# Museums in Florence



## nelpep (Feb 17, 2020)

There is so much information online about buying tickets to the museums, it's getting confusing.  My question is if it's better to buy "skip the line tickets" from a vendor or buying tickets online directly from the museum website.  If you buy tickets on the museum's online store, do you have a wait in line? I appreciate any help.  Thank you!


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## Lourdes (Feb 19, 2020)

I understand the confusion so I've already tried to provide a more complete answer here: https://www.visitflorence.com/what-to-see-in-florence/booking-florence-museums.html
Make sure to read that because I offer more "cases" in which it makes sense to book, when to book, and when to get the museum pass.

It essentially comes down to this:

1. tickets bought online ALL make you skip the general ticket line, but there is also a line to get in at each time slot for those who "PREBOOK" their tickets. Yes, because you don't actually get tickets, you have prebooked them and you still have to stop and pick up actual paper tickets once there. This is true for all museums here in Florence.

2. all tickets, no matter where you buy them from, include a fee for booking them

3. buy online from the "official" museum website to get you the *cheapest *ticket *BUT *also consider that the official website does *NOT *offer ticket *ANY CHANGES OR CANCELLATIONS *at all, none whatsoever! Other vendors online do include changes or cancellations as an added service yet they do offer tickets that cost more upfront, essentially to cover part of the cost of any changes or cancellations they do. So you might want to consider paying more upfront if you want that possibility, as some know their plans might change. You can avoid that by holding off and not buying museum tickets until closer to your date, of course, once plans are more solid.

4. *TOURS *- I highly recommend them as a high value added for your visit, because you definitely see the works and learn about them in a way that makes the entire experience more valuable. They include the cost of tickets, so I think it is one of the best ways to visit museums.
Museums here in Florence do not generally offer any tours directly, so all tours have to be through outside agencies and licensed guides.
These are *tours in Florence*, that's our affiliate link to Viator. Consider looking into walking tours that include museum visits, or just tours dedicated to the two most visited museums, the Uffizi and Accademia.

* ** If you miss your entry time, you have to buy a new ticket. You have 20 minutes leeway to get in, no more. So don't miss your entry time! ***

So these are your choices -- I highly recommend getting tickets for the Uffizi and Accademia between April and October, when lines are long.... the pre-booked lines are not short, but they are shorter so it avoids wasting too much time in line. Tours are my own personal preference, as they skip the link too with the prebooked tickets.

Finally, consider that the Firenze Card _used to_ allow visits to the Uffizi and Accademia WHENEVER you wanted while the card is valid without the need to book ahead, they NO LONGER do that. You now still need to book a time for your visit to the museum. In that case, it makes sense to just buy tickets for those two museums separately, choosing a date and time... at that point, the card is no longer a great deal at all. Most other museums on the card can be visited without needing advance tickets so you can buy on the spot.

Last - you don't need to book tickets, there is always the possibility to get in the general ticket line and wait to go in. The Uffizi has the longest lines here but the Accademia ones are no joke either, that's why those are the two I do recommend getting tickets for. Look at it this way: you can pay more for those tickets, save on all the prebooking fees at other museums where you just buy tickets the day of your visit.


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## nelpep (Feb 23, 2020)

Again, thank you so much for your advice.  You are a wealth of information for so many people! I've booked most of the museum tours now and will finish booking the rest.


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## Lourdes (Feb 28, 2020)

Glad to offer help in figuring these things out, sometimes they are not easy at all - when they should be, considering today's technology can be used better to simplify the process.... alas, lots of bureaucracy and politics complicate things!


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## billfisher (Jun 8, 2020)

Lourdes said:


> I understand the confusion so I've already tried to provide a more complete answer here: https://www.visitflorence.com/what-to-see-in-florence/booking-florence-museums.html
> Make sure to read that because I offer more "cases" in which it makes sense to book, when to book, and when to get the museum pass.
> 
> It essentially comes down to this:
> ...



Thank you very much for the detailed information!


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## paul56 (Aug 4, 2020)

*Firenze Card*

Seeing this dicussion about museum tickets and the changes you mentioned to the Firenze Card, I was wondering if the Firenze Card is still a good value given the pandemic.  I see there is a disclaimer on their website.  Back in 2013 on my first visit it worked out very well.
Thanks,
Paul


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## Lourdes (Nov 18, 2020)

This summer, the card was not a good deal as most of the museums remained closed most days, with many of them only open on the weekends, from Friday through Sundays.

Since November 3rd (and, officially, until December 3rd but that might change), all museums and exhibitions are closed nationwide. We will have to wait for this new wave of the health crisis to be over before it will be possible to make better plans about a visit.

In the meantime, we can still dream for a future trip, even if the dates might have to remain flexible!


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## Edwina (Dec 3, 2020)

Palazzo Vecchio is must to see museum of that beautiful region. I am so keen to have a tour there and i have heard a lot about this place.


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