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Guided Tour of the Uffizi Museum

The Uffizi Gallery is an incredible museum , with over 60 halls full of impressive and stunning works of art from the 12th century up to the 16th century.

During your vacation in Florence , it is natural that you’ll want to see all of its amazing treasures . There are so many in Florence so you might only have a few hours to dedicate to your visit to the Uffizi .

The solution? A guided tour of the Uffizi museum!

Let a specialized art history expert guide you through the Uffizi Gallery and to the masterpieces contained within! During your tour, the guide will accompany you from hall to hall, taking you on a journey into art and its history as he or she illustrates the most beautiful works of art in the museum. Not only will you learn about the importance of each painting, but also the context in the times when they were made!

Book a Guided Tour with Viator

Viator offers many guided tours of the Uffizi Gallery for you to choose from. You can book a guided tour of the Uffizi museum or a tour that combines a walking tour in Florence with the tour within the Uffizi Gallery or one that includes both a tour of the Uffizi and Accademia museums, to list just a few examples.

Check the full list of tours on Viator! »

Book your Guided Tour with Florence Tickets

You can visit the Uffizi with a professional tour guide organized by local tour agency Florence Tickets . This special 3.5 hour “masterclass with an art expert” allows you to enter with priority access and a small group. The tour runs every day at 3.00pm . Check your dates and book below with the form (or through this link if the form below is not working):

Disclosure: This page includes affiliate links. If you book with Florence Tickets or Viator, our website will receive a small commission – thank you!

About our site

This website is a guide written by a team of locals that love Florence and Art! Read more about us here . We are not the official site nor do we have a direct connection to the Uffizi Gallery museum. Tickets and Tours are sold through third-party travel agencies.

How to Book

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Easter Monday: Special Opening at the Uffizi » March 27, 2024

Longer evening hours every Tuesday » March 26, 2024

Ticket News: Going Paperless! » March 22, 2024

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Visit the Uffizi Gallery with your own Private Guide

What to see at the Uffizi? A tour guide can help you find the Masterpieces of the Renaissance

If you're planning to visit the most visited museum in all of Italy while in Florence, our first recommendation is to always book a ticket ahead of time to avoid the long line at the entrance. If your time is limited and you want to visit the museum knowing exactly where to go, making the best use of your time while learning something of the works you see, then the very best way to do so is with a guided tour - which will also include your entrance ticket to the Uffizi!

We did the following tour of the Uffizi Gallery ourselves to better understand what the tour offers, identifying what we best liked about it and who it is perfect for. These experiences helps us be able to recommend such services, particularly when there are so many options to choose from.

This page contains affiliate links . More details »

The Visit to the Uffizi

Uffizi guided tour at-a-glance.

• Duration: about 1.5-2 hours
• Pros: priority access with qualified, licensed local guide, stay inside as long as you want after the tour ends

When: every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 12:30pm

Language: English, French

• Wheelchair accessible

Book your tour »

A visit to the Uffizi always starts with overcoming the obstacle of getting in the shortest time possible. When you book a guided tour, your guide meets you outside the museum with your tickets in hand. You start your tour right away, while you're waiting in the reserved entrance line to go through security. As we waited to get in, our guide Lia started by telling us the history of the area where the Uffizi palazzo is. The Uffizi, which means the "Offices" in Italian, was built to house the offices of the government of Florence by the Medici family. It was the perfect point to also go into more detail about the Medici in general, considering that the majority of artistic masterpieces in Florence and in the Uffizi itself are due to the direct patronage of the Medici of the arts and artists of past centuries, as well as their collecting.

Right after entering, Lia showed us the portrait of Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici , the last surviving member of the Medici responsible for donating all of the family's collections to the city. She made an iron-clad will with a special stipulation: none of the art collections the Medici had amassed over the centuries could leave the city. She defined these as State property to be left to the enjoyment of the public, including foreign visitors to the city. We can thank Anna Maria for all of the precious artworks we can see in Florence today, which surely contribute to it being considered a top travel destination in the world.

Did you know?

The area in which the Uffizi building is located used to be a harbor back in Roman times. And up until the time that the palazzo was built, the area was considered one of the most disreputable neighborhoods in Florence. The many buildings here were taken down and thus the area was "re-qualified" or modernized when Vasari started building the Uffizi building in 1560 on commission of Cosimo I de' Medici.

As we climbed the grand staircase to the top floor, where the museum collections begin, our guide explained both the architecture of what we saw and what we were seeing. For example, the atrium at the top floor has many marble busts and portraits of both the Medici and Lorraine families . Our guide made learning about who they were interesting, especially hearing stories of their lives. It was a chance to not only learn about history but to actually feel these historical figures were people like us. Without the guide, I confess I have walked right by this atrium without more than a glance in the past.

The Main Rooms and the Masterpieces

The Uffizi Gallery is an important museum in the art of the Renaissance , but it includes works from Roman times (the marble statues) to the early Renaissance and all the way through to European painters of the 18th century . With over 50 halls , each with many works of art, which ones are the most important?? Our guide provided an overview of the earlier works, particularly in their importance to the collecting of the Medici - why they collected Roman art, for example - as we made our way into the first halls that contain works by Giotto, Cimabue and Duccio di Buoninsegna and then on to what is considered International Gothic style . I was not an art major in college even if I enjoyed both history and art and I confess I am no expert but learn a lot from these visits. They put both the history into better perspective, since a good guide such as Lia is able to make connections with other things happening in time at the same moment.

Who should do a guided tour?

A guided tour is perfect for everyone but, in particular, for anyone:

• with limited time
• who wants to see the main works of art
• who wants to learn why these masterpieces are considered masterpieces
• enjoy the best the museum offers, skipping the long line at the entrance!

As you cover centuries of art through each room, we were able to see how the art was changing and she explained the why behind the artists, their patrons, the influences of other artists coming before and after. As you arrive at the more "important" halls, such as the ones that house two of Sandro Botticelli's most important works, La Primavera (Spring) and The Birth of Venus , you'll know they are considered as two of the most important masterpieces at the Uffizi . Our guide took us into the main halls and directly to the main works, giving us a chance to admire the works while explaining what makes each unique and special in the history of art. Some of the other masterpieces you'll see include the Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci , the Tondo Doni by Michelangelo and the Venus of Urbino by Titian .

Enjoy the view of Ponte Vecchio from the corridor by the Arno river and of Palazzo Vecchio from the cafè terrace before heading downstairs to also view works by Caravaggio , Bronzino and Raphael .

Working your way through the Uffizi

The Uffizi Gallery is a labyrinth in which one can gladly get lost to enjoy all of the treasures within. The history held within the palazzo and in each painting and statue is just one aspect that makes Florence one of the most beautiful and fascinating cities in the world so the museum is must-see on your itinerary.

After having visited the Uffizi with our guide, I highly recommend everyone visits the Uffizi with a tour guide , it makes such a difference in your experience. Having that art expert along with you makes discovering the Uffizi and its masterpieces an interesting and fun journey, because the artists and their paintings are brought to life . Knowing some of the who, what and why enriches the visit to the museum.

Being the top museum in all of Italy , I can assure you there are more artworks in the museum than you can see, even if you had an entire day to stay inside. Since most of us don't have a day, but maybe not even that much time, the help of a guide in finding the most important works of art makes it possible for us to appreciate them in the limited time we do have.

Unless you’re an art historian or know a good amount of art and its history - but even then - an expert in art accompanying you on the adventure of visiting the Uffizi will be worth it !

Note that the Uffizi Gallery does not offer guided tours directly: it only has an audio device you can rent after you enter the museum and use that to audio guide to steer you during your visit in the many rooms. While it is useful and available in several languages, noting some of the main works in every room, it does not tell you which masterpieces are important for their role in shaping the history of art or of the Renaissance. That is one of best reasons why having an actual qualified guide accompany you through the museum makes a huge difference - in addition to being able to answer your questions, of course :).

Why book with Florence/Italy Tickets?

This tour is organized directly by the tour agency New Globus Viaggi, working in Florence and Tuscany for over 20 years. We tried this specific Uffizi tour because we know them personally and trust the knowledge and expertise of the tour guides they work with, and in fact, were not disappointed. The guides they have are not only licensed, but experts in art history who have made knowing about Florence their main professional focus. We know that the tours and experiences are good value and will become part of the memories of travelers to Florence that choose them, and for that reason we try their tours and then recommend them.

Ready to book? Check your dates below:

If you have any questions about this tour before booking, you can post on our forum and I will try to answer them as best as I can from my own experience doing the tour.

This page and website contains affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on such links (to Viator.com, Italy-Tickets.com, Booking.com, RentalCars.com, etc), Visit Florence will get a small percentage of the purchase price, at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support! Read more details .

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Uffizi gallery, accademia gallery, santa maria novella church, palazzo strozzi, brancacci chapel, casa buonarroti, book your uffizi guided tour.

• Priority access with qualified, licensed local guide
• Stay inside as long as you want after the tour ends

Duration : about 1.5-2 hours

→ Book your tour »

Top Uffizi Gallery Tours

Author: Lourdes Flores

I'm from California but have called Florence my home for over a decade. I love to explore Italy; it is a lot of fun to try to see everything like I'm seeing it for the first time, keeping you, our readers, always in mind. I enjoy sharing what I know and helping others as they make their travel plans for Tuscany through our Forum . If you have itinerary-related questions, please post them there!

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Our Travel Guides

• Florence Guided Tours

Uffizi Gallery Tour

• electronic voucher accepted

The Itinerary: The tour takes place inside the most important museum of Florence, the Uffizi Gallery.

Uffizi Gallery Tour. These guided tours will let you admire the most important museum of Florence: the Uffizi Gallery. The Museum is in the top floor of the building realized by Giorgio Vasari to house the administrative offices of the Tuscan State. The foundation of the Gallery has been desired by the Grand-duke Francesco I, during the years the collection has been enriched by the members of the Medici family, who were great lovers of paintings, sculpture and works of art.

The tour is always confirmed in English and Spanish.

Uffizi Gallery Group Guided Tour

Starting time low season: English 13:30 Spanish 16:00 Starting time high season: English 8:30 - 13:30 Spanish 11:00 - 16:00 Frequency: every day except Monday. Duration: 1h45 (once the tour is over, you are free to stay inside the Museum and visit it at your leisure) Language: English, Spanish Meeting Point: 15 minutes before the tour starting time in Via Cavour 12 Price: Children under 6: Free. Low season: 57.00 High season: 72.00

• Language English Spanish

The price includes: guide service, headphones for groups over 7 people, museum entrance ticket and pre-booking fee (skip the line).

CANCELLATION POLICY - GROUP GUIDED TOURS In case of cancellation, please contact us .

Customers who booked this tour also booked :

Accademia Gallery Tour

Florence City Walking Tour

Panoramic Tour by Minivan

Palazzo Vecchio Tour

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The 5 Best Uffizi Gallery Tours [2024 Reviews]

The Uffizi in Florence is a timeless museum and gallery that you have to visit if you’re in the area. Considering its location, it only makes sense that it’s a hub for 14th-century and Renaissance period masterpieces.

Highlights include statues from the Medici family, as well as work from artists like Filippo Lippi, Pero della Francesca, Giotto, and many more.

To maximize your experience, we highly recommend taking one of the top Uffizi Gallery guided tours – the ones we have listed here offer the best bang for your buck! Let’s get started!

Be sure to see our reviews of Full Day Tuscany Day Trips, Florence Wine Tours and Cinque Terre Tours.

Best Uffizi Guided Tours

Quick answer: the 5 best skip-the-line uffizi gallery tours.

• Uffizi + David & Accademia Tour Exclusive
• Uffizi Gallery Private Tour
• Florence: Skip the Line Guided Uffizi Tour
• Uffizi tour for Kids!
• Florence: Uffizi Gallery Guided Tour

Uffizi Reviews

1. uffizi + david & accademia tour exclusive.

• Duration:  3 hours
• Departure:  Via dei Castellani, 14, 50122 Firenze FI
• Departure Time: 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM
• Includes:  Earphones for groups of more than 6 people, Priority entry for both art galleries, Entrance ticket, Booking fee, Authorized guide

It’s hard to know where to start with art in Florence, considering it’s the heart of the Italian Renaissance. If you want to experience some of the most famous works from that important era in history, check out the Uffizi + David & Accademia Tour Exclusive .

If you’re interested at all in learning about artwork and history, you have to sign up for this tour. As one of the most visited museums in the world, there are plenty of educated guides that work on-site.

However, this tour is known for having some of the most entertaining and knowledgeable, so be prepared to learn and see a lot! Even better, you don’t have to spend half your time waiting in massive lines that seem to never disappear – instead head through the priority entrance in both galleries!

Immerse yourself in the Italian Renaissance, where your guide will guide you through with expertise. You’ll see legendary masterpieces by some of the most famous Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo, Giotto, Caravaggio, Leonardo da Vinci, and other notable figures.

