BradCurry16

Hey all,

I'll be in Florence for June 15 - June 18 (really just 15-17 as leaving on the 18)

Here is my thought itinerary:

June 15: Arrive in Florence at 12:15 PM (check in to hotel)
- See Boboli Gardens
- Walk around town and just take in sites

June 16
- Go to the Accademia in the morning
- Go to Uffizi museums afterwards

June 17
- Do a car tour of Tuscany region, seeing San Gimignano and Siena.
- Dinner in Florence

I have several questions. I know I should reserve Uffizi and Accademia. What is the best booking website and the relative prices to book? Also, should I reserve the entry to the Boboli gardens? Finally, are there any particular sites I should go see besides the ones already mentioned? I'm staying right by the Duomo.

Thank you!

kybourbon

The official museum website, but I would visit the Accademia the 15th in the afternoon as it's less crowed in the afternoons (unless you will be really jetlagged). It's a short walk from the Duomo and the gardens are much farther. I would visit them the morning of the 16th and the Uffizi after lunch.

http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/en/index.php

tank

Hi. I would go to the Uffizi first thing in the morning and visit the Accademia in the agfternoon. While you can book directly through the website, most hotels and B&B's are happy to make the reservation for you. They will have your ticket ready when you arrive.

kybourbon

>>>most hotels and B&B's are happy to make the reservation for you.<<

Some people have reported their hotels charging a fee for booking tickets for them. One also reported not being able to change the reservation the hotel had booked.

tarquin

The Boboli gardens are underwhelming in my opinion - I would go to see the Fra Angelicos in the San Marco ex-monastery instead. And I agree with doing the Uffizi first thing in the morning, there is a lot to see there but not so much in the Accademia.

wanderful

BradCurry16:

I agree with tank. Visit the Uffizi in the morning and the Accademia later. You're going to spend a lot more time in the Uffizi than the Accademia. You'll want to be fresher for that longer experience. Actually, if you go later in the afternoon to the Accademia, you can just walk in. The crowds really diminish by then. I had a 4pm reservation, but I didn't need it.

I would also reverse your first day. Walking around and seeing "the sites" (rather vague) is going to take a lot more out of you than the Boboli Gardens. I would do that later, if that's what you want to do because it would be a break from all that pavement pounding, especially if you visit the Pitti Palace, which is adjacent to the Boboli Gardens. You might want to make the Pitti your last "site" for the day and then enter the Boboli.

As for your last day, I would spend the day either in Siena or San Gimignano, but not both. Personally, I would choose Siena, but that's me.

mamcalice

Use the website for booking and, as ky bourban suggests, visit the Accademia on the 15th in the afternoon and the Uffizi on the 16th in the morning. Not sure the Boboli Gardens are worth a visit unless you go all the way to Piazzelle Michelangelo at the top of the hill for a wonderful view of Florence. You don't need to reserve the entry to the Boboli Gardens. In fact, I'm not aware that you can. I would consider visiting Santa Croce instead. And you must find time for the Duomo.

BradCurry16

Thank you all for the assistance. I did select to do teh Accademia the afternoon of the 15th and the Uffizi in the morning on the 16th. The gardens shouldn't have much of a wait and should be easy to get into from everything I've found. I know that my companion wants to visit them. So that's why they were a high priority.

Finally, wanderful, you mention just doing one of Siena or San Gimignano. If it's just for a quick stop during a tour of Tuscany style car ride (two hours or so), what would be the suggestion? I plan to do the hillsandroads.com private tour that I was referred on here. They take you to a winery in the Chianti region in addition to any other places I want to go. So any day trips from Florence that have that are welcome suggestions.

kybourbon

I think it's fine to do both as long as you don't expect to tour things (more for just seeing). I believe Luca is based out of Siena and it's not much of a detour between Siena and Florence to stop in San G. He will probably take the Chianti Road one direction and the road to San G. coming back. Except for the winery where he will have made arrangements for you, you can probably change it up a bit during your tour if you want to stay longer somewhere and drop somewhere else that was planned.

brian1975

I was in Florence quite recently and was pleasantly surprised to find the Palazzo Vecchio open for visitors late at night which had the advantage of being both relatively quiet and giving a different view on the city.

BradCurry16

kybourbon, you sound like you have experience with Luca some. If I have an idea of what I want to do (as I described above), he still will accomodate any changes toward the end of the tour? This would only be the case if I find somewhere that just seems absolutely lovely to spend more time in.