Myer

This morning (Sat 9AM Eastern time in the US) I tried calling:

011 39 055 294 4883

to reserve museum tickets.

I get an operator message that the number has been disconnected.

Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks.

Myer

Ok, so I had the wrong number. Should be:

011 39 055 294 883

Thanks anyway.

kybourbon

You have an extra 4 in the number. It should be 294 883.

annhig

Hi Myer,

it's an absolute b...r to find, but eventually I located the OFFICIAL website for booking tickets for the museums in florence:

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

it does have the disadvantage that you ahve to pay in advance, whereas with the phone you don't.

kybourbon

>>it's an absolute b...r to find,<<

Not hard to find. It's the purchase link on the official website for the museums of Florence - Polo Museale. Just click buy tickets online on the right under tickets and it will roll over to b-ticket.
http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/uffizi/

annhig

well, kybourbon, perhaps your google works better than mine.

as so often seems to happen now, all the commercial sites come up first, and I had to really search for the official site, even though I know it was there. and I had a false start as the www.museicivici.firenze.it site gives all the details EXCEPT the website link.

once you're on the right site, of course, it's a breeze, but that wasn't what i meant.

2010

It is very easy to make your reservations by phone! Just follow the prompts & you will be connected to an English-speaking agent. You can book your tickets for the Uffizi & Accademia with one call. You will be given a confirmation # to present when you pick up your tickets at each museum. There is a small booking fee --- well worth it to forego line-ups! You pay when you pick up your tickets.

Initially, I tried to arrange reservations on-line but was not able to see the (early) times I wanted. When I called, I was able to book my desired times. I wonder if there is more availability when booking directly?

Good luck!

annhig

hi 2010,

I seem to remember that problem coing up before. Someone said that they'd found no slots prior to 12 noon, but when they phoned, they got whatever time they wanted.

I found when i phoned that although it was supposed the be the "english" operator, they kept starting off in italian and then switching when i asked them to.

perhaps that was jsut for me to help me practice my italian!

2010

Hi Ann:

Well, at least you can converse in Italian on the telephone! Good for you!

And yes, it does help to have the correct phone number! It seems that I added an extra 4 when I copied it into my trip report ... oops! Hopefully, Myer did not get this information from me! I will go & fix it now.

kybourbon

ann - Didn't mean it to sound critical, but a search for Florence museum tickets on Fodor's you will get dozens of threads, most with the official museum link which I've posted multiple times. I always try to post official links because they don't mark up the ticket prices, give the museum hours and list whether there are any special exhibits for which there is an extra charge. Reserving online there is a 4€ service charge per ticket which I think you can still avoid with a phone call since they don't require advance payment if you call. Was that the case when you called?

wanderful

Myer:

The easiest way to get Florence museum tickets in advance is to ask your hotel to do it. E-mail your hotel, give them the dates, and they will take care of it. Maybe not all hotels will provide this help, but most will. And if your hotel doesn't, you might reconsider your hotel selection altogether.

I go this route when I'm in Florence, and it's quick, painless, and cheaper.

Myer

And I'm a believer that when you want something done, do it yourself.

Natbug

I reserved tickets today on the website you referred to. I reserved for May for the Uffizi and Accademia museums. However, when I registered I could not find United States listed as country. Must be blind! My confirmation email came back in Italian and it said the cost of admission could increase. Maybe I should have let the hotel take care of this! Although there were not many openings left.

Comments?

kybourbon

>>>The easiest way to get Florence museum tickets in advance is to ask your hotel to do it<<<

Beware of asking your hotel to make your reservations unless you inquire if they charge a fee for doing so. A recent poster took that advice only to be charged a large fee with a cancellation penalty.

>>>My confirmation email came back in Italian and it said the cost of admission could increase.<<<

I think they inform you of a possible increase in case there is a special exhibit added. They usually tack on a 3-4€ fee during special exhibits at most museums in Italy.

JAX9000

I bought tockets on line for the Vatican, Uffizzi, Galeria della Accademia at http://www.florence-museum.com/. They also do Rome. It worked perfectly, everything in English. No complaints at all.

notginny

The problem with booking tickets through a website like florence-museum.com is that they charge an exorbitant agency booking fee.

My friends and I have been debating whether we should call the hotline or just visit the information desk at the Palazzo Pitti before we go to the Belvedere and buy all our tickets there. Has anyone done the advance reservations at the information desk before?

kybourbon

The florence-museum website listed by Jax is charging 15.25€ per ticket. A regular ticket is 6.50€ on the official museum website plus a 4€ booking fee. $20.59 vs $14.18.

I think many people that call the Polo Museale number reserve their tickets without paying. If they don't see a line when they get there, then they don't retrieve the tickets, just walk up and buy tickets for 6.50€ and avoid the 4€ booking fee.

basingstoke2

We contacted our hotel make the reservations for us. There was no fee and they seemed happy to do it.

annhig

hi ky - when we booked our uffizi and accademia tickets on the phone about 3 years ago, we didn't pay at the time, just when we picked up the tickets. so yes, if there weren't any queues, we could jsut have paid for the tickets, and forgotten about our reservations, thus saving the booking fee, then €3 per ticket.

that was still a lot cheaper than the unofficial websites, as you say. the point I was trying to make, obviously not as clearly as I would have liked, is that the official website which gives the booking details is extremely difficult to find.

while we're on the subject, it was possible during part of last year to book [phone reservations only] to see the vasari corridor, but i can't find the opening hours for this year, so perhaps they're not opening it. it was €10pp [ plus €4 booking fee]

Natbug

I made reservations for museum tickets using this link.
I did not realize they would charge the entire ticket price plus fee upon reservation. I thought they would charge just the 4.00 reservation fee. oh well - now they are paid!

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