Museums and gardens

Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens

The palace of the Medici and the Lorraine dukes, just across Ponte Vecchio: five museums under one roof and, behind it on the hill, the most beautiful garden in Florence.

Updated 31 October 2026

Timed tickets for Pitti and Boboli →

Tickets and 2026 prices

• Pitti Palace (all museums in the palace): €16.
• Boboli Gardens (with the Bardini Garden): €10.
• Pitti + Boboli: €22.
• 5-day PassePartout: €40 for the Uffizi, Pitti Palace and Boboli.
• Booking online adds a reservation fee of about €3.
• Free under 18 and on the first Sunday of the month; €2 for EU citizens aged 18–25.

Opening hours

Pitti Palace: Tuesday to Sunday, 8:15am–6:30pm, closed Mondays. The Boboli Gardens open at 8:15am and close around sunset, so earlier in winter and later in summer; they close on the first and last Monday of the month. Both are closed on 25 December and 1 January.

What to see in Pitti Palace

The palace was built for the banker Luca Pitti and bought in 1550 by Eleonora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo I de' Medici. It became the home of the grand dukes and later, for a few years, of the kings of Italy. Today it holds five museums.

Palatine Gallery

The heart of the visit. The rooms are still hung like a private picture gallery, with paintings stacked up to the ceiling: Raphael (the Madonna della Seggiola), Titian, Rubens, Caravaggio. Look up, too: Pietro da Cortona's gilded stucco and fresco ceilings are worth the ticket on their own.

Royal Apartments

The rooms where the Medici, the Lorraine and the Savoy kings lived: crystal chandeliers, Empire furniture and gilded bronzes. The White Room, the ballroom, is the most spectacular hall in the palace.

Gallery of Modern Art

On the second floor: Italian art from the 1800s and early 1900s, including the Macchiaioli, portraits, marble sculpture and huge history paintings. It's quieter than the Palatine Gallery and often the surprise of the day.

Treasury of the Grand Dukes and Fashion Museum

On the ground floor, the Treasury of the Grand Dukes holds the Medici's jewels, cameos, ivories and precious objects. The Museum of Fashion and Costume is Italy's only state museum devoted to fashion.

The Boboli Gardens

Behind the palace, the garden climbs the hill over 45 hectares. It is the model of the Italian formal garden, with avenues, statues and fountains. Don't miss:

• The Amphitheatre, with its Egyptian obelisk, right behind the palace.
• The Artichoke Fountain on the terrace and the avenue climbing to the statue of Abundance.
• The Buontalenti Grotto, with stalactites, frescoes and shells.
• The Knight's Garden at the top, with views over the hills.
• The Isolotto and the cypress avenue in the lower garden.

On your own or with a guide?

The palace is big and poorly signposted, and without someone telling its stories the Palatine Gallery can feel like a long row of paintings. A 2-hour guided tour takes you to the masterpieces and the Medici family stories. Boboli, on the other hand, is easy to explore on your own.

Guided tours of Pitti Palace →

Getting there

Pitti Palace is in the Oltrarno, a 5-minute walk from Ponte Vecchio and 10 minutes from the Uffizi. The Vasari Corridor links the Uffizi to Pitti Palace, running above Ponte Vecchio. The entrance is in the middle of the façade, across the large sloping square.

Tips

• Arrive at opening: at 8:15am the Palatine rooms are almost empty.
• Do the palace first and the garden after: Boboli is uphill and nicer in the afternoon light.
• Bring water and comfortable shoes; in summer the upper garden has little shade.
• Afterwards, lunch or an aperitivo in Piazza Santo Spirito, 5 minutes away.

FAQ

More guides

Prices and hours can change: always check the official websites before your visit.