Florence Museums: Which to See, Which to Skip, and How to Book

Florence has more good museums than most visitors have days. The usual mistake is to spend every morning in a queue for the same two famous collections and miss the rest. Here is how to choose.

The big two

The Uffizi holds the great collection of Italian painting, from Giotto to Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Titian and Caravaggio. Allow three hours and book a slot. See our Uffizi guide.

The Accademia is the David, plus Michelangelo's unfinished Prisoners. About an hour inside, with a long queue outside if you have not booked. See our Accademia guide.

Both close on Mondays. Both are busiest on Tuesdays and on free days.

As good, much quieter

The Bargello is the national sculpture museum, in a medieval prison-palace with a courtyard of coats of arms. Donatello's bronze David, Verrocchio, early Michelangelo, della Robbia terracottas and the two competition panels from 1401 for the Baptistery doors (Ghiberti's and Brunelleschi's). Often nearly empty. Its opening days are irregular, so check before you go.

The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo is the cathedral's museum, behind the cathedral. Ghiberti's original Gates of Paradise, Donatello's Mary Magdalene, Michelangelo's Bandini Pietà, and a room-sized reconstruction of the cathedral's first facade. Included in every Duomo pass. If you buy a pass for the dome, you have already paid for this, so do not skip it.

The Museo di San Marco is a Dominican convent where Fra Angelico and his workshop painted a fresco in each friar's cell. The Annunciation at the top of the stairs is one of the most loved paintings in the city. Calm, and five minutes from the Accademia.

The Medici Chapels, behind San Lorenzo: Michelangelo's New Sacristy with his Medici tombs, and the overwhelming marble Chapel of the Princes.

Palaces

Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall, has the Medici apartments, the huge Salone dei Cinquecento and the Arnolfo tower. It has kept later hours than the state museums, which makes it a good evening or Monday option.

Palazzo Pitti on the south bank is several museums in one, including the Palatine Gallery's Raphaels and Titians, the royal apartments and the modern art gallery, with the Boboli Gardens behind. Combined Uffizi, Pitti and Boboli tickets valid over several days are sold on the Uffizi site.

Palazzo Strozzi hosts the city's major temporary exhibitions, usually modern or contemporary. Check what is on.

Smaller collections worth knowing

• Brancacci Chapel in Santa Maria del Carmine (Oltrarno): Masaccio's frescoes that taught the Renaissance how to paint people with weight. Visits are timed; book ahead.
• Museo Galileo, by the river behind the Uffizi: scientific instruments, including Galileo's telescopes.
• Palazzo Davanzati: a reconstructed medieval merchant's house.
• Museo Novecento, on Piazza Santa Maria Novella: Italian 20th-century art.

Tickets, cards and free days

• Book the Uffizi, the Accademia and the dome climb. For the rest, booking is usually optional outside peak days.
• Combined tickets (Uffizi Galleries, Bargello museums, Duomo passes) are often better value than a city card for a short stay.
• The Firenze Card covers many museums over 72 hours. It only pays off if you visit several museums a day. Compare its current price with your actual plan.
• Free first Sundays at state museums have run for years and are extremely crowded. Worth it only if the ticket saving matters more than comfort; check the current rules.

Prices, hours and bundles change often in Florence. Check every museum's official site the week before you travel.

A sensible plan for three days

• Day 1: Uffizi at the first slot, Palazzo Vecchio in the afternoon or evening.
• Day 2: Duomo dome and Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in the morning, Bargello after lunch.
• Day 3: Accademia early, San Marco next door, then cross the river for Pitti or Boboli.

Leave gaps. Museum fatigue is real, and the city between the museums is part of what you came for.