How to visit Pitti Palace in Florence

Among the best things to do in Florence during a short vacation is the Pitti Palace. Although the work was initially built in the 15th century by Florentine banker Luca Pitti, the palace would later be acquired by the important Medici family.

The Medici were a highly influential family of bankers during the Renaissance, responsible for sponsoring the works of various Italian masters and artists whose work can be enjoyed today inside the Palace.

Recommended if... you are on vacation in Florence and want to know in depth one of the jewels of Renaissance architecture.

When organizing a visit to the Pitti Palace in Florence, you should keep in mind that the tickets to the monument are divided into categories. Here are the approximate prices so that you can budget your trip.

• A ticket to tour the Pitti Palace and its interior museums costs approximately 16€.
• A ticket to tour the Boboli Gardens costs approximately 10€.
• A combined ticket for the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens costs approximately 22€.
• A combined ticket for the Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens and Uffizi Gallery tickets costs approximately 38€. This special ticket is valid for 5 days after the first use.

These prices correspond to the peak tourist season for the Tuscany region. If you go to Florence in March, October or any date in between, you may find higher rates than the rest of the year.

When looking for your tickets to this iconic Florentine palace, it is also a good idea to purchase tickets to the Accademia Gallery as a way to complement your experience of the best exhibition spaces in Florence.

The Pitti Palace has a ticket service at the ticket office. Entering from Piazza de' Pitti, the ticket office is on the right hand side. Prices are in the same range as the virtual ticket office, but the purchase process is much slower.

Ranked as one of the best museums in Florence, the best way to purchase your tickets to the Pitti Palace is through the web, days before your arrival. By booking your tickets online you will be able to avoid the long queues, very typical in times of high tourist influx, such as August in Florence.

Also, if your trip is of short duration and you only have, for example, 3 days to visit Florence or less, you will not want to wait long hours.

Yes, tickets to the Pitti Palace and also to the beautiful Boboli Gardens are included in a very popular tourist pass known as the Firenze Card.

Priced at over 85€ per person and valid for only three days, the card is recommended only if you are staying in Florence for 5 days or more. This way you will be able to see all the museums, but also enjoy other charms of the city.

If your itinerary takes you to Florence for several days, you can take full advantage of this tourist pass. It covers entry to 70 attractions and museums in Florence, including the Pitti Palace, the Uffizi Gallery, tickets to the Dome of the Duomo and many more.

Please note that for both the Duomo of Florence Cathedral and the Pitti Palace museums you will need to book your visit in advance to ensure availability.

Yes, the Pitti Palace has special tickets for children and minors in general. Children under 18 years of age of any nationality enter the museum free of charge at any time of the year. The only requirement is to present a passport or ID card proving their age.

Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult to access the facilities.

In my opinion, visiting the Pitti Palace is one of the best things to do with children in Florence, as it is an excellent opportunity to awaken their interest in art and history or simply in the fascinating Italian Renaissance period.

Guided tours of the Pitti Palace are extremely popular and totally worth it. As with guided tours of the Uffizi Gallery or other monuments, along with admission you will receive personalized attention and an expert guide who leads the group through the elements or places of greatest interest.

Although often overshadowed by other important monuments, the Pitti Palace is still one of the largest museums in Italy, which makes the accompaniment of an expert guide invaluable.

Depending on the company you hire for the tour, these may include skip-the-line entry to the Pitti Palace, a tour of the majestic Palatine Gallery and a tour through the beautiful Boboli Gardens.

Finally, guided tours include in the experience some free time in which you can explore the site on your own or simply sit back and admire the beauty of the place.

Useful information.

• Duration: Pitti Palace tours take approximately 2 hours to complete. If the visit to the gardens is also included, it is necessary to reserve 3 hours for the experience.
• Number of participants: For group tours the number of participants varies depending on the company. Expect a minimum of 8 people and a maximum of 15.

Florence is a city with excellent public transportation and this, coupled with the geographical location of the palace, makes getting to this destination quite simple. Here are the most popular options.

Getting to the Pitti Palace by bus.

The bus is the best public transportation system to reach this popular attraction. The nearest stops, Bardi and Pitti, are only a 6-minute walk away.

Several bus lines stop in the vicinity of the palace including line 11, line 370-A, line C3 and line C4.

Getting to the Pitti Palace by tramway

The closest streetcar stop to the Pitti Palace is Firenze Santa Maria Novella located a 20 minute walk away. You can reach this area of the city by taking the R line of the Florence tramway.

Getting to the Pitti Palace by car

The Pitti Palace is located on Piazza de Pitti street, south of Ponte Vecchio. Keep in mind that the old district of Florence is rather small, so to get to know the city better I recommend walking between its different attractions .

If you go to the attraction by car you should keep in mind that there are no visitor parking lots at the palace. However, you can use some of the nearby parking lots, such as Garage Fosi or Garage Lungarno.

Currently the Pitti Palace is divided into four major museums. However, in former times the rooms that make up the space were divided into 140 rooms of impressive luxury for the time.

On a visit to the Pitti Palace you will be able to enjoy the following permanent exhibition spaces.

