Need suggestions on Uffizi
 

I just called the reservation line for the Uffizi and found out there are no reservations available for the months of June or July. I am going to be travelling with a friend and four children and was told the only way we might get in is to go and wait 2 to 3 hours in line. We leave 2 weeks from today. Any suggestions on how we might be able to get into the Uffize without spending 1/2 day waiting in line?

Contact your hotel and see if they can get a reservation. This will probably cost you a bit, but if you really want to see the museum, this may be worth it to you.

I assume you called the booking number and were told advance reservations were sold out. You might try private booking agencies on the web, again you will pay more than the admission price and the small booking fee which is charged by the telephone booking service, but if this is really what you want to do, it may be worth it. While I don’t know anything about the following sites, they have received some good reccos on this board. Take a look at http://www.weekendafirenze.com/ or try http://selectitaly.com/museums.php?parent_nav=2

I have seen references on this board. over the past few days to the fact that advance reservations were sold out and am amazed. I can only think how crowded the town will be during those months. You may well encounter lines at other sights as well. All I can say is bring two cellphones that will work in Italy and perhaps you can wait in shifts. . . .

I contacted my hotel and they got me reservations for 15 minutes before the museum's posted opening time. No matter where you get the reservation you will be paying more for a reservation. Whether it's from the phone, consolidator or hotel....it's still a reservation.

I don't know if this would be feasible with children, but two friends of ours who went recently got in line about an hour before the museum opened. One went to get breakfast items and they had breakfast while they waited. They were able to enter about 20 minutes after the museum opened.

Yes, I think trying to get there before it opens would be a good bet (also a cooler time of day to wait in a line) unless you want to try one of those other reservation services.

http://www.florenceart.it/

They will be more expensive, 36 Euros for 2 people but you will have a res and won't wait in 2-3 hour lines. Now isn't that worth the extra scratch?

I don't agree that you should go early in the morning to wait in line. I have seen lines three blocks long at 7AM in the summer months. A good bet would be to go to the museum 2 hours before closing. There are very few people waiting in line after 3 PM, especially on a weekday. Weekends are usually very crowded. I have never had a reservation for the museum and I have always managed to get in without waiting in line for more than 30 minutes.

First e-mail your hotel and try to see if they can get you a reservation. If they can't, try showing up at the Uffizzi at Lunch-time, around 12:00 noon. Last June, it wasn't very crowded at noon when we went. (I also had reservations for noon just in case.)

If you want to see the Accademia, it has been recommended to go around 3:00 or 3:30. That's what we did last June, and again, the crowds weren't bad at all. Again, we had reservations for 3:00 or 3:30 just in case.