Time for climbing the Brunelleschi dome
I appreciate all of the info I have been reading in the forum. We are traveling with the small group Italy tour beginning on May 7, 2017. I am going to buy tickets for Florence's Opera dell Duomo buildings online. Do you think it is plausible to choose a one pm time to climb the dome? If you miss out on your scheduled time, does that mean you have to wait in line? How long should I plan to climb the dome? Thanks to Alan for his numerous posts.
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If we had it to do again, we would make our reservation for day 10 after the tour of the Academia and Piazza della Repubblica. 2:00 would be a good time to make the reservation which would allow for lunch before your climb. We would do it differently because the date of the reservation is the first day you can use the tickets to do the climb, visit the Baptistry, and visit the museum. Having a reservation for day 11 prohibited us from using any tickets on day 10.
A reservation is definitely recommended for the climb because of the popularity and the wait times. We did not have reserved times for the museum and the Baptistry, but were able to immediately walk in because there were no lines. This may vary based on the time of year, time of day etc.
I haven't gone back to read my previous posts but, we had plenty of time after the morning tour of the Academia and the short guided walk through town which which followed and which ended at the Piazza del Republica at approx 1200-1230. In fact, since we had booked* a 1330 climb, we had enough time to stop to pick up something in our room at the Brunelleschi Hotel and eat a leisurely lunch at a cafe on the Piazza del Duomo- we watched (in knowing amusement) as the regular line got longer and started to wrap around the building. We finished our lunch (and gelato) and got impatient so walked over to the special place at the head of the line, actually just to the right of the line, to see if we could enter (20 min.?) early. The official wouldn't do it but actually let us and the small number of people with reserved times in about 5 - 10 min. early. Your entry is good for 15 min. past the printed time. So, I guess I'm saying 1300 should work just fine.
We actually could have visited the Baptistry** before the climb but were in no hurry- I had done such a good job planning : ~ ) . Be sure to tell your TD about your plans- he/she will make sure you'll be there in plenty of time. If the Academia tour runs long you can just depart the group as you walk south through the Piazza del Duomo on your way to the Piazza del Republica.
The climb did not take long- maybe 15 min. up and a little less coming down (we trained before leaving home). You can spend as much time as you want to climb and pause at the top to take in the spectacular views, however. After the climb we hot-footed it to the meet point for our Seqway tour. We visited the Baptistry and the Duomo museum the next day after getting back from a side trip to Pisa. DO NOT MISS the Duomo museum! We did not climb Giotto's Campanile (bell tower).
* Double check the timing and times- once the reservation has been made you can't change it- I tried.
** our combo ticket gave us entry to 4 attractions and was good for 48 hours (one visit each place).
I made a schedule and had scoped out everything on a map before leaving home, but I was still surprised how central and really close everything is. I'll bet you could easily walk from the Academia (which is a few short blocks north of the Duomo to the Ufizzi which is on the banks of the river and a straight shot south, in about 5 min.!!!
Florence and the whole trip were fantastic!!!!!!!!!! We WILL BE GOING BACK someday!
Yup, too much to see and not enough time! We stuck to the biggies. I had just finished reading "Brunelleschi's Dome" by Ross King, so we just had to do the dome and while it is really touristy, how can you miss one of the most iconic buildings in Italy- the leaning tower. If you are into art, you can spend a full day or more just at the Uffizzi gallery and it is just one of many.
Rome- almost the same problem, too much to see, and while a lot of stuff is close, it is farther apart than Florence. A stop at the Pantheon is a must, especially since your hotel (new for 2017) is only a 2 min. walk away. You can also walk (4 - 5 blocks, about the same distance for us) to Trevi Fountain, which was recently cleaned (2016) and continue on a little farther to the Spanish Steps which was closed and being cleaned when we were there. I used Google maps to see where each of the places we thought we might want to see were located in relation to our hotel.
The biggest issue with Rome is the Vatican scheduling- on our 22 May 2016 Small Group tour, our visits to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel (which were unbelievable by the way) and separate visit to St. Peters Basilica were on on different days and times than what was on the Tauck website AND the itinerary in the book Tauck mails you after you have paid in full. We had been given a head's up that this might happen so did not plan any excursions or third party tours for Rome. We just had a list of things to visit/see and did them as time allowed.
Remember, too, this area of Rome is relatively safe to walk and the days will be longer and it will stay light much longer so you can easily visit some places like Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps in the evening. Just do some Google searches- "10 best places to see in Rome" and pick out a few sites that interest you. On our tour other than drive-bys and restaurants, the only places we visited with Tauck (with guides) were the Vatican Museums/Sistine Chapel, St. Peters, and the Colosseum/Forum. Also, it was very busy at the Colosseum. We had our group photo taken there in front of one of the arches.
Back to Florence- after climbing the dome we took a Segway tour which brought us to many places we wouldn't normally have had time to see, though we didn't get to go in- places like the Basilica Santa Croce that was adorned with frescoes by Vasari, Giotto and Agnolo Gaddi, architecture by Brunelleschi and Donatello, and where Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Ghiberti, Rossini, and many other famous Italians are buried. Check them out!
By the way, I highly recommend getting and reading "Brunelleschi's Dome" and the "Popes Ceiling" both by Ross King. They really get you thinking about and help you appreciate what you are about to see and experience. I could take this tour again in a heart beat!
Although this wasn't designated as a small group tour, it was an added tour and was the first one of the season. We began the tour with 16, but when we left Rome, for various reasons, there were only 12 of us, so it truly was a small group tour. Our other Tauck tours have most certainly had more tour members, but all have been fantastic!