You’ll not only see them though, as your guide will teach you about each piece and answer any questions you may have.

Michelangelo’s David is simply breathtaking, and makes it hard to believe that a human being is capable of creating something like this out of marble. Another highlight is the museum of musical instruments, even if you’re not particularly into music.

You’ll get time on your own as well, so you can explore at your leisure and see the pieces that interest you the most.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience, other experiences you may enjoy:, 2. uffizi gallery private tour.

• Duration:  1 hour 40 minutes
• Departure:  Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6, 50122 Firenze FI
• Departure Time: Between 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
• Includes:  All taxes, fees and handling charges, Licensed guide, Headsets to hear your guide clearly, Private tour, Bottled water, Coffee and/or Tea

If you want to learn more about Italian history or culture but have a packed schedule, there’s no need to worry. The Uffizi Gallery Private Tour may last just an hour and 40 minutes, but you’re going to have a brain full of new information in that relatively short period of time.

This expansive gallery is simply magnificent, and with a local guide to teach you all about it, you’ll be a Renaissance pro, too.

Meet up with your guide at the Uffizi gallery at the time you agree upon beforehand. You may see a long line has already formed, but not to worry – you get to skip all that and head straight into the beautiful gallery!

As soon as you meet up, you’ll start learning the history of the building itself, as well as the state of Florence and beliefs that were popular during this important era.

Many tour guides are artists and historians themselves, so you can expect expert guidance here. Trust us when we say you get the general history and the cool, hidden-gem history lessons that you’d never learn in school!

Not only that, but they cater to your specific interests, making it a truly personalized tour for everyone who participates.

Learn about the development of art from the middle ages past the Renaissance, while seeing masterpieces from this time period’s artistic heroes: da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Sanzio, and many more.

You also get all the time you want after your tour to cruise around the gallery as you wish, in case there were any exhibits you wanted to explore further.

3. Florence: Skip the Line Guided Uffizi Tour

• Duration:  1 hour 30 minutes
• Departure Time: 10:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 3:00 PM
• Includes:  Skip the Line Tickets to the Uffizi Gallery, Licensed guide, Radios and headsets

Traveling and exploring new places should focus on the experience and learning, rather than standing in lines, right? I mean, who has time to spend hours queuing when there’s a whole world out there to see?

Maximize your time and see all the cool stuff with the Florence: Skip the Line Guided Uffizi Tour . If you’re bringing the entire family along, you have to check out this budget-friendly option.

The guides are so great at incorporating smaller children, ensuring they won’t get bored or want to run off to play with the statue of David.

We also really appreciated how well our guide accommodated the personal interests of the people in our group, and was easily able to answer every question asked.

Expect to see all of the main tourist pieces, as well as some other notable points of interest highlighted by fascinating anecdotes and historical stories. This definitely isn’t some run-of-the-mill audio tour – the personal touch is so valuable.

From the Late Gothic through the Renaissance and Mannerist periods, you’re going to see first-hand and learn about the most iconic art from these times.

It’s not just paintings either (though those are mind-blowing, too) – you’ll see sculptures, bas-relieves, altarpieces, drawings, and so much more. However, some of the most interesting stories are those of the building and area, itself and how important it was in local culture.

No matter your age or interests, though, you’re sure to fall in love with these “offices” of timeless treasures just as much as we have.

4. Uffizi Tour for Kids!

• Duration: 2 hours
• Departure:  Plza della Signoria, 50122 Firenze FI
• Departure Time: Check with tour operator
• Includes:  Expert and official tour guide, Player notebook for children

When traveling with children, you may feel like you have to skip the museum or gallery visits to avoid them becoming bored. But that doesn’t mean that younger ones aren’t interested in the art or history – it’s all about how it’s presented to them.

With the Uffizi Tour for Kids! , the guides cut out all the fluff and make sure every turn is packed with curiosity and excitement!

One massively important aspect to having a smooth museum visit with kids is cutting down time standing in line for the entrance. They do you one better, by cutting out the line completely, letting you skip straight to the good part.

You also have quite a variety of different start times to choose from, so you can easily make it work with the rest of your schedule.  You’re not just going to “see” the museum – you’re going to go treasure hunting in the Uffizi Gallery!

That’s right – your certified art historian guide is going to the whole family on a wild ride filled with activities, questions, learning, and fun! No matter the age, these talented guides manage to keep everyone entertained with age-relevant engagement.

You’re not just going to be cutting out queuing, but you’re eliminating the boring parts of the tour, too. Kids receive a notebook to help them with their “masterpiece hunt”, which is admittedly been a blast for us all.

We love how patient and accommodating they are, too, making sure everyone is having a great time venturing around the labyrinth that is Uffizi!

5. Florence: Uffizi Gallery Guided Tour

• Duration:  1 hour and 30 minutes
• Departure: Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6, 50122 Firenze FI
• Departure Time: Between 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM
• Includes:  Skip the line tickets to the Uffizi Gallery, Licensed guide, Radios and headsets

Constructed in the 1500s and designed by Giorgio Vasari, the Uffizi is one of the most notable museums in the world. Many of the artifacts and art pieces inside are much older than that, however.

With the 1.5-hour Florence: Uffizi Gallery Guided Tour you’ll learn all about the history behind these masterpieces, the artists who made them, and the Renaissance that they helped make.

As is typical with Florence, in general, the Uffizi Gallery can be hard to know where to start. Your small group tour of no more than 14 people simplifies this, though, with a professional guide who knows this museum like the back of their hand.

Skip the line and head right into the fun, where you’ll be able to see pieces by Botticelli, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and many more.

The massive quantity of masterpieces in the gallery can be intimidating, but your guide will be sure to curate the tour just for you. You’ll of course see and learn all about the most notorious pieces, but will be shown those that suit your specific interests, as well.

Thanks to the smaller group size, you won’t just be another head in the crowd. To ensure you don’t miss a word in the more crowded corridors, you’ll get a headset to hear your guide, as well.

90 minutes turned out to be just the ideal length of time in a tour setting, as you get all the time you want after to continue exploring at your own pace. If you’re looking for an insider’s guide to Uffizi, this one is hard to beat.

Uffizi Tour Guide

It may currently hold some of the most famous works by Leonardo da Vinci, but did you know the Uffizi in Florence was housing masterpieces since the time of da Vinci?

This place was an art gallery even in the throes of the Italian Renaissance. Pretty crazy, right?

Commissioned by Cosimo l de’Medici, first Grand Duke of Tuscany, the Uffizi, or “offices”, were originally meant for just that purpose – to house the administrative and legal offices of Florence back in the 1560s.

Designed by Renaissance master, Giorgio Vasari, himself, the Uffizi is adorned with countless thoughtful details with an edifice featuring a Doric column portico that exudes both sophistication and opulence. The Gallery’s ceilings were adorned with “grotesque”, a-la-Emperor Nero motifs that draws similarities to his underground Domus Aurea.

The bold, dramatic effect in itself draws in visitors with a large, central arch. The interior wings are perfect for displaying ancient artwork and Medici family treasures. Today, it’s known as one of the most well-curated, complete museums of the Renaissance time period.

Most Important Works

While the “most important” title will vary depending on the person, there are some indisputably “most famous” works in the Uffizi you’ll likely want to check out.

‘The Birth of Venus’ by Sandro Botticelli | 1485 – 1486

This is by far the gallery’s most famous work. If you’ve seen the Mona Lisa in person, you may perhaps feel it was much smaller than what you were imagining. You’re not likely to feel the same about this painting, which measures 10 feet across.

This symbol of love and beauty in both the spiritual and physical brings humanity closer to the divine. It represents purity, simplicity, and nobility of the soul. However, as Venus is portrayed nude in the painting, it was very controversial in the middle ages.

‘Coronation of the Virgin’ by Fra Angelico | 1432

It’s easy to say that this is one of the most impressive altar-pieces ever made, offering each saint their own special character. While you’re sure to be awestruck by the painting alone, the intricate engravings in the gilt elevates it to a whole new level.

‘Laocoön and his Sons’ by Baccio Bandinelli | 1525

No Italian Renaissance-era gallery is complete without sculptures. Based on a Hellenistic sculpture uncovered in 1506, this version became a modern recreation for Pope Leo X to gift King Francis I.

‘Madonna with the Long Neck’ by Parmigianino | 1535

And a long neck she does indeed have! The proportions are a bit bizarre, yet definitely draw attention. It’s meant to be radical, but somehow evokes a kind of grace that makes it one of the most famous pieces.

‘Portrait of Pope Leo X with Two Cardinals’ by Raphael | 1518

We’re back on the subject of Pope Leo X again, and this title basically says it all. This style was quite unique for its time, offering a very realistic insight into the figure’s life. With countless references to important events of that time, it’s one of those pieces that you can look at over and over and still spot new details.

‘Annunciation’ by Leonardo da Vinci and Andrea del Verrocchio  

Who doesn’t know who da Vinci is? Just about everyone, right? Did you know that only a small percentage of people have actually seen one of his works in real life? The Annunciation offers fantastic insight into his earlier work, which was created alongside his master, Verrocchio.

Hours of Operation

The Uffizi is open Tuesday – Sunday from 8:15 am to 6:30 pm every day.

Tour Guides

The Uffizi + David & Accademia Tour Exclusive is our Editors Choice for the best Uffizi Gallery tour.

Krysha Thayer

Related articles, the 5 best stonehenge tours from london [2024 reviews], the 5 best wine tours from florence [2024 reviews], the 7 best vatican tours ⛪ [2024 reviews], the 5 best seine river dinner cruises [2024 reviews].

Uffizi by night

Easter and Easter Monday at the museum

Passepartout 5 days!

Visit the Uffizi with "early bird" discounted ticket

Discounts on the admission ticket for Pitti Palace

• Entrance booking
• PassePartout

Prices valid from 21 February to 9 November

See the prices of the whole year

Single ticket

Single ticket for Uffizi. Free admission to the National Archaeological Museum and the Museum of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure with the Uffizi ticket.

Details and timetable Promo and discounts Extra fee for groups - 70 € (info)

Single ticket for all Palazzo Pitti collections: Palatine Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art, Museum of Costume and Fashion, Treasury of the Grand Dukes, Museum of Russian Icons and Paltine Chapel.

Details and timetable Promo and discounts

Single ticket for the Boboli Gardens. Free admission to the Garden of Villa Bardini with the ticket of the Boboli Gardens.

Details and timetable

PassePartout 5 Days

Single ticket for 5 consecutive days for Uffizi, Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens. Read more

How to book museum visits online

On the B-ticket website you can book the time and date of your visit. You will receive a confirmation email, do not throw it away.

Print out the confirmation email and bring it to the ticket office, where it will be exchanged for an entrance ticket.

With your ticket you can now enter the museum skipping the line through the fast track lane. Check the map of each museum to find out where it is.

Other methods

Call +39 055 294883 from Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 6.30pm, Saturday 8.30am - 12.30pm, or go to the museum ticket offices.

Visit the Uffizi Galleries throughout the year with  PassePartout , season tickets that include unlimited priority access to all museums and temporary exhibitions

Annual pass

Unlimited priority admission to the Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens, valid  1 year  starting from the date chosen by the visitor at the time of the pass issue. Read more

Unlimited priority admission to the Boboli Gardens, valid  1 year  starting from the date chosen by the visitor at the time of the pass issue. Read more

Free admission and reduced-price tickets

More info about categories of visitors entitled to free admission and reduced-price tickets.

Booking your tickets

All the information you need to reserve your tickets for the Uffizi Galleries.

Uffizi Galleries Accessibility Information

All the information about the access to the Uffizi Galleries' museums.

On Low Season (10 January / 20 February - 10 November / 20 December) visitors to Pitti Palace who purchase their ticket in early morning or on Wednesdays after 3pm are entitled to a  50% discount  on the price of admission (the ticket costs 5 €).

On High Season (21 December / 9 January - 21 February / 9 November) the ordinary admission ticket to Pitti Palace costs  12 €  in early morning.

Combined ticket Pitti Palace + Boboli Gardens

Visit Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens with the same discounted ticket.

Combined ticket for all museums

Combined ticket, valid for 5 consecutive days, offering priority admission to all the monumental complexes of the Uffizi, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens.

The validity extends to the sixth day only if the 5 consecutive days include Monday (when the museums are ordinarily closed), 25th December and 1st January. 

Passepartout. Annual Subscriptions

It is possible to visit the Museums of the Uffizi Galleries by purchasing an annual subscription, which includes all temporary exhibitions and priority admission.

