I read over an earlier thread about whether to see these museums on the same day...folks had mixed opinions, and I still don't know what to think. But we'll be in Florence in July and I'm trying to book our tickets ahead of time. I'm still interested in opinions regarding whether we could or should do these on the same day -- but I'm even more interested to know *what time of day* would be best to book for these. It sounds as if the Uffizi can be tough going...so is it a good idea to see it in the early morning, shortly after it opens? Or is that not necessary? And is there a best time to see the Accademia, or doesn't it matter as much?

Thanks so much.

The Uffizi gets extremely crowded plus its stuffy, so I would see it first thing when it opens. You could go to lunch afterwards and then go the Accademia. There isn't as much to see at the Accademia, so it doesn't take much time there though it was hard to tear ourselves away from David, he is spectactular.

You can do both in one day --- We've done just that 2 out of the 3 times we have been to Florence. Don't know if it is on you list of things to do, but we really enjoyed visiting the Bargello.

We were in Florence last month and reserved an entry time at the Uffizi for early morning (e.g. 9:30); the Uffizi can indeed take a great deal of time and we spent about 3 hours before collapsing.
The Accademia requires much less time, as the primary reason (IMO) to go is to see the David and Michelangelo's (unfinished) Slaves. Be sure you allow enough time- even with a reservation- to wait in line before you can get in (there were people from a cruise ship near us who were freaking out that they weren't going to have enough time to get in and then see things before they were due back with their group) . Once in you probably won't need more than an hour or so. Whatever you do, be sure to make your reservations for both ahead of time! Our hotel (Hotel Casci) was happy to take care of this for us several months before our arrival.

I enjoyed the Uffizi in mid to late afternoon (end of September). Was not crowded with a 3pm (I think!) reservation.

And you can get some excellent photos (light-wise) from there of the Ponte Vecchio and Arno river.

The Uffizi is pretty overwhelming as there is lots to see there. I would definitely try for a morning timeslot.

I'll share my best tip for Accademia (which Fodor's very kindly published in their latest Italy guidebook!). Go to Accademia at about 5pm. We did this and only waited about 10 mins to get in and it wasn't at all crowded. The tour groups have all gone by then. At other times of the day the queue is really, really long. This also means that you don't have to commit to a particular day to go to Accademia.

I have to agree with "Cathies" - and that's a great tip about going in the late afternoon. The museum closes at 6:50pm and the last ticket is sold half an hour before that. If you really can get in at the end of the day without reserving, you save yourself the reservation cost and you still have time to admire David and the Slaves. The other things in that gallery are not terribly interesting to the general public, although there is a part dedicated to historic musical instruments that is pretty awesome if you are interested in music.

The uffizi is IMO best seen first thing in the morning, on a full stomach and wearing comfortable shoes. Reservation is necessary for July. If possible, try to find out what you want to see - make a highlights list or look for one online - and focus on those works rather than trying to see the whole thing. There's no point in coming out feeling tired rather than inspired!

Here is one more tip: you have go to through a metal detector like at the airport, and they don't allow bottles of liquids in the museum. Honestly it's not very nice of them to not allow you to drink while you trek for 3 hours but it is for the safety of the paintings. Save yourself trouble and dress/pack as if you were going to take a plane.

bookmarking

Thanks so much for the great tips! I really appreciate all the good information folks are sharing.

Oh, and one more question, please: Our itinerary gives us a choice of booking on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Is it reasonable to assume that Saturday might be the busiest day and so to be avoided, if possible? Thanks!

OK, it's me, again. I keep seeing references to a Web site that supposedly shows the slots open at these museums. Since I have a choice of days but would prefer an early slot at the Uffizi, it would be great to know this info. The site that I've seen mentioned doesn't appear to still exist. Is this information on line somewhere? It would really help. Thanks!

I think I'm monopolizing and owning my thread. I found the Web site with the times (http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/Uffizi/venue.aspx); it's different than the Uffizi official site. They don't show any times before noon on any of the days we're there, however. I've read that sometimes calling the Uffizi directly works better. We may have to resort to that.

Thanks, folks, again for the info.

hi! I don't know if this is way too late but b-ticket IS the official booking site for the Uffizi. It's sometimes directly embeded into the site firenzemusei.it. Uffizi.com is NOT the official site, it is a ticket reseller that charges extra.

Firenze Musei/b-ticket does not put ALL the slots available on the website, and it is a common problem to not find morning slots. Calling will always yeild more slots.
Enjoy your trip!
Alexandra