The Palatine Gallery and the Royal Apartments

Located on the second floor, the Palatina Gallery can be considered the most famous exhibition space of the entire complex.

Even today it retains the typical layout of a private collection typical of a Renaissance palace: a sumptuous combination of luxurious interior decoration and rich original frames excellently preserved.

As with the paintings in the Uffizi Gallery, this space houses an impressive collection of masterpieces where you can enjoy original works by famous artists such as Raphael, Titian and Rubens.

You can also enjoy theRoyal and Imperial Apartments, 14 large rooms located on the south side of the palace and overlooking the main facade. The decoration is spectacular combining different historical periods.

You will find rooms such as: The Queen's Bedroom and Drawing Room, The Oval Drawing Room, The Round Room, The King's Study and Red Room and many more.

The Treasury of the Grand Dukes

This space was once known as the Silver Museum. Located on the first floor of the Pitti Palace, it comprises the spaces that were once the summer apartments of the Medici family.

On your tour through the different rooms you will find impressive frescoes that narrate important historical events for the family, such as the wedding between Duke Ferdinand II and Victoria della Rovere in 1637.

Here you will also find the family treasure, consisting of numerous curious objects, semi-precious stones and rock crystals, amber and ivory. You will also find an impressive collection of silverware from the Salzburg Treasury.

The Gallery of Modern Art

Located on the second floor, the Gallery of Modern Art is housed in the rooms once inhabited by the Habsburg-Lorraine family. From here you get some of the best views of the entire Boboli Gardens.

As for the art collection, you can enjoy a wide variety of paintings and sculptures ranging from the late 17th century to the early decades of the 20th century. The best part is that the collection continues to expand year after year as a result of donations.

Some of the works on display here include Una Pastura by Serafino De Tivoli; La mattina del 27 aprile 1859 by Enrico Alessandro Fanfani; or L 'entrata di Carlo VIII a Firenze by Giuseppe Bezzuoli.

Museum of Costume and Fashion

Formerly known as "The Costume Gallery", this space is located on the second level, in the south wing of the Palace, and houses a large collection of period costumes.

History or fashion lovers in general will love to see the impressive details with which the costumes were constructed.

The collection is truly comprehensive ranging from formal suits for men; day dress for ladies, French-made evening gowns and even funerary clothes.

The Boboli Gardens

Located just behind the Pitti Palace, the Boboli Gardens have a formal design and are often referred to as an open-air museum.

During the tour you will find a landscape populated with statues and fountains in Renaissance style interspersed with plants and trees.

The highlights are the Fountain of Neptune and the Isolotto, a small oval-shaped island in a pond surrounded by trees and statues.

If you visit the Pitti Palace on your own, I recommend setting aside about 2 hours and 30 minutes to look for and appreciate the best works. For its part, the Boboli Gardens are really extensive, so at least another2 hours of your time are necessary to visit it.

If you go there on an organized tour you will not have to worry, because the guide in charge of the tour organizes a detailed visit plan that allows you to go through the facilities in the shortest time possible without missing any important work or detail.

I recommend planning your visit to the Pitti Palace in advance, especially on short trips to Florence or Tuscany. On the day booked, try to arrive at the site at opening time and devote most of your time and energy to touring the facilities.

The official opening hours of the Pitti Palace are from Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15 am to 6:30 pm. On Mondays the attraction is closed, so please try not to arrange visits on this day of the week.

The last official entrance is at 17:30h, so that visitors have time to tour the facilities before closing. The attraction is open all year round except January 1st and December 25th. Remember them if you aregoing to Florence for Christmas.

If you are organizing your visit to the Pitti Palace, keep in mind the following important tips.

Autumn is the best time.

Autumn is the best time to visit the Tuscany region and the many museums in its capital city. If you go to Florence in September or if you go in October, you will be able to enjoy the place with less tourists, but also with a spectacular weather.

Buy the full pass.

Tickets to the Pitti Palace are usually divided into tickets to the palace and tickets to the gardens. Although you may be tempted to just purchase the palace pass and save time, I personally do not recommend it.

Touring the Boboli Gardens is an important part of the experience that should not be ignored.

If you go in summer or spring, book early.

Both spring and summer attract a large influx of tourists in major Italian cities. If your trip is planned for these dates, early reservations are the smartest option.

Between the months of May and October you will enjoy spectacular weather but also long lines to get in.

The Pitti Palace is located in Florence's Old Town, also known as District 1, on the south side of the Arno River.

Since it is one of the most beautiful areas of the city, I recommend taking time out of your itinerary to wander its streets and enjoy its many traditional restaurants. Here are a few quality recommendations located near the Palace.

• Osteria Santo Spirito: Located a 4-minute walk from the Palace, this place offers traditional Italian food in a rustic atmosphere and excellent views of a historic square.
• Gustapizza: Located 2 minutes walk from the Palace, the house specialty is wood-fired pizza. Famous for its soft pasta.
• Tameró: Tameró is only a 3 minute walk from the Palace. You'll find a beautiful rooftop seating area and a menu specializing in Italian pasta handmade from scratch.