Ultimate Guide to Florence’s Uffizi Gallery: History, Masterpieces & Tips

The Uffizi Gallery is one of the world’s premier classical art museums.

It attracts countless visitors eager to witness the masterpieces from a time when Florence was the epicenter of cultural and artistic innovation. Ranking as the third most visited site in all of Italy, the Uffizi certainly lives up to its reputation.

Inside, the museum boasts an unmatched collection of Medieval and Renaissance art, featuring works by legendary artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Botticelli, and Michelangelo.

Greek statue of Pothos
Greek statue of Pothos, 300-250 B.C.

The museum is vast, with 93 halls spread over two floors. It’s said that if you spent just one minute in front of the Uffizi masterpieces, you’d be there for 33 days.

In this Uffizi Gallery guide, I identify and describe 20+ of the Uffizi’s must see masterpieces.

I also give you must know tips for visiting the Uffizi. These tips will help you get tickets and have an efficient visit to the often crowded Uffizi.

Tribune Room of the Uffizi
Tribune Room of the Uffizi

Tickets & Tours For The Uffizi

The Uffizi is Florence’s #1 attraction. There are famously long lines and significant wait times.

You essentially won’t be able to visit the gallery without pre-booking a ticket. Buying tickets online gives you a reserved entry time, which helps in planning your visit more effectively and can shorten the wait to enter.

Be aware that the Firenze Card gives you entry to the Uffizi, but no longer lets you skip the line.

Domenico Ghirlandaio, Adoration of the Magi, 1487
Domenico Ghirlandaio, Adoration of the Magi, 1487

The Uffizi is also a popular place to take a guided tour, because of its history and the sheer number of masterpieces. You have several options:

I recently took the 2 hour private tour. My guide Martina was knowledgeable and excellent.

She made the Uffizi come alive for my husband, who isn’t really an art lover like me. After the tour, which just covers the Renaissance masterpieces on the second floor, I was able to see other works at my leisure.

Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, 1486
Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, 1486

Guide To The Uffizi Gallery: What To See

The Uffizi is a non-stop steady stream of masterpieces. And it’s not just the glorious paintings. There are important statues and beautiful decorated ceilings.

So what should you focus on at the Uffizi? To narrow it down, here are the top 20 things to see at the Uffizi.

1. Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus

Sandro Botticelli is the undisputed master of the early Renaissance period. His Birth of Venus is the Uffizi’s most famous art work, akin to the Mona Lisa in Paris. Botticelli spent his entire life in Florence and was a friend of the Medici family.

The beautiful Birth of Venus is a dreamlike celebration of beauty and love. It’s a lush, richly symbolic, and a groundbreaking piece.

It was the first large scale painting of a nude woman in almost 1000 years. The nudity wasn’t religious either; it was pagan.

Botticelli, detail of Birth of Venus

Venus, the goddess of beauty and love, is born fully grown from the foam of a wave. We see an ethereal Venus, half awake and fragile, blown by the Zephyrs. She floats on a shell tended by her maids.

Botticelli was a highly skilled painter and had an understanding of human anatomy. But he also made objectively beautiful paintings with luminous pastel colors.

Even Venus’ gold flecked hair is gleaming and highlighted. Venus’ nakedness is idealized and innocent, not erotic. The painting was restored in 1983 and 1987.

The model for Venus was reputedly Simonetta Vespucci. She was considered the most beautiful woman in Italy.

Vespucci reputedly had a torrid affair with Lorenzo the Magnificent’s brother, Guiliano. Botticelli was obsessed with Vespucci as well, frequently painting her image long after her death at just 22. When Botticelli died, his tomb was placed in the Vespucci Chapel near his muse.

READ: Botticelli Trail in Florence

Sandro Botticelli, Primavera, 1482
Sandro Botticelli, Primavera, 1482

2. Sandro Botticelli, Primavera

Botticelli’s next most famous work is Primavera, also known as the Allegory of Spring. Venus is in the center of an orange grove with a half circle enveloping her.

The choice of an orange grove is significant because the Medici, Botticelli’s chief employer, had adopted the orange tree as their family symbol.

On Venus’ left, the Three Graces (who represent chastity, beauty, and love) dance in celebration, while Mars dissipates the clouds. The translucent drapery of their clothing is incredible.