Free admission to the National Archaeological Museum with the Uffizi ticket

Every ticket to the Uffizi also includes free admission to the National Archaeological Museum​​​​ (valid for five days from the date on which the ticket is used for admission to the Uffizi)

Free admission to the Opificio delle Pietre Dure with the Uffizi ticket

Enter the Museum of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, one of the most prestigious Institutes of the world

Extra fee for groups on the Uffizi ticket

Groups of 11 people or more are required to pay an extra charge of 70 € to be admitted to the Uffizi

Firenze Card

Special cumulative ticket for admission to the museums of the metropolitan area of Florence.

During the days (or time slots) of free admission to the museum, priority admission is suspended except for disabled visitors and people accompanying them by law, as well as pregnant women.

18app. Visit the Uffizi Galleries with the "Culture Bonus"

Thanks to the 18app, all 18-year-old residents in Italy can spend their "Culture Bonus" to buy tickets or annual subscriptions for the Uffizi Galleries. They can be collected at museum ticket offices upon presentation of vouchers amounting to the corresponding price of tickets or subscriptions.

18app official website

The Newsletter of the Uffizi Galleries

Blog Florence, Tuscany, and Umbria Five Ways to Visit Florence’s Uffizi Gallery (and One to Avoid)

Five Ways to Visit Florence’s Uffizi Gallery (and One to Avoid)

In the many years that I have been creating itineraries for independent travelers to Italy , I’ve never met a traveler who wanted to go to Florence and didn’t want to visit Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. But the Uffizi is a huge and exhausting museum with thousands of paintings and sculptures that can make your brain hurt ( or worse ). 

You need a plan of attack for this museum, so below are pros and cons of five ways to visit Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. (Since several of those mean buying your own admission tickets, I’ve also described five ways to get Uffizi skip-the-line tickets.)

Let me emphasize that there is no good reason to stand in a three-hour ticket line at the Uffizi! Instead, consider visiting the Uffizi Gallery with one of these options:

“Waiting line in front of the Uffizi gallery” by Alex via Flickr, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

Five Ways to Visit the Uffizi

Uffizi private guided tour.

Hire a private guide to take you through the museum. I’ll say right off the bat that this is what I recommend if your budget allows. There are lots of excellent private guides such as Freya’s Florence .  

Pros: 

• Your guide will get your skip-the-line tickets. 
• You’ll book the tour starting time according to your own schedule. 
• An expert guides you through the galleries and you’ll learn a huge amount about art, about history, and about Florence. Tailor the tour as you’d like (for example you might want to spend more time on Caravaggio and less on Botticelli), moving at your own pace and asking for bathroom, coffee, or bookshop breaks according to your own needs. 

Cons: 

• This is the most expensive option for 2 visitors (but if there are 4 or 5 or 6 of you, a private guide might be less expensive than a group tour).

What it costs:  

• For a 2-3 hour tour, a private guide will cost your group about €200 – €300 plus admission tickets (€24 for adults including booking fees). 

Uffizi Group Tour

Many companies offer guided group tours at various prices and lengths (usually 90 minutes, 2 hours, or 3 hours) and you’ll see the groups throughout the museum when you visit Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. These tours must be booked in advance, leave at pre-scheduled times, and the groups are of various sizes. As long as the group is small (fewer than about 12 people such as the tours offered by Context Travel or Walks of Italy ) a group tour can be great. Larger tours may make you feel like you’re being herded like cattle.  

• Skip-the-line admission tickets are included when you book a tour. 
• An expert takes you through the galleries, providing history and context. Your specific questions are answered by a real person.  
• You can’t tailor the tour to your own needs. 
• If the tour is large, there’s that cattle thing. If you decide to take a tour with a larger group, make sure to stick close to the guide so you can hear everything. 

What it costs: 

• Expect to pay about €50 – €75 per adult for a 2- or 3-hour smaller group tour; a larger group tour might be even less.     

Uffizi Audio Tour, Downloaded Ahead of Time

Before you leave home, download an Uffizi audio tour onto your phone or other smart device and then book your own skip-the-line admission tickets using one of the five methods below. Pros:  

• Very inexpensive
• Go at your own pace and still get a great tour
• You can listen to the audio ahead of time if you want (to make sure it’s clear, not an annoying or monotone voice, etc). 
• You have to book your own skip-the-line tickets. 
• You can’t ask a guide questions. 
• It’s difficult to chat with your fellow travelers unless you press pause and pull your headphones off your ears. 
• It drains your battery. 
• Entrance tickets plus the audio tour: the official Uffizi Gallery App is free; Rick Steves’ Uffizi audio tour is free; the iTunes Uffizi audio tour app is $2 .  

Uffizi Gallery Audio Tour with Headset, Rented Onsite

You can rent the Uffizi’s official audio guide when you arrive at the museum, as long as you have ID. 

• Inexpensive
• You move along at your own pace, skipping artworks or whole rooms if you’d like.
• The audio guide contains excellent information. 
• It doesn’t drain your phone battery. 
• You need to buy your own skip-the-line admission tickets (use one of the approaches described below). 
• You can’t ask a real person any questions. 
• It takes time to pick up and drop off the audio guide at the beginning and end of your visit (potentially more lines). 
• Some people describe the audio tour as dull and monotonous, but others say the tour is delightful and the voice is cheery, go figure. 
• Entrance tickets plus €7 for the hand-held audio guide  

Uffizi Self-Guided Tour, with Pre-Printed Materials

Book your own skip-the-line tickets using one of the methods described below, then visit Florence’s Uffizi Gallery on your own, avoiding large tour groups, and read about works of art at your own pace. 

For pre-printed materials, you could buy a book or find a list of the Uffizi’s most famous works and print out information from the web to bring with you. You can even study up before departure so you’re not overwhelmed by seeing everything for the very first time by spending time online at the Uffizi website .  

• It’s inexpensive. 
• Go at your own pace. 
• Easy to start a discussion within your group/family. 
• Just see what you want to see. 
• Your eyes are on the page rather than on the work of art. 
• You can’t ask an expert if you have questions. 
• You have to book your own tickets. 
• Entrance tickets plus a few dollars. 

Uffizi Walk-Through, with No Guide and No Written Materials

This is of course an option, but not one I’d recommend.

• I can’t think of any pros here. 
• The Uffizi is not set up as an interactive museum. The labels next to the paintings are not descriptive; most just have the name of the painting and the artist, so you won’t get any context or history. You’ll be annoyed by the tour groups disrupting your peace, and like this Tripadvisor reviewer , you may decide you’re “bored to death” after looking at “500-year-old paintings of angels and cherubs” with no additional information.

Five Ways to Buy Skip-the-Line Uffizi Tickets

Buy uffizi tickets online ahead of time.

This is the official website for booking Uffizi tickets online . (Doing an online search for Uffizi tickets will bring up lots of websites selling these tickets at a steep markup.)

• Once you select your ticket option, you will be directed to the B-Ticket official ticketing service. 
• Follow the prompts to choose the day and time you prefer for your visit. 
• Adult tickets cost €20 plus a €4 booking fee per ticket. 
• Uffizi tickets also include admission to the National Archaeological Museum and the Museum of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. 
• Once you’ve paid, you’ll receive a confirmation email that is your voucher. Present this email (either printed or on your smart device) at the Uffizi reservations window at door number 3, where there could be a (shorter) line of people, like you, who bought tickets online. You will pick up your admission tickets there, then enter the Uffizi through Door Number 1, where again there could be a (shorter) line.

Buy PassePartout tickets online ahead of time

At the same official website for buying skip-the-line Uffizi tickets , you’ll find the PassePartout option. 

• This ticket is good for five days and includes entry to the Uffizi (plus National Archaeological Museum and the Museum of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure), Pitti Palace, and Boboli Gardens for €38 instead of €46, so is well worth the cost if you plan of visiting all three of these sights. There is a €4 booking fee per ticket. 
• Follow the prompts to choose the day and time you prefer to visit Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. The first sight you must visit is the Uffizi, and the ticket is valid for five days after that visit. You do not need to book a day and time inadvance for the other four sights.
• Once you’ve paid, you’ll receive a confirmation email that is your voucher. Present this email (either printed or on your smart device) at the Uffizi reservations windo at door number 3, where there could be a (shorter) line of people, like you, who bought tickets online. You will pick up your admission tickets there, then enter the Uffizi through Door Number 1, where again there could be a (shorter) line.
• Visit the other four sights included any day or time in the five days following your Uffizi entrance.

Buy a Friends of the Uffizi Card

The Amici degli Uffizi card can be purchased online and is good for one calendar year

• Skip the line and visit the Uffizi whenever you like (though a maximum of four card-holders are admitted every 15 minutes, so you may have to wait briefly on very busy days when numerous members are visiting), so no need to pick a timed entry. 
• For adults it’s €70/year (for a family of four it’s €100/year) and includes unlimited entry to the Uffizi Gallery, Pitti Palace museums, Boboli and the Bardini Gardens.

Get Last-Minute Tickets in Florence 

If you arrive in Florence without Uffizi tickets, and there’s a long line at the Uffizi, there are a number of other Firenze Musei ticket offices that often have shorter lines. These ticket offices are open according to the hours of each individual museum.

• Ticket office at the Orsanmichele Museum (Via de’ Calzaiuoli between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Signoria).
• Ticket office at Pitti Palace (Piazza de’ Pitti 1)
• Ticket office at the National Archaeological Museum of Florence (Piazza della Santissima Annunziata 9b)
• Ticket offices in all the state museums in Florence, like the National Museum of Bargello (Via del Proconsolo 4)

Don’t rely on this approach, however, since you risk finding that there are no available tickets for the day or time you want to visit or that there aren’t enough for your party. If the alternative is standing in that long line at the Uffizi, then it’s worth checking at one of these alternatives first.

Make Reservations over the Phone at No Charge and Pay Later 

If you think you might go to the Uffizi while you’re in Florence and you want to make a reservation just in case, this is a great option. 

• Call the Uffizi Gallery at +39 055 294 883 from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm Monday to Friday and from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm on Saturdays. Operators speak English.
• Book the day and time you prefer and copy down the reservation number they provide.
• Go to door number 3 (reservations) at the Uffizi a few minutes before your entry time to pay the admission fees plus the booking fees and pick up your tickets.   
• If you call to cancel your reservation, it costs you nothing. But if you reserved 4 tickets and show up needing fewer tickets, you still need to pay the booking fee – but not the admission – for all the tickets you reserved.
• Enter through door number 1.

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Buy your UFFIZI GALLERY TICKETS now and avoid LONG QUEUES!

Galleria degli uffizi – the uffizi gallery.

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence is the most important art collection in Italy and one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the world. It is located in the Uffizi Palace , the home of the European Renaissance .

There are collections of works of Italian painting of all times and a notable selection of foreign artists. Its collection of early and high Renaissance masterpieces, begun by the Medici family, then enlarged by the Grand Dukes of Lorraine and completed by the authorities of the Italian state, is second to none in the world.

It also includes other important collections, in particular the Contini Bonacossi Collection and the Drawings and Prints Department of the Uffizi .

The elegant building was designed by the duke’s favourite architect, Giorgio Vasari , who created a U-shaped building with two long galleries connected by a short arcaded gallery that opens towards the Arno River . The Uffizi Gallery opened at the end of the sixteenth century and was officially opened to the public in 1765 .

From €20.00 per person

Skip-The-Line Uffizi Gallery Timed Entrance Ticket

Enjoy priority entry to Italy’s greatest art treasures with a reserved entrance ticket to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

The Palazzo degli Uffizi was built between 1560 and 1580 to house the government administration of Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici . Founded in 1581 by Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici , son of Cosimo I , the Uffizi Gallery was housed on the top floor of the large U-shaped building with two long galleries connected by a short arcaded gallery that opens towards the river Arno, designed and built by Giorgio Vasari, the graduca’s favourite architect, between 1560 and 1580 , and finished by Buontalenti among others. As the name ‘ Uffizi ‘ ( offices ) indicates, the building was originally intended to house various bureaucratic functions or magistracies – hence the original name: Palazzo dei Magistrati .

This construction created a long courtyard, the Piazza degli Uffizi . The facades of the Uffizi gallery facing to the courtyard are decorated with niches containing statues of important historical figures who lived in Tuscany . In 1565 , even before the Uffizi was completed, Vasari connected the building with the adjacent Palazzo Vecchio and the Palazzo Pitti across the river, with the famous Vasari Corridor , so that the Medici rulers could go from one building to another without going outside. In 1583 the Uffizi Gallery was also connected with the terrace of the Loggia dei Lanzi , allowing the Medicis to participate in events in Piazza della Signoria without leaving their palaces.

You can download the UFFIZI Gallery visitors map by clicking here

History and development of artworks from the Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi collection has evolved over several centuries, starting in the 16th century. It has been enriched by the painting and sculptures acquired over the years by the Medici in their villas and palaces, and among the members of the dynasty who were active patrons of art also included members of the dynasty: Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici (1360-1429), Cosimo I (1389-1464), Lorenzo the Magnificent (1449-92), Pope Leo X (1475-1521), Pope Clement VII (1478-34), the retinue of grand dukes Cosimo I (1519-74), Francesco I (1541-87), Grand Duke and Cardinal Ferdinando I (1549-1609), Cosimo II (1590 -1621), Ferdinando II (1610-70), and Cosimo III (1642-73), to name just a few members of this family.

