Enjoyed the audio video guide very informative but would be slightly better if there was a prompt in the museum to tell you which room you are in to link with the guide. Went early in the morning and place was very quiet. Didn’t see any notice to direct you to return guide and had to retrace our way back to return them.

My wife and I recently visited the Palazzo Vecchio and Bobble Gardens during our visit to Florence. The Palazzo Vecchio was the family home of the Medici's and was fascinating. Disappointedly, my wife's audio video guide kept breaking down. As we had started on the top floor and were working our way down, we had to keep returning to the entrance to get her audio video guide replaced, not just once, but three times. Eventually we were offered the opportunity to join a small guided tour of the Palazzo Vecchio. The tour guide was good and informative, with a personal tour missing from the audio video guide. It was though incredibly frustrating for my wife to be given three faulty devices (mine on the other hand worked perfectly throughout our visit).

Skip the lines are a must and money well spent. Otherwise, plan on spending some serious wait time for the larger venues. As far as the tours themselves, all of our tour guides were very knowledgeable and their English was fine. However, for us the actual live guide was not a make or break, especially for the smaller museums or cathedrals. It would really depend on your specific preferences.