Florence Travel Forum

My mind is boggled by the fantastic offerings of the city and region. How best can I spend such limited time? My inclination is to focus on Galleria Dell/Accademia and/or the Uffizi Gallery. Are there tours available that meet the time restrictions and if so are they reccomended?
Thanks any help you can provide!

I am a little confused........you cannot be docking in Florence itself, so are you docking at Livorno? Or are you taking the ship's transport into Florence, and then having 6 hours there?

If you have to make your own way from Livorno then you have little time to explore Florence. You will need a train (or car/driver) from the port to the city.

www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html will give you train times and fares in English.

Trains are frequent and cost little (6.50 euro one way) but the journey takes over an hour.

If you use the train, then I suggest you simply walk stright down from SM Novella station in Florence to see the Duomo, Baptistry and Campanile, walk to Piazza Signorina and the Ponte Vecchio, then just explore as much of the city on foot as you can before returning to the station (allow plenty of time, because ships don't wait).

But if you really want to see the Uffizi and/or the Accadamia then you should expect to see little else of the city. I would also advise you to book your tickets in advance, for there are always queues and they are often very long.

www.tickitaly.com is used by many VT-ers for advance ticket purchase. You cannot book online with the museums themselves, although you can by phone:

http://www.firenzemusei.it/00_english/servizi/index.html

There are a multitude of guided tours available (simply google 'florence uffizi accademia guided tour) e.g. http://www.florence-museum.com/ but whether hey will fit your schedule, or be worthwhile, is a matter of personal choice. Personally, with such a short space of time, I would prefer to use the audio/ written guides and make my own choices of what to see.

If you only have 6 hours in Florence, I would suggest saving the Accademia and the Uffizi for a future trip. You really have to get your tickets in advance. We tried to book tickets 4 days in advance and they were sold out so we took our chances standing in line and ended up waiting 4 hours (yes HOURS) to get in the door. This was out of season so I can only imagine what it is like in high touritst season!

The Duomo is free and stunning. There will be no wait, just lots of company. If you want to see some wonderful art, visit the Duomo Museum (Museo dell'Opera del Duomo) right behind the cathedral. There are some gorgeous works of art there including the original panels from the Baptistry doors. As outlined by leics above, take your time to visit Florence on foot. There are many places within an easy walk and the entire city is a work of art. She gave you an excellent itinerary.

You can admire a replica of David in the Pza. Della Signoria outside the Uffizi Gallery. Then you can plan that future trip to have a few days in Florence.

Have a great trip.

Thank you. But I have absolutely no idea how Piazza Della Signoria became transmuted into my 'Piazza Signorina'! :-(

Think I may need some wine..........

if you go on ( a presumably expensive ) ship sponsored cruise the ship will not leave without you but your finances may. there are several options.
one is to forego florence and visit the Baptistery Leaning Tower complex in Pisa and then spend the rest of the day in delightful Lucca.
if you go to Florence i agree with Beausoleil to forget the top two or three sites because of the waits. There is plenty to otherwise occupy six hours. in addition to those mentioned above, walk along the Ponte Vecchio to the Oltarno with its leather shops. For the largest collection of sacred art in Florence try the relatively unvisited Museo San Marco just a few blocks north of the duomo with works by ghirlandaio and ( my favorite ) Beato Angelico and see the original rooms occupied by Savanarola. Remember you have to eat too.

Florence, the city is a museum unto itself so if I had only six hours to spend there, I would simply walk the city and observe and enjoy the life. I would take a coffee or a glass of wine in an outdoor cafe in one of the piazzas, people watch, have a gelatto, window shop. Especially if it is a beautiful day, I wouldn't bother with any museums. Maybe if I passed a church, I would go in to check out the architecture and the murals, but that is about all.

Two interesting books that you might want to read before you go are The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone and Medici Money by Tim Parks.