Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Avoiding Lines:
To avoid the notoriously long ticket-buying lines, either get a Firenze
fizicanbebookedupamonthormoreinadvance.Sometimes,bytheendoftheday(anhour
before closing), you can just walk right in, but generally you'll encounter lines even off-sea-
son (and waits up to three hours in peak season, April-Oct). The busiest days are Tuesday,
Saturday, and Sunday.
Getting In:
There are several entrances (see map). Which one you use depends on
whether you have a Firenze Card, a reservation, or neither. Firenze Card-holders enter at
door #1 (labeled
Reservation Entrance
), close to the Palazzo Vecchio. Read the signs care-
fully,astherearetwolinesatthisentrance;getinthelineforindividuals,notgroups.People
buying a ticket on the spot line up with everyone else at door #2. (The wait can be up to two
hours.)
To buy a Firenze Card, or to see if there are any same-day reservations available (€4 ex-
tra, but could save you time in the ticket line), enter door #2 to the left of the ticket-buying
line (marked
Booking Service and Today
).
If you've already made a reservation and need to pick up your ticket, go to door #3
(labeled
Reservation Ticket Office,
across the courtyard from doors #1 and #2). Tickets are
available for pick-up 10 minutes before your appointed time. If you booked online, you've
already prepaid with your credit card and just need to exchange your voucher for a ticket. If
you (or your hotelier) booked by phone, you need to give them your confirmation number
andpayfortheticket(cashonly).Onceyouhaveyourticket,walkbrisklypastthe200-yard-
long ticket-buying line—pondering the IQ of this gang—to door #1. Show your ticket and
walk in.
Audioguides:
A 1.5-hour audioguide costs €6 (€10/2 people; must leave ID). You can
also download a free Rick Steves audio tour of the Uffizi (see
here
).
Visiting the Museum:
The museum is not nearly as big as it is great. Few tourists spend
more than two hours inside. Most of the paintings are displayed on one comfortable, U-
shaped floor in chronological order from the 13th through 17th centuries. The left wing,
starring the Florentine Middle Ages to the Renaissance, is the best. The connecting corridor
contains sculpture, and the right wing focuses on the High Renaissance and Baroque.
