If you’re reading this post, probably you found out that on Monday, the main museums of Florence are closed. The Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia Gallery and the Pitti Palace are indeed closed, but there are a lot more things to do in Florence on a Monday. First of all, if this is not your only day in town, you could use it to take a day trip from Florence and explore the surroundings. Also, consider that Florence offers many more attractions: Monday could be a great day to go in-depth with a Florence Duomo tour. But if you want to follow my suggestions on what to do in Florence in a Monday: stop moaning and turn your bad luck into an opportunity to visit the hidden attractions of the city. Piazza Della Signoria is a place where everybody goes, but how many know that Palazzo Vecchio hosts a beautiful museum? Did you know that you can
explore Palazzo Vecchio secret passages? And what about the Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella basilicas? Believe me, there are so many things to do in Florence on a Monday that it’s even hard to make a list. In this article, I will list the best available Monday tours of Florence.
Florence Monday museum tour
Not all the state museums are closed on Mondays in Florence. There are a couple of hidden gems that you can visit: the Medici Chapels and the San Marco Museum. The Medici Chapels are the place where the Medici family members are buried, and the museum is open the second and fourth Monday of each month. The San Marco Museum is a convent, open on the first, third and fifth Monday of the month. Whichever is the day you have available, you will be lucky: the Medici Chapels feature a gorgeous room decorated with semi precious stones, with the tombs of the Medici Grand Dukes, and another room with seven statues by Michelangelo, among his greatest works, with the tombs of the Medici bankers. The San Marco Museum hosts a collection of paintings and frescoes by one of the geniuses of the early renaissance, Beato Angelico, along with a wonderful last supper fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio. These attractions would be the top ones everywhere else, but in Florence they are overshadowed by Michelangelo’s David and the Uffizi Gallery. I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to visit these museums, be it Monday or not.
Florence Palazzo Vecchio sunset tour
Palazzo Vecchio Museum is one of your best choices if you visit Florence on a Monday. This tour, in particular, allows you to enjoy the Piazza, the museum and the tower at the sunset, starting at 6:30 pm. It is a 90 minutes tour which focuses on the famous hall of the 500, the largest civil room ever built in Italy, with its huge frescoes by Vasari and the “Genius of victory” by Michelangelo, and the maps room, where Cosimo de Medici aimed to represent the cosmos. After visiting the apartments of Cosimo and his wife Eleanore, you will climb on top of the Arnolfo tower, from where you will have an all-round view of the beautiful monuments of Florence. In case of rain, the tower is closed, but you will be allowed to see the battlements of the palace. Apart from taking the tour, which costs € 38/person, you can opt for additional Italian aperitif (price becomes € 51) or a complete dinner (price becomes € 72), before returning to your hotel.
Palazzo Vecchio secret passages tour (plus lunch)
If you want to spend a great Monday, this is certainly a great choice. Palazzo Vecchio is filled with secret passages, and you have a chance to explore them joining a group. The small group, up to 12 people, will be driven by an internal guide of Palazzo Vecchio through a secret staircase inside the external wall of the palace, from where you will reach the room that once was the bedroom of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. A door will get you inside the Studiolo, a secret room filled with beautiful paintings and frescoes, where the Grand Duke Francesco de Medici stored his precious collections. After the visit of the Studiolo, the guide will show you the huge Hall of the 500, pointing at the mysterious message that Vasari painted in one of his frescoes: “cerca trova”, which means “seek and you shall find”. Finally, you will head above the ceiling of the hall, to see the trussed roof which holds the ceiling since 1565. These secret passages and the mysterious message by Vasari have been the inspiration for Dan Brown in his latest novel, Inferno. The tour ends with a typical Florentine lunch in the Central Market area.
What to do in Florence on a Monday? Book a private tour
Booking a private tour is the best way to spend your Monday in Florence. You want a dedicated expert guide planning your itinerary, taking advantage of the countless attractions which are available and suggesting you the best things to do. Agencies and tour operators only provide tours that allow them to fill the large groups, that’s why they disregard Mondays. They won’t take care to show you treasure chests like the churches of Florence, which are the places where most of the Uffizi masterpieces come from and that still contain statues, paintings and frescoes that are as important, if not more important, than the museum collections, with the big advantage that you can see them in the correct historical location. Contact us to arrange a custom tour, and you will spend an unforgettable Monday in Florence!
What other suggestions can you find in this section?
- The best Florence tours and activities reviewed by a tour guide
- Walking tours
- Uffizi tours
- Florence in one day
- Duomo tours
- Vasari Corridor tours
- Inferno tours
- Skip-the-line David tours
- What to do on Mondays
- Tours of Florence from Rome or Venice
- Florence outdoor activities
- Florence food tours
- Wine tours in Tuscany
- Cooking classes
- Wine tours in Florence
- Day trips from Florence to Tuscany countryside
- Day trips from Florence to Pisa
- Day trips from Florence to Siena
- Day trips from Florence to Cinque Terre
- Day trips from Florence to Rome
- Day trips from Florence to Venice
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