12 best museums in Florence โ list, description, photos, prices 2021, opening hours, map
One of the most beautiful cities in Italy โ old Florence, attracts tourists with a huge number of attractions. In the historical center of the city, it seems that every house here is associated with the names of great people. Even if you are here for a short time, you can have time to see the main museums of Florence. Tickets are sold both directly at the box office and via the Internet.
Uffizi Gallery
Located in the center of Florence. Here you can see the work of Renaissance artists. The guests are presented with paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, paintings by Botticelli and Michelangelo, Titian and Caravaggio. It is here that the Birth of Venus by Botticelli and the Baptism of Christ by Leonardo da Vinci are kept. There are always a lot of people who want to get here, especially on the first Sunday of the month, when admission is free.
If you come to Florence for a short time, in order not to waste time standing in lines, you can book tickets online, which will be a little more expensive. A ticket costs 8 euros, a reduced ticket (for European youth aged 18-25) 4 euros. The gallery is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 8.15 to 18.50, Monday is a day off. In the warm season, from March 31 to September 27, it is open until 22:00.
Timed entrance ticket for Michelangelo's David โ โฌ16
Uffizi Gallery entrance ticket โ โฌ20
Uffizi Gallery: Priority entrance โ โฌ40
Florence Cathedral: Dome entrance ticket โ โฌ29
Palazzo Vecchio entrance ticket and audio guide โ โฌ19
Tour Hop- on Hop-off. Ticket for 24, 48 or 72 hours โ from 23 โฌ
Leonardo da Vinci Museum: entrance ticket โ 7 โฌ
Tour to the Duomo with a guide and climb to the top of the dome โ 40 โฌ
Entrance ticket to the Basilica of San Lorenzo โ 8.50 โฌ
Air flight balloon over Tuscany: Florence โ 250 โฌ
Academy of Fine Arts
It was founded in the 16th century by outstanding masters โ Giorgio Vasari, Agnolo Bronzino and Bartolomeo Ammanati. Since then, artists, sculptors, architects from all over Europe have come here to study. Masters who made musical instruments also received invaluable knowledge here. At the end of the 18th century, the Academy of Fine Arts was moved to a spacious building that previously belonged to the hospital. From the music department, the Conservatory of Florence was later formed.
Today, many masterpieces are presented here. For example, guests can see โDavidโ by Michelangelo, works by Botticelli, Scheggi, Perugino and other world-famous masters. Antiquarian musical instruments are also presented here. Open from Tuesday to Sunday from 8.15 to 18.50. The day off is Monday. On Fridays, in the summer, the doors are open until 22:00. Tickets cost 8 euros, for young people from the European Union โ 4 euros.
Dante House Museum
To be precise, Dante never set foot in this house. The square, surrounded by old houses, in one of which the great poet lived, was reconstructed over time, the mansions were demolished, and new buildings were built in their place. But the perseverance of the Italians, who honor their culture, led to the fact that archaeologists were given the task of finding the exact place where Dante's house stood. Then, little by little, they collected information โ how exactly he looked. And in 1911 they began to recreate it.
Inside are things that belong to the era when Dante Alighieri lived and worked. Furniture, paintings, weaponsโฆ Looking at them, guests can plunge into the past. There was also a place for an exposition dedicated to the beautiful Beatrice. Copies of manuscripts and illustrations for literary works are stored here, primarily for the Divine Comedy. Open from 10 am to 5 pm, every day except Monday. Ticket price: 4 euros for adults, 2 for children, children under 6 years old and the disabled are free.
Palazzo Pitti
The huge palace was built in the middle of the 15th century for the Pitti family. After about 100 years, it becomes the main residence of the Medici Dukes. Over time, two side wings were added, a huge courtyard appeared. Near the palazzo are the world-famous Boboli Gardens. Today in Palazzo Pitti you can see a rich collection of paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries, see the exhibits of the Silver Museum, and admire the collection of treasures that belonged to the Medici.
The building also houses the Museum of Modernist Art. You can visit the nearby Museum of Porcelain and the Gallery of Costumes. The latter presents a collection of outfits worn by people in the last three centuries. Open for tourists from Tuesday to Sunday from 8.15 to 18.50, Monday is a day off.
A ticket costs 8.5 euros, preferential (EU youth from 18 to 25 years old) โ 4.25 euros.
Palazzo Vecchio
The old building on Piazza Senoria was built in the 14th century; today the city hall is located here. The similar Palazzo Tuscany in the town of Volterra served as a model. Attention is drawn to the tower crowned with battlements, its height reaches almost 100 meters. Once this ancient tower belonged to the Feraboschi family, then the architects included it in the design of the palazzo. Prisoners were kept here, and their list includes such famous names as Cosimo de Medici and Savonarola. In the 14th century, a large clock was hung on the tower, the work of the Florentine master Bernardo, in the 17th century they were replaced by a copy. But there are still hanging old bells, one of them belongs to the 13th century.
On the windows of the Palazzo Viecco, more than once, conspirators and those who attempted the lives of important people were hanged. Today, most of the palace is occupied by a museum. From October to March it is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., every day except Thursday, but on Thursday it closes earlier โ at 2 p.m. From April to September, the schedule changes: every day, except Thursday, the palace is open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., and on Thursday, as before, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and fortifications. It is worth paying attention to the fact that children under 6 years old are not allowed in the tower.
Vasari Corridor
The Vasari Corridor is a gallery connecting the two largest palaces in Florence โ Palazzo Viecco and Palazzo Pitti. The length of the corridor is 750 m, and it was built on the orders of Cosimo Medici. The passage connected the residence of the Medici dukes with the place where the government met. A window-balcony connects the corridor with the church of Santa Felicita, so that the duke, if desired, could be present at the service, but no one could see him.
