# Museo Galileo, Florence > Museo Galileo is a museum of the history of science on the Arno embankment, steps from the Uffizi. It holds Galileo Galilei's only surviving telescopes and the lens with which he discovered the moons of Jupiter, plus huge globes, armillary spheres and instruments collected by the Medici. Entry is paid; allow 1 to 1.5 hours. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/museo-galileo - City: [Florence](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence), Italy - YesGo score: 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 15 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Paid - Opening hours: Daily by day - 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 - Coordinates: 43.76768, 11.25602 - Facts checked: 11.11.2026 ## Key facts - **2** — surviving Galileo telescopes are kept here (source: English Wikipedia) - **1610** — Galileo found Jupiter's moons; that lens is on show (source: English Wikipedia) - **1588–1593** — Antonio Santucci made the great armillary sphere (source: English Wikipedia) - **2010** — the museum reopened under Galileo's name (source: English Wikipedia) - **Medici** — their instruments form the core of the collection (source: English Wikipedia) ## History 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. > **With children** Museo Galileo is one of the best museums in Florence for children and teenagers. In the last rooms they can try pendulum, inclined-plane and optics experiments themselves, and even small children love the big globes and spheres. A good choice for a rainy day or a break between art museums. ## 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 1. From the [Uffizi](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/uffizi), 2 minutes on foot along the Arno. 2. From [Piazza della Signoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/piazza-della-signoria), 3 minutes. 3. From the [Ponte Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/ponte-vecchio), 4 minutes along the embankment. 4. 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. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Check the museum's opening hours - [ ] Find Galileo's telescopes and the 1610 lens - [ ] Look at Santucci's armillary sphere - [ ] Spot Coronelli's celestial globe - [ ] Try the experiments in the hands-on rooms ## Florence's museums: compare and choose Museums and galleries in Florence rated by YesGo. - [Palazzo Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-vecchio) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Courtyard free, museum paid - [Uffizi Gallery](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/uffizi) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h · Paid - [Santa Croce](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santa-croce) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Paid - [Palazzo Pitti](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-pitti) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Paid - [Santa Maria Novella](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santa-maria-novella) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid - [Vasari Corridor](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/vasari-corridor) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid, timed entry - [Palazzo Medici Riccardi](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-medici-riccardi) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid - [Orsanmichele](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/orsanmichele) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Laurentian Library](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/laurentian-library) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Paid - [Galleria dell'Accademia](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/galleria-dell-accademia) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Paid - [Medici Chapels](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/medici-chapels) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid - [Brancacci Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/brancacci-chapel) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Paid, timed entry - [Bargello](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/bargello) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Paid - [Palazzo Strozzi](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/palazzo-strozzi) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Courtyard free, exhibitions paid - [Museo Galileo](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/museo-galileo) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Paid ## Along the Arno The Uffizi, Museo Galileo and the Ponte Vecchio: art and science in one walk. 1. [Uffizi Gallery](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/uffizi) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h · Paid 2. [Museo Galileo](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/museo-galileo) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Paid 3. [Ponte Vecchio](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/ponte-vecchio) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free ## Don't mix it up Museo Galileo is a history of science museum, not Galileo's house: he never lived here. His last home, the Villa Il Gioiello, is outside the city on the Arcetri hill. ## Tips - 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. ## How we checked History and collection from English Wikipedia. Prices and hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Museo Galileo - Official site, museogalileo.it --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.