The Uffizi Gallery boasts the world’s largest collection of Renaissance art, largely gathered by members of the Medici family during the 16th and 17th centuries. Francesco I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1574 to 1587 , the successor of Cosimo I, decided to use the upper floor of the Uffizi, characterized by unusually large windows, to keep the family’s collection of works of art, thus creating more ancient art gallery of the world. His successors maintained and expanded the collection until 1737, when Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, the last descendant of the Medici family, donated the works of art to the citizens of Florence.

Scholarly cataloguing of the collections began at the end of the 17th century , shortly before the Medici lordship over the Grand Duchy of Tuscany passed to the Austrian dukes of Lorraine, and shortly before the last surviving Medici – Anna Maria Luisa ( 1667 – 1743 ) bequeathed the entire collection to the city of Florence in 1737 . Later, in 1782 , the collection was further organized, but a complete reclassification and reorganization in 1919 provided the basis for the modern exhibition.

OFFICIAL UFFIZI GALLERY TICKETS 2023 – BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE

Enjoy priority entry to Italy’s greatest art treasures with a reserved entrance ticket to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. See masterpieces by Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Giotto, and spend as much time as you like gazing at Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus.”

The huge Art collection of the Uffizi Gallery

Among the hundreds of artists present, the most significant are mentioned with an indication of the most famous works: Cimabue ( Madonna in majesty, 1285 ), Duccio di Buoninsegna ( Madonna enthroned with Child ), Giotto ( Madonna with Child , angels and saints ), Simone Martini ( Annunciation ), Paolo Uccello ( The Battle of San Romano ), Domenico Veneziano ( Madonna and Saints ), Piero della Francesca ( Federico da Montefeltro and Battista Sforza ), Botticelli ( Birth of Venus ; Spring ; Adoration of the Magi ; Madonna del Magnificat ), Hugo van der Goes ( Adoration of the Shepherds or Portinari Triptych ), Leonardo da Vinci ( Adoration of the Magi ; Annunciation ), Verrocchio ( Baptism of Christ ), Giovanni Bellini ( Sacred Allegory ), Michelangelo ( Holy Family ), Raffaello Sanzio ( Madonna of the Goldfinch ; Leo X ), Tiziano ( Venus of Urbino ), Rembrandt ( Old Rabbi ).

The building represents the masterpiece of Florentine architecture of the sixteenth century. Started by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 on commission from Cosimo I de’ Medici , it was to house the thirteen magistracies and the administrative apparatus of the Duchy of Florence (hence the name “ Uffizi “). When Cosimo I and Vasari died ( 1574 ), the works were continued by Bernardo Buontalenti , who built the Medici Theater and the Tribuna at the behest of the Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici .

The latter, a small octagonal room which must have housed the most precious works of the family collection, is full of symbolic references; in particular, the wind rose of the central lantern, the mother-of-pearl of the shells that cover the ceiling and the drum, the red fabric on the walls and the marbles of the flooring allude respectively to Air, Water, Fire and Earth, according to the ancient thought the four Elements that make up the Universe.

We have some good news for you! When you purchase a ticket for the Uffizi Gallery, you will be entitled to visit the National Archaeological Museum and the Opifico delle Pietre Dure for free.

Francesco I’s successors increased the Medici collection, which could be visited upon request. In 1773 , when the Medici family had no heirs, the family’s artistic heritage became the property of the Municipality of Florence. Important renovations and rearrangements took place at the end of the 19th century, with the destruction of the Teatro Mediceo, in the 1950 s of the 20th century and in 1989 with the transfer of the State Archives to Piazza Beccaria, which provided new exhibition rooms making the “ New Uffizi ” project is possible.

During the summer months, the courtyard can be very busy; street artists entertain the many visitors, and plenty of aspiring artists are willing to paint portraits here of anyone who shows up. The courtyard gives access to the Uffizi Gallery .

The collection of artworks is so large that some of the works are in other museums in Florence . Many of the statues are in the Bargello. Today the Uffizi is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Florence. In high season ( particularly in July ), people sometimes have to wait for five hours .

Here are some of Uffizi Gallery’s famous paintings:

• Cimabue: The Trinita Madonna
• Duccio: The Rucellai Madona
• Giotto : The Ognissanti Madonna, the Badia Polyptych
• Simone Martini: The Annunciation
• Paolo Uccello: The Battle of San Romano
• Piero della Francesca : Diptych of Duke Federico da Montefeltro and Duchess Battista Sforza of Urbino
• Fra Filippo Lippi: Madonna with Child and Two Angels
• Andrea del Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci: The Baptism of Christ
• Hugo van der Goes: The Portinari Altarpiece
• Sandro Botticelli : Primavera, The Birth of Venus, The Adoration of the Magi and others
• Leonardo da Vinci : The Annunciation, The Adoration of the Magi
• Piero di Cosimo: Perseus liberating Andromeda
• Albrecht Dürer: The Adoration of the Magi
• Michelangelo : The Doni Tondo
• Raphae l: Madonna of the Goldfinch, Pope Leo X with Cardinals Giulio de’ Medici and Luigi de’ Rossi
• Tiziano : Flora, Venus of Urbino
• Parmigianino: The Madonna of the Long Neck
• Caravaggio: Bacchus, The Sacrifice of Isaac, Medusa

Buying tickets on Visit Uffizi.com has many advantages.

Skip the line.

Avoid the long queues at the museum ticket offices.

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CHECK OUT MORE UFFIZI GALLERY TICKETS AND TOURS

Uffizi gallery timetable – 2023, uffizi tickets – frequently asked questions, are uffizi gallery tickets available to purchase online.

Yes of course can book Uffizi Gallery tickets online from our website.

Do Uffizi Gallery tickets include skip-the-line access?

Yes, your Uffizi Gallery tickets include skip-the-line access and allow you to skip the long waiting lines to go straight to the security checkpoint.

Are guided tours for the Uffizi Gallery available?

Yes. You can book Uffizi Gallery tickets that include guided tours. And learn more about the museum. Once you finish the tour, you can stay in the museum until it closes.

What are the opening hours of the Uffizi Gallery?

Is the uffizi gallery accessible to people with disabilities.

Yes. Special lifts and ramps are available at the Uffizi Gallery for guests with disabilities.

What are the different types of Uffizi tickets?

You can choose between skip the line, combo or guided tour tickets when you visit the Uffizi gallery.

Who can take advantage of discounted tickets for the Uffizi Gallery?

EU citizens between the ages of 18 and 26 enjoy reduced prices on their tickets. They must provide a valid ID as proof to take advantage of this benefit. Visitors with disabilities and visitors under the age of 18 enter the Uffizi Gallery for free.

How many floors does the Uffizi Gallery have?

There are three floors to the Uffizi Gallery.

What is the best time to visit the Uffizi Gallery?

The best time to visit the Uffizi Gallery is as soon as it opens or late in the evening when the crowds have subsided.

Links you might find useful

Uffizi gallery.

History Artworks Vasari Corridor Events

Visitor Information

Plan Your Visit Getting to Uffizi Opening Time Special visits

Renaissance Artists

Leonardo da Vinci Michelangelo Buonarroti Dante Alighieri Giorgio Vasari

Florence Attractions

The Duomo Florence Accademia Gallery Bargello National Museum Boboli Gardens

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Uffizi Gallery Tours with Licensed Tour Guide 

' Things to Do In ' is a highly regarded tour company that has been operating for several years and has received five prestigious awards from Trip Advisor. Their main focus is to provide their customers with an affordable and unforgettable experience through a variety of tour packages that include private tours of renowned landmarks such as the Vatican , Sistine Chapel , Uffizi Tours, Van Gogh Museum Private tour, Accademia Gallery , and the Anna Frank House Tour. The company is dedicated to offering exceptional tour services and has built a solid reputation in the industry due to its unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. Consequently, ' Things to Do In ' is continuously growing and reinforcing its position as a top-rated tour company.

Unlock the Secrets of The Uffizi Gallery Tours and Tickets

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence houses over 50 rooms that are brimming with Renaissance masterpieces, which can make it seem overwhelming to choose which exhibits to see. Ensure that you cover all the significant artistic highlights by taking a guided tour that reveals lesser-known but essential details for comprehending the world-famous works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Booking in advance means you’ll avoid long lines often over three hours and provided headsets ensure you’ll hear our guide's commentary.

Snap summary

Uffizi Tours offers a tour suitable for all ages from 0 to 99 years old.

A maximum of 9 people are allowed in Uffizi Tours.

The tour duration is 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The start time of the tour will depend on availability.

Mobile format tour tickets are available.

We offer tour guides who are fluent in seven different languages, including Russian, English, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Skip The Lines

Uffizi Tours offers a guided tour that ensures visitors see the highlights of the Uffizi Gallery.

The tour guides provide essential information that helps visitors understand the masterpieces.

Headsets are provided to ensure that the commentary is heard clearly.

The guided tour allows visitors to make a beeline for important works by renowned artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.

What's included/ Not included

Uffizi Tours offers a tour package that includes all taxes, fees, and handling charges.

The tour package provides headsets to ensure that visitors can hear the guide.

Our professional guide will accompany visitors throughout the tour.

The tour package includes priority entrance tickets to the Gallerie Degli Uffizi, allowing visitors to bypass long lines and save time.

Visitors will receive entrance tickets as part of the tour package.

The tour package includes extra time after the guided tour to explore the Uffizi Gallery on their own.

Entrance Tickets 

Reserved Entrance

Not included

Uffizi Tours does not include hotel pickup and drop-off as part of the tour package.

The tour package does not include food and drinks, and visitors are recommended to bring their own or purchase them during the tour.

What To Expect

If you're headed to Florence, the Uffizi Gallery Small Group Tour with Guide is a great way to delve into the museum's vast collection of Renaissance art. Here are some of the tour highlights you can anticipate.

By joining Uffizi Tours, you can benefit from the expertise of a professional guide, who is usually an experienced art historian. The guide will offer detailed information about the artwork exhibited, including the techniques used by the artists, the cultural and historical context of the pieces, and the symbolism they contain.

Moreover, the guide can answer any questions you may have about the artwork, the artists, or the museum's history. They are passionate about art and love to share their knowledge with visitors. So, if you're curious about any aspect of the museum or its collection, don't hesitate to ask the guide.

Another significant advantage of a Uffizi Gallery Small Group Tour is the small group size. Most tours limit the number of participants, ensuring that each person has a quality experience and can engage fully with the guide. This also allows for a more personalized tour, as the guide can tailor the information and discussion to the interests of the group.

Additionally, a small group size allows you to move more quickly through the museum and avoid getting stuck in crowded areas. You'll be able to see the artwork up close without worrying about someone blocking your view. Plus, you'll have a chance to interact with the other participants in the group, which can make for a fun and memorable experience.

If you opt for an independent visit to the Uffizi Gallery, the long lines during peak tourist season can be a major inconvenience. The wait can be exhausting and time-consuming. However, by joining a Uffizi tour, you can avoid the hassle and enter the museum quickly and seamlessly without having to wait in line.

This is a huge advantage, as it allows you to maximize your time in the museum and focus on enjoying the art. You won't have to waste hours waiting in line, which can be particularly beneficial if you're on a tight schedule or have other activities planned for the day.

A Uffizi Gallery Small Group Tour typically lasts around two hours and covers the highlights of the museum. The tour starts with an introduction to the history of the Uffizi Gallery and the Medici family, who were instrumental in the development of the museum.

From there, the tour moves through the various rooms, showcasing the most famous paintings and sculptures in the collection. The guide will provide detailed information about each artwork, including the artist, the style, the technique, and the symbolism.

Our guide will offer insights into the historical and cultural context of each piece, helping you understand the artwork in a deeper and more meaningful way. You'll be able to appreciate the artwork on multiple levels, from its aesthetic qualities to its historical significance.

A Uffizi tour can also be an interactive experience. The guide will encourage questions and discussion, which can lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the artwork. This can be especially beneficial for those who may not have a background in art history, as the guide can provide a framework for understanding the artwork.

The interactive aspect of the Uffizi tour enhances the experience and makes it more engaging and unforgettable. By sharing your observations and perceptions with the other members of the group, you can engage in stimulating and illuminating discussions. Furthermore, you can establish a personal relationship with the guide, which can facilitate a deeper connection with the artwork.

Joining a Uffizi Gallery Small Group Tour with Guide can greatly enhance your experience of the museum. You can expect to have an expert guide who can provide insightful information and interpretation of the artwork, a small group size for a personalized tour, the ability to skip the line, a comprehensive tour covering the highlights of the museum, and an interactive experience that encourages questions and discussion. So, if you are planning a trip to Florence, be sure to include a Uffizi tour on your itinerary for a truly memorable experience.

