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The Uffizi Gallery in Florence is the Italian museum that receives the largest number of visitors each year. It is one of the most famous and appreciated museums in the world, a place where priceless masterpieces are preserved, works by Raphael, Botticelli, Giotto, Titian, Leonardo da Vinci, and many others. The Museum is located in the heart of the historical centre of Florence, in the square behind Palazzo Vecchio. It is an unmissable stop for those who decide to visit the cradle of the Renaissance. Let’s find out more about how to organise a visit to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
Nobody wants to wait hours to enter a museum. The waiting line to enter the Uffizi can be very long and it is not to be excluded that tickets may run out. To avoid this unpleasant eventuality, the best advice we can give you is to book your tickets in advance. Tickets can be booked at the museum’s ticket offices or online. The latter option is the most recommended for those who want to optimise their time.
As already mentioned, the Uffizi Gallery is one of the most visited museums in the world. To avoid crowds, plan your visit as best you can. If possible, prefer the low season. In the period from November to February, the Tuscan museum is less crowded. Bear in mind that tourists mainly flock at weekends or around holidays. Generally, the peak time is between 12 noon and 3 pm. If you want to enjoy your visit to the gallery in peace, book your ticket on a weekday, preferably in the early morning. If possible, try to arrive about 30 minutes before opening time, so you will be among the first to enter.
Please note that the Uffizi Gallery is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 8.15 am to 6.50 pm. Last entry is at 17.30. To enter on Saturdays and Sundays, reservations must be made at least one day in advance. The museum is closed on Mondays, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Remember that ‘The Uffizi Galleries’ is a museum complex that includes the Uffizi Museum as well as the Pitti Palace, the Boboli Gardens and the Vasari Corridor. Just the Uffizi Gallery Museum alone hosts several collections of works of art distributed in 101 different rooms over two floors. The collections are divided into four different themes: painting, sculpture, architecture and the cabinet of drawings and prints. A visit to the Gallery takes about 3-4 hours. If you want to visit all the rooms carefully, consider devoting half a day to the museum. Remember that you can choose whether to visit the museum in the company of a guide, who will show you the most important works housed in the Uffizi rooms, or using an audio guide. Before visiting the museum, we advise you to get an idea of the main works on display and make a list of those that intrigue you most. Identify their location and head for the rooms that interest you, without fear of missing the most important works. This will make it much easier to stay on schedule.
Admission to the Uffizi Gallery varies depending on the season and many other factors. In high season (21 December / 9 January – 21 February / 9 November) the full ticket costs €25. In low season (10 January / 20 February – 10 November / 20 December), on the other hand, the full ticket costs €12. The reduced ticket always costs 2€. The ticket is free for the disabled and children under 18. There are also discounts for young people aged between 18 and 25 and for special categories. It is also possible to buy tickets with discounts for families and groups, or to purchase a ticket valid for 5 days, the Passepartout 5 Days, which will allow priority access to Palazzo Pitti, the Boboli Gardens and the Museo dell’Opificio delle Pietre Dure.
There is also another possibility to enter the Uffizi Gallery for free. On the first Sunday of every month, entry is free for everyone. The opportunity is great for budget-conscious travellers. However, you have to take into account that the museum is particularly crowded for the occasion and very long queues could be created. In short, it is important to assess the situation and choose according to your own travel needs.
In 2006, the Uffizi Gallery was enlarged by 6,000 square metres. Today, the museum covers an impressive 13,000 square metres of exhibition space. To wander among the great masterpieces of Italian and world art you will therefore have to do a lot of walking. Consider that you will have to stand for quite some time. Favour comfortable clothing, especially the shoes you will be wearing.
The Uffizi Gallery can be reached on foot with a walk of about 15-20 minutes from the Santa Maria Novella railway station. As already mentioned, the museum is located in the centre of Florence, near Piazza della Signoria and not far from Ponte Vecchio. It is not possible to get to the museum by car, except by crossing the ZTL.
With Forexchange you can discover all the beauty of Florence and admire the masterpieces of the Uffizi Gallery with a single ticket. In addition to the ticket for a guided tour of the museum with priority admission, you will also get a hop-on hop-off bus ticket valid for 24 or 48 hours. Planning to spend just one day in Florence and want to discover the best of the Florentine museums? Forexchange offers you the ‘Museums Special: one-day tour to the Accademia and the Uffizi’. Do you want to visit the whole city at your own pace, moving in complete freedom? Download the Florence audio guide onto your smartphone now and listen to the tracks of your interest whenever and wherever you want, in seven different languages (Italian, English, French, Spanish, German, Russian and Chinese). Do you want to have new experiences and discover the city’s most authentic soul? Discover the Forexchange experience in Florence.
To find out more, or to pick up your online currency exchange (also foreign currencies in euro), visit us at one of the Forexchange branches in Florence!
Photo Credits:
Marta De Bortoli1991, Wikimedia
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