Museums in Florence Italy

Florence offers countless galleries and museums featuring the best art masterpieces. These cultural havens are sprinkled all over the city and offer an engaging journey through art and history.

Wheather you're an art lover or simply want to immerse yourself in Italy's rich culture, we covered here the best museums you should visit in Florence. Read on to discover some of the best museums in Florence, from the Uffizi and Museo dell'Opera del Duomo to the Museo Galileo, and beyond.

The Uffizi Gallery

One of the most famous museums in Florence and the whole Italy, the Uffizi Gallery houses a collection of Renaissance masterpieces, including most notably the Birth of Venus by Botticelli. You'll have the opportunity to admire many other works by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio and others.

The Uffizi gallery hours are typically from 8:15 AM to 6:30 PM, and like many other Florence museums, it closes on Mondays. Uffizi Gallery tickets need to be booked in advance. Tickets are usually sold out a few days in-advance, so plan at least 1 week before visiting.

Or book a guided tour to make the most of the visit. Guides are local and they will explain everything behind the pictures. Tours usually include tickets, so they are great for those who are organising their trip last minute.

Accademia Gallery

The Accademia Gallery is another famous Florence Museum. It's home to Michelangelo's iconic marble David statue, as well as his famous unfinished works known as "Prisoners" or "Slaves".

The Accademia Gallery is small when compared to other museums in the city, so it's easy to explore it, even with just one day in Florence.

The tickets for this museum often sell out well in advance, so be sure to buy them ahead. If you try to buy them on-site means waiting in line for multiple hours. 

Consider taking a guided tour, to avoid searching for tickets. The Accademia Gallery hours are from 8:15 AM to 6:50 PM. They are closed on Mondays. Via Ricasoli, 58/60, 50122 Firenze

Palazzo Vecchio

The Palazzo Vecchio was once an important government building. While there's the spectacular Hall of the Five Hundred and numerous frescoes to admire, the architecture and design are the real stars at Palazzo Vecchio. 

For a spectacular view over the Florence, climb the 416 steps of the Palazzo Vecchio tower to the top of the Torre di Arnolfo. You can see Palazzo Vecchio in a whole new light on this walking tour.

Palazzo Vecchio hours are 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM every day except Thursday, and 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM Thursdays. It is recommended to book Palazzo Vecchio tickets in advance to avoid long lines and ensure availability.

Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

Behing the Duomo, you'll find the Museuo dell'Opera del Duomo, one of the five monuments comprising the storied Duomo complex. It spans over 6000 square meters, with works from the Michelangelo and Donatello that spread across 28 rooms.

This museum is one of the overlooked museums in Florence. That's a good news for you, as you can explore it without much of a crowd. 

the Museuo dell'Opera del Duomo is open from 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM seven days a week and closes the first Tuesday of each month.

The Bargello

One of the best museums in Florence is the Bargello, which is also called the Palazzo del Bargello. It was the first national museum in Italy, opened in 1865. Today, it's a renowned Renaissance spulpture museum, housing works by Michelangelo, Donatello, Verrochio and other artists. 

The building also served as a prison at different times, adding a layer of mystery to the experience. 

The Bargello is open from 8:15 AM to 2:00 PM daily and is closed every other alternating Sunday and Monday.

Palazzo Pitti

With several museum under its roofs, you could spend all day in the Palazzo Pitti. It's a complex containing eight museums. The Palatina galleries are the absolute highlight, with wonderful paintings by Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio and many others. Meanwhile, Galleria d'Arte Moderna features a chronological survey of primarily Tuscan art from the mid-eighteenth century to 1945.

Museo Galileo

There aren't just art museums in Florence. The Museo Galileo is for science enthusiasts. It's home to a remarkable collection of historical scientific instruments. Most notable among them is Galileo Galilei's telescopes, with which he discovered Jupiter's four "Galilean moons". Other exhibits include a huge variety of clocks, scientific models, surgical instruments and even some of Galileo's bones.

Museo Galileo is open from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM every day except Tuesday when it closes at 1:00 PM.

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