Even their hair is interwoven with pearls. On the right, Zephyrus is in hot pursuit of his intended, a nymph who transforms into Flora.

detail of The Three Graces in Primavera

Primavera is enigmatic. Its meaning is uncertain and has stumped scholars for centuries. Most believe the painting depicts the realm of Venus, as sung by the ancient poets.

It could also depict a springtime wedding, and was possibly created for the wedding of Lorenzo the Magnificent’s cousin.

Typical of Botticelli, his figures are elongated, weightless, and stand in odd positions. The painting is decorative, almost the opposite of the naturalism that most Renaissance painters championed.

But it may have been what the Medici demanded. Both Flora and/or one of the Three Graces (on the left) is a portrait of Simonetta Vespucci.

Botticelli, The Cestello Annunciation, 1489
Botticelli, The Cestello Annunciation, 1489

3. Botticelli, The Cestello Annunciation

In another more famous rendering of the annunciation, Botticelli’s used Brunelleschi’s single point perspective.

The viewer sees a far-off landscape behind Gabriel and Mary. The room’s color scheme enhances this perspective. The blood red floor contrasts sharply against the gray wall.

Gabriel is shown in a draping gown with beautiful gossamer wings. His mouth is slightly agape, as if he’s just revealed what is to come.

Mary’s reaction is psychological, not spiritual. In a moment of tense apprehension, her arms are outstretched, seemingly in both refusal and acceptance.

The painting was commissioned as an altarpiece for a chapel in the Church of the Florentine Convent of Cestello in 1489, which is now known as Santa Maria Maddalena de’Pazzi. This piece, like many altarpieces, was removed for safe keeping.

Botticelli, detail of Madonna of the Magnificat, circa 1483
Botticelli, detail of Madonna of the Magnificat, circa 1483

4. Botticelli, Madonna of the Magnificat

Botticelli painted Madonna of the Magnificat in a tondo, or circular form, which was popular at the time. In it, the Virgin Mary writes the opening of the Magnificat, a Christian hymn, on the righthand page of a book. Two wingless angels hold a starry crown above her head.

The painting shows the love and spiritual intimacy between mother and child. Baby Jesus is grabbing a pomegranate, a symbol of his passion. Dressed in red and blue, Mary is depicted as serious, knowing the importance of her role.

The painting is almost too pretty to be religious. Gold paint was used extensively to detail many aspects of the work, including Mary’s crown, the divine rays, and the hair color of the figures. As a result, this was probably the most costly tondo ever created by Botticelli.

The painting garnered enormous fame at the time. At least five contemporaneous replicas were created. There’s a copy of this piece in the Louvre by his workshop.

READSurvival Tips for the Louvre

Leonardo da Vinci, Adoration of the Magi, 1481

5. Leonardo da Vinci, Adoration of the Magi

This is an early unfinished painting by Leonardo. If anyone deserves the title “Renaissance Man,” it’s Leonardo.

Leonardo was a painter, polymath, inventor, astronomer, architect, anatomist, and engineer. Whew. Despite being spread too thin and often leaving works unfinished, Leonardo left a long-lasting legacy.

In 1481, Leonardo was given the Adoration of the Magi commission by the Augustinian monks of San Donato in Scopeto in Florence. But he left for Milan the following year, leaving the painting mostly unfinished.

detail of Mary
detail of Mary

In it, Christ has just been born. Three kings come and offer three gifts. Mary and Christ are in the center in a triangular form. The painting is chaotic, with many competing narratives.

What’s revealed in the underpainting is Leonardo’s working method. You can see the way he constructs features.

You have a sense of his deep understanding of human anatomy. You can also see Leonardo’s famous sfumato technique — a technique where colors blur together to create an atmospheric smokiness and softness.

READ: Guide To All of Leonardo da Vinci’s Paitnings

Leonardo da Vinci, Annunciation, 1472-80
Leonardo da Vinci, Annunciation, 1472-80

6. Leonardo da Vinci, Annunciation

Leonardo completed the Annunciation in his early twenties. It’s considered his first major work.

In it, Mary is reading on a richly decorated desk carved from marble. The angel Gabriel arrives, Madonna lily in hand, to announce that Mary will be the mother of Jesus.

