Comments on My One Day Florence Itiniery

ecisme

Member
Hi Again Lourdes,
We have decided on parking and transit into Florence [tram-Sansovino] and timing [leave Montepulciano around 7:45, park around 9:45, off tram around 10:30], I would appreciate you thoughts on our plans for our one day.

We are hubby, wife and 12 year old daughter - all love photography and a leisurely walk through historic areas. Also my 79 year old mom who walks at a more leisurely pace complements our photography pace.

I wanted to make the Accademia our first stop and only timed entry, but the earliest available was 11:45. So we will do a one hour walk from tram and be on line by 11:30. We'll spend one hour there with lunch right after. I thought we would eat outdoors at Piazza della Signoria but this doesn't make sense since we will probably backtrack to the Duomo. Can you recommend a lunch spot near Accademia where we can sit down around 1:00pm?

Speaking of the Duomo, if we only do the free entry can we fit it in before the Accademia? And then, I know I said I only want to do one timed entry, but when I read about the dome and the view, I feel like I must do that. Is it a timed entry? If so, must you arrive exactly on time? My mom will not do the climb [and maybe not daughter] so what would they do while hubby and I climb? Perhaps they go shopping nearby and we don't buy tix for them at all? And I can't quite figure out how much time the dome climb might take. We certainly will not climb both the dome and the campanile - would it be less time if we just do the bell tower?

Other than that, we plan to stroll slowly toward Ponte Vecchio for the view and see what surprises we find. Everyone seems to recommend Gustapizza which is only a 5 minute walk south of Ponte Vecchio, but since you can't sit down there, I wonder if there is a better choice for us w/o going beyond the bridge.

Hmmm, I am looking at Duome website for hours and it is a bit confusing: it lists special Thursday hours for every month except June. Does that mean Duomo is open to 5pm? dome closes 6:20 pm (entry time?), baptistery 6:30pm, bell tower 6:50 pm, and crypt earlier [I think?]. Perhaps we should go to Piazza della Signoria for lunch, then Ponte Vecchio and then back to Duomo for a later entry. Perhaps lines are shorter then and climb faster? Once Duomo visit is finished, we could get dinner and then figure out where to get a taxi back to tram for trip back to Sansovino. We might even be close enough to walk back to tram station??? But my mom might be tired by then.

Sorry for being so lengthy but I hope my thoughts and questions are clear.
Thank you so very much for your help!!!!!
EC
 
I think you're way overthinking your day in Florence! ;-)
You should arrive and walk towards the Accademia, map the route on Google Maps so you know which way to go, and just take pics along the way.
An hour will pass quickly!

After your visit, just head back toward the Duomo - take via ricasoli or via dei servi, there are various places you can eat along the way there.

The Duomo - the cathedral itself - is free but if you want to go up and climb the dome itself, you need to get the pass ticket (10 euro) and get in line. There are no timed entries for that. The only way to avoid any line is to get the Firenze Card but at 72 euro per person is not worth it for a 1 day visit to Florence.
Since you'll pass the duomo on your way to piazza della signoria, you can just see how the line at that time... the entry is between those two streets mentioned above so you'll see whether there is a line or not.

You can definitely go all the way to Gustapizza and eat out sitting on the benches in the square... but if along the way you see something else that catches your eye, change plans and stop ;) if your mom is tired, maybe you do want to sit down and rest and replenish your energy?

hope you all have a great day in Florence!
 
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