Palazzo Vecchio
Florence, Italy
Vasari Corridor, Florence
i
Photo: Armin Kleiner, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Paid, timed booking
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Opening hours
- Tuesday to Sunday
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time on site
i
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 1 h
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Length
- About 1 km
- Route
- Uffizi → Ponte Vecchio → Boboli Gardens
- Time needed
- About an hour
- Location
- Entrance inside the Uffizi
Key facts
1565Giorgio Vasari built the corridor
Sourcei
English Wikipedia5 monthswas all the building took
Sourcei
English Wikipediac. 1 kmfrom Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti
Sourcei
English WikipediaCosimo Ifirst Grand Duke of Tuscany, commissioned it
Sourcei
English WikipediaLate 2024the corridor reopened to visitors
Sourcei
English WikipediaHistory of the Vasari Corridor
In 1565 Duke Cosimo I de' Medici was preparing the wedding of his son Francesco to Joanna of Austria and wanted to impress the guests. He asked the architect and painter Giorgio Vasari to build a covered walkway from the town hall, the Palazzo Vecchio, to the family's new home across the Arno, Palazzo Pitti. Vasari did it in just five months.
The result was a private route above the city, about a kilometre long. The duke could pass between palace and government without going down into the noisy streets or meeting the crowd, while watching everything below through the windows. To Florentines the corridor said a great deal about their rulers, who quite literally walked above everyone else.
Rather than knocking houses down, the corridor runs over them, through them or around them. The noble Mannelli family refused to demolish their medieval tower by the bridge, so Vasari simply wrapped the passage around it on stone brackets. You can still see the kink from the riverbank.
Across the Ponte Vecchio
The best-known stretch runs right along the top of the Ponte Vecchio: the yellow upper storey with small windows above the shops. The bridge used to be lined with butchers and tanners, and the smell rose straight to the duke. In 1593 Ferdinando I moved them out, and only goldsmiths and jewellers have traded there since, which is how the Ponte Vecchio became the golden bridge.
Halfway across, the corridor opens into large windows over the Arno. It's the best place to look at the river and the other bridges from above, and in peace: down on the bridge a tide of tourists flows past, while up here there's only your small group.
On the far bank the corridor runs over the porch of the church of Santa Felicita. Inside, the Medici had their own balcony from which the family heard Mass without mixing with the congregation, and you can still look down into the church through it.
What to see in the Vasari Corridor
- Windows over the Ponte Vecchio — the Arno and bridges from above.
- The Mannelli Tower bend — the corridor skirts the tower outside.
- The Medici balcony in Santa Felicita — a private box over the nave.
- Roman inscriptions and reliefs — lining the walls.
- The exit into the Boboli Gardens — by the Buontalenti Grotto.
What's inside today
The corridor was closed for years and for a long time housed a collection of artists' self-portraits. It reopened in late 2024 in a new form: the paintings moved into the Uffizi rooms and the passage itself became the exhibit. The windows were returned to their original size and the walls cleaned, so you now see Vasari's architecture as it was.
Ancient Roman inscriptions and reliefs line the way, and the windows give views you can't get from the street: hidden courtyards, tiled roofs, gardens and the Oltrarno hills. The corridor has also been made step-free, so visitors with limited mobility can use it.
The walk is one way and takes about an hour at an easy pace. You exit in the Boboli Gardens, near the Buontalenti Grotto, ready to wander the gardens or head into the rooms of Palazzo Pitti.
How to get to the Vasari Corridor
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
- Palazzo Vecchio is about 3 min away on foot.
- Piazza della Signoria is about 2 min away on foot.
- Uffizi Gallery is about 2 min away on foot.
More tips
- The entrance is inside the Uffizi Gallery, on Piazzale degli Uffizi by the river.
- From Piazza della Signoria, 2 minutes on foot.
- From Santa Maria Novella station, 15–20 minutes on foot.
- The exit is in the Boboli Gardens across the Arno.
