Palazzo Vecchio has been Florence’s town hall for over 700 years and is still the mayor’s office today. Inside, you can stand in the vast Hall of the Five Hundred, find Michelangelo’s Genius of Victory, peek into a duke’s secret study and climb a 95-metre tower. Here is what to see, how to plan your time and what to add nearby.
The museum route runs over two main floors, from the courtyards up to the grand hall and the ducal apartments above. You don’t need to see every room: these are the ten that tell the palace’s story best.
The first courtyard was redesigned by Michelozzo in the 15th century. Its walls were painted in 1565 with views of Austrian cities to welcome Joanna of Austria, bride of Francesco de’ Medici. The putto with a dolphin on the fountain is a copy of Verrocchio’s bronze.
Built in 1494 for the 500-member Grand Council of the Florentine Republic, this is one of Italy’s largest Renaissance halls. Giorgio Vasari later raised the roof and covered the walls and ceiling with Medici victories (1555–1572), with Cosimo I glorified in the central ceiling panel.
In a niche of the great hall stands Michelangelo’s marble Genius of Victory: a young man kneeling on an older captive. It was carved for the tomb of Pope Julius II in Rome but ended up in Florence after the artist’s death.
Off the great hall is a tiny, windowless room covered with paintings, designed by Vasari in 1570–1575 for Grand Duke Francesco I. He was fascinated by alchemy and nature, and the panels hide cupboards that once held his treasures.
The Room of the Lilies is named after the gold fleurs-de-lis on its blue walls. Here you’ll find Donatello’s bronze Judith and Holofernes, the original; the statue on the square outside is a copy. Next door, the Sala dell’Udienza has one of the palace’s richest carved ceilings.
The Medici wardrobe room is lined with wooden cupboards painted with maps of the known world in the 16th century, begun by Egnazio Danti from 1563. A large globe stands in the middle of the room.
The rooms of Eleonora di Toledo, Cosimo I’s Spanish wife, are more intimate than the state halls. Her small chapel was painted by Bronzino in the 1540s, and the Camera Verde (Green Room) is decorated with grotesques.
A plaster mask traditionally believed to be Dante’s death mask is displayed on the upper floor. The poet was exiled by the government that met in this building.
Run by the museum’s own education team, this small-group activity opens spaces closed to normal visitors. Routes typically include the hidden staircase of the Duke of Athens, the Studiolo and Cosimo I’s Tesoretto (treasury), and the huge wooden roof trusses above the great hall.
The 95-metre tower has a narrow stone staircase of over 200 steps to the top lookout. On the way you pass the small cell where Cosimo the Elder (1433) and Savonarola (1498) were imprisoned.
The museum closes at 14:00 on Thursdays. The tower and battlements close at 17:00 (14:00 on Thursdays), and the ticket office closes one hour before closing. The building is also the town hall, so rooms can close at short notice for council ceremonies.
Palazzo Vecchio is one of Florence’s civic museums, run by the City of Florence. These are the official prices; tour and reseller prices include extra services or fees.
| What | Price / hours | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Museum | €18 full · €12 reduced | Reduced for ages 18–25 and university students |
| Tower and battlements | €20 full · €13 reduced | Advance booking required for a set time |
| Free entry | Under-18s and more | Also visitors with disabilities and their companion |
| Museum hours | 9:00–19:00 daily | Thursday 9:00–14:00 |
| Tower hours | 9:00–17:00 daily | Thursday 9:00–14:00; closed in rain |
| Last tickets | 1 hour before closing | Arrive 15 minutes before a timed slot |
| Roman theatre excavations | €5, guided only | Weekends at 12:00 and 12:45, when open |
| Firenzecard | €85 · 72 hours | Covers Palazzo Vecchio and many other museums |
The tower, battlements and archaeological site are sometimes temporarily closed, and heat alerts can limit the tower to the lower walkway. The city museums’ ticket site lists current closures.
Some of Florence’s best sights are within a five-minute walk. Pick one major museum and one easy outdoor stop rather than trying to see everything.
Right outside the door are the copy of Michelangelo’s David (the original was moved to the Accademia in 1873), Ammannati’s Fountain of Neptune and Giambologna’s equestrian statue of Cosimo I. A round plaque in the paving marks where Savonarola was burned in 1498.
This 14th-century open-air loggia beside the palace holds Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa and Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabine Women. It’s free and open all day.
The Uffizi was built by Vasari for Cosimo I as government offices next to the palace. Today it houses Botticelli, Leonardo and Michelangelo. It is closed on Mondays and needs at least 2–3 hours.