Additional Information

Uffizi Tours will send a confirmation at the time of booking

No need for vehicle transportation as the meeting point and the gallery is within walking distance and a guide will lead the group

Arrival at the meeting point should be 15 minutes early

Visitors must bring a valid ID for identification purposes

Passing through metal detectors at the security checkpoint is mandatory, which may take 10-15 minutes

For groups consisting of more than four people, earphones will be supplied.

Wearing a mask and gloves is mandatory

Most people are eligible to participate in this activity

The tour will accommodate a maximum of 9 travellers.

Cancellation Policy

To guarantee a full refund, it is important to cancel your experience at least 24 hours before the scheduled start date.

Which attractions will I visit with the Uffizi Gallery Small Group Tour with Guide?

Florence's Uffizi Gallery is among the world's most distinguished art museums, boasting an expansive collection of Renaissance art created by legendary artists such as Botticelli, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and others. A Uffizi Gallery Small Group Tour with Guide typically includes viewing some of the most famous pieces in the collection, such as Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus," Michelangelo's "Tondo Doni," and Caravaggio's "Medusa." This tour is led by an expert guide who can provide valuable insights and historical context about the art and the museum. Furthermore, a visit to the museum's rooftop terrace, which provides breathtaking views of Florence, may also be included in the tour itinerary. However, it is important to review the specific tour details to determine which attractions are included in the Uffizi Gallery Small Group Tour with Guide.

What price is the Uffizi Gallery Small Group Tour with a Guide?

The cost of a Uffizi Gallery Small Group Tour with Guide starts at $63.73, but it may vary based on the tour operator and any supplementary services offered in the package.

Could you explain the cancellation policy for the Uffizi Gallery Small Group Tour with a Guide?

To receive a full refund for the Uffizi Gallery Small Group Tour with Guide, customers must cancel their booking at least 24 hours before the scheduled start time of the tour. Failure to do so may result in partial or no refund, depending on the tour operator's cancellation policy.

Which company provides the Uffizi Gallery Small Group Tour?

"Things to Do In" is a company that offers a small group tour of the Uffizi Gallery with a guide. The tour is available for groups of 2 to 9 people and includes all taxes, fees, and handling charges. Visitors will be provided with headsets to ensure that they can hear the guide, and a professional guide will accompany them throughout the tour. The tour package also includes priority entrance tickets to the Gallerie Degli Uffizi, allowing visitors to skip long lines and save time. However, it's recommended to confirm the availability of the tour with the provider and verify the tour details, such as pricing and cancellation policies, before making a booking.

Tips and Information

Passport or ID card for children.

Entrance is free on the first Sunday of each month, but tickets cannot be reserved ahead of time and entry is not guaranteed

Priority line entrance may cause a short wait due to the high season

Uffizi Tours may reschedule or cancel the activity if the minimum requirement of 2 participants is not met.

Best guided tours of Uffizi Gallery

One of the most well-known art museums worldwide is the Uffizi Gallery. It is located in Florence, Italy, and houses a vast collection of Renaissance masterpieces. With over 1.5 million visitors each year, the Uffizi Gallery can be overwhelming for many visitors. That's why many people opt for guided tours of the museum. This article will delve into the best-guided tours of the Uffizi Gallery.

Private Guided Tours

For the ultimate exclusive encounter with the Uffizi Gallery, private guided tours are the way to go. Private tours offer the flexibility of exploring the artwork at your preferred pace and asking questions about the pieces that intrigue you the most. The tours can be customized to fit your interests and schedule, making them an ideal choice for individuals seeking an entirely personalized experience.

Small Group Guided Tours

Small group guided tours are a great option for those who want a more intimate experience but don't want to pay the price of a private tour. These tours typically have no more than 10 people, allowing for a more personalized experience with the guide. Small group tours are a great way to make friends with fellow art lovers and learn more about the artwork in the Uffizi Gallery.

Audio Guided Tours

Audio-guided tours are a great option for those who prefer to explore the museum on their own. The Uffizi Gallery offers an audio guide in multiple languages, allowing you to learn about the artwork at your own pace. The audio guide is included with the price of admission, making it a great option for those who want a budget-friendly way to explore the museum.

VIP Guided Tours

VIP guided tours are the most exclusive tours of the Uffizi Gallery. These tours are the best guided tours of Uffizi Gallery led by our top art historian, giving you a unique insight into the artwork and history of the museum. VIP tours often include special access to areas of the museum that are not open to the public, making them a great option for those who want a truly immersive experience.

For art enthusiasts, a visit to the Uffizi Gallery is a must-do experience. The museum's vast collection can be overwhelming, leaving visitors feeling inundated. This is where guided tours come in handy, providing an excellent way to explore the museum. Whether you opt for a private tour or a more affordable audio guide, there are tour options available to cater to your preferences and requirements.

Uffizi Gallery Tickets 

Small Group Tours

Private Tours

Uffizi Tours with 5-star Rated Guides

Our company Things to Do In has been serving its customers for years and has won the Trip Advisor “traveller|’s best choice” award for five years. The motto of the company since its inception has always been to provide the best to customers at an affordable rate. 

The company offers different tour packages during the season and off-season. The varied packages that the company has been providing include Accademia Gallery Tours , Uffizi Gallery Tours and others. The company started from scratch and is now well-renowned for the tours that it provides. 

The Uffizi tour opens in front of the tourists with a galore of paintings, marble sculptures and antique pieces of art that are a blessing to the eyes. The artworks of famous and popular artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Botticelli and others are one of the top attractions in Florence, Italy. Watching the famous masterpieces would be a lifetime experience for the visitors of the Uffizi tour.

What to expect 

The Uffizi tours starts at the outer part of the Uffizi Gallery, where the tourist will greet the guide and get into the museum through a gate reserved for the groups. The tourists would make a beeline for important works of the Renaissance period like Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli. With the help of a headset, they would hear the commentary that will inanimate the portraits and explain the significant cultural and historical information. 

Admire Medusa of Caravaggio, Tondo Doni of Michelangelo, Primavera and Birth of Venus by Botticelli. As the tour ends, the tourists would explore freely or move to the second floor to admire the sights of Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria. The Uffizi tour is a thing which is must be included in the list of places to visit in Florence. It was constructed in the year 1560 and is the renowned oldest museum in the world, which Giorgio Vasari designed in the Renaissance period. Cosimo I de Medici, Tuscany’s grand Duke decided to re-establish the Medici family’s authority.

 After the elimination of the rivals by Cosimo I, an office was given by him to them. The term Uffizi stands for offices. After the demise of Cosimo I, his children were not interested in politics. Francesco, the eldest son of Cosimo I brought his collection of masterpieces and the Uffizi made his museum. On Uffizi tours, the tourists must save time and learn the inside stories that are behind the significant artworks preserved in Florence. At the end of Uffizi, tours take titbits in the Cafeteria on the terrace of the Uffizi Gallery.

 Tourists must make sure that they enjoy the city’s unique views, take snaps and relax. Explore the artworks in one of the greatest museums of art and take advantage of the skip-the-line entrance at the famous Florence Gallery. Admire the art of the Italian Renaissance by the all-time great artists like Masaccio, Cimabue, Giotto, Raffaello, Da Vinci, Michelangelo and others. Tourists can always choose to be on their own and stay in the museum as long as they like. 

It is recommended that the tourists go for the Skip-the-line entrance tickets to admire the magnificent arts of the Boboli Gardens and Pitti Palace by selecting the option. Visitors of the Uffizi tour can always exchange the voucher at the office of the local partner and then visit the Gallery to enjoy the access skip-the-line and escape from the queues of waiting. While discovering the masterpieces follow the lives of famous artists. Visitors should spend special time admiring the unique art collection at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. It is suggested that the tourists make the best of their time by going for an intimate and small group and get rid of the flocks of visitors. 

They would get immersed in the rooms of the gallery filled with precious artworks incorporating antique statues, sculptures and paintings from the Medici’s collection which are centuries old, listening to the anecdotes and stories which the guide shares. Tourists would also admire the marble sculptures and paintings by famous artists like Allori, Vasari, Pontormo, Rosso Florentine and Andrea del Sarto. 

7. Get rid of the long lines on Uffizi tours by getting access to skip-the-line tickets. Admire the magnificent interior of the Uffizi Gallery belonging to the 16th century. Explore the opportunity to watch the important masterpieces by world-class masters belonging to the Italian Renaissance. Admire Medusa, Caravaggio’s, Madonna of Giotto Ognissanti and Self-portrait of a Young Man by Rembrandt. Marvel at Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and the Adoration of Magi by Da Vinci. Get to know about the details and history that lie behind the artworks. Uffizi Gallery is a must-visit place for everyone.

8. There are three corridors on the South, West and East located on the Gallery’s top floor. They are lined with frescoes, busts, paintings and statues of the 14th century portraying the glory and history of the Tuscany and Medici House. The corridor is well known for the stunning views of the significant landmarks of the city that the big windows provide, Vasari, the Renaissance architect designed the staircase in the Renaissance style of Florence.

The first floor of the Uffizi tours is demarcated into four parts portraying artworks by the Spanish, French and Dutch artists belonging to the 16th and 18th centuries. 

Guided tours of Uffizi Gallery: 

Most of the tickets of Uffizi Gallery incorporate the feature of skip-the-line.

The guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery includes a guide of an expert with in-depth knowledge regarding the attraction.

Guided tours include a handful number of people to provide an interactive and comprehensive experience. 

Guided tours follow an itinerary which is fixed and incorporates the main interesting points as well as well-known masterpieces that must be checked in the museum. 

Non-guided tours include the following things

Tourists need to discover the attraction on their own by taking advantage of the audio guide to get an understanding experience.

A group is not included in a non-guided tour.

The tickets of general admission permit one to explore the museum at their own pace. 

No transportation by vehicle is required from the meeting point to the Uffizi museum because the dots are present within walking distance and the professional guide would take the tourists there.

Tourists are requested to come 15 minutes early for Uffizi tours at the point destination.

A valid ID is necessary to prove the identification of the tourists.

On Uffizi tours the visitors have to come across metal detectors at the checkpoint of security and have to wait for 10- 15 minutes to clear this procedure of security check.

Earphones will be provided on Uffizi tours if the group comprises more than four people. 

What Is the Uffizi Gallery?

The Uffizi Gallery art museum is located in Florence, Italy, it's home to a staggering number of masterpieces, including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli.

If you're planning to visit Florence, the Uffizi Gallery i s an absolute must-see. And luckily, there are plenty of tours and tickets available to help you make the most of your visit.

A Tour Guide: Essential or Optional?

While a tour guide is not essential. But we highly recommend that you hire one to make the most of your visit to the Uffizi Gallery

Is Uffizi guided tour worth it?

There's no doubt that the Uffizi Gallery is one of the most popular art museums in the world. But is a guided tour worth it? A big YES!

A guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery is an amazing way to experience one of Italy's most iconic art collections. 

With a guided tour, you can avoid long lines and possibly reserve tickets in advance to ensure that you don't miss out.

Plus, a guide can provide invaluable insights into the artwork and history of the Uffizi, making it an experience you'll remember forever. 

At Tripadvisor, Our guides are passionate about art and happy to answer any questions you may have. 

So if you're looking to dive into Italian art and culture, a guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery is definitely worth it. Don't forget to book your U ffizi Gallery tickets or U ffizi reservations in advance to get the best value for your money.

The Uffizi Gallery: Must-See Masterpieces

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, is one of the world's most seasoned and most eminent workmanship art displays. Founded by the Medici family during the fifteenth century and housing pieces from some of the world’s most famous artists, Uffizi is now home to some of the greatest masterpieces of all time. 

From Renaissance greats such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo to Baroque stars like Caravaggio and Titian, Uffizi has something for every fan of fine art. 

Whether you take your time admiring each masterpiece or simply glance at them during your visit, these paintings are sure to leave an impression. Forever etched into your memory long after you've left Florence behind.

Let’s Understand the Timeless Artistry of these 10 Paintings & their artists!

Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli

One of Uffizi's most beloved works is Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. Painted with tempera paints on canvas in 1484/86. This masterpiece was charged by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici - an individual from the strong Florentine family - for his estate at Castello.

The painting depicts the Roman goddess Venus standing on a giant seashell as she is carried ashore by Zephyr, god of wind, with his companion Aura hovering above her. 

As the patron saint of Florence, Venus symbolizes peace and prosperity; Botticelli’s work captures this perfectly while showing off his incredible talent as an artist.

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2.La Primavera by Sandro Botticelli

Botticelli’s La Primavera also graces Uffizi's walls. Commissioned in 1477 by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, this painting celebrates springtime through its depiction of several mythological figures. Including Mercury, Flora, and Cupid – surrounded by lush floral arrangements. Along with Birth of Venus, it stands as one of Uffizi's many celebrated Renaissance masterpieces and a testament to Botticelli's skilful use of colour and line.

