Michelangelo's David & Accademia Gallery Tickets Florence

The Accademia Gallery: a small museum with a great statue

The Accademia Gallery was founded in 1784 as a teaching collection for art students and is now one of the most visited museums in Italy. It is a compact museum, so you can see its highlights in about an hour, and it stands a short walk north of the Duomo on Via Ricasoli.

If you are searching for Accademia Gallery tickets or how to get to the Accademia Gallery in Florence, the museum is about ten minutes on foot from the cathedral, and the historic centre is best explored on foot. Because entry is by time slot, the ticket on this page lets you plan your visit and avoid the longest waits.

Michelangelo's David: the statue that defines Florence

Michelangelo carved David between 1501 and 1504 from a single block of Carrara marble that other sculptors had begun and abandoned. It stands about five metres tall, and was first placed in Piazza della Signoria as a symbol of Florentine independence. In 1873 it was moved indoors to the Accademia to protect it.

Today it stands under a skylit tribune at the end of a long hall, where you can walk around it and study the tension in the muscles, the veins in the hands and the calm, concentrated face of the young hero before the battle. Is the David worth the wait? Almost every visitor says yes, and the audio guide helps you notice why.

The Prisoners and the other galleries

The corridor leading to the David is lined with Michelangelo's unfinished Prisoners, figures that seem to emerge from the rough marble. They show his method, which he described as freeing the figure that already lay inside the stone, and they make the polished David even more striking when you reach it.

Other rooms hold Florentine painting from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, plaster models by the sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini in the Hall of the Colossus, and a museum of musical instruments with historic violins and other instruments. Visitors who enjoy sculpture may spend longer here than the expected hour.

Planning your visit: time slots, options and tips

The best time to visit the Accademia Gallery is early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and it is best to book ahead because the gallery can sell out. Accademia Gallery opening hours change by season and the museum is usually closed on Mondays, so check your date in the booking panel.

The default option includes a digital audio guide, which works on your own phone with headphones. The official timed entry ticket is entry only, and the VR video guide option adds a virtual reality experience at a partner location, before or after your visit. Bags may need to be left in the cloakroom, and a photo ID can be requested.