Chuck

I will have 5 days in Florence and am planning at least one day trip to Siena. Will that leave me enough time to see all of the museums in Florence if I also want to take a day trip to San Gimignano? What is there to see in San G? I want to see as much of Tuscany as possible. Is it possible to get burned out of too many museums? Borghese gallery and Vatican museums in Rome Academia and Ufizzi in Florence, etc???

Louis

One day is too much for San G. It is very nice, but very small! May I suggest combining Siena and San G.? San G. is only 30 mins. away from Siena. Plus, you can return to Siena on a another day trip, as a part of a drive through Chianti.<BR><BR>Museum burn out is a definite danger in Florence. If you must choose, see the Ufizzi and the Accademia first.<BR><BR><BR>

Jean

Agree with Louis... On day in S.G. is too much. We took a bus trip to S.G. and Siena from Florence. About 90 minutes in S.G., and about four hours in Siena (two hours with a local guide). Perfect, though we definitely want to go back to Siena. We booked this through American Express (office near Duomo) the day prior. Cost: about $45 per person.<BR><BR>Agree also that Ufizzi and Accademia in Florence shouldn't be missed. We also enjoyed the Bargello Museum very much. Not too large, and in an interesting building (former prison). <BR><BR>

Tom

Disagree that one day in San G is too much. It really depends on what you enjoy. We like a lazy day to eat a leisurely lunch and explore a town. The Museum of Torture is morbidly interesting. You may want to split your time with 3 days in Florence and 2 in Siena or San G. We're spending 4 nights in Florence, 3 in Cortona and 2 in San G. The small towns are easier to use as a base (tough to get the car in and out of Florence). Also, Siena is great and you could spend an hour in the great Piazza del Campo. Enjoy.

cookie

I am an art and history lover (Michelangelo in particular) and NEVER thought I could be burned out of attending too many museums, but even I did.<BR><BR>We spent 5 days in Rome, 3 days in Sorrento, 1 in Orvieto, 1 in Assisi, 7 in Florence and 2 in Milan.<BR><BR>Even with 5 fairly restful days in between Rome and Florence, I was burned out of museums. I would never miss the Vatican museum, Uffizi or the Academy (the David absolutely took my breath away even though you see the tacky statues and photos everywhere). I wouldn't have missed that site or the Vatican for the world!! <BR><BR>I also enjoyed the Bargello and Borghese Gallery. <BR><BR>In retrospect, even I wish I had gone to see only the very best museums and not tried to squeeze all of them in as we walked 8 - 10 hours a day to try to squeeze in all the sites and I didn't get to everything.<BR><BR>For sure I would take a couple of orientation tours at the beginning of your stay in each location so you know what to come back to. It does so much to enhance your appreciation of the city.<BR><BR>We took a tour of the Vatican and Ancient Rome with Scala Reale and I was very happy with them. They were excellent, top-notch, first class guides.<BR><BR>In Florence we took a tour of a vineyard and a day trip to San G and Siena with Walking Tours of Florence and I was VERY disappointed with both.<BR>They were very expensive and not worthwhile. The daytrip was especially disappointing as there it was basically a chauffeur driven tour to the site and "see you later". We could have saved a lot of money by just taking the bus or train there.<BR><BR>Anyway, good luck.<BR>

Livingston (Liv)

Just returned from 3 days Florence and 4 in Venice ending May 21. I did not have the opportunity to visit Siena, but please take the time to visit Piazzle Michelangelo over lloking Florence. We were visiting Santa Crice and the adjacent leather school, walked across Ponte alle Grazie crossing the Arno River, and the very first bus stop took us by bus #13 to the top to P. Michangelo. Magnificent view, outdoor park atmosphere, well worth the time and quick bus ride. Some walk up the hill but that could be tough if not young! Rode #13 back down to Santa Maria Novella bus station where our hotel was near. Beautiful homes all along the way, and children riding home after claases were worth observing. Visit Piazzale Michangelo, well worth the time while 5 days in Florence.

elaine

Hi Chuck<BR>5 days is a good amount of time, though I think you will leave wanting to return some day.<BR>My first visit to Florence was 5 days, including one day trip spent in Siena and San G.<BR>Like some others I was less impressed with San G. but I fell in love with Siena and next time will stay at least one night.I do understand that San G is better appreciated at the end of the day or at night when tourists are fewer.<BR><BR>Florence is famous for museum burnout, and that's not even including what you want to see in Rome. It's called<BR>"Stendahl syndrome" because that French writer actually became anxious and dizzy in Florence due to art and architecture overload.<BR><BR>In four full days you can see most of Florence's famous sights and then some, even allowing for gelato breaks and strolling. Florence is small. I do suggest that you take it easy on yourself and prioritize so that if you don't get to #9 on your list because it's just too much, you'll still have seen many treasures.<BR><BR>I have a file on Florence and a little on Siena; if you'd like to see it, email me.

carol

You will not, and don't need to, see ALL the museums in Florence. what makes it hard to squeeze in all the museums and other indoor places that you want to see is that they had specific opening and closing hours and you just can't fit in everything in the limited a.m. and p.m. openen periods. Even though the museums and churches are a major part of the attraction of Florence, you should not spend ALL your time indoors in Florence. The old medieval streets and the bridges are, themselves, a sort of museum. By the way, one museum I'd put on your "must" list is the Bargello, a sculpture museum in a beautiful setting.

Barb

Chuck--it is easy to overload on museums, but there are some interesting ways to plan your day so you don't feel that all you've done is stay inside. First, don't feel you have to see every exhibit or even every wing of a museum; many travelers will admit that when they go to The Accademia, for example, they are primarily going to see "David". In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with that, and if you happen to feel like spending more time once there, you can do so.<BR><BR>My husband and I enjoyed the David, and many of the works in the Uffizzi, but chose to spend only 2 hours in the Uffizzi. We then walked around , had lunch, shopped a little and in general got a "feel" for the city. We love to cook and shop for food, so one of our favorite activities was going to Mercato Centrale, and although we didn't buy anything to cook, we had a good time eyeballing all the fish, poultry, meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables. My husband's favorite picture that he took in Florence is of me in deep conversation with a little Italian man about the fruits that were laid out like jewels in a case. It also helped me practice my Italian language skills!<BR><BR>Another favorite for us was The Pitti Palace. Although filled with a wonderful collection of painting and sculpture, our favorites here were the "real life objects"--furniture, pitchers, bowls, trays, silver and glass serving pieces, jewelry, etc. <BR><BR>My best advice is to alternate activities, finding time to savor high and low culture, and simply enjoy! The suggestion about the view from Piazzale Michelangelo is great. The bus ride over was interesting and the view is amazing. Have fun, Barb

Caren

I think it's important that you don't have to see everything in the museaums but the three priorities should be the academia, uffizi, and bargello. I highly recommend the Pitti Palace, Bobboli Gardens, taking a stroll to Piazza Michaelangelo and having lunch in Fiesole. Things like this will break the museums up and are just as important to getting the feel of the city.

Paula

One last tidbit--to avoid long lines getting into the Academia and Ufizzi, get tickets in advance. I don't know if you can get them on the Internet, but your hotel can probably get them for you. Don't miss either of these...they're wonderful. Have a great trip.