La Primavera by Sandro Botticelli

3. The Holy Family with Young St John - The Baptist

This 1528 painting by Italian Mannerist painter Andrea del Sarto. It presents Mary cradling Jesus in her lap as Joseph looks on affectionately from behind them; Young St John kneels beside them holding a cross. Del Sarto’s stunning use of light creates an airy atmosphere in which each figure appears illuminated from within while their facial expressions evoke strong emotion and tenderness towards one another. There’s no denying del Sarto’s mastery over composition when looking at this piece; it truly captures moments that we can relate to today even though it was painted centuries ago.

4.Medusa by Caravaggio

Caravaggio was one of Uffizi's most notorious Baroque painters. Medusa is considered one of his most iconic works. Known for its disturbing portrayal of deathly beauty and powerlessness before a human will or divine judgment alike. Painted upon an oval canvas in 1598/99 for Grand Duke Francesco I de' Medici. Using oil paints on wood panelling. 

Medusa features her famously terrifying visage surrounded by writhing snakes instead of hair against a dark background lit only partially by flickering candles beneath her feet. 

Creating an eerily captivating scene that draws viewers into its depths while also questioning their own relationship to power (or lack thereof).

5. Venus Of Urbino By Titian

  This 1539 painting Commissioned By Guidobaldo Da Montefeltro Is A Reinterpretation Of Giorgione's "Sleeping Venus". This Version Depicts A Voluptuous Semi-Nude Woman Lying On White Linen Sheets While Being Served Fruit By Her Maidservant Standing Beside Her Bed With Her Dog At Her Feet In The Corner Of The Room To Represent Fidelity And Loyalty In Marriage. Unlike Other Depictions Of Classical Myths Where Women Are Often Portrayed As Submissive Subjects, Titian 's Female Figure Remains Resilient In The Face Of Admiring Glances From Her Viewers.

Showcasing His Brilliant Use Of Color And Light, Titian Captures The Psychological Depth Of His Characters Through Subtle Details Such As Their Postures And Facial Expressions.

6.Annunciation By Leonardo Da Vinci

This 1503–1505 fresco painted directly onto plaster in Uffizi's Tribuna room speaks volumes about Leonardo da Vinci's genius artistry despite its small size (only 5 x 3 meters). 

Commonly referred to as “the Virgin Annunciation", this painting features two separate scenes separated only by a single archway: on one side we see Archangel Gabriel announcing The Annunciation to Mary while on the other we find Mary receiving news humbly with lowered eyes and hands crossed together prayer. 

Through subtle gestures and facial expressions, Leonardo captures a sense of awe and joy in Mary that hints towards her impending mission to give birth to the son of God.

7. Madonna del Cardellino by Raphael

Notable and amazing composition known as Madonna del Cardellino, by the praised artist Raphael. It took over two years to complete and is considered one of Raphael's masterworks.

Raphael's Madonna del Cardellino is one of the most beloved paintings in all of art history.

The work has been reproduced countless times and also appears in many books, but its power lies in how it was created. Raphael painted his Madonna del Cardellino during the papal conclave in 1499. It shows Mary, with baby Jesus on her lap, surrounded by cardinals who have come to vote on whether to accept or reject the election of the new pope.

Every time you see it, it just seems to speak to us on a deep level.

8. The Rape Of Proserpina

Peter Paul Rubens gained fame through his Baroque paintings, which depicted scenes filled with intense emotion. 

His masterpiece, “The Rape Of Proserpina” is one such work, depicting the Roman goddess Proserpina being abducted by Pluto, god of the underworld. Despite this dark scene, Rubens fills it with light and colour in a way that astounds viewers even today. 

The painting captures not just a fleeting moment but an entire story full of dynamic movement and emotion, from Pluto’s menacing face to Proserpina’s dismay as her captor takes her away from her home in Sicily.

9. Rembrandt van Rijn's "Portrait Of An Elderly Man In A Fur Cap" (1632)

Finally, we come to Rembrandt van Rijn's portrait of an elderly man wearing a fur cap painted in 1632. This painting reflects Rembrandt’s stunning use of chiaroscuro. The effect was achieved by contrasting deep shadows with bright highlights. Used extensively throughout his works showing dramatic effects on human faces that create an ethereal atmosphere around his subjects. 

This specific representation has been alluded to as perhaps one of Rembrandt's best pieces. Due to its remarkable use of lighting that emphasizes every wrinkle on the old man's face, it makes him look wise yet tired. Giving us insight into his life story without any words at all.

10. The Ognissanti Madonna by Giotto - Flavour of Life

The Ognissanti Madonna was painted in the early 14th century by the Italian artist and architect Giotto di Bondone. is one of the most praised masterpieces from the Italian Renaissance. The painting depicts a seated Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus as they are surrounded by angels and saints. The artistic creation has been lauded for its complex detail, delightful organization, and naturalistic figures.

The warm colours used to depict the scene give it an ethereal quality that captures both religious reverence and human emotion. The Ognissanti Madonna is respected today as a work of art of Renaissance craftsmanship .

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Q1) Which attractions are a must-visit along with a Uffizi museum-guided small group tour?

Ans. The places that should be visited along with Uffizi tours are as follows:

Piazza della Signoria

Ponte Vecchio

Gallerie Degli Uffizi

Q2) How much would Uffizi Tours cost with a guided small group tour?

Ans. Uffizi tours with a small group with Guide start from $56.09.

Q3) Which company provides Uffizi Gallery small group Tours along with a guide?

Ans. Uffizi Gallery small group Tour along with a guide is provided by Things to Do In. Tourists can read the reviews, contact Things To Do In or explore additional experiences. 

Q4) Does Uffizi Tours provide concession tickets?

Ans. Concession tickets are applicable for people aged between 18 to 25 years, along with proof of an ID from non-European and European Union countries.

Q5) Can anyone enjoy Uffizi tours free of cost?

Ans. Yes, if anyone wants to enjoy Uffizi tours free of cost then they can visit there on the month’s first Sunday.

Q6) Can anyone book the tickets for Uffizi tours whenever they want?

Ans. The time slots for booking are limited and thus the demanded time slot of the visitors may not be available.

Book Uffizi Gallery Tickets in Advance.

A professional guide for Uffizi tours should be appointed.

A weekday is a better option than a weekend.

Uffizi tours are better in the off-season.

A half-day visit to the Uffizi Gallery is a good idea.

Enjoy the Uffizi tours without any charge by visiting them on the first Sunday of a month.

The total space of the Uffizi Gallery is 13,000 sq.m. so it requires the tourists to walk a lot. So the tourists must put on comfortable shoes.

Tourists can travel on the bus for Uffizi tours since it is situated in the centre of Florence.

Uffizi Gallery is one of the most renowned and oldest museums of Florence with a collection of the masterpieces of the Renaissance. 

Here are the best-guided tours of Uffizi Gallery:

Small group tour of the Uffizi Museum Skip-the-line - Explore the Uffizi Gallery famous for its collection of masterpieces. Know about the important masterpieces from the tour guides in the Uffizi tours.

Exclusive Tour of Accademia , David and Uffizi - Explore the most frequented museum in the entire Florence and rank second in the most visited museum in the whole world with the help of a professional guide. Seeing the significant works as well as appreciating the masterpieces belonging to the Italian Renaissance.

Accademia and Uffizi Walking tour - Discover Florence in a small group that is small taking the help of a local guide. Admire the Birth of Venus by Botticelli and David of Michelangelo. 

Semi-private Tour of Uffizi Gallery - Take a tour to the most frequented museum on the planet on the Uffizi Gallery’s guided tour. Admire the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance and get an understanding of the artists. 

Uffizi Gallery Private Tour

Discover the stories that lie behind the masterpieces of artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo on a Uffizi Gallery Private Tour in Florence. Visitors can save time at this famous place with skip-the-line tickets, tourists must pay attention to the guide as he gives an explanation of the masterpieces and helps the visitors admire the history and art of the Italian Renaissance. 

Explore through the vast collection to admire pieces of art by artists like Vasari, Caravaggio and Giotto. Explore an itinerary which is chronological and permits the tourists to go back through time by visiting the highlights of the museum. Uffizi Gallery Private Tour would give the tourists a different kind of experience making sure that the opportunity is not missed.

Uffizi Gallery Small Group Tour with Guide 

The Uffizi Gallery is a well-known museum comprising 60 halls with stunning and impressive artworks belonging to the 12th to the 16th century. Naturally, Florence tourists would want to enjoy the privilege of admiring the amazing treasures of the Uffizi Gallery. The Uffizi Gallery small group tour with a guide would serve this purpose. 

The Uffizi Gallery small group tour with a guide would lead the tourists to the museum and the famous artworks that it contains and will show them around in an interesting way. The expert guide will accompany the visitors from one hall to another hall and take them on a journey into its history and art as he gives an illustration of the wonderful artworks in the Uffizi Gallery. 

Conclusion: 

Each painting showcases a unique style that reflects its creator's distinct vision; together they form a collection that highlights some of the most important developments in Italian Renaissance art history. 

Uffizi Gallery holds many other treasures aside from these ten masterpieces which speak volumes about Florence being an art mecca for centuries upon centuries now - making it a must-visit destination for any art enthusiast or traveller alike!

Black Friday: Up to 15% off selected tours

Prices shown include discount | Offer ends November 28th at 11:59pm PST

Home / Uffizi Gallery Guide and Self-Led Tour

Uffizi Gallery Guide and Self-Led Tour

Would a trip to Florence really be complete without a stop at the Uffizi Museum? Probably not! This is one of the most visited museums in Europe, known for the great works of art it houses. But if you head there unprepared, it might feel a little overwhelming. Luckily, we’ve put together an Uffizi Gallery Guide to help you prepare and navigate your visit. Read on to find out more!

The History of the Uffizi

One of the most visited museums in the world, the Uffizi has a long history in Florence, but it wasn’t always a museum. Uffizi in Italian actually means “the offices,” which is exactly where the story of this great museum began.

The building was built for the Medici family by Giorgio Vasari in 1580, with its original purpose being to offer administrative offices for the magistrates of Florence. As the building grew, it also housed the official State Archive or Archivio dello Stato .

However, even from the beginning, there was a hall intended for showing off great works of art. In fact, the Medici used the main hall to showcase some of their most prized masterpieces and jewels, a way to show off their own wealth and the power of Florence.

Over the years, the building transformed to be primarily a storage and showcasing of the Medici’s collection, expanding as the collection grew into the 18th century.

It officially opened to the public in 1785, after the Medici left it to the city of Florence. Then, in 1865, it was formalized as an official city museum.

Over the centuries the collection has grown to house some of the best pieces of medieval, renaissance, and baroque history. Let’s check out some of the works you won’t want to miss!

Uffizi Gallery Guide: The Highlights

The birth of venus by sandro botticelli.

Chances are you’ve heard of this one already. One of the museum’s most famous pieces, it is a key stop on your Uffizi tour. This painting has become so famous that it’s one of the most reproduced artworks. But don’t think seeing it in print hundreds of times takes away from the original piece. In fact, you’ll be in awe of just how large the work is. Standing in front of Botticelli’s masterpiece, visitors are struck by a painting that is nearly three meters (10 feet) wide!

Portrait of Pope Leo X with Two Cardinals by Raphael

No visit to the Uffizi is complete without catching a glimpse of one of Italy’s great artists, Raphael. This on its own is a bit of an understated work, a portrait that was commissioned by the Pope himself. He was in fact a member of the Medici family, which led to much of his collection being included in the Uffizi Gallery.

But, why is a portrait of a pope so important? Throughout much of history, art was always a picture of the idealized. However, with this piece, Raphael stepped out of the idealized world of art and painting. This realistic portrait – including the Pope’s facial flaws – reflects a new reality.

Laocoön and His Sons by Baccio Bandinelli

If you’ve already passed through Rome and the Vatican Museums, this sculpture may look familiar to you. The original, breathtaking sculpture is an ancient one unearthed in the early 1500s. That is what you see in Rome.

Instead, the Uffizi has a marble copy, complete with the artist’s own personal touch. Bandinelli took inspiration from the ancient sculpture for a recreation that was once a Papal gift to King Francis I.

The Renaissance was all about taking inspiration from an ancient world but reworking it for a contemporary public; a rebirth of the old into a new artistic world. Laocoön and His Sons is a perfect example of this time period.

Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci and Andrea del Verrocchio

Da Vinci may be famous for the Mona Lisa, but the truth is he was more of an inventor than a painter. This makes the Uffizi one of the rare museums to own one of his paintings.

In fact, this is one of Da Vinci’s earliest paintings, made while he was still studying side-by-side with his master, Andrea del Verrocchio.

