Museo Galileo
Florence, Italy
Uffizi Gallery, Florence
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Photo: Arek N., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Paid, timed booking online
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Opening hours
- Tuesday–Sunday, closed Monday
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. - 3 h
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Highlights
- Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Titian
- Tip
- Start with Botticelli while it's quiet
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Location
- Between Piazza della Signoria and the Arno
Key facts
1560–1581Vasari built it as offices for Cosimo I
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English Wikipedia"Uffizi"means "offices" — the city magistrates worked here
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English Wikipedia1737Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici left the collection to Florence
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English WikipediaBirth of VenusBotticelli's masterpiece, the museum's most famous work
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English WikipediaThe Tribunaan octagonal 16th-century room for the Medici's treasures
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English WikipediaA short history
Giorgio Vasari built it in 1560–1581 for Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici to house the offices — the uffizi — of the city's magistrates. Two long colonnaded wings joined by a short riverside range frame a narrow courtyard running from Piazza della Signoria to the Arno.
By the late 16th century the Medici had installed their paintings and ancient statues on the top floor to show distinguished guests. The decisive moment came in 1737, when the last of the line, Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, left all the family's collections to Florence on condition they never leave the city — making the Uffizi one of Europe's first public museums.
The masterpieces
The most famous rooms are Botticelli's: The Birth of Venus, the goddess rising from the sea on a shell, and Primavera, with dancing Graces in a flowering garden. Nearby are early Leonardo works — the Annunciation and the unfinished Adoration of the Magi — and Michelangelo's Doni Tondo, his only finished panel painting.
Further on are Raphael's Madonna of the Goldfinch, Titian's Venus of Urbino and Caravaggio's Medusa and Bacchus, while the route opens with the vast gold Madonnas of Cimabue and Giotto, where Italian painting begins. With over a hundred rooms, you can't see everything at once — pick your highlights. Above the wings runs the Vasari Corridor, linking the Uffizi to the Palazzo Vecchio and, across the Ponte Vecchio, to the Pitti.
What to see
- Birth of Venus and Primavera — Botticelli.
- The Annunciation — Leonardo da Vinci.
- The Doni Tondo — Michelangelo.
- Venus of Urbino — Titian.
- Medusa and Bacchus — Caravaggio.
- The Tribuna — the octagonal room of ancient statues.
How the museum works
Rooms loop around the upper floors, linked by long corridors lined with ancient statues under grotesque-painted ceilings, from 13th-century icons to the Renaissance and Baroque. The riverside corridor's windows frame the Ponte Vecchio and the Arno — one of Florence's loveliest views — and a rooftop café above the Loggia dei Lanzi looks onto the Palazzo Vecchio.
Large bags go in the cloakroom and photos without flash are allowed. Rooms get stuffy in summer, so bring water and rest on corridor benches; if you tire, come back another day.
How to get there
Tap a route to highlight it on the map.
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
- Museo Galileo is about 2 min away on foot.
- Vasari Corridor is about 2 min away on foot.
- Palazzo Vecchio is about 4 min away on foot.
More tips
- The entrance is on Piazzale degli Uffizi, by Piazza della Signoria.
- From Florence Cathedral, 7 minutes on foot.
- From the Ponte Vecchio, 3 minutes along the river.
- From Santa Maria Novella station, 15 minutes on foot.
Is the Uffizi worth it?
Yes — it's one of the world's great museums and the reason many visit Florence. Allow 2–3 hours and book ahead. If painting isn't your passion, focus on the early rooms and Botticelli, about an hour. Children usually love Caravaggio's Medusa and the statues in the corridors.
Before you go
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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 Galleryyou are here | 51 | 3 h | Paid | — |
| Santa Croce | 50 | 1 h | Paid | 10 min walk |
| Palazzo Pitti | 48 | 2 h | Paid | 10 min walk |
| Santa Maria Novella | 48 | 1 h | Paid | 14 min walk |
| Vasari Corridor | 45 | 1 h | Paid, timed entry | 3 min walk |
| Palazzo Medici Riccardi | 45 | 1 h | Paid | 13 min walk |
| Orsanmichele | 45 | 30 min | Free | 5 min walk |
| Laurentian Library | 44 | 30 min | Paid | 12 min walk |
| Galleria dell'Accademia | 43 | 1 h 15 min | Paid | 17 min walk |
| Medici Chapels | 43 | 1 h | Paid | 14 min walk |
| Brancacci Chapel | 41 | 30 min | Paid, timed entry | 16 min walk |
| Bargello | 40 | 1 h 15 min | Paid | 6 min walk |
| Palazzo Strozzi | 38 | 1 h 15 min | Courtyard free, exhibitions paid | 7 min walk |
| Museo Galileo | 37 | 1 h 15 min | Paid | 3 min walk |
From the Signoria to the Pitti
Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi, the Vasari Corridor and Ponte Vecchio, then Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens.
- Piazza della Signoria40 min · Free
- 3 min walk from the previous stopUffizi Galleryyou are here3 h · Paid
- 3 min walk from the previous stopVasari Corridor1 h · Paid, timed entry
- 5 min walk from the previous stopPonte Vecchio20 min · Free
- 7 min walk from the previous stopPalazzo Pitti2 h · Paid
5 places · about 7 h 18 min with walks · 18 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
How to do it right
- Book a time slot ahead.
- Closed on Mondays.
- Botticelli first.
- Ponte Vecchio view from the corridor.
Questions
What are the highlights of the Uffizi?
Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo, Michelangelo's Doni Tondo, Titian's Venus of Urbino and Caravaggio.
How long do you need at the Uffizi?
2–3 hours; about an hour for the essentials.
When is the Uffizi closed?
On Mondays.
Do I need to book?
It's best to — without a booking summer queues can last hours.
Is Michelangelo's David in the Uffizi?
No, the original David is in the Galleria dell'Accademia.
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, Uffizi
- Official site uffizi.it
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