Florence tickets

If you reached this page, you’re probably wondering why in Florence tickets have a different price based on the date you choose for your tour. Not all the attractions change ticket prices, actually only the Polo Museale Fiorentino, the institution managing the Statal Museums, does. Problem is, they manage two of the three most important attractions in Florence, like the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia Gallery, and many more gorgeous attractions, like the Pitti Palace, the Medici Chapels and the Bargello Museum. Read on to understand how Florence tickets works, or: want to avoid any hassle? Want to have open skip-the-line tickets? Get more info on Firenze Card.

Uffizi Gallery and Accademia Gallery

These are the two most important Museums in Florence, and these are the Florence tickets that will cause your headache if you don’t follow my recommendations. Unfortunately, when planning what to do in Florence, these two museums are your top priorities. The official ticket price for each of these Museums is € 8.00, but when there is an exhibition inside, price is raised to € 12.50. There is generally two exhibitions every year, they last about five months each, and often they’re extended. Of course, they cover all the high season. Result: you will pay € 8.00 only for 20 to 30 days/year. These exhibitions are often great, sometimes not so great… but the funny thing is that 90% of the tourists visit the Museum for the first time (or have been there 20 years ago), and what they want to see is the masterpieces, not the exhibitions, more suitable for people who visits the Museum several times every year. Whatever, you’re most probably going to pay € 12.50, unless you visit Florence in the second half of January.

Wait; € 12.50 is the ticket price, but for most of the year you will have to stay in line for 2-3 hours before you even reach the ticket office. There’s a better way: you can reserve your entrance, get there 15 mins in advance and stay in line for a very short time (the metal detector slows down the entrance anyway). Reserving your entrance adds € 4.00 to the price, so as a result your ticket price becomes € 16.50. Paying this fee is not an option for most of the year. From mid-November to the end of February, not on weekends, you can save this fee, but in any other period of the year you must reserve your entrance, and do it in advance: it’s not uncommon to find that both Museums are sold out for the next 6-7 days.

The other Statal Museums

Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens

If you go to Palazzo Pitti you will have two tickets to choose: one gives access to the Palatine Gallery and the Modern Art Gallery, the other one is for the Boboli Gardens, the Treasure Rooms and the Costume Gallery. Even here, we have the same variance, with some difference:

Pitti Galleries

Official price: € 8.50 (about 2 months out of 12)

When there is an exhibition € 13.00 (this is the price you will most probably pay)

Reservation fee € 3.00 (worth paying only for weekends and everyday from May to September)

Boboli Gardens

Official price: € 7.00 (about 2 months out of 12)

When there is an exhibition € 10.00 (this is the price you will most probably pay)

Reservation fee € 3.00 (worth paying only for weekends and everyday from May to September)

Medici Chapels

This is a place where, until two years ago, I would have told you to never reserve your entrance, but recently I have seen long lines at the (single) ticket office.

Official price: € 6.00

When there is an exhibition (no exhibitions in 2015, apparently)

Reservation fee € 3.00 (worth paying only for weekends and everyday from May to September)

Bargello Museum

Official price: € 4.00 (about 2 months out of 12)

When there is an exhibition € 10.00 (this is the price you will most probably pay)

Reservation fee € 3.00 (worth paying only for weekends of May to September)

San Marco Museum

Official price: € 4.00

When there is an exhibition (no exhibitions in 2015, apparently)

Reservation fee € 3.00 (not worth paying: I never found long lines)

I hope this article helped you in understanding how Florence tickets work. The best way to visit Florence is with local tour guides that will assist you and will take care to reserve your entrances. This way you don’t have to deal with Florence tickets. Here you can find more info on Florence tour prices. If you have any question, I’ll be happy to answer.