Art Lovers' Update for Museum Reservations in Florence and Milan:
Book long in advance to see the Uffizi Gallery and The Last Supper
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| Beware of three-hour long lines! Reserve your tickets to the Uffizi before you leave for Europe. |
Several of the great galleries of Italy are limiting admissions and allowing only visitors with reservations. A few years ago you could reserve your spot a day in advance, but now you need to book at least a month ahead of time to see the Uffizi Gallery in Florence or Leonardo's The Last Supper in Milan. Here are excerpts from our 2008 guidebooks:
Florence: Make Reservations to Avoid Lines at Uffizi
Florence has a reservation system for its top five sights — Uffizi, Accademia, Bargello, Medici Chapels, and Pitti Palace. I highly recommend getting reservations for the Accademia (Michelangelo's David) and the Uffizi (Renaissance paintings). While you can generally get an entry time for the Accademia within a few days, the Uffizi is often booked up a month in advance (though it's easier in the off-season). Your best strategy is to get reservations for both as soon as you know when you'll be in town. After learning how easy this is and seeing hundreds of bored, sweaty tourists waiting in lines without the reservation, it's hard not to be amazed at their cluelessness.
There are several ways to make a reservation: Have your hotelier arrange it, call the reservation number directly, use an online booking service (for a fee), or go in person in advance to one of the museums.
Most hoteliers are accustomed to offering this service either for free or for a fee (€3–5) when clients make a room reservation. Just request it with your hotel booking. For most people, this is easiest.
If you want to make the booking(s) yourself, dial 055-294-883 within Italy (Mon–Fri 8:30–18:30, Sat 8:30–12:30, closed Sun). From the US, call 011-39-055-294-883. Unfortunately, the reservation line is often busy, and even if you get through, you may be disconnected while on hold. Try again. And again. When you do get through, an English-speaking operator walks you through the process, and two minutes later you say grazie, with appointments (15-min entry window) and six-digit confirmation numbers for each of the top museums and galleries.
Some booking agencies offer reservations online for a hefty fee (minimum €5/ticket, such as tickitaly.com or www.weekendafirenze.com).
The "Original Florence in One Day" tour run by Walking Tours of Florence includes admission to the Uffizi and the Accademia.
Book Early for a Place at Milan's Last Supper
In Milan, Leonardo's The Last Supper also requires a reservation. Here's the guidebook section for The Last Supper:
Reservations are mandatory. These days, because of the hype surrounding Dan Brown's blockbuster novel, The Da Vinci Code, spots are booked at least two months in advance — so plan ahead. To minimize the humidity problem — even though the damage has already been done — only 25 tourists are allowed in every 15 minutes for exactly 15 minutes. Prior to your appointment time, you wait in several rooms, while doors close behind you and open up slowly in front of you. The information posted on Leonardo is mainly in Italian.
It's better to book by phone than online. If you call, you'll have a greater selection of days and time slots to choose from, since their website doesn't reflect cancellations (tel. 02-8942-1146, or from the US, dial 011-39-02-8942-1146; booking office open Mon–Fri 9:00–18:00, Sat 9:00–14:00, closed Sun; the number is often busy — once you get through, dial 2 for an English-speaking operator; the process takes about two minutes and you'll hang up with an appointed entry time and a number; can pay with cash or credit card upon arrival).
If you book online, you'll see a calendar that will — ideally — show available time slots. If the days are blank, it means that all the slots for those days have been filled — or it can mean that the website (which seems user-unfriendly) isn't functioning well. If you can't find a spot when you need it, try calling instead, because cancellations aren't registered and show up as booked slots (for booking: www.cenacolovinciano.org; general info: www.cenacolovinciano.it).
No matter how you book, the cost is €8, which includes the €1.50 reservation fee (can pay with cash or credit card if buying one or two tickets, but must pay in advance by credit card for more than two tickets, 9:30 and 15:30 visits require €3.25 extra for provided guided English tour).
While "reservations are required," if spots are available (more likely on weekdays and first thing in the morning) you can book one at the desk (even if Sold Out sign is posted). If fewer than 25 people show up for a particular time slot, you can get lucky. But those who show up without a reservation generally kill lots of time waiting around. Only un-prepaid spots are given away if the ticket holders don't show up; prepaid no-shows are not resold. Note that the Autostradale and Zani Viaggi bus tours include entry to The Last Supper. In a pinch, you might be able to buy tickets from Autostradale or Zani Viaggi without going on their tour. Autostradale books out the 12:00, 12:15, 17:30, and 17:45 slots, speculating that they'll fill their buses. If they don't, they release these extra tickets each morning. You can try to nab one by showing up at the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie at 8:15.
Updated for 2008. For lots more information, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' Italy guidebook — or join us on one of our free-spirited tours in Italy.