Florence holds one of the world's great collections of art within a few streets. The secret to enjoying it is to choose well: a few museums a day, booked ahead and seen at an easy pace. Here are the essentials, with some advice on planning your visits.
01The Uffizi Gallery
The Uffizi tells the story of the Renaissance better than any other museum. Here you will find Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, early works by Leonardo, Michelangelo's Doni Tondo and paintings by Caravaggio, alongside masterpieces by Giotto, Raphael and Titian.
The museum is large, so allow at least half a day and decide beforehand which rooms matter most to you, rather than trying to see everything. From the windows of the corridors you look out over the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio: a pause that is part of the visit.
02The Accademia and the David
The Galleria dell'Accademia is smaller and can be seen in about an hour, yet it holds the city's most famous work: Michelangelo's David, carved in the early sixteenth century. This is the original; the statue in Piazza della Signoria is a copy. Seeing it in the tribune built especially for it surprises even those who think they know it well.
On the way to the David you pass the Prisoners, unfinished figures that seem to be pulling themselves free from the block of marble. Stop here for a few minutes before reaching the statue: they explain the way Michelangelo worked better than any caption could.
03Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens
Across the river in the Oltrarno, Palazzo Pitti was home to the Medici and later to the Lorraine and Savoy dynasties. The Palatine Gallery shows works by Raphael, Titian and many other masters in richly decorated rooms, with the paintings hung close together in the old style of a princely collection.
Behind the palace, the Boboli Gardens climb the hillside with avenues, fountains, grottoes and statues. It is the ideal place to balance art with fresh air, especially on a fine day, and from the upper terraces the views over the city are wide.
04Other museums not to miss
Beyond the big three, Florence has smaller museums that often leave the deepest impression. They are all in the historic centre, close to one another, and each suits a morning or an afternoon; you can easily pair two that stand only a few minutes apart.
- Bargello MuseumRenaissance sculpture in a medieval palace, including Donatello's bronze David and several works by Michelangelo.
- Museo dell'Opera del DuomoThe original Baptistery doors, among them Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise, and the statues made for the cathedral and its bell tower.
- Palazzo VecchioThe seat of the city's government, still the town hall today. The Salone dei Cinquecento, frescoed by Vasari, is vast.
- Medici ChapelsAt San Lorenzo, the Medici tombs and Michelangelo's New Sacristy, with his figures of Day, Night, Dawn and Dusk.
05How to plan your visits
For the Uffizi and the Accademia it is worth booking in advance on the official website, especially in spring, in summer and at weekends: you choose your entry time and avoid most of the wait. The same goes for any museum you really do not want to miss.
The first hours of the morning are the quietest. Resist the temptation to see more than two major museums in a day: tiredness arrives sooner than you expect and the last one tends to slip by. Pair a morning indoors with an afternoon outside, in a garden or along the river.