Leonardo’s stylized painting is different from his predecessors’ treatment of the theme. Most significantly, Leonardo portrays the scene as taking place outdoors in an atmospheric landscape. This underscores Leonardo’s visual naturalism and use of perspective.

detail of the angel Gabriel in the Annunciation
detail of the angel Gabriel in the Annunciation

However, the painting’s provenance is a little murky, though the Italians strenuously deny this fact.

The painting has also been attributed to Domenico Ghirlandaio (Michelangelo’s teacher) and Lorenzo di Credi. Both were apprenticed to Andrea del Verrocchio’s workshop at the same time as Leonardo.

It’s likely that Annunciation is a collaborative work of several artists, with the finishing touches completed by Leonardo. It was a common enough practice at the time.

But the landscape, sfumato technique, and figure of Gabriel look distinctively Leonardesque. And a prepratory drawing for Gabriel’s sleeve has been attributed to Leonardo.

Titian, Venus of Urbino, 1538
Titian, Venus of Urbino, 1538

7. Titian, Venus of Urbino

Titian was a Renaissance artist based in Venice. His paintings are more sensual than what his contemporaries produced in Rome and Florence.

In Venus of Urbino, Titian created one of the most famous — and provocative — nudes of all time. By depicting her as the mythological Venus, Titian got away with it.

In the painting, a beautiful and languid Venus stares directly back at us, almost coyly. She’s in an opulent domestic setting.

There’s a softness to the layers of paint, which makes it more sensual. Titan also uses chiaroscuro (contrasts of light and dark) to contrast Venus’ skin with the dark rich background.

There’s a debate about who Venus really is. Some art historians think it’s a painting of a courtesan. Others think it’s a marriage portrait. Evidence for the latter theory is the presence of the dog (who represents marital fidelity) and the trunk of clothes (which could be her trousseau).

With Venus of Urbino, Titian sets the standard for the reclining nude, which would be subsequently repeated by many famed artists — Velasquez, Courbet, and Ingres.

Perhaps the most famous reiteration, directly inspired by Venus, is Edouard Manet’s Olympia in the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. Like Titian’s Venus, Manet’s painting caused a scandal when it was unveiled.

Giotto, The Ognissanti Madonna and Child Enthroned, 1306-10
Giotto, The Ognissanti Madonna and Child Enthroned, 1306-10

8. Giotto, The Ognissanti Madonna and Child Enthroned

Giotto was the first painter to successfully break away from the Byzantine style of painting. With Cimabue as his teacher, Giotto adopted a more natural, rather than supernatural style. His madonnas didn’t look like unreal aliens.

Giotto laid the foundation for two centuries of subsequent Renaissance painting. He’s most famous for his frescos in Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel.

But this beautiful painting is also well known. It’s called the Ognissanti Madonna because it previously hung in an altar in Florence’s Ognissanti Church.

Mary occupies space. She has a monumentality and physicality, totally different from anything seen in the 13th century. The painting isn’t nearly as flat either; it seems almost sculptural.

Christ appears almost like an old man. That was the fashion back then, to depict the baby Jesus as wise from day one.

Filippo Lippi, Madonna and Child With Two Angels, 1460-65
Filippo Lippi, Madonna and Child With Two Angels, 1460-65

9. Filippo Lippi, Madonna and Child With Two Angels

You see this painting right after coming from Room 1. In Room 1, there’s three giant and solemn medieval paintings of a Madonna and Child from the 13th century, including the one by Giotto above and a famous one by Cimabue.

Lippi’s Madonna and Child is like a breath of fresh air. It’s humanist in approach. The boldly colored painting feels playful.

Mary is portrayed as a beautiful real woman who you might see on the streets of Florence. Similarly, the angels look like children. Mary’s halo is almost transparent.

an angel who might be the painter's son
an angel who might be the painter’s son

Lippi was one of the leading Renaissance painters in the generation following Masaccio and Giotto. He was also Botticelli’s teacher. You can see his influence on Botticelli. They both emphasize the decorative to large degree.

Lippi was a womanizer, who led a colorful life. In 1456, Lippi abducted a novice nun, Lucrezia Buti, and had sexual relations with her. The result was their son Filippino Lippi, who also went on to become a famous painter.

