Tickets for Young Children to Uffizi, Accademia
 

I am about to order tickets to a few museums in Italy, including the Uffizi and Accademia. I have two small children and can't figure out if their age group are discounted for entrance. Does anyone out there know or have experience with ordering tickets for children? Our kiddos are 6 and 4. Thanks!!

ttt

Is there some reason you feel compelled to take children 4 and 6 into these museums? Are you traveling with a companion with whom you could take turns babysitting?

The Uffizi, even with reservations, is genearlly mobbed and it is hard enough for full-sized adults to see the paintings peeking past other people. There is very little for small children to do inside both museums. They are quite old-fashioned.

I will admit I quite resent spending a lot of money and effort to get to top-notch European art museums to see paintings I have wanted to examine all my life and have the experience compromised by understandably bored small children.

There are many places near the Uffizi and Accademia where children can run around happily. I do hope you have an alternative to taking them inside.

hi, 'traveller,

here's the official website for booking tickets online:

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

if you click on the "entry free" label, you'l see that chidlren under 18 get in for nothing - in theory you have to produce proof of age but as they are so little I can't imagine that there'll be any problems with that.

However, I do tend to agree with Zeppole that such yound children in these type of museums can get bored vey quickly.

regards, ann

Thanks, Ann, for your guidance.

I understand your and Zeppole's concerns about bored and tired children. But there are children out there that have a sense of art appreciation at young ages -- our older child at 6 has an amazingly mature appreciation of art and both have visited many of the great museums already. Our daughter now takes a journal when she visits art and history museums. It has gone from simple words and drawings to now more detailed and rather sophisticated thoughts and observations.

Our son's favorite mommy-son date is when we go to art galleries because he knows he gets to pick a project related to what he sees and enjoys to make at home during the latter part of the day. We did the same with our daughter and have seen how she has grown.

Starting them early -- if they have any remote interest in art -- makes a big difference. And as with music, children who have an appreciation for the arts tend to perform well in school.

And of course we are mindful about time spent in museums and what the limitations of even the most mature children are. That's why we enjoy the slow travel route and take our time visiting museums. That way, everyone stays happy -- the kids, us, and other patrons who have waited their entire lives to see these works.

If you take the kids out the instant they begin to annoy other museum goers, many of whom are spending life savings to be there, I've got no problem. "Slow travel" has nothing to do with it. A four-year-old has his or her own clock. Likewise a six-year-old.

Also, please bear in mind that while it may fascinate you and your children to have an art lesson in front of a painting, other patrons might prefer more quiet.

Sorry to be so blunt but it seems to me that local museums offer fabulous programs for children and there is no need to impose on people obviously going to enormous lengths for what is usually a once in a lifetime chance to see a painting long-dreamed of seeing. I think a 40 year old has more claim on the museum than a four year old.

We aren't saying your children aren't remarkable and possibly art prodigies. However - the problem is they will most likely not see a darn thing. Both places are normally slammed. I mean wall to wall people in every gallery. I am 5 feet tall and I had a difficult time in both venues. Your children might even feel scared or intimidated since they will mostly see other peoples knees/rear ends.

janis is right. These are jam-packed places, not places where kids do art projects.

I'm all in favor of taking kids to museums - esp if they're ones that the kids will be able to enjoy - or even see - the displays. The Natural History Museum here in NY is a classic - and always mobbed with kids. But- it's set up for them to be able to see things - and never gets crowded the way major museums in Italy can.

When these places are crowded it's just a mob, shuffling slowly forward. If you're tall and lucky enough to get a good position you can see things. (I'm 5'9" and used to NYC subways - so I have no problem seeing things anywhere - but no child could ever get the views I do.) If you're short - or don;t know how to get to the front of a group - you may see little. Agree kids that age are likely to be looking at nothing but rear ends and knees unless you plan on carrying them on your shoulders - unless you somehow get there when it's relatively empty - as in Jan or Feb.

zeppole,
I found your post(s) a little offensive.

My son has been going into the museums of Italy for years...he is now 8. I remember a trip to Venice when he was three...and I could NOT GET HIM OUT of the darn art museums. He just loved staring at the paintings...even today, he lasts much, much longer than I do in art museums and has never, ever, caused any sort of disturbance!

"I think a 40 year old has more claim on the museum than a four year old" sorry. I totally disagree wholeheartedly with this one. It's total BS. A 4 year old who is exposed to and has an early love and/or appreciation for art will become an adult who has a love and/or appreciation for art! I've seen plenty of 40yr olds being loud and disruptive in museums and felt they had no "right" to be there! Museums are for people to enjoy at any age...just because one is an adult tourist does not give one more if a right to be there. I find that attitude very sad. (for the record, I am NOT saying that ALL three year olds should spend hours in museums...just that mine, in particular, had more of an interest in the visual arts than I do and had every "claim" to be there.)

I also agree that picking the least crowded time of year and day is always helpful! (not just for children though!!)

We've taken our kids to art museums since they were young; not many, because our nearby museums are not great. But on vacation, yes. We've taken them at a kids' pace, and they've enjoyed what they've seen. SOME 4yos and SOME 40yos enjoy the museums - some thers go because they've been taken on a tour, or forced, or so they can tell their friends at home they've been. No person is more deserving of appreciating art than any other.

I see nothing wrong with discussing works of art while standing near them. In fact, I was doing that very thing with my then 10yo son in front of the Venus de Milo, and an Asian tourist actually PUSHED us aside so he could have his picture taken while standing in front of the sculpture. My son had as much right to appreciate the art as much as that adult tourist did, and IMHO, was appreciating it much more than the person getting his picture taken.

Yes, it may be crowded. Just like adults, kids can spend the time there that they appreciate, then leave. And unlike adults, kids can be picked up for a better vantage point.

My kids were going to art museums when they were in a carriage. When they were 4 & 6, before going, we would look in books to see the pictures they were going to see and read about the artists. By the time they were 6 & 8, they would be eager to find the pictures they had chosen to see in the museum. Sometimes, I allowed them to wander on their own, when I felt it was safe. At the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, I found my DD (then aged 6) crying in front of the Potato Eaters. I, myself, had never been so moved by a painting, so I was surprised, but pleased that she was. Don't underestimate a child's appreciation.

I took mine to full length ballets and plays at age 6. I always sat near an exit just in case they got restless, but they loved the ballet and only once did we have to leave a concert early. The Uffizi is very crowded. It may/may not work for you. Every child is different. You know your own child and can judge. You can also be prepared to shorten the visit if it isn't working out. I do believe in taking children to museums - early and often.

@ pisceantraveler

I'm curious to know how your children did at the Uffizi Gallery. We are also planning to take our 5 and 6 year olds to it in two weeks. Any advice on kid-friendly places near the Uffizi?