Uffizi Gallery
Florence, Italy
Museo Galileo, Florence
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Photo: Sailko, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Paid
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Opening hours
- Daily by day
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 1 h 15 min
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Highlights
- Galileo's telescopes, armillary sphere, globes
- With kids
- Hands-on models and experiments
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Location
- Arno embankment, behind the Uffizi
Key facts
2surviving Galileo telescopes are kept here
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English Wikipedia1610Galileo found Jupiter's moons; that lens is on show
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English Wikipedia1588–1593Antonio Santucci made the great armillary sphere
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English Wikipedia2010the museum reopened under Galileo's name
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English WikipediaMedicitheir instruments form the core of the collection
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English WikipediaHistory of Museo Galileo
The Medici cared about science as well as art. The grand dukes collected astronomical instruments, maps, globes, clocks and tools, and scientists worked at their court, the most famous being Galileo Galilei, court mathematician and philosopher to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. The Lorraine dukes later added to the collection.
For a long time the collections were spread across different palaces. In the 20th century they were brought together in the Institute and Museum of the History of Science in the old Palazzo Castellani on the Arno, and in 2010, after a major renovation, the museum reopened under a new name, Museo Galileo.
Today it's one of the world's leading history of science museums. Its rooms show how people measured time and distance, watched the sky, studied electricity and ran the first experiments, and how Florence became one of the cradles of modern science.
Galileo's telescopes
The star exhibits are in the Galileo room. Here are two of the very few surviving telescopes made by the scientist himself: long tubes of wood and card covered in leather. Next to them is a cracked lens in a carved frame, through which Galileo first saw four moons of Jupiter in 1610, a discovery that changed how people saw the universe.
Alongside are other instruments of his, including his geometric and military compass and models of his inclined-plane and pendulum experiments. Videos and interactive displays explain how Galileo looked at the Moon, the Sun and the stars, and what exactly he saw.
What to see at Museo Galileo
- Galileo's telescopes — the scientist's own tubes.
- The 1610 lens — used to discover Jupiter's moons.
- Santucci's armillary sphere — a giant model of the universe.
- Coronelli globes — celestial and terrestrial.
- Accademia del Cimento instruments — thermometers and barometers.
- Electrical machines — 18th-century experiments.
Globes, spheres and experiments
One room holds the huge armillary sphere by Antonio Santucci (1588–1593), a gilded model of the universe made of rings with the Earth at its centre, as people imagined it before Galileo. Nearby are large 17th-century globes, including those of the Venetian maker Vincenzo Coronelli, with constellations drawn as heroes and monsters.
Further on are rooms of instruments from the Accademia del Cimento, one of Europe's first scientific societies, founded under the Medici: glass thermometers, barometers and hygrometers of astonishingly fine workmanship. The final rooms hold electrical machines, clocks, microscopes and 18th- and 19th-century instruments.
How to get to Museo Galileo
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Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Uffizi Gallery is about 2 min away on foot.
- Vasari Corridor is about 3 min away on foot.
- Palazzo Vecchio is about 5 min away on foot.
More tips
- From the Uffizi, 2 minutes on foot along the Arno.
- From Piazza della Signoria, 3 minutes.
- From the Ponte Vecchio, 4 minutes along the embankment.
- The entrance is on Piazza dei Giudici.
Tickets and tips
Buy tickets on site or on the museum's official website; there's rarely a queue, even when the Uffizi line is long. The museum closes early on one day a week, so check the hours before you go.
Start on the upper floor with the Medici collections and the Galileo room, then work down to the 18th- and 19th-century instruments and the hands-on rooms. Labels are in English, and an audio guide is available at the entrance. Photos without flash are usually allowed.
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Florence's museums: compare and choose
Museums and galleries in Florence rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.
| Palazzo Vecchio | 52 | 1 h 30 min | Courtyard free, museum paid | 3 min walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uffizi Gallery | 51 | 3 h | Paid | 3 min walk |
| Santa Croce | 50 | 1 h | Paid | 9 min walk |
| Palazzo Pitti | 48 | 2 h | Paid | 10 min walk |
| Santa Maria Novella | 48 | 1 h | Paid | 16 min walk |
| Vasari Corridor | 45 | 1 h | Paid, timed entry | 3 min walk |
| Palazzo Medici Riccardi | 45 | 1 h | Paid | 15 min walk |
| Orsanmichele | 45 | 30 min | Free | 6 min walk |
| Laurentian Library | 44 | 30 min | Paid | 14 min walk |
| Galleria dell'Accademia | 43 | 1 h 15 min | Paid | 18 min walk |
| Medici Chapels | 43 | 1 h | Paid | 15 min walk |
| Brancacci Chapel | 41 | 30 min | Paid, timed entry | 17 min walk |
| Bargello | 40 | 1 h 15 min | Paid | 6 min walk |
| Palazzo Strozzi | 38 | 1 h 15 min | Courtyard free, exhibitions paid | 9 min walk |
| Museo Galileoyou are here | 37 | 1 h 15 min | Paid | — |
Along the Arno
The Uffizi, Museo Galileo and the Ponte Vecchio: art and science in one walk.
- Uffizi Gallery3 h · Paid
- 3 min walk from the previous stopMuseo Galileoyou are here1 h 15 min · Paid
- 4 min walk from the previous stopPonte Vecchio20 min · Free
3 places · about 4 h 42 min with walks · 7 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
How to do it right
- Rarely a queue.
- Telescopes on the upper floor.
- Great for children.
- The Uffizi is next door.
Questions
What is there to see at Museo Galileo?
Galileo's telescopes and the lens he used to discover Jupiter's moons, Santucci's armillary sphere, Coronelli's globes and the Accademia del Cimento instruments.
Where is Museo Galileo?
On the Arno embankment in Palazzo Castellani behind the Uffizi, entered from Piazza dei Giudici.
How much is entry to Museo Galileo?
Entry is paid; check the price on the museum's official website.
Is Museo Galileo good for kids?
Yes, especially the hands-on experiment rooms, the globes and the big models.
How long do you need at Museo Galileo?
1 to 1.5 hours.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- English Wikipedia: Museo Galileo
- Official site, museogalileo.it
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