Hello all,

I called the accademia in florence last night to see if I can get advance booking for 4 people. However, they said that they were fully booked and the only booking available is at 5 PM. That time doesn't work out for me as I am on a cruise and need to get back at 6.
Any other suggestions for securing advance tickets?

Thanks in advance.

have u asked ur hotel concierge?

fully booked does not mean that people who just show up don't get in i believe - there are a set number of bookings but also people who just arrive - if so and i'm not positive in summer but was that way in Jan when i visited - show up early after asking about this - if all else fails with a reservation.

advance tickets also seem to pay a heft surcharge over the regular ticket pricing.

Thanks for the response. We are going to be on a cruise ship so don't have any hotel to book through.
I am assuming that if we don't have advance tickets, we will just have to stand in line.
Any idea how long the lines are in July.
I am traveling with my parents and I don't want them to stand in line due to their old age.
Also, since we are on a cruise, we have very little time in Florence and I am trying not to spend it standing in line outside the accademia.

To me there are many things i'd rather see on short time in Florence than Accademia - are you and your parents art aficianados to attach such importance to what may be to some not so exciting as other things?

I don't know when you are planning this trip but I can tell you from experience DO NOT try to get into the Accademia without reservations, especially with your limited time.

While they do let people in without reservations, the reservation system has become so popular in the last years and so many more people have been using them, that they let many more people in from the reserved line than the unreserved line. We stood in such an unreserved line for over TWO HOURS one afternoon and even though the line seemed short, they let in very few people at a time from this line and at intervals of close to 30 minutes. It was extremely frustration and not recommended.

There are several on-line reservations systems that you can check by googling Accademia and see whether any of those can help you get reserved tickets. Good luck.

Oh and by the way, I have been to see "David" many many times but I did not even think of giving up this line even though it was so frustrating. IMHO, this is one of THE masterpieces of all time and highly recommended to visit !!!

I would phone back and ask if you can have a reservation for 2 people - and if you do, let your parents go (if they want to do so). It's much harder to get a reservation for 4 vs. 2.

Otherwise, in this instance I would try one of the prepaid agencies, although they aren't generally a good deal, but they might help in this no-availability situation.

Rick Steves mentions several different ways of getting reservations. See the Uffizi section which also mentions Accademia:

http://www.ricksteves.com/news/trave...05/vatican.htm

"advance tickets also seem to pay a heft surcharge over the regular ticket pricing."

It's only 3 euro more, last time I made reservations.

Hi A,

I would try the online commercial booking agencies.

<It's only 3 euro more, last time I made reservations.>

it was 5.50 euros i believe last Jan at Uffizi - i guess that's trivial to some but to my budget that's sizeable - it's all relevant. Yes if it makes a difference whether you get in or not i'd pay but the lines at Accademia IME are not always that bad and then to go thru all the hassle like africatravel has - is it worth it? Again a personal decision.

I have to say that it's not really worth going to Florence off the cruise ships- you spend most of the day getting there and only have a few hours in Florence. The city deserves much more time than that. It's much better to go to some of the closer, smaller towns like Pisa. If you must go to Florence, take your parents to the Pitti Palace- much easier to get in and absolutely packed with amazing art! You can tour some of the restored rooms, as well, and the gardens. Much better than having 30 seconds in front of David in a suffocating crowd.!

The reservation fee is not 5.50 Euros. It's 3 Euros, as stated here on the official site, which also explains how to phone for reservations:
http://tinyurl.com/o567t

However, as discovered, these reservations go quickly.

Will Travel, I said it was 3 euro and PalenQ said it was 5.50 for the Uffizi. I understand it impacts a budget, I just wanted to state the amount because mentioned that it was a heft surcharge, which it is not.