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Reservation Times for Accademia and Uffizi?


hobbess

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I'll be arriving in Florence near the end of April, when the lines will start to get long. So I know I need to make reservations, but I'm not sure which reservation times I should pick.

 

Would you recommend going to Accademia, or the Uffizi first?

 

I've looked at the schedule, and the train from Livorno should arrive at Florence SMN station by 10:32AM. How long does it take to get there from the train stop? What time should I then make my first reservation?

 

And, how long should I expect to spend in each place? It seems like the Uffizi will take longer, but I don't know if the Accadmeia will take just half an hour to see David or if it's something that will take a couple of hours.

 

Or, do you think that the Uffizi is so much that one shouldn't try to rush through it in a cruise stop?

 

It seems like I'll have about 5 hours in Florence so will I have enough time to see the Accademia, the Uffizi, the Bronze Doors, the Duomo, and the Ponte Vecchio Bridge?

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It's three quarters of a mile from the Santa Maria Novella train station to the Accademia, I'd head there first. Depending on how fast you walk, you could be there in 10 - 20 minutes.

 

If David is the only thing you are interested in there, you can be in and out in an hour, easily.

 

As you walk from the Accademia to the Ponte Vecchio you'll pass right by the Duomo and the Baptistry (bronze doors). It's only three or four blocks to get here from the museum.

 

It's also a short walk from the Duomo to the Ponte Vecchio (four tenths of a mile), along a primarily pedestrian pathway.

 

The Uffizi is a couple of blocks east of the Ponte Vecchio, but I personally wouldn't try to cram all of this into one short port day.

 

If you allow an hour to get to the Accademia and see David, then another hour to get to the Duomo and visit there, and a half hour to get to the Ponte Vecchio, that leaves you about two hours for the Uffizi (holding back a half hour to get to the train station for your return). So it's possible to fit the Uffizi in, at least for a short visit, but this doesn't allow you any "fudge" factor to simply enjoy Florence, stop for lunch, gelato, etc.

 

From the Uffizi back to the train station is three quarters of a mile.

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It's three quarters of a mile from the Santa Maria Novella train station to the Accademia, I'd head there first. Depending on how fast you walk, you could be there in 10 - 20 minutes.

 

If David is the only thing you are interested in there, you can be in and out in an hour, easily.

 

As you walk from the Accademia to the Ponte Vecchio you'll pass right by the Duomo and the Baptistry (bronze doors). It's only three or four blocks to get here from the museum.

 

It's also a short walk from the Duomo to the Ponte Vecchio (four tenths of a mile), along a primarily pedestrian pathway.

 

The Uffizi is a couple of blocks east of the Ponte Vecchio, but I personally wouldn't try to cram all of this into one short port day.

 

If you allow an hour to get to the Accademia and see David, then another hour to get to the Duomo and visit there, and a half hour to get to the Ponte Vecchio, that leaves you about two hours for the Uffizi (holding back a half hour to get to the train station for your return). So it's possible to fit the Uffizi in, at least for a short visit, but this doesn't allow you any "fudge" factor to simply enjoy Florence, stop for lunch, gelato, etc.

 

From the Uffizi back to the train station is three quarters of a mile.

 

And you have to allow time to stop for pomegranate soap at 'L'Officina profumo-farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella'. No trip to Florence is complete without it!

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It's three quarters of a mile from the Santa Maria Novella train station to the Accademia, I'd head there first. Depending on how fast you walk, you could be there in 10 - 20 minutes.

 

If David is the only thing you are interested in there, you can be in and out in an hour, easily.

 

As you walk from the Accademia to the Ponte Vecchio you'll pass right by the Duomo and the Baptistry (bronze doors). It's only three or four blocks to get here from the museum.

 

It's also a short walk from the Duomo to the Ponte Vecchio (four tenths of a mile), along a primarily pedestrian pathway.

 

The Uffizi is a couple of blocks east of the Ponte Vecchio, but I personally wouldn't try to cram all of this into one short port day.

 

If you allow an hour to get to the Accademia and see David, then another hour to get to the Duomo and visit there, and a half hour to get to the Ponte Vecchio, that leaves you about two hours for the Uffizi (holding back a half hour to get to the train station for your return). So it's possible to fit the Uffizi in, at least for a short visit, but this doesn't allow you any "fudge" factor to simply enjoy Florence, stop for lunch, gelato, etc.

 

From the Uffizi back to the train station is three quarters of a mile.

 

Thanks again for your help.

 

Is there any reason why you'd choose that route of seeing Accademia, then going to Duomo, then to Ponte Becchio bridge, and finally to Uffizi?

 

I was thinking about going from Accademia, then going to Uffizi, and then seeing the other stuff. I didn't want to be in waiting for the Duomo only to leave it without seeing it because I had to make sure I made my appointment for Uffizi.

 

If I went from the Accademia to the Uffizi, how long does it take to walk there? Or, would you recommend the bus or a taxi?

 

I wanted to go see the Duomo in Florence to compare it against the Pantheon in Rome, but I think I might have to skip the Duomo if the lines are that bad. There's no reservations or shortcut for the Duomo, right?

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I'll be arriving in Florence near the end of April, when the lines will start to get long. So I know I need to make reservations, but I'm not sure which reservation times I should pick.

