Vita

When I had originally planned to go back in September, I had booked reservations for these museums. I'm wondering if this is necessary now since tourism is down and I'm going a little later. I'd rather keep my schedule as flexible as possible but I don't want to wait hours in line either. I'll be in Florence in mid-October. Does anyone know what the wait will be like around that time?

sandi

We were there last October and there were still lines to get in. We had the hotel manager call and make reservations for us, which he did gladly. We walked right in, past the lines. I would do it just to save the time in case there are crowds. It takes almost no effort.

dan woodlief

Vita, you might want to do what I am doing. I was planning to reserve before leaving home (for mid-October trip) but decided because of the decrease in travel to reserve 1-3 days ahead.

Christina

It all depends on what time you want to go. My husband and I were there a couple of weeks ago and went about 3 hours before they closed and walked right in. This was on a Sunday. Goodluck.

steve

Reservations for the Uffizi are still not a bad idea. Last week they were full for a Tuesday 1 1/2 days in advance. The Accademia is not as difficult. If you plan two days in advance and avoid weekend/Tuesday you should be fine. Let your hotel make the reservation.

Beth

Vita: <BR> <BR>I just returned from Florence Oct. 3. I had my hotel make reservations for both. The Uffizi seems to always have a line (don't know timewise how long it took - but I wouldn't want to waste my time standing in line). The Accademia at 9:45 a.m. seemed to have a much shorter line.

art

I would have to agree with the above posters. I was in Florence last week and while we practically walked right in to the Academia, the line for the Uffizi was quite long. As long as you are in the neighborhood, don't miss Casa Buonarotti, Michaelangelo's family home. It's packed with interesting art and artifacts.

Maurice

We were in Florence the 20-23on Sept. We walked into the Uffuzi the first day and bought reservations for the next day. There were serious lineups. One of the guests at our hotel (Ferdinando II bTW, very nice new budget hotel!) said they had waited for 3 hours; of course, the reservations go first, and they count the total occupants, so you will wait without a reservation. We walked in about 3PM one day, and 4PM the next day was the first reservation opening. <BR>Accademia? Lineup was about 30 people, took about 5 minutes to get in. Bargello? Walked right in. No lineup. <BR> <BR>LET ME ALSO POST A BIG THANKYOU TO THE FODORS CROWD HERE. Picked up a lot of these tips like reservations, etc. Got tickets through Santa Susanna for the Papal Audience (on Sept.12), the Vasari corridor tour, and Cenacolo Vincola (Last Supper). Thank you! <BR>PS. Our guide said the Vasari corridor is closed due to heat/cold in Summer/winter, which may explain why it is sometimes hard to figure out if it is open. Even in Sept., it was about 10C (50F?) out in the early morning and the interior was very chilly.

Cassie

I was at the Uffizi and Accademia on Sept. 29...HUGE lines at both museums. I had my reservation number for both museums and walked right in. It was great. I would highly recommend reservations, even now that tourism is supposedly down. I would have never guessed it from the crowds I saw in Florence!