This painting caused a bit of a scandal. It’s full of illicit love and unholy models. Lippi likely used Lucrezia as his model for Mary, at a time when it wasn’t considered acceptable to portray a “fallen” woman.

Mary is also not even looking at baby Jesus, but at the mysteriously smiling angel who could be her son Filippino.

Pierro della Francesca, The Duke and Duchess of Urbino, 1473-75
Piero della Francesca, The Duke and Duchess of Urbino, 1473-75

10. Piero della Francesca, The Duke and Duchess of Urbino

Piero della Francesca is an admired 15th century Italian painter. He used a cool color palette and sense of geometry and formality to create his works. In addition to being an artist, Piero was a mathematical theorist.

This double portrait used to be a diptych. It was hinged like a book, with landscape scenes painted on the back. The painting is one of the most celebrated portraits of the Renaissance.

It’s a strange juxtaposition and unflattering portrayal of the couple from Urbino. The couple is together, but apart. Only a background landscape, rare for that time in painting, connects them.

The duchess’ pale skin contrasts sharply to the duke’s bronze tones. She has a very high forehead, which was the fashion then. Women even plucked their forehead back to achieve the desired effect. The duchess had just died and this was a commemorative portrait.

READ: Guide to the Piero della Francesca Trail

Michelangelo, Doni Tondo, 1505-06
Michelangelo, Doni Tondo, 1505-06

11. Michelangelo, Doni Tondo

The Doni Tondi, or Holy Family, is Michelangelo’s most famous painting, aside from his work in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, a must see site in Rome. It’s the only painting Michelangelo ever made that wasn’t painted directly on a wall.

The painting was commissioned by a Florentine merchant, Agnolo Doni, to celebrate his marriage and the birth of his child. The figures are rendered in a sculptural style.

The ancient Laocoon sculpture had just been unearthed in Rome, and likely influenced an admiring Michelangelo.

The Doni Tondo is unconventional. It seems to anticipate the late Renaissance Mannerist style. The colors of the Doni Tondo are bright and unnatural.

The composition is a difficult spiral pose, which presaged a shift away from the simplicity of Renaissance painting into the Mannerist style of painting.

The Doni Tondo is characteristic of Michelangelo’s women who … well … look like muscular men. You almost think of Rosie the Riveter when you look at Mary’s right bicep.

Raphael, Madonna of the Goldfinch, 1506
Raphael, Madonna of the Goldfinch, 1506

12. Raphael, Madonna of the Goldfinch

Raphael was another prodigious talent of the Italian Renaissance, producing a series of masterpieces before his premature death at the age of 37. The Uffizi contains one of his loveliest paintings, the serene Madonna of the Goldfinch.

The painting shows Mary with a young Christ and John the Baptist. The goldfinch is a potent symbol of the passion of Christ, of Christ’s suffering.

You can see a tenderness between mother and child. Christ puts his foot on his mother’s foot, as he (rather amusingly) stands in a staged and artificially elegant contrapposto pose. The Madonna doesn’t sit on a throne anymore, but a rock. Nature has taken on the expression of God, without kingly symbols.

Raphael’s Madonna is a survivor. In 1547, when the original owner’s house collapsed, the painting was shattered into 17 pieces. The work was only 41 years old.

Back then, an artist used nails to put it back together and the cracks were painted over numerous times during the following years. Five centuries later, the painting was a dour dusty brown and green.

In 1998, a 10 year restoration returned the painting to its former glory — with Raphael’s trademark reds, royal blues, and gold.

Caravaggio, The Shield With the Head of Medusa, 1596
Caravaggio, The Shield With the Head of Medusa, 1596

13. Caravaggio, The Shield With the Head of Medusa, 1596

Caravaggio was the most important and influential Baroque artist. Caravaggio rejected the sanitized idealism that characterized much of the Renaissance era.

He invented and used a darker, dramatically lit palette. He produced naturalistic and emotionally-charged raw works that were viewed as morbid, bluntly realistic, and shocking at the time.

Medusa was a subject right up his alley. According to legend, Medusa’s enemies were turned to stone after looking at her.

