The Uffizi Gallery, Florence's masterpieces

Published on July 4, 2024 at 4:00 pm

By way of comparison, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence is a bit like the Louvre in Paris: a huge, fascinating museum packed with some of the most famous works in the history of art, which always attracts a huge crowd.

Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Uccelli, Giotto, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, etc, etc... great names and a succession of masterpieces will make any painting lover's head spin. Even if you're not a specialist in Renaissance painting, some of the rooms in the Uffizi Gallery will seem strangely familiar, given the fame of the artists and their canvases.

In other words, a visit to the Uffizi Gallery is a must in Florence! It's not a visit you can improvise, however: one of the most famous museums in the world is always very busy. Plan your visit accordingly, and book your time slot several days in advance.

The Uffizi Gallery

Summary

The origins of the Uffizi Gallery: offices!
Not-to-be-missed works in the Uffizi Gallery
Where to sleep?
Practical information

The origins of the Uffizi Gallery: offices!

Adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria and its Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery is a central feature of Florentine architecture: the building is long and overlooks the Arno, just a stone's throw from the Ponte Vecchio, another of the city's must-sees. Florence certainly knows how to wow its visitors!

The Uffizi Gallery at nightfall

The Uffizi Gallery - Galleria degli Uffizi in Italian - bears this name because the building, designed by Vasari in the 16th century, was originally intended to house... offices. This administrative function only lasted a short time: the powerful Medici family, who have ruled Florence since the 15th century, stored a multitude of works of art here, which accumulated...

Perspective from the Uffizi Gallery

Marie-Louise de Médicis, the last of her line, eventually ceded the treasures to the city of Florence in 1743, on condition that they never leave the city. This promise was kept. In 1765, the Uffizi Gallery officially became the home of the Uffizi Museum, one of the oldest and most prestigious museums in the world.

Not-to-be-missed works in the Uffizi Gallery

Only the most die-hard connoisseurs will be able to visit the Uffizi Gallery from top to bottom. And even then, it would take them several days!

La Tribune, Uffizi Gallery

Over the course of a 2 to 4 hour visit, before the museum's foot traffic starts to take its toll on your legs, we naturally advise you to focus your attention on certain rooms rather than others... it would be a shame to miss out on a monument to the history of art without even noticing it!

The rooms devoted to Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci, as well as the works of Raphael and the only painting by Michelangelo, take up most of the public's attention. The Tribune, a richly decorated octagonal room, and the Loggia, with its view over the Arno, are two other highlights.

Advice from the Editor

Here's a quick selection of works not to be missed during your visit to the Uffizi Gallery:

Giotto'sMadonna d'Ognissanti (room A4)
The Battle of San Romano by Paolo Uccello (room A8)
The Triumph of Chastity by Piero della Francesca (room A9)_
Coronation of the Virgin by Lippi (room A9)
The Birth of Venus, The Adoration of the Magi and Spring by Botticelli (room A11-A12)
The Annunciation and The Adoration of the Magi by Leonardo da Vinci (room A35)
The Tondo Doni by Michelangelo (room A38)
Virgin and Goldfinch by Raphael (room A38)
Titian'sVenus of Urbino (room D22)

Botticelli's Birth of Venus

Where to sleep?

Booking.com

Hotel degli Orafi

Housed in a former convent, Hotel degli Orafi is just a stone's throw from Ponte Vecchio.

9 Fabulous

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£194 / night

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Practical information

⏰ Uffizi Gallery opening times:

Tuesday to Sunday, 8.15am to 6.30pm. Last admission 5.30pm. Please note! Closed on Mondays.

👉 Where and when can I book my ticket?

Directly online, at the Uffizi Museum ticket office (please note that a €4 charge is applied to all bookings), or directly on site, at the ticket office.

It's best to book in advance and select a time slot to gain access to the museum: never wait until the last minute, especially at the height of the tourist season.

👛 Uffizi Gallery ticket prices:

Prices vary depending on the time of year.

March to October: full price €20, concessions €2
November to February: full price €12, concessions €2.

💡 Are there combined tickets for the Uffizi Gallery?

Yes! You can book online a combined ticket (the Passpartout) including admission to the Uffizi Gallery, the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens, valid for 5 days. Great if you want to visit all the sites together.

March to October: combined ticket €38
November to February: combined ticket €18

The Uffizi Gallery is also one of the museums included in the Firenze Card.

Star works attract crowds

⏳ How long should I allow at the Uffizi Gallery?

At least 2 hours on site. Allow half a day in your programme to take time to admire the works and... let the queues go by.

Advice from the Editor

👉 Visit the Uffizi Gallery at the start of your Florence getaway. After a few days in the Tuscan capital you'll have put so many paintings and sculptures in your eyes that you might not get the full benefit of the masterpieces in the city's most famous museum. Especially when you have to deal with the crowds!

by Jude JONES

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