Medusa by Caravaggio

Another Italian great, Caravaggio’s works are truly unique and stand out for their bold, raw scenes. The Medusa is one of Uffizi’s most well-known pieces.

This piece is particularly interesting because rather than being shown mounted on canvas or a fresco, it is found on a shield. This is a tribute to the original story of Medusa, where Perseus used his shield to reflect Medusa’s stare, therefore defeating her. The shield is a great way of highlighting the story behind the masterpiece, bringing the artwork into a whole new dimension of narration.

Doni Tondo by Michelangelo

This depiction of the Holy Family – Joseph, Mary, and the young Christ – is the only panel painting by Michelangelo still in existence. While we know many of Michelangelo’s frescos and sculptures, this shows us he was truly a master in any medium he chose.

It also shows his mastery of depicting the human body in many different positions, and his work using draped fabrics to highlight the angles of the body. This is something we later see in his most famous work, The Sistine Chapel.

Venus of Urbino by Titian

The Uffizi does an amazing job at showcasing the best of Italy’s great artists. Here we see another masterpiece, a famous nude by Titian.

With a strong female figure who looks straight to the viewer, the Venus of Urbino has been called one of the most alluring paintings in art history.

It has caused some controversy precisely because of this gaze. While nudes are of course everywhere in art, this one confronts the idea of the gaze. Whereas in many nudes the viewer catches a hidden glimpse of the subject as she is in action, here the subject herself lies waiting and looking directly at us.

Judith Beheading Holofernes – Artemisia Gentileschi

In halls filled with masterpieces of male artists, you can finally catch a glimpse of the incredible works by Artemisia Gentileschi.

A 17th century-female painter, Artemisia stands out for her incredible pieces that have rich colors and shadows as well as strong imagery.

This painting in particular is notable for its intensity and violence, something not expected from a female painter. While this painting was met with controversy throughout history, it has become prevalent recently for its feminist themes.

The Uffizi’s Hidden Gems

With hundreds of works of art, you can be sure the Uffizi has much more than just the great classics you learned about at school. Here are some of our favorite hidden gems at the Uffizi gallery.

Head of Christ by an Unknown Tuscan Master

This work doesn’t stand out for its Renaissance mastery of depth and humanistic painting, making it often overlooked. But it truly is worth a stop for art history enthusiasts.

This early medieval work was ahead of its time. It stands out for the strong emotion of suffering shown on Christ’s face. Such emotion was often muted in art, which was meant to show an idealized world instead of reality. Showing this glimpse of pain on Christ’s body as he is crucified takes the viewer into the real world. This changed visitors’ relationship with art, something not seen again for many centuries.

Madonna with the Long Neck by Parmigianino

The name says it all; this is an interesting painting for its seemingly awkward proportions. Mary has quite a long, twisted neck and the Christ child has odd adult proportions. Yet somehow it all comes together beautifully.

This painting was considered quite innovative for its perspective of the body and spatial organization. While technically it might have been considered a mediocre painting, it shows that you don’t always have to follow the rules to create something magnificent.

Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Bernini is a sculptor you’ll meet frequently in Rome, but you won’t see much of it in Florence. This is a rare occasion to see one of his great works. This piece was created from one single block of the famous Carrara marble. What’s even more impressive? He made this piece when he was only 15 years old!

Bacchus by Caravaggio

We’ve already had a look at Caravaggio in the Uffizi, but with all the attention on his impressive Medusa shield, his work Bacchus is sometimes overlooked.

This painting is a bit calmer than most of Caravaggio’s works. It is a still-life portrait without the signature bold colors and shadows that made the artist famous. Yet, it is still worth a look and is quite interesting in the way Bacchus extends a glass of wine to invite viewers in.

St. Augustine in His Study by Botticelli

The Birth of Venus is of course a showstopper, but Botticelli’s skill is seen even in his smaller works like his depiction of St. Augustine.

Rather than show the Saint absorbed in inspirational study, he is struggling to write. You can see the crumpled papers surrounding him, showing us that he is having a hard time penning his thoughts. It’s a problem we can all relate to.

Lamentation Drawing by Giovanni Bellini

The drawing of Lamentation, which also became a painting, is incredible for its depiction of human emotion. Bellini captures the faces of every character so well, showing us grief and worry for Christ who has passed.

While many versions of the Lamentation scene show us the big picture, zoomed out to see all figures, the positioning and size of this work includes us in it. Here, the viewer is invited to participate in the scene.

Short on Time? A 90-Minute Uffizi Gallery Guide

If you were to take a minute and admire every work within the Uffizi’s walls, your visit could take all day! But of course, if you are only in Florence for a few days, you might want to make the most of your visit, fitting in as much as you can.

In any case, it is possible to guide yourself through a quick tour of the Uffizi. Here is one we recommend for hitting the highlights. It should take you about an hour and a half, but of course, it will depend on how long you choose to view each masterpiece!

Start Here: the Second Floor

From the entrance, you will begin your visit on the second floor of the gallery. Head straight for Room A4 to dive into Florence’s art history. Here you will find many of the works of Giotto, an artist who bordered the end of the flat medieval period and began inching towards the depth of the Renaissance. If you find yourself intrigued at this early period of art, take some extra time to explore the next halls which highlight International Gothic, plus the Siena and Florentine art schools.

Your next stop is probably one you’ve been waiting for: the Botticelli rooms. A11 and A12 are dedicated to Botticelli, showcasing his large masterpieces such as Primavera and The Birth of Venus.

Then head down the Corridor to peek your head into the Tribune, a room famous for its curious octagonal shape. This room was part of the original Uffizi structure and was used to showcase the favorite High Renaissance works of the Medici family. Once you’ve had a peek, round the corner and head to rooms A35-A38. This is where you will find some more of the highlights we mentioned. These rooms are dedicated to Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

After that, you are about halfway done with this speedy version of the Uffizi tour, and it is time to head downstairs!

Next Up: the First Floor

On the first floor, the first place you should have a look is room D8, which is where the hidden gem of Parmigianino’s Madonna with the Long Neck is. Then it’s time to catch the Venus of Urbino in room D22.

D22 is off the main corridor and rather hidden in the back corner of the building. Be sure to consult the free visitor’s map, or you might miss it!

Then, the end is where you will want to take your time. Don’t miss rooms D29-D34, which is where you’ll be able to catch the works by Artemesia Gentileschi and Caravaggio. You’ll even have a little break from Florentine art with works by Rembrandt.

That concludes your quick look at the Uffizi, however, if you do ever get the chance, come back for a full day to take in every room. It’s well worth it.

Visiting The Uffizi – Practical Information

Opening hours and prices.

When planning your trip to the Uffizi Gallery, keep in mind that they are closed on Mondays. From Tuesday to Sunday, they are open from 8:15 AM to 6:30 PM, which gives you a full day to enjoy the museum.

Schedules can differ over the holidays, so keep an eye on their website for updates if you plan on visiting around Christmas, Easter, or August 15 (a national holiday in Italy).

A single ticket to the Uffizi Gallery costs 20€. However, if you are an EU citizen between 18-25 years old, admission is only 2€.

Booking tickets in advance

If you want to reserve your entrance for a specific time slot, it will cost an extra 4€. It might be worth the extra cost, especially if you are visiting during peak season (June-early September). Lines form fast and long at the Uffizi, and without pre-booking, you could find yourself waiting for quite some time.

When booking online, make sure to go through the Uffizi’s official website so as not to be surprised by any extra fees.

Combination tickets to consider

Now, another thing to keep in mind is that the Uffizi organization is made up of more than just the Uffizi Gallery. If you are staying in Florence for a few days, you might want to grab a Passepartout combined ticket.

This ticket is valid for 5 days and gets you into:

•  The Uffizi Gallery
• Pitti Palace
• Boboli Gardens
• Museum of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure

For your entrance to the Uffizi, you will need to choose your entry date and time, but for the others, you are free to stop by anytime.

Uffizi Gallery FAQ

Entrance and booking.

How much does entrance cost? From March 1st to October 31, entrance to the Uffizi Gallery costs €20 full price, or €2 reduced for EU citizens between 18- 25 years old.

If you opt for the combined ticket, including entrance to the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, it costs €38.

For the remainder of the year, the full price entrance to the Uffizi is €12 euro, while the reduced price remains €2. The combined ticket price is available for €18 during this time.

Where can I book a ticket? Tickets are available onsite at the Uffizi entrance, however, if you are visiting during peak season, it is highly recommended you book online in advance. Tickets can be purchased on the official Uffizi website .

Guides, animals, and other planning

Do I need a guide? The choice to get a guide is up to you. Many visitors prefer to go with the official audio guide, available at the entrance, or just with their own guidebooks. However, there are tours of the Uffizi available through third parties.

How long will a visit take? Truthfully, a visit to the Uffizi could take you all day if you really take your time! There is plenty to see, so if you already know you are an art lover, block off a full day to explore. However, if you are in a bit of a rush, there are a few quick paths through the Uffizi to see the highlights.

We’ve outlined one of our recommended routes above. This should take you about 1.5 hours.

Are animals allowed? Animals are not allowed with the expectation of guide dogs.

Eating around the Uffizi

Is there somewhere to eat in the Uffizi? There is a cafe on the first floor terrace. You won’t reach it until the end of your visit. Though you might be ready to head somewhere else for a bite to eat, the cafe is worth checking out for its wonderful view of the city.

There are plenty of great places nearby; check out our favorite restaurants near the Uffizi Gallery !

An Italy local for nearly 10 years, Evelyn has traveled to nearly every region getting overly excited about cute doors and nonni cafes. She’s an archaeology and art history major who fell in love with Italian wine, getting her Sommelier and Italian Wine Scholar certifications. She’s transformed her passion for La Bel Paese into a travel planning and relocation consultancy with Colline Alle Montagne . You’ll find her on Instagram @collinemontagne , always sipping a glass of wine and sharing the authentic life in Italy.  

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Claudia Looi

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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Modern Love

How I Learned to Trust (Some) Men

When an Italian stranger approached me, I listened to my intuition, and it changed my life forever.

By Lavinia Spalding

Too early in life, the male species began to fail me. As an adolescent, I was lied to, cheated on, harassed and assaulted. As a young adult, more of the same. Nevertheless, I ended up in a healthy marriage with a kind, trustworthy man. Sometimes I think it’s because of what happened that summer more than 30 years ago at the Vatican.

I was standing in St. Peter’s Basilica, feigning interest in a statue of Charlemagne while waiting for my best friend, Erin, who never needed to feign interest. She loved old churches and read every plaque. Minutes earlier, she had rushed outside to find a map of the Basilica, and I’d stayed behind. My skirt fell just above my knees, and I worried the fashion police wouldn’t allow me back in.

“Are you American?” a voice asked. Standing behind me in a blue blazer was a man about my age, tall and slender, with curly dark hair, a beard and mustache, warm eyes and a wide smile.

Oh my, I thought.

I already have a boyfriend, I thought.

His name was Fabrizio; he was a university student working at the Basilica for the summer. We chatted, and when Erin returned, I introduced them. “Have you been to the dome yet?” he asked.

“We just arrived,” I said. “We’ll go up later.” In truth, we were debating whether to pay the entry fee and hoof it up 551 steps.

“Find me at 2:30,” Fabrizio said. “I’ll take you on another elevator, so you need not pay.”

“Nice work!” Erin said once he was out of earshot. We were on a strict budget, so any break was a windfall. “Did you make promises? Do you have to sleep with him?”

“No,” I said, “you do.”

Erin and I were college students backpacking through Europe. Since age 15, she had been my sidekick and steady landing. Whenever I fell for another charming guy who knocked me to my knees, Erin scooped me from the floor, refusing to let disillusionment eclipse my innate optimism. She helped me believe, despite all evidence to the contrary, that a good man was “out there.”

For the next hour, we roamed the Basilica while she read to me about Charlemagne and The Door of Good and Evil. Meanwhile, I wondered about Fabrizio. Did he have an ulterior motive for inviting us to the roof? I had heard countless stories about disrespectful behavior directed at female travelers, and earlier that morning, I experienced it myself.

On the crowded bus ride to the Vatican, Erin and I had been jostled apart; I’d found an aisle seat while she stood. I tried to ignore the slight, elderly man who was pressed against me — until his hand found the front of my shirt and groped.

I yelped and batted him away. When we reached our stop, I reported the incident to Erin, who said he’d grabbed her rear with his other hand. And that wasn’t the end of it — our short walk from the bus turned up a host of men ogling and catcalling.

Still, having spent only minutes with Fabrizio, something told me he was a good human, a benevolent soul.

When we found him at 2:30, he introduced us to his friend Antonio, and together they sneaked us into the service elevator, which took us to the roof. From there, they said, we could easily walk to the dome. As we strolled the perimeter of the rooftop, the men practiced their English, identifying landmarks. We snapped a photo together, and they invited us out that night.

