Florence is an art lover’s dream, and its relatively small size means it’s eminently walkable. Wander the halls of the Pitti Palace, aka Palazzo Pitti, former home of the Medici family. Admire the perfection of Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria dell'Accademia, gape at the sheer size and grandeur of the Duomo and Santa Croce or, for a less touristy art experience, discover the Bargello Museum or Casa Buanarotti—home of Michelangelo during his Florentine years.

When you travel with Nancy Aiello Tours, your trip designer will point you in the right direction towards the best museums and art galleries (and restaurants, and cafes, and hotels...) in Tuscany's capital city. But in the meantime, discover our shortlist below:

Top 10 Museums In Florence -  The best of the best in the birthplace of the Renaissance

1. Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi )

To witness the world's greatest collection of Italian Renaissance art

The Uffizi Gallery is located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria and is home to the world’s greatest collection of Italian Renaissance art. Florence’s most renowned gallery occupies the massive U-shaped Palazzo degli Uffizi, which was constructed in the 16th century between 1560-1580. The collection has some of Italy’s most well-known art, including Piero della Francesco's portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino, a room filled with works of art by Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, Madonna della Seggiola by Raphael, and masterpieces from the likes of Michelangelo, Giotto, Simone Martini, Piero della Francesca, Raffaello, and more.

Helpful Hints

• From March until October, the estimated wait time at the Uffizi could be up to 3 hours. Book ahead of time, with a reservation you can skip the line.
• You are allowed to stay in the museum as long as you like after entrance. You should plan for at least a 2-hour visit to view the core of the collection.
• The Uffizi is closed every Monday as well as December 25, January 1 and May 1. Tuesdays are generally the most crowded days, while 9:00 am and 2:00 pm are generally the busiest times of day.
• The Uffizi is located near the Palazzo Vecchio and is only a 5 minute walk from the Duomo, 10 minute walk from the Ponte Vecchio and Pitti Palace and 20 minute walk from the Galleria dell'Accademia.
• You can easily visit the Galleria dell'Accademia and the Galleria degli Uffizi in one day. Plan to see the Accademia first and the Uffizi approximately 1-1.5 hour later to allow for viewing time and walking time.

Open every day except Monday, 8:15AM - 6:50PM
Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy

2. Bargello Museum (Museo del Bargello)

To learn the history of Florence

After serving for many centuries as a prison and police station, the fortress-like Bargello was transformed into the National Museum of Sculpture in 1886 - on Donatello's five-hundredth birthday. The Bargello's courtyard, loggia and frescoed rooms are filled with marble and bronze masterpieces by Donatello, Michelangelo, Cellini, Bernini and others. Particularly important to the history of Florence are two bronze panels of the Sacrifice of Isaac by Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi for the competition to decorate the doors of the Baptistry. Had Brunelleschi won this contest, he might not have gone on to design the great dome of the Duomo of Florence.

Helpful Hints

• This is a favorite spot for most well-seasoned Florence travelers... and is located approximately 5 minutes by foot from the Duomo.
• You are allowed to stay in the museum as long as you would like after entrance. You should plan for at least 1 hour to view the full collection.
• The Bargello is closed every first, third and fifth Sunday of the month , every second and fourth Monday of the month as well as January 1, May 1, August 15 and December 25.
• Since it’s the least popular of the Florence museums, it’s rarely crowded and advance booking is actually more expensive than purchasing tickets at the door.
• The Bargello is located near the the Duomo and is only a 5 minute walk from the Galleria degli Uffizi and Palazzo Vecchio, a 10 minute walk from the Ponte Vecchio and Pitti Palace and 10 minute walk from the Galleria dell'Accademia.

Open every day, 8:15AM - 1:50PM
Via del Proconsolo, 4, 50122 Firenze, Italy

3. Leonardo da Vinci Museum

To explore the mind of a genius

Located in the center of Florence, the da Vinci Museum is home to invention models, designs, and art by the Renaissance genius. The space is divided into five interactive sections that give you unique insights into one of the most beautiful minds in history. Wander through the installations on mechanisms (featuring Leonardo’s designs for worm screws, ball bearers, and more), earth (Leonardo’s printing press, odometer, and rolling mill), water (including a hydraulic saw still in use today), air (featuring Leonardo’s parachute and wings), and fire (where you can see da Vinci’s armored tank).

Protip: Don’t miss the fantastic bookshop, where you’ll find fascinating, one-of-a-kind Leonardo souvenirs.

Open every day, 10AM - 6PM
Via dei Servi, 66/68R, 50122 Firenze, Italy

4. Brancacci Chapel

To discover a stunning example of Renaissance art and Florentine history

Comissioned by a wealthy Florentine silk merchant in the 1420s, the chapel was decorated in frescoes by Masaccio and Masolino depicting the life of St. Peter and the theme of redemption. In later years, the chapel suffered at the hands of Florentine government when its patron, Felice Brancacci, was exiled and declared an enemy of state. The Damnatio Memoriae was executed, and the faces of the chapels patrons were destroyed, only to be restored by Filippino Lippi 50 years later.

Masaccio's works, including the painfully expressive Expulsion from the Garden, have inspired the great artists of the High Renaissance, including Michelangelo.

Helpful Hints

• Reservations are required to visit the Brancacci Chapel.
• The Brancacci Chapel is located in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in the Oltrarno region of Florence, approximately 20 minutes from the Pitti Palace by foot.

5. Galleria dell'Accademia (Galleria dell'Accademia)

To see the David

The Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze is the art museum that’s home to Michelangelo's Renaissance masterpiece: the David sculpture. In 1873, Michelangelo's famous statue of David was moved to a specially designed room in the Galleria dell'Accademia from his position out in front of Palazzo Vecchio, where he had stood since Michelangelo's time. Preparations were underway for an 1875 exhibition on Michelangelo to celebrate the great master's 400th birthday, after which the Accademia would become a museum dedicated to Michelangelo.