Perseus promised to procure her head and stop her reign of terror. He guided himself in this task by Medusa’s reflection in his shield.

Caravaggio’s rendition of the ancient myth is one of the most popular paintings in the Uffizi. Medusa is shown alive and in the very moment of transformation. She peers into an unseen mirror in writhing agony.

Caravaggio, Bacchus, 1596
Caravaggio, Bacchus, 1596

14. Caravaggio, Bacchus

This is one of several of Caravaggio’s depictions of Bacchus, the mythological libertine and god of wine. It’s an early Baroque masterpiece full of symbolism about decadence and decay.

Bacchus was commissioned by Caravaggio’s first patron, Cardinal del Monte, who reputedly had dissolute parties.

Caravaggio’s Bacchus is shown as a rather effeminate and erotic teenager, offering the viewer a goblet of wine (and perhaps more) at a private soiree. The half robed boy is a common street person, as were most of Caravaggio’s models.

Bacchus even has dirty fingernails and a wilting vine leaf crown. The fruit is bruised and overripe. These elements may suggest the fleetingness of youth.

The background of the paintings is dark, without any landscape. There are extreme contrasts of light and dark, a technique pioneered by Caravaggio.

The energy of the painting is in the strangely shallow wine glass, which seems to shimmer and ripple. In the jug of wine on the left, you can see a Caravaggio self portrait in a reflection.

Artemisia Gentilleschi, Judith and Holofernes, 1620
Artemisia Gentilleschi, Judith and Holofernes, 1620

15. Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes

Gentileschi was one of the most talented painters of the Baroque period, rivaling Caravaggio himself. Judith Beheading Holofernes is her masterpiece.

It depicts a classic biblical scene, popular with many artists including Donatello and Caravaggio. It’s the Old Testament story of Judith and Holofernes, in which a heroic woman single handedly beheads the warlord who’s besieged her town in Israel.

Typically, a widowed Judith is portrayed as virtuous, delicate, or almost disgusted by her murderous task. The actual act of beheading wasn’t even depicted, until Caravaggio’s 1599 treatment (in Rome’s Palazzo Barberini).

Artemisia’s version is even bloodier, a shockingly violent beheading. The focus of the painting is Judith, not Holofernes. He looks to be almost dead, his limbs visually cut off and body radically foreshortened.

Judith is depicted as a muscle-y determined woman on a mission. She’s not subtle or disgusted. She’s out to get her man with a large sword and rolled up sleeves.

Rivulets of blood spill onto white sheets. Artesmisia was raped by her tutor, Agostino Tassi, when she was just 17. To give her painting an autobiographical spin, Artemisia renders Judith as a self portrait and gives Holofernes the face of Tassi.

If you’re interested in Gentileschi, here’s my complete guide to her life and best works.

Rosso Fiorentino, Angel Playing the Lute, 1521
Rosso Fiorentino, Angel Playing the Lute, 1521

16. Rosso Fiorentino, Angel Playing the Lute

I have always found this painting very beautiful. Fiorentino was a leading artist of 16th century Renaissance painting in Florence, along with Pontormo and Andre del Sarto.

He was influenced by Michelangelo and almost single handedly pioneered the art movement known as Mannerism. Mannerism is classified as either a late Renaissance movement or a new movement breaking away from Renaissance idealism.

In this famous work, a child angel plucks the strings of a lute. The painting is a fragment of an altarpiece, which art historians speculate depicted the Madonna and Child with Saints.

The dark background was added later. The more modern brushstrokes give the painting a certain vivacity.

Paolo Uccello, Battle of San Roman, 1438
Paolo Uccello, Battle of San Romano, 1438

17. Paul Uccello, Battle of San Romano

A student of the Italian sculptor Ghiberti (of Gates of Paradise fame), Uccello was a product of the International Gothic style.

But he became an innovative artist of the early Renaissance. Uccello became obsessed with the study of perspective. According to Giorgio Vasari, he neglected his family, becoming “solitary, eccentric, melancholy, and impoverished.”

Battle of San Romano is a painting on wood panel about Florence’s victory over Sienna. It’s one of a set of three. The other two are in London’s National Gallery and Paris’ Louvre. They were once all together in the Medici Palace.

