Uffizi Reservations

Hi Amanda. We're also going to be in Florence mid May (18-20th). We made reservations through our hotel (a free service from most hotels in Florence). They gave us a date and time, and we just show up with the reference number about 15-30 minutes early. Based upon what my hotel told me I would recommend that you ask your hotel to make reservations. But who knows, that was just his suggestion. I do get the feeling that Florence is going to be a busy place. Cheers

Most tour books say to reserve in advance. Please note that the phone number for the Uffizi in the RS book in incorrect. There is the correct number here on the site under guidebook corrections.

If you really want to go, book ahead of time. As prior posters mentioned, many hotels offer the service (just ask even if they don't). I was in Florence in early May and the Uffizi was jam packed, even on a weekday.

Reserve in advance where you can get a specific time to get in. Next, get tickets early for Academia and you can do both in the same day. That gives you three FULL days for the rest of Florence. We did not get reservations, but at 9:00 AM got Ufizzi reservations at the door for a 6:45 PM (18:45 over there) that same night. Then we stood in line for two hours at Academia. Save some time to stand in awe and just "stare" at The David", which is absolutely unbelievable.

By the way, if you are healthy climc the 400 + steps to the top of the Duomo. Outstanding view from there of Florence and the Tuscan countryside.

Definitely get reservations! It takes minutes to call and get a reservation number (call in the morning your time so you can reach Italy mid afternoon). And get the Accademia for the same day. We were in Florence last May and the lines were horrific! And we just waltzed right in. We actually arrived over an hour early for our appointed time, but they said if we had a reservation, we could to go right in. They never looked at our time, just looked up our reservation number.

We just booked reservations through http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/Uffizi/default.aspx and it was very easy. Our reservations are for late June, and yet we couldn't get our first choice of time slots - I would encouage you to make reservations as soon as possible.

Ask your hotel to make reservations for you. If they won't call the museum's booking office direct at 011-39-055-294883. You will speak to an English speaking operator and receive a confirmation code. You will enter at a different door than the general public. If you use a booking service you will pay more money more for the same thing.

Reduced:
50% reduction for European Union citizens aged 18 to 25 and for eligible educators.

Proof of eligibility for reduced-price tickets is to be presented when picking up your tickets

Entry free of charge:

Entry is free of charge for:
1) European Union citizens younger than 18 or older than 65. Children younger than 12 must be accompanied by an adult;

2) Groups of students from Italy or other EU member states accompanied by their instructors, subject to making reservations and as authorized by school administration;

3) Educators and students in the fields of architecture, the conservation of cultural heritage, education, and degree programs in literature or the humanities with a focus on archeology or art history, as well as the fields of literature and philosophy (students must show proof of enrolment for the current school year);

OUT OF SPACE FOR THE REST, BUT JUST CLICK ON THE RATE AND IT GIVES YOU THE DETAILS.

Thanks Leslie! I guess I could have explored the website a bit more and found that out on my own!

Here's some responses to the "how much time" question

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm?topic=4349

Definitely make the reservations. Both the Ufizi and Academia Galleria can have huge lines in season. If you're traveling, YOUR TIME is often your most valuable asset. We made our Ufizi reservations vey early in the day and had the place to ourselves!

Note on the Ufizi: Take a book or buy a book because the last time we visited there were very few descriptions of what you were looking at - and if any, they were in Italian. It was not the most "tourist friendly" museum we visited?

If you're in for another climb, you can walk (or if not, ride the bus/taxi) to Piazza Michelangelo. Arrive shortly before the sun sets, get a seat at the cafe, and spend a wonderful hour with the best view in Florence. You're looking into the city and at the Ponte Vecchio with the sun setting behind it - Incredible!!!

Lyn, having a few days in Florence, I just went to the booking office on day 2 and made a reservation for day 4 for the earliest session. I was way ahead of the crowds, and was able to back track often to particular rooms of interest. So whether you book weeks in advance, or as I did, make a booking for the earliest timeslot in the morning. Enjoy.

As for touring, you can also use Rick's Audio Tour. We're planning to use his audio tours extensively: Uffizi, Accademia, Colosseum, Forum, etc.

I just called this morning for a reservation for April 25th and got a reservation for 9:15am. In the same call, I also booked for the Accademia for 2pm the same day. Just a note, the reservation fee, as of April 1, 2008, has increased to 4 euros for the Uffizi and the Accademia, with all other muesuems still a fee of 3 euros.

You can save yourself a phone call by doing it online:

http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/uffizi/default.aspx

You should definitely make the reservations. We were there in 2005 and had them. The lines were horrific.

We are going back in May, and just made reservations. I was told on the day I wanted to go I couldn't get the 10:00 a.m. reservation I wanted because it was already full. They gave me 11:00, which is no big deal, but we are 5 weeks out and they are already filling up! I can't imagine waiting in that line.

Thank you everyone for the tips! Looks like we are going to go ahead and try to make reservations. I put in a request with my hostel to see if they can set it up for us. From what all of you are saying it seems unwise to wait until we get there to get the tickets.

*** Another question then, is it too busy of a day to see the Uffizi and Academia in one day, should we break it up or go for both?

It seems like a lot to me. We are doing one each day.

And, remember, if your hostel can't do it for you (or, even if they can!), it's a cinch to do it on-line. (url is 3 posts above this one)

Ok I went to the website everyone is talking about and got all the way to the end. You can choose Free Full or Reduced price. It let me get all the way to the end with the Free but then I needed to sign in and hadn't yet so I stopped. Can I seriously get it for free?! What is going on here? Shouldn't there be a discount code or something if I am going to get it free or reduced?

We were there the week before Easter, had reservations for both and were glad we did since the lines were quite long. I think if it fits your schedule better to do both the Uffizi and Accademia in the same day, do it. It doesn't really take that long to see David, even if you stay and gaze for awhile. I would also second the post to climb the dome at the Duomo - well worth the effort. And take the walk to Piazzale Michelangelo. The walk is not as strenuous as it is made out to be (we are two 50 somethings and two teenagers.)

Good news! I contacted my hostel and they are going to make the reservations for us. Thanks for all the tips everyone! Very helpful in making this decision.