But part of the gallery is located on the Ponte Viecco bridge and offers a wonderful view from here. Now the gallery houses part of the exhibits of the Uffizi Gallery. Here you can see the works of Raphael, Rubens, Velasquez, Aivazovsky and other famous artists. Tourists can get here only during public holidays in Italy.
Church of Saint Margaret
Many will say that it was here that Dante met the beautiful Beatrice. Although this is just a beautiful legend. In fact, the poet saw the girl, who later became his muse, in her father's house. The modest church, built at the beginning of the 11th century, and dedicated to St. Margaret, has another โfolkโ name โ โDante's Churchโ. Here he married his wife Gemma. Numerous fans of Dante come to look at this building from the Middle Ages.
She also married her husband Beatrice in this church, and was buried here when she died at 24. On the tombstone you can see numerous notes from lovers โ they ask the spirit of Beatrice to help arrange their heart affairs. The church is open daily from 9 am to 1 pm and from 4 pm to 7 pm.
Opera del Duomo Museum
According to general reviews, it is a very interesting museum, where many sculptures and paintings are kept, which are real treasures. Here you can see the bust of Duke Cosimo de' Medici, the statue of Pope Boniface VIII. The great Donatello is the author of the statues of Habakkuk, Mary Magdalene and a number of other works.
The sculptural group โThe Entombmentโ, made by Michelangelo, is also kept here. It works on weekdays โ from 9 to 19 hours, on Saturday โ a little longer, until 21 hours. The first Tuesdays of the month are days off. Ticket price โ 6 euros, to avoid queues, it is better to book tickets in advance.
Bargello Palace
It is located in the historical center of the city, next to its main attractions. For several centuries, this building was the residence of the chief of police, then prisoners were kept here and soldiers lived, and only at the end of the 19th century the National Museum of Sculpture was opened here. Now here you can see the work of the great masters of the 14th-16th centuries. Michelangelo, Donatello and others.
The bronze panel โThe Sacrifice of Isaacโ also attracts the attention of tourists. It was completed by Brunelleschi, who then supervised the work on the creation of the dome over the Duomo Cathedral โ it is still the tallest building in the city. It is designed so that it is convenient to visit even for people in wheelchairs. Sightseeing time is not limited. Opens at 8.15 and is open until 13.50. Closed every 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday of the month. Ticket price โ 4 euros. Tickets can be ordered online, however, you have to wait for confirmation, which comes in about a day.
Palazzo Strozzi
Renaissance palace. Appeared as a result of rivalry between two clans โ the Medici and Strozzi.
Filippo Strozzi decided to build himself a palace no worse than the residence of the Medici and attached great importance to this. Astrologers have calculated the best date for laying the first stone in the foundation of the building. Today the palace is the property of the city authorities. Tourists visit the museum, which is located here, as well as various concerts โ creative teams regularly organize them on the site in the courtyard.
Exhibitions of classical and modern art are held here, cafes and souvenir kiosks are open in the courtyard. Floor of the Nobles (classical art) โ open from 9 am to 8 pm, Thursday โ until 11 pm. The price of tickets may fluctuate depending on the popularity of the exhibition, averaging 10 euros. The Contemporary Art Center is open every day except Monday. Open from 10:00 to 20:00, on Thursday it closes at 23:00. Tickets cost 2.5-3 euros. If you come here after 18:00, the entrance will be free.
Palatine Gallery
The Palatine Gallery is part of the museum complex of Palazzo Pitti. 30 halls of the gallery are decorated in the Baroque style. Here is the largest collection of paintings by Raphael. Stay in Florence refers to one of the most fruitful periods of creativity of the great master. After all, here he communicated with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
The main character of Raphael's paintings, created in Florence, is the Madonna. The famous paintings by Titian, Botticelli, Rubens and other masters are also presented to the attention of the guests. The gallery is open every day except Monday from 8.15 am to 6.50 pm. The ticket builds 8.5 euros. Young people under 18 and seniors over 65 can view the collection of paintings for free. If you decide to book tickets online, the price will increase by 3 euros.
Museum of the History of Science
A large collection of instruments of past centuries has been collected. Even the Medici began to collect them, who paid great attention to the development of the natural sciences, followed the conduct of experiments in physics. The museum is small, but the guides will convincingly tell you that the development of science in Florence was given the same attention as the development of art.
Here you can see the tools used by Galileo Galilei, his telescope. Another name for this museum is Museo Galileo. It works daily, from 9.30 to 18 hours, only on Tuesday it closes earlier โ at 13 hours. The ticket costs 6.5 euros.
Michelangelo House Museum
In this city, there simply could not be a house-museum of Michelangelo. Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger began to work on its creation at the beginning of the 17th century. And now guests can see not only paintings, sculptures and exhibits of the collection of rarities that the great artist and sculptor collected, but also see how his family lived. Of particular interest are the early works of the master, from which his creative path began โ marble reliefs, โMadonna on the Stairsโ, โBattle of the Centaursโ.
Guides will present to the attention of tourists a rich library and family archive. Ancient objects that were found during excavations make up a separate exposition. Wooden models made by Michelangelo are also stored here. In addition to permanent expositions, there are also various exhibitions dedicated to certain aspects of Michelangelo's work. It works from Wednesday to Monday from 10 am to 5 pm, the ticket price is 6.5 euros.
Thus, even in a couple of days spent in Florence, you can see a lot. In some cases, it is worth ordering complex excursions, including visits to several museums at once. For example, โIn places Dante.โ There is no doubt that this beautiful city will leave you with vivid impressions.