In this crowded painting, Uccello shows scenes from the battle. It looks rather like a fake medieval tournament. The ideas of surface decoration (Gothic) and deep space with a linear perspective (Renaissance) come together.

18. Raphael, Portaits of Agnolo and Maddalena Doni

This double portrait was removed from its original in situ location in the Palazzo Pitti. They’re on display in a standing glass case in the Michelangelo and Raphael Room, Hall 41.

Raphael painted these two famous and exquisite half bust portraits, depicting a newly married couple — a successful Florentine merchant and his aristocratic wife.

They were commissioned by Agnolo Doni, who also commissioned Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo.

The works show the influence of Leonardo da Vinci and were meant to compete with the Mona Lisa. The portrait of Maddalena has a similar composition and picture plane to the Mona Lisa.

But Raphael departed from Leonardo’s sfumato technique, adopting an absolutely clear use of shape and color. Of particular note is the sublime matching landscape uniting the figures.

Bronzino, Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo, 1890
Bronzino, Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo, 1545

19. Bronzino, Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo

Bronzino is a giant amongst Mannerists, known as the serene master of portraiture in Florence. Bronzino developed his own meticulous linear style that owed as much to the influence of Michelangelo and Raphael.

The seated woman in this portrait is Eleonor of Toledo, wife of Cosimo I de’ Medici, who purchased the Pitti Palace. Based on the date of the painting, it is generally assumed that the young boy standing by her side is the couple’s middle son, Giovanni.

Bronzino sets mother and child in a landscape. Despite being an official portrait, they are in an affectionate pose. As usual, Bronzino pays meticulous attention both to the sitters’ features and to their elaborate clothing.

The pomegranate motif on Eleonor’s ornate silk dress symbolizes motherhood. Art historian Deborah Parker suggests that “we are encouraged to read the garment itself as Eleonora, as an ostentatious symbol of her power and station.”

Baccio Bandinelli, Laocoon and His Sons, 1525
Baccio Bandinelli, Laocoon and His Sons, 1525

20. Famous Sculptures Of The Uffizi

The Uffizi has a rich sculpture collection, dating from ancient times. They can be found in several different places, and many are displayed along the wide corridors on the second floor.

The highlight of the sculpture corridors is Baccio Bandinelli’s Laocoon and His Sons. It’s based on a Hellenistic sculpture that was unearthed in 1506, and is in Rome’s Vatican Museums. Pope Leo X commissioned Lacoon as a gift to King Francis I.

The Niobe Room houses 12 ancient sculptures representing the myth of Niobe narrated by Latin poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

The Tribune Room holds the Uffizi’s most famous statue, the Medici Venus, dating from as early as the 1st century BC.

It depicts the Greek goddess Aphrodite. A rarity for ancient statues, we know the author — Cleomenes of Athens.

Sleeping Ariadne, 2nd century AD, in the Vasari Auditorium of the Uffizi
Sleeping Ariadne, 2nd century AD

There’s also the beautiful Sleeping Ariadne. It was in the former Michelangelo Room, but was relocated to the Vasari Auditorium during the reshuffle.

The sculpture depicts Ariadne, who helped Theseus kill the Minotaur in Greek mythology. Portions of the sculpture are more modern additions, but its Roman origins are still confirmed.

You should also peak into the Verone sull’Arno, a large passage room on the gallery route. The Verone is at the end of the route of the “Red Rooms,” which host works of Florentine Mannerism. Inside, there are three monumental works that came from the Villa Medici in Rome.

The most imposing is the Gradivus Mars, a masterpiece by Bartolomeo Ammannati, the creator of the Neptune Fountain in Piazza della Signoria.

Commissioned by Cosimo I, the sculpture depicts the god Mars marching at the head of an army. The musculature and anatomy draws heavily from Michelangelo.

gallery in the Uffizi decorated with grotesque frescos popularized by Raphael
gallery in the Uffizi decorated with grotesque frescos

Practical Guide & Tips For The Uffizi Gallery

Let’s unpack how to visit the Uffizi Gallery, so you’ll know what to expect on a visit.

Museum Layout

The Uffizi is spread out over three floors. The ground floor is the ticket office and main entrance. The first floor features Mannerist and Baroque paintings.