Though the collection has since expanded to include works ranging from Florentine Gothic painting to Russian icons, as well as Italian Renaissance and Baroque works by Jacopo da Pontormo, Ghirlandaio, and others, it is still primarily known for Michelangelo's "White Giant." Come admire this incomparable masterpiece and see the four unfinished Slaves that Michelangelo started carving for the tomb of Pope Julius II.

Helpful Hints

• The estimated wait time at the Accademia could be several hours even in the low season. Book ahead of time, with a reservation you can skip the line.
• You are allowed to stay in the museum as long as you would like after entrance. You should plan for approximately 30 minutes for your visit, as the museum is small in size and collection.
• The Accademia is closed every Monday as well as December 25, January 1 and May 1. Tuesdays are generally the most crowded days, while 9:00 am and 2:00 pm are generally the busiest times of day.
• The Accademia is located North of the city center near the Monastery of San Marco and is only a 10 minute walk from the Duomo, 15 minute walk from the Galleria degli Uffizi and 20 minute walk from the Ponte Vecchio and Pitti Palace.
• You can easily visit the Galleria dell'Accademia and the Galleria degli Uffizi in one day. Plan to see the Accademia first and the Uffizi approximately 1-1.5 hour later to allow for viewing time and walking time.
• Open every day, 8:15AM - 6:50PM
  Via Bettino Ricasoli 60

6. Monastery of San Marco (The San Marco Museum)

To view early Renaissance works

Over 50 panel paintings of Fra Angelico decorate the walls of San Marco. Angelico, who resided at the San Marco monastery between 1438 and 1445 painted scenes of the Annunciation and stories of the life of Christ, offering a sense of timelessness and tranquility to guide the monks in their private meditations. Walk through the beautiful monastery designed by Michelozzo, with its famed Cloister of St. Anthony and discover a world of history and art. A famed portrait of Savonarola by Fra Bartolomeo marks the rooms where the Florentine ruler and sponsor of the Bonfire of the Vanities once resided, while Ghirlandaio's Last Supper graces the wall of the refectory.

Helpful Hints

• The Monastery is located directly across from the Galleria dell'Accademia.
• You are allowed to stay in the museum as long as you would like after entrance. You should plan for at least 1 hour to view the full monastery.
• San Marco is closed every second and fourth Monday of the month and every first, third, and fifth Sunday, as well as December 25, January 1 and May 1.
• San Marco i is located near the Galleria dell'Accademia and is only a 10 minute walk from the Duomo, 15 minute walk from the Galleria degli Uffizi.

Open Monday - Friday, 8:15AM - 1:20PM; Saturday - Sunday, 8:15AM - 4:50PM
Piazza San Marco, 3, 50121 Firenze, Italy

7. Salvatore Ferragamo Museum

To experience an iconic brand in a medieval castle setting

The Salvatore Ferragamo Flagship Store & Museum is an all-in-one cultural destination situated in a hard-to-miss medieval castle. Purchased by Ferragamo in the early 1930s, today the castle pays homage to the iconic brand and its rich history. As you explore the castle, you’ll find collections of shoes, bags, ready-to-wear goods, and limited edition pieces juxtaposed with brand photographs and memorabilia. Before you leave, check out the basement exclusively dedicated to Ferragamo's life and work.

Open every day, 10AM - 7:30PM
Palazzo Spini Feroni, Piazza di Santa Trinita, 5/R, 50123 Firenze, Italy

8. Stibbert Museum

To view an impressive collection of furniture, Etruscan artifacts, porcelain, Tuscan crucifixes, and more

The Stibbert Museum is entirely dedicated to the eclectic tastes of a 19th-century art collector by the name of Frederick Stibbert. Having inherited his fortune, Stibbert eschewed work and instead spent his entire life collecting antiques and artifacts. When he passed away in 1906, his collection was gifted to the city of Florence and opened to the public. Today, the villa museum has 57 rooms (with walls covered in tapestries), as well as a café and bookstore.

Open Monday - Wednesday, 10AM - 2PM; Friday - Sunday, 10AM - 6PM; Closed Thursday
Via Federico Stibbert, 26, 50134 Firenze FI, Italy

9. Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

To see what the cathedral's original facade looked like

The Opera del Duomo (aka Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore) Museum was founded in 1891 to conserve the monuments from Brunelleschi's dome which, over the course of centuries, had been removed from the Duomo and Baptistery of San Giovanni as a refuge from pollution outside of the cathedral. Today, more than 750 works of art are displayed in 25 rooms across three levels, including the world-famous Penitent Sant Mary Magdalene by Donatello.

Open every day, 9AM - 7:30PM
Piazza del Duomo, 9, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy

10. Museum Of Natural History (La Specola)

To admire wax anatomy and some of the best taxidermy in the world

The Museum of Zoology and Natural History is home to the biggest and best-known wax anatomical collection in the world, along with some fascinating taxidermy (including animals that are now extinct). Originally owned by the Medici family, La Specola also happens to be the oldest public museum in Europe, and its famous visitors include everyone from Goethe to Emperor Leopold to the Marquis de Sade (who particularly appreciated the wax Venuses with their rib cages exposed).

Open every day, 9AM - 5PM
Via Romana, 17, 50125 Firenze, Italy

Not a museum type? For more on what to do, eat, and see in Florence—from a stroll through the Palazzo Vecchio to a bowl of tagliatelle funghi—look to our ultimate guide in the birthplace of the Renaissance.

Also spending a few days in Rome during your trip to Italy? Discover our 2024 list of the best hotels in the Eternal City to indulge in a dose of la Dolce Vita.