“We’ll discuss it,” I said, and we walked a few paces away.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“I say we go,” Erin said.

This was how, at that age, we discussed.

Back in our hostel room, we primped and laughed, electrified with anticipation. It wasn’t the prospect of romance but the notion of a departure from our guidebook.

Just before leaving the room, though, we balked.

“What if we’re being stupid?” Erin asked.

“Should we pull a no-show?” I replied.

They hadn’t minded when we’d mentioned boyfriends back home, but what if they hit on us anyway? Or worse?

Erin devised a plan. “We’ll leave a note saying if we disappear, we’ve been kidnapped by the men in the last photo on the film in my camera. Their names are Fabrizio and Antonio. They work at the Vatican.”

At “Vatican,” we burst out laughing and checked our reflections one last time.

Our guts told us to trust them.

Soon we were sharing the cramped back seat of Antonio’s Fiat while Fabrizio played tour guide from the passenger seat.

“First, we visit recent bomb sites!” he said.

“Um, sure,” we said. “Sounds fun?”

We had reluctantly scratched the Uffizi Gallery in Florence from our itinerary after a car bomb exploded there two months before. But four other car bombs had torn through Italy that summer, including two in Rome. Now, Antonio braked as we passed the Basilica of St. John Lateran, where one had exploded days earlier. When a traffic cop waved us on, Fabrizio suggested the other bombed church. An officer moved us along there, too.

“OK,” Antonio said. “We go for dinner!”

On the way, Fabrizio explained that the mafia had orchestrated the bombings. “They try to destabilize the government.”

Definitely not in our guidebook.

Minutes later, the boys ushered us down a dark alley into a dimly lit restaurant, where the owner kissed them both on the cheeks and led us to a back table.

“In what state do you live?” Fabrizio asked, dipping bread into olive oil. We were used to the question, but most Europeans we had met were unfamiliar with Arizona.

Not Fabrizio. His eyes widened. “Arizona! No! What city?”

“Tucson,” we said.

“Too-sohn,” he repeated, turning to Antonio. They conferred in Italian. “No, we don’t know Too-sohn. Can you spell it?”

Erin complied.

“Ah, Took-son!” they shouted. “John Wayne! Clint Eastwood!”

Turned out they loved Westerns and knew more than we did about our town’s film history.

In the car after dinner, Fabrizio popped in a cassette tape by an Italian singer named Luca Carboni. The chorus of the first song was in English. “Sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy” were the words. It was catchy, and we sang along.

When they announced that we would go to “the view” next, Erin and I raised our eyebrows. If they planned to make a move, this would be the spot. Antonio drove uphill and parked at an overlook. Nighttime Rome glittered across the river. We admired the panorama, took photos and returned to the car.

Next was Aventine Hill. We were alone as we traipsed up a quiet hill in the dark, our guides remaining silent about the destination. It didn’t escape us that this was exactly the kind of situation we’d been warned to avoid, yet we walked on. When at last we arrived at an old imposing green door, Fabrizio and Antonio held back, smiled, and nodded. Erin tried the latch. It was locked.

“Look in the keyhole,” Antonio suggested.

She stooped over and gasped, then moved aside to give me a turn.

Inside the hole, illuminated and framed like a nesting doll, was the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. It was the size of a thimble, and the most magical thing I’d seen in all of Europe.

There were more stops, more viewpoints, more sexy-sexy songs. Fabrizio promised to send me Luca Carboni tapes in return for country music. Finally, they drove us back to our pensione , where we exchanged addresses and kisses on both cheeks. For all the sexy lyrics, the evening never turned romantic.

Women, especially those who travel, are constantly warned to be wary of men, to remain vigilant — solid advice I had learned the hard way. But on that luminous evening, something shifted for me, something big and important about the power of intuition. It was a shift that helped turn me into a world traveler and prepare me, 16 years later, to recognize a different handsome man as a good human, a benevolent soul .

For a few years, Fabrizio and I kept our promise of sending cassette tapes and letters across continents. Eventually we lost touch. Then, after decades, he found me on Facebook. We had both become authors, and we agreed to send each other our books. Neither of us kept the promise this time, but it didn’t matter; whatever I needed from Fabrizio, I got long ago.

He sent me home with a souvenir I carried deep in my gut, through all my relationships, including a happy marriage. Love materializes in myriad forms, proffering various lessons, like learning how and when to trust. Thirty years ago, that lesson, one of the most valuable of my life, was delivered by a stranger in Rome who didn’t make a pass.

Lavinia Spalding is a writer who lives in New Orleans. She is the author of “ Writing Away ” and co-author of “ This Immeasurable Place .”

Modern Love can be reached at [email protected] .

To find previous Modern Love essays, Tiny Love Stories and podcast episodes, visit our archive .

Want more from Modern Love? Watch the TV series ; sign up for the newsletter ; or listen to the podcast on iTunes , Spotify or Google Play . We also have swag at the NYT Store and two books, “ Modern Love: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption ” and “ Tiny Love Stories: True Tales of Love in 100 Words or Less. ”

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The Moscow Metro Museum of Art: 10 Must-See Stations

There are few times one can claim having been on the subway all afternoon and loving it, but the Moscow Metro provides just that opportunity.  While many cities boast famous public transport systems—New York’s subway, London’s underground, San Salvador’s chicken buses—few warrant hours of exploration.  Moscow is different: Take one ride on the Metro, and you’ll find out that this network of railways can be so much more than point A to B drudgery.

The Metro began operating in 1935 with just thirteen stations, covering less than seven miles, but it has since grown into the world’s third busiest transit system ( Tokyo is first ), spanning about 200 miles and offering over 180 stops along the way.  The construction of the Metro began under Joseph Stalin’s command, and being one of the USSR’s most ambitious building projects, the iron-fisted leader instructed designers to create a place full of svet (radiance) and svetloe budushchee (a radiant future), a palace for the people and a tribute to the Mother nation.

Consequently, the Metro is among the most memorable attractions in Moscow.  The stations provide a unique collection of public art, comparable to anything the city’s galleries have to offer and providing a sense of the Soviet era, which is absent from the State National History Museum.  Even better, touring the Metro delivers palpable, experiential moments, which many of us don’t get standing in front of painting or a case of coins.

Though tours are available , discovering the Moscow Metro on your own provides a much more comprehensive, truer experience, something much less sterile than following a guide.  What better place is there to see the “real” Moscow than on mass transit: A few hours will expose you to characters and caricatures you’ll be hard-pressed to find dining near the Bolshoi Theater.  You become part of the attraction, hear it in the screech of the train, feel it as hurried commuters brush by: The Metro sucks you beneath the city and churns you into the mix.

With the recommendations of our born-and-bred Muscovite students, my wife Emma and I have just taken a self-guided tour of what some locals consider the top ten stations of the Moscow Metro. What most satisfied me about our Metro tour was the sense of adventure .  I loved following our route on the maps of the wagon walls as we circled the city, plotting out the course to the subsequent stops; having the weird sensation of being underground for nearly four hours; and discovering the next cavern of treasures, playing Indiana Jones for the afternoon, piecing together fragments of Russia’s mysterious history.  It’s the ultimate interactive museum.

Top Ten Stations (In order of appearance)

Kievskaya station.

Kievskaya Station went public in March of 1937, the rails between it and Park Kultury Station being the first to cross the Moscow River.  Kievskaya is full of mosaics depicting aristocratic scenes of Russian life, with great cameo appearances by Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin.  Each work has a Cyrillic title/explanation etched in the marble beneath it; however, if your Russian is rusty, you can just appreciate seeing familiar revolutionary dates like 1905 ( the Russian Revolution ) and 1917 ( the October Revolution ).

Mayakovskaya Station

Mayakovskaya Station ranks in my top three most notable Metro stations. Mayakovskaya just feels right, done Art Deco but no sense of gaudiness or pretention.  The arches are adorned with rounded chrome piping and create feeling of being in a jukebox, but the roof’s expansive mosaics of the sky are the real showstopper.  Subjects cleverly range from looking up at a high jumper, workers atop a building, spires of Orthodox cathedrals, to nimble aircraft humming by, a fleet of prop planes spelling out CCCP in the bluest of skies.

Novoslobodskaya Station

Novoslobodskaya is the Metro’s unique stained glass station.  Each column has its own distinctive panels of colorful glass, most of them with a floral theme, some of them capturing the odd sailor, musician, artist, gardener, or stenographer in action.  The glass is framed in Art Deco metalwork, and there is the lovely aspect of discovering panels in the less frequented haunches of the hall (on the trackside, between the incoming staircases).  Novosblod is, I’ve been told, the favorite amongst out-of-town visitors.

Komsomolskaya Station

Komsomolskaya Station is one of palatial grandeur.  It seems both magnificent and obligatory, like the presidential palace of a colonial city.  The yellow ceiling has leafy, white concrete garland and a series of golden military mosaics accenting the tile mosaics of glorified Russian life.  Switching lines here, the hallway has an Alice-in-Wonderland feel, impossibly long with decorative tile walls, culminating in a very old station left in a remarkable state of disrepair, offering a really tangible glimpse behind the palace walls.

Dostoevskaya Station

Dostoevskaya is a tribute to the late, great hero of Russian literature .  The station at first glance seems bare and unimpressive, a stark marble platform without a whiff of reassembled chips of tile.  However, two columns have eerie stone inlay collages of scenes from Dostoevsky’s work, including The Idiot , The Brothers Karamazov , and Crime and Punishment.   Then, standing at the center of the platform, the marble creates a kaleidoscope of reflections.  At the entrance, there is a large, inlay portrait of the author.

Chkalovskaya Station

Chkalovskaya does space Art Deco style (yet again).  Chrome borders all.  Passageways with curvy overhangs create the illusion of walking through the belly of a chic, new-age spacecraft.  There are two (kos)mosaics, one at each end, with planetary subjects.  Transferring here brings you above ground, where some rather elaborate metalwork is on display.  By name similarity only, I’d expected Komsolskaya Station to deliver some kosmonaut décor; instead, it was Chkalovskaya that took us up to the space station.

Elektrozavodskaya Station

Elektrozavodskaya is full of marble reliefs of workers, men and women, laboring through the different stages of industry.  The superhuman figures are round with muscles, Hollywood fit, and seemingly undeterred by each Herculean task they respectively perform.  The station is chocked with brass, from hammer and sickle light fixtures to beautiful, angular framework up the innards of the columns.  The station’s art pieces are less clever or extravagant than others, but identifying the different stages of industry is entertaining.

Baumanskaya Statio

Baumanskaya Station is the only stop that wasn’t suggested by the students.  Pulling in, the network of statues was just too enticing: Out of half-circle depressions in the platform’s columns, the USSR’s proud and powerful labor force again flaunts its success.  Pilots, blacksmiths, politicians, and artists have all congregated, posing amongst more Art Deco framing.  At the far end, a massive Soviet flag dons the face of Lenin and banners for ’05, ’17, and ‘45.  Standing in front of the flag, you can play with the echoing roof.

Ploshchad Revolutsii Station

Novokuznetskaya Station

Novokuznetskaya Station finishes off this tour, more or less, where it started: beautiful mosaics.  This station recalls the skyward-facing pieces from Mayakovskaya (Station #2), only with a little larger pictures in a more cramped, very trafficked area.  Due to a line of street lamps in the center of the platform, it has the atmosphere of a bustling market.  The more inventive sky scenes include a man on a ladder, women picking fruit, and a tank-dozer being craned in.  The station’s also has a handsome black-and-white stone mural.

Here is a map and a brief description of our route:

Start at (1)Kievskaya on the “ring line” (look for the squares at the bottom of the platform signs to help you navigate—the ring line is #5, brown line) and go north to Belorusskaya, make a quick switch to the Dark Green/#2 line, and go south one stop to (2)Mayakovskaya.  Backtrack to the ring line—Brown/#5—and continue north, getting off at (3)Novosblodskaya and (4)Komsolskaya.  At Komsolskaya Station, transfer to the Red/#1 line, go south for two stops to Chistye Prudy, and get on the Light Green/#10 line going north.  Take a look at (5)Dostoevskaya Station on the northern segment of Light Green/#10 line then change directions and head south to (6)Chkalovskaya, which offers a transfer to the Dark Blue/#3 line, going west, away from the city center.  Have a look (7)Elektroskaya Station before backtracking into the center of Moscow, stopping off at (8)Baumskaya, getting off the Dark Blue/#3 line at (9)Ploschad Revolyutsii.  Change to the Dark Green/#2 line and go south one stop to see (10)Novokuznetskaya Station.

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Jonathon Engels, formerly a patron saint of misadventure, has been stumbling his way across cultural borders since 2005 and is currently volunteering in the mountains outside of Antigua, Guatemala.  For more of his work, visit his website and blog .

Photo credits:   SergeyRod , all others courtesy of the author and may not be used without permission