Uffizi Gallery Tickets Florence

The Uffizi Gallery: Vasari's offices become a museum

The Uffizi takes its name from the Italian word for offices. Giorgio Vasari designed the long U-shaped building from 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici to house the administrative offices of Florence. Over time the Medici filled the upper floor with their art collection, and it became a museum in the eighteenth century.

If you are searching for Uffizi Gallery tickets or how to get to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the entrance is beside Piazza della Signoria, a short walk from the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio, so it is easy to reach on foot. Priority entry is timed, which saves time compared with the standard queue, although a security check is required for everyone.

Botticelli, Leonardo and the Florentine Renaissance

The best-known rooms hold Sandro Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, works that came to symbolise the Renaissance. You will also see Leonardo da Vinci's early Annunciation, Michelangelo's Doni Tondo, and works by Giotto, Filippo Lippi and Piero della Francesca that show how Florentine painting developed over two centuries.

Is the Uffizi worth visiting? For anyone interested in art, definitely. Because the collection is so large, a guide or audio guide helps you choose what to see and understand why each work matters, and the small-group tour gives you an expert to answer questions and point out details you might otherwise miss.

Raphael, Caravaggio, Rembrandt and the Tribuna

Further on you reach Raphael's Madonna of the Goldfinch, Titian's Venus of Urbino and Caravaggio's Medusa, a shield painted with a dramatic, startled face. The Tribuna, an octagonal room the Medici designed to show their finest treasures, shows how highly they valued art and science.

Later rooms include Rembrandt's self-portraits from different stages of his life. The route ends with views through the windows over the Arno and the rooftops of the city. Plan two to three hours for your visit at your own pace, or about one and a half to two hours with the guided tour.

Planning your visit: the options and what to bring

The best time to visit the Uffizi is early in the morning or in the late afternoon, when it is quieter. Uffizi Gallery opening hours change by season and the museum is usually closed on Mondays, so check your date in the booking panel. Priority entry saves time, but security checks can take fifteen to twenty minutes at peak times.

Bring a passport or ID card, and make sure the name on your ticket matches it. For the audio guide, download the app in advance and bring your own headphones and a charged phone. Large bags, sharp objects and pets are not allowed. The small-group tour runs in English and is limited to nine guests, and your voucher shows the meeting point.