Michelangelo's David Skip-the-Line Ticket Office Pickup

With a skip-the-line ticket for Michelangelo's David, the only queue left is the museum's security check. You pick up your official ticket at an office close to the Accademia Gallery shortly before your reserved time, then walk to the entrance. If you arrive in Florence early, you can cool off in the air-conditioned rooms there with a drink.

Inside, the visit is self-guided. The Tribune puts David under a skylight made to show off the statue, and the Hall of the Prisoners leads up to it with Michelangelo's unfinished figures. The galleries also hold Florentine paintings, with names such as Botticelli, Perugino, Uccello and Filippino Lippi.

• David, the Prisoners and the San Matteo
• Gipsoteca Bartolini, a gallery of plaster casts and busts
• The Museum of Musical Instruments, with pieces from the Medici collections

An audio guide on your smartphone and a VR experience about the creation of David can be added as options. This is not a guided tour. Security checks are mandatory and can add a wait at busy times. Visitors under 18 need an ID, or a copy of it, to show their age.