 

Would you recommend going to Accademia, or the Uffizi first?

 

I've looked at the schedule, and the train from Livorno should arrive at Florence SMN station by 10:32AM. How long does it take to get there from the train stop? What time should I then make my first reservation?

 

And, how long should I expect to spend in each place? It seems like the Uffizi will take longer, but I don't know if the Accadmeia will take just half an hour to see David or if it's something that will take a couple of hours.

 

Or, do you think that the Uffizi is so much that one shouldn't try to rush through it in a cruise stop?

 

It seems like I'll have about 5 hours in Florence so will I have enough time to see the Accademia, the Uffizi, the Bronze Doors, the Duomo, and the Ponte Vecchio Bridge?

Be careful when you book your tickets. You will enter the time you want but that isn't necessarily the time they will give you. They give you the "closest available" and it isn't easy to see the small printed time you've actually been given unless you look carefully at the second screen! I tried to get tickets for 1 p.m. and was offered 11:45. So then I tried 2 p.m. and was offered tickets at 3:45. Neither the earlier or later time will work for me at the Uffizi. I suspect that the cruise ships have reserved all the tickets for the ideal time when we are actually in port. I ended up taking the ships excursion just because my husband wants to see the Uffizi and that's the only way I could figure to see it in the few hours we are there.

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We booked our tickets online and it was perfect. There is a separate entrance to Accademia (just passed one long line entrance) - 1/2 hour there was fine for us, we walked around "David" then sat on a bench and admired it.

 

What we found to be a big help was setting up our itinerary using Google Walking Maps. Using these maps we were able to figure how how long it would take to walk from place to place and the best way to put our visits in order. Absolutely loved Medici Chapel - wanted to see Dawn and Dusk -- could have stayed there for hours. BTW, the original Bronze doors are in the Duomo Museum/Workshop situated behind the Duomo. These museum is incredible and not many people know about it. Check it out on google.

 

Took the bus in from the cruise ship which took the stress of getting ourselves there away and let us maximize our time in Florence.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Kathy

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Thanks again for your help.

 

Is there any reason why you'd choose that route of seeing Accademia, then going to Duomo, then to Ponte Becchio bridge, and finally to Uffizi?

 

I was thinking about going from Accademia, then going to Uffizi, and then seeing the other stuff. I didn't want to be in waiting for the Duomo only to leave it without seeing it because I had to make sure I made my appointment for Uffizi.

 

If I went from the Accademia to the Uffizi, how long does it take to walk there? Or, would you recommend the bus or a taxi?

 

I wanted to go see the Duomo in Florence to compare it against the Pantheon in Rome, but I think I might have to skip the Duomo if the lines are that bad. There's no reservations or shortcut for the Duomo, right?

I laid it out as I did to avoid backtracking.

 

There may be a line to enter the Duomo, but it moves along quite quickly. There are no reservations or shorcuts.

 

Pick the museum venue that is most important to you and start there, either the Uffizi or the Accademia. As noted above, you may not be able to get the ideal time so get your most important one locked down, then build the rest of your day around that.

 

The locations you mentioned in Florence are pretty much in a straight line if you look at them on a map. The two furthest points, the Accademia and the Ponte Vecchio, are less than a mile apart. It will take longer to get to and use a taxi or bus than to just walk.

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Am I calling the right number to make reservations, 011-39-055-294-883?

 

I called it a couple of times, and I keep getting the message, "for english, press 2". So, I press 2 only to re-hear the same message, "for english, press 2". I'll be on the line for awhile and keep pressing 2 after I hear the same message, but I'm getting nowhere.

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Here's the phone number for making reservations at the museums in Florence:

 

PRENOTAZIONI PER LA VISITA

Firenze Musei, Tel: 055 294883

Costo della prenotazione: € 4,00

 

 

So yes, it looks like you are calling the right number.

 

It used to be possible to make a reservation by phone without paying for it (you would pay when you arrived and picked up your ticket); it may or may not still work that way.

 

 

You can also order your ticket on line here: http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/uffizi/default.aspx

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Here's the phone number for making reservations at the museums in Florence:

 

PRENOTAZIONI PER LA VISITA

Firenze Musei, Tel: 055 294883

Costo della prenotazione: € 4,00

 

 

So yes, it looks like you are calling the right number.

 

It used to be possible to make a reservation by phone without paying for it (you would pay when you arrived and picked up your ticket); it may or may not still work that way.

 

 

You can also order your ticket on line here: http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/uffizi/default.aspx

 

I just booked mine for the Academia using the website Euro Cruiser listed here. Easy as pie :) Just be aware that it does take a little time when you click on the month and day - be patient. Be sure to select "Full" under "discount", the quantity and Add, then Buy. And, when you go to pay, it is in Italian. Don't worry - it's pretty intuitive where to put what info. When you are done, press the "Invio" button, NOT the "Annulla" key ( that's the "Cancel" key). You'll get another screen and again press "Invio" and you'll get a confirmation page where it tells you an email will be sent to you with your date/time...

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Remember, if calling the number, that you need to call during Italian business hours. IIRC from a few years back, when I tried outside their regular hours, there is no message telling you to call back during business hours -- I had to figure it out on my own.

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