Seeing the corridor from outside
If you can't get a ticket, the corridor is still worth looking at from outside, for free. The best viewpoints are the embankment by the Ponte Santa Trinita or the next bridge upstream, Ponte alle Grazie: from there you can follow the yellow gallery along the river from the Uffizi, up onto the Ponte Vecchio and away between the houses on the far side.
Walk across the Ponte Vecchio itself and look up: the corridor's little round and square windows run above the jewellers' shops. On the far bank, in the small square outside Santa Felicita, you can see the passage running straight over the church entrance. It all pairs nicely with sunset on the Arno.
Before you go
Ready: 0 of 5Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser.
You are ready for the visit
Florence's historic sights: compare and choose
Squares, palaces and churches in Florence rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.
| Florence Cathedral | 60 | 2 h | Free | 8 min walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponte Vecchio | 60 | 20 min | Free | 5 min walk |
| Piazza della Signoria | 53 | 40 min | Free | 3 min walk |
| 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 | 12 min walk |
| Santa Maria Novella | 48 | 1 h | Paid | 14 min walk |
| Florence Baptistery | 48 | 30 min | Combined cathedral pass | 8 min walk |
| Basilica of San Lorenzo | 46 | 45 min | Paid | 12 min walk |
| Vasari Corridoryou are here | 45 | 1 h | Paid, timed entry | — |
| Palazzo Medici Riccardi | 45 | 1 h | Paid | 12 min walk |
| Orsanmichele | 45 | 30 min | Free | 4 min walk |
| Laurentian Library | 44 | 30 min | Paid | 11 min walk |
| Santo Spirito | 44 | 40 min | Free | 12 min walk |
| Galleria dell'Accademia | 43 | 1 h 15 min | Paid | 16 min walk |
| Medici Chapels | 43 | 1 h | Paid | 13 min walk |
| San Miniato al Monte | 43 | 45 min | Free | 22 min walk |
| Brancacci Chapel | 41 | 30 min | Paid, timed entry | 17 min walk |
| Giotto's Campanile | 41 | 1 h | Combined cathedral pass | 7 min walk |
| Bargello | 40 | 1 h 15 min | Paid | 4 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 |
| Boboli Gardens | 36 | 1 h 45 min | Paid | 19 min walk |
| Fiesole | 35 | 4 h | Town free, ruins paid | 4.9 km |
The Medici route in a day
Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi, the Vasari Corridor over the Ponte Vecchio, then Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens.
- Palazzo Vecchio1 h 30 min · Courtyard free, museum paid
- 3 min walk from the previous stopUffizi Gallery3 h · Paid
- 3 min walk from the previous stopVasari Corridoryou are here1 h · Paid, timed entry
- 12 min walk from the previous stopPalazzo Pitti2 h · Paid
- 8 min walk from the previous stopBoboli Gardens1 h 45 min · Paid
5 places · about 9 h 41 min with walks · 26 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
How to do it right
- Book your ticket well ahead.
- In via the Uffizi, out in Boboli.
- The outside is free to see.
- Best view: the windows over the bridge.
Questions
What is the Vasari Corridor?
A covered passage about a kilometre long built in 1565 for the Medici, from Palazzo Vecchio through the Uffizi and over the Ponte Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti.
Is the Vasari Corridor open?
Yes, it reopened after restoration in late 2024; entry is by timed ticket.
How do I get Vasari Corridor tickets?
From the official Uffizi website; places are limited, so book well ahead.
Where is the entrance to the Vasari Corridor?
Inside the Uffizi Gallery; the exit is in the Boboli Gardens by Palazzo Pitti.
How long is the Vasari Corridor walk?
About an hour one way at an easy pace.
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: Vasari Corridor
- Official Uffizi Galleries site, uffizi.it
Top YesGo picks: Florence
Florence Cathedral
Florence, Italy
Ponte Vecchio
Florence, Italy
Santa Croce
Florence, Italy
Palazzo Pitti
Florence, Italy
Santa Maria Novella
Florence, Italy
Florence Baptistery
Florence, Italy
Basilica of San Lorenzo
Florence, Italy
Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Florence, Italy