Florence’s former prison and police headquarters now holds the best collection of Renaissance sculpture in the city, including Donatello’s bronze David. It is about five minutes’ walk east.
Pass through the Uffizi courtyard to the river and the medieval bridge lined with jewellers’ shops. Above the shops runs the Vasari Corridor, built in 1565 to link Palazzo Vecchio with Palazzo Pitti.
Just behind the Uffizi on the river, the Museo Galileo displays Galileo’s telescopes and the Medici scientific instruments, a good follow-up to the Hall of Maps.
Book your slot after lunch so you arrive fresh for the paintings.
Spend 20 minutes with the outdoor statues before or after the palace.
Telescopes, globes and scientific instruments keep children interested.
Climb the tower at opening, before the heat and queues, then enter the museum.
The great hall, Studiolo, Sala dei Gigli, Hall of Maps and Eleonora’s rooms.
See the Loggia dei Lanzi, then have lunch before an afternoon at the Uffizi or the river.
The palace is easy to visit on your own, but its political history makes much more sense with a guide. Choose the format that matches how you like to explore.
Buy directly from the city museums’ ticket office or website. You get entry and room panels but no guide or audio guide.
Audio-guide tickets explain the main rooms while letting you move at your own speed.
A guide connects the Republic, the Medici and the art in each room, and answers questions about the frescoes.
Ideal for a second visit or anyone curious about hidden staircases, treasuries and the roof of the great hall.
Compare these by what each one solves: independent entry, audio support, a live guide, priority entry or the Secret Passages route.
Most reviewed
A strong independent option if you want palace entry and audio commentary rather than a live group tour.
Highly rated tour
Choose this if a guide’s explanation matters more to you than the lowest starting price.
Secret Passages
The pick for visitors who want the hidden passages along with skip-the-line entry.
Fast-track + audio
Useful if you want fast-track entry and an audio guide combined in one booking.
Lower-priced guide
A guided alternative with a lower starting price than the other guided tour shown here.
Skip-the-line entry
A direct option if your main need is a skip-the-line entry ticket.
Palazzo Vecchio Tickets is an independent visitor guide and is not the official Palazzo Vecchio website. Some links are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. *Ratings, review counts and starting prices come from the booking platform and can change; check the live booking page for your date and option. The official museum ticket is €18.
Cafés on Piazza della Signoria have unbeatable views but higher prices. The streets just behind the palace are better value.
Behind the palace, this street is lined with sandwich shops and trattorias. Expect queues at lunchtime.
Sit at one of the cafés on the square for a coffee facing the palace. Table service costs more than standing at the bar.
The streets east of the palace, towards Santa Croce, are a good place for gelato before an afternoon walk.
A little planning makes Palazzo Vecchio easy, even on a busy summer day.
Both the museum and the tower close at 14:00 on Thursdays.
It’s cooler, the light is softer, and you avoid the risk of afternoon storms closing it.
Under-18s enter the museum free. Children under 6 can’t climb the tower, and under-18s must be with an adult there.
Leave backpacks, large bags and umbrellas in the free cloakroom before starting the route.
Visitors with disabilities use the side entrance on Via dei Gondi. Both main museum floors are wheelchair accessible.
Many of the best details are on the ceilings, especially in the great hall and the Sala dell’Udienza.
Short answers to the questions visitors ask most often.
The museum is €18 (€12 for ages 18–25) and the tower is €20 (€13 reduced). Under-18s enter free.
The museum is open daily 9:00–19:00, except Thursday 9:00–14:00. The tower is open 9:00–17:00 (Thursday to 14:00).
About 1.5–2 hours for the museum, plus around 45 minutes for the tower.
Yes, if you are comfortable with narrow stairs. It gives a close-up view of the Duomo and the rooftops, but it closes in rain.
Donatello’s original Judith and Holofernes is inside, in the Sala dei Gigli. The one on the square is a copy.
No. Leonardo’s mural was never completed and was lost when Vasari remodelled the hall. Whether any trace survives beneath Vasari’s frescoes is still debated.
For a first visit, climb the tower early, then see the great hall, the Studiolo, the Sala dei Gigli and the Hall of Maps. Finish with the free statues on the square, and add the Uffizi only if you have energy for a second big museum.
Images via Wikimedia Commons: Palazzo Vecchio from Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Hall of Maps by Zairon (CC BY 4.0); Salone dei Cinquecento by Eusebius (CC BY 3.0); Studiolo of Francesco I by Sailko (CC BY-SA 3.0). Tour images via GetYourGuide.
