Both Florence museums in a day?

[Irish110]

Has anyone been able to do both the Accadamia and Uffizi in one day and still been able to see some other Florence highlights? Most excursions or tours that I have looked at suggest just doing one museum since doing both may limit what other Florence sights you can see. I would be interested in how others have been able to visit both museums and see a little more of Florence as well.

[samavarcruiser]

Has anyone been able to do both the Accadamia and Uffizi in one day and still been able to see some other Florence highlights? Most excursions or tours that I have looked at suggest just doing one museum since doing both may limit what other Florence sights you can see. I would be interested in how others have been able to visit both museums and see a little more of Florence as well.

 

if you are there only for a day, I would also recommend you to visit only Accademia Museum and leave Uffizi for your next trip since it will take at least 2 Hrs to visiti this museum, only in this case you have time to enjoy Florence itself, but this is a very personal, also depend on your interest :rolleyes:

[Host Jazzbeau]

We did this with no trouble. Our ship offered a "Florence on Your Own" excursion that bussed us to Santa Croce and told us to meet back there at a certain time. In between we were able to see the Bargello Museum [sculpture], Convento di San Marco [Fra Angelicos], the Accademia [Michelango's David], the Duomo [outside only, dome, baptistry], the Uffizi, and Ponte Vecchio. We followed Rick Steves' Renaissance Walk which links most of these attractions in a straight line, and we had plenty of time to follow his detailed tours of each place. We had purchased tickets online for the Accademia and the Uffizi -- this is the secret to making this work: no lines! It's also why we didn't go inside the Duomo (next time!). We had planned to do it completely DIY following advice I found somewhere on the internet, but during the cruise we chickened out and booked the ship's bus, which eliminated all the agita about late trains etc.

[Irish110]

Thank you both for your replies. I think we may try to do both especially since we will be there on a Sunday and I heard most of the shops will be closed. We will do the Ufizzi last and get as much in as we can before we need to leave. Will have to look into getting a transfer since I will probably be a little too nervous to do it completely on our own. Thanks again!

[rmurray847]

The Uffizzi is quite large, and if you love art, you can easily eat up a day there. You'll enjoy it...but not see any more Florence. If you are an art appreciator but don't need to look at every single painting, then you should be okay. The Accademia (David) is relatively small. In my opinion, see it first, then you'll know exactly how much time you have at Uffizi, which is sprawling.

 

No matter what, get your tickets in advance. Saves big time. In the summer, even the line to pick up your reserved tickets can take awhile (it took us 20 minutes in August, 2012), but those who had no tickets may have waiting hours!

 

Enjoy!!

[Host Jazzbeau]

For a first visit to a place, I love Rick Steves. His guidebooks only include the best sights, but he includes a guided tour through the top ones -- a tour designed to walk you through in a straight line seeing the best parts and getting out fairly quickly. His tour of the Uffizi is exactly what you need for this quick day in Florence. His walk through Florence will also help you link all the sites between the Accademia and the Uffizi, so that when you're done there all that's left is Ponte Vecchio and then back to your rendezvous point. It really makes this easy.

Edited June 28, 2015 by Host Jazzbeau