The second floor is the main event, where all the Renaissance masterpieces are shown. They’re intentionally kept on the second floor to escape any possible damage in the event the Arno River floods.

There’s also a terrace on the second floor with beautiful views of the Ponte Vecchio.

The Botticelli Rooms (Halls 10-14) are the most popular in the Uffizi. At peak times, the Birth of Venus is perpetually besieged by guided groups. Visit very early or late in the day to avoid this, and don’t visit in the summer.

a bust of Lorenzo the Magnificent (who was considered very ugly) greets you at the entrance of the Uffizi
a bust of Lorenzo the Magnificent

Ticket Procedure

How do you get into the Uffizi? Turns out, it’s pretty complicated. First, you need to book a timed entry ticket online.

If you arrive without tickets and there’s a long line, you can also buy a ticket at the Firenze Musei ticket office at the church of Orsanmichele, one of Florence’s must see sites for art lovers.

Once you arrive at the museum, be sure to get into the reserved ticket holder line, not the general line. (One benefit of booking a tour is that you won’t have to wait in this line.)

Then, you’ll go through the reserved ticket holder doorway and through a security check.

After security, there will be what I like call the “fake ticket check.” A guard will scan your ticket.

Tribune Room of the Uffizi
Tribune Room of the Uffizi

At this point, you may be tempted to toss your ticket in the garbage or crunch it in your purse. Don’t!

Keep it and head to the beginning of your visit on the second floor. You can take the 4 flights of staircases (for a workout) or the elevator.

Once upstairs, you find the “real ticket check” and you’ll have to hand your ticket over gain. Then, you’re in.

If your time is limited, you should focus your efforts. The must see halls include:

  • Hall 2 (Giotto)
  • Hall 8 (Lippi)
  • Halls 10-14 (Botticelli)
  • Hall 15 (Leonardo)
  • Hall 41 (Raphael and Michelangelo)
  • Hall 83 (Titian)
  • Hall 90 (Caravaggio).
ceiling fresco in the Uffizi
ceiling fresco in the Uffizi

There are Uffizi museum shops at your entry and exit. So you should save your purchases until the end to avoid carrying materials during your visit.

If you get hungry, there’s a cafe on the second floor, Cafeteria Bartolini. It has nice views of the Florence Cathedral and Palazzo Vecchio.

The Uffizi can be tiring. It’s a large museum, there’s little seating, and it takes many hours to properly visit.

It’s almost an assault on the senses, there’s so much to see and take in.

Botticelli, detail of The Annunciation, 1481
Botticelli, detail of The Annunciation, 1481

Practical Information

Address: Piazzale degli Uffizi, adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria

Hours:

The Uffizi is open daily 8:15 am to 6:50 pm Tuesday-Sunday, closed Mondays and holidays. The ticket office closes at 6:05 pm.

In the summer, to accommodate crowds, the Uffizi sometimes stays open until 11:00 pm a couple nights per week.

It’s not announced in advance. Check the Uffizi Website.

Entry fee: € 25

Audio Guide:

The Uffizi audio guide is € 6. You can also download an audio guide in advance of your visit. Rick Steves’ Uffizi audio tour is free.

Website: The official website for the Uffizi and several other city museums is polomuseale.firenze.it

Pro tips:

You should budget 3-4 hours for your Uffizi visit. The museum is fairly large and jam packed with treasures.

To avoid crowds, show up when it opens at 8:15 am. You’ll have to check anything other than a small handbag. No flash photography is allowed

detail of Ghirlandaio Annunciation
detail of Ghirlandaio’s Annunciation

I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to the amazing Uffizi Gallery. You may enjoy these other Florence travel guides and resources:

Pin it for later.

Pinterest pin for guide to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence Italy with tips for visiting

2 thoughts on “Ultimate Guide to Florence’s Uffizi Gallery: History, Masterpieces & Tips”

  1. Thank you so much for all above information. It is very concise and perfect for me!
    Three of us travelling to Florence in May. I have checked their website and difficult to know where to start!!
    Do the guided tours include entrance fees and skip the queues?
    Where do you meet the tour guides?
    The semi-private guided tour looks to be our best option.

    Reply

Leave a Comment