Boboli/Pitti

stevepjay

New member
Can both Boboli Gardens and Palazzo Pitti realistically be covered in one day or would it be better to allow a day for each?
 
The inside of Palazzo Pitti has 5 museums, so you have to decide which ones to see and which ones are less interesting for you.... so if you decide for the Palatine Gallery + Royal Apartments, for example, you could do those in the morning, head out nearby for lunch and return to see the gardens in the afternoon.
If you want to see more of the palace museums, then I would spread it out over two days. The gardens themselves are large and have various sections so you do need at least the entire afternoon to spend 2-3 hours there. If there is sun, enjoy sitting on a bench and the view of Florence (near the Kaffehaus there is a great view).
 
The inside of Palazzo Pitti has 5 museums, so you have to decide which ones to see and which ones are less interesting for you.... so if you decide for the Palatine Gallery + Royal Apartments, for example, you could do those in the morning, head out nearby for lunch and return to see the gardens in the afternoon.
If you want to see more of the palace museums, then I would spread it out over two days. The gardens themselves are large and have various sections so you do need at least the entire afternoon to spend 2-3 hours there. If there is sun, enjoy sitting on a bench and the view of Florence (near the Kaffehaus there is a great view).

Thank you. This is very helpful. Much appreciated.
 
Boboli/Pitti access

We will be on a cruise with bus from Livorno to Florence departing about 7:45a.m , estimate Florence arrival about 9:30a.m., assuming groupo to be walked to Santa Croce square area as above described. We have never visited the Pitti Palace due to very long entry lines. How far is it to walk from the Santa Croce drop off to the Pitti Palace and how do we purchase advanced "skip the lines" timed entry tickets on line? Bus return metupo time at Santa Croce woud be about 3:15 p.m. On prior Florene trips taxicab transport to places like Uffizi was extremely slow and walking was faster 9 and cheaper). Please advise. Thanks.
Stan
 
Ciao Stanley,

What period will you be here? I don't normally recommend booking for the Pitti Palace museums since even with a line, it moves fast. Problem with prebooking is you have to choose a specific entrance time, so you will have to estimate if you want to prebook.
Yes, you can take a taxi or walk. Walking I would estimate 25-30 minutes walk: you are passing through heavily pedestrian areas so that slows you down even if you're walking fast. Taxis do have to take roundabout ways and also deal with lots of pedestrians in the center of Florence, so I agree, depending on where you are going it might not be faster to take a taxi at all.
 
Ciao Brawsen,

I love the tours for museums and the walking tours, I've gone on many and they have always been interesting and provide info I would not have gotten otherwise. When time is limited, they are particularly useful because they hit the highlights and optimize your time so that you won't waste it on something less essential -- this is subjective, of course, but in a museum on your own you might spend way too much time in the first rooms you arrive at to only find out the more important works were in later rooms but arrive tired by then and therefore not enjoy/appreciate them as much. If you had known about them or had a guide to tell you to move on... it makes a difference. It also means you don't need to read or learn of some things ahead of time but get to hear and soak in info along the way. Thus, I highly recommend them as a great way to add value and richness to your travels, whether here in Florence or any other trip.

As for time, each tour will say how long they take and it depends on what they include. They can go from 1.5hrs to a full morning or afternoon or an entire day (the ones into Chianti wine country are definitely worth spending more time on ;) )
 
Florence in 48 hours

Hi Lourdes,

Many thanks for your informative blog. Uffizi gallery have increased their ticket price to 38EURO combining the Palazzo Pitti and Giardino di Boboli. Since Accademia is another you've suggested is a 'must see' (and I agree with it!), my question is, how long would it take for us to complete these 4 places? Can we finish these in 48 hours? Are any museums worth visiting during the evening?

Regards.
 
Yes!

Yes, I suppose, if you wish to visit the Palatine Gallery and the Boboli Gardens. You can decide to get the most booking a guided visit (available also for kids).
 
Ciao Samrat,

It would be a packed 48 hours but yes, you could do it!

Since March 1st the combined ticket for Uffizi + Pitti + Boboli exists and is 38 euros in high season and 18 euros in the low season.
The pass in this case is valid for 3 days, so I would not do all of the above in one day and spread it out thus:

day 1: Uffizi in morning, then Boboli Gardens (and Porcelain museums, it is small) and Bardini gardens in the afternoon.

day 2: Accademia in the morning, then head back to Pitti Palace to see the museums within. There is the Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments which are the main ones, then the Modern Art section is the next biggest. The Treasure of the Grand Dukes and the Costume and Fashion museum are smaller sections.

With the combined ticket, you can only enter each of the 3 "museums" once so this is why I suggest Boboli separately from the museums within the Pitti Palace.
 
Would you recommend to pre-purchase tickets for the first Sunday of the month or simply wait in line?
 
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