have to wait until they allow more people in. As far as reservations meaning "skip the wait", unfortunately many so many people try to skip the line with reservations that the reservations line get long, too. There are usually at least 2 lines for entrance at each place, one for "reservations" or groups and the other for general admission without reservations. During peak times both lines can get pretty long. I just spend a month in Italy, and our apartment was literally around the corner from the Accademia. Saw long lines there every day; the Uffizi wasn't as bad as long as you got there early. Don't let this discourage you; you should just budget enough time to deal with the crowds!