I'm someone who can spend entire days in an art or history museum. But the lack of organization, labeling, and information here really frustrated me. Some of the rooms were called "Michelangelo Room," for example, but had only one Michelangelo piece, which was very confusing. I wasn't given a map upon entry, there are no plaques with explanations for the statues in the hallways, and the plaques they do provide for the paintings inside only explain how those paintings got there, and nothing about the painting itself! That's not educational at all. Furthermore, a lot of the significant works were put away for renovation, whatever that means. Lastly, 99% of the museum is religious art. It's all Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. It gets tedious after the first couple of rooms. It was cool to see Botticelli, Da Vinci, Raphael, and the others, but the actual museum was a letdown. Logistics: 2-3 hours to see the Uffizi. Open til 10pm on Tuesdays. 12.50 euros. read more

Can I be that awful person who doesn't give the world famous Uffizi 5 stars? Ok, perhaps it is 5 stars if you're really into this sort of religious art, but my feet were hurting and after god knows how many fabulous paintings of the virgin Mary, I really found myself wishing I could see one or two pictures of flowers. Sadly, I may not be as cultured as I thought I was lol. The good news is, the building itself is a bit of a work of art, so looking around at the ceilings and walls kept me entered, plus I will note our guide kept me a bit interested by pointing out some of the important unnoticed features by the common eye, such as the first religious painting showing some emotions, the featured lizard and it's symbolism in many paintings, the always hidden painting requester, who should not be shown at the birth of Jesus, so at least some of these things made me feel a bit like I was playing "Where's Waldo". As mentioned, we came with a guide, specifically as part of a half day tour of the city, so getting in wasn't the worst pain, although we still did wait quite awhile in line and getting through security was another hassle. We did end up skipping out a bit early as we were hungry and exhausted, but did managed to see the all famous Birth of Venus. I think, this is one of those places you kind of HAVE to see, even if it's not your cup of tea. Skipping it will probably mean you'll be berated by all your cultured friends. read more

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One of my favorite museums of all times! How fitting for Florence - the Cradle of Renaissance - to have the world's best Renaissance art collection! Designed by Vasari as administrative offices (hence the Italian name "uffizi"), even the museum architecture itself is a masterpiece of its own. Its collection includes a wide spectrum of Italian artwork dating from medieval ages to the Renaissance to the Baroque period by various masters like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. This is where you'll find famous pieces like Botticelli's "Birth of Venus"! However, my favorite part about this museum is its organization. Thanks to its corridor design, you will be lead to one room to another by the building layout and every room is organized by art periods so you can see the progression of Italian art as you walk through the museum! Even if you didn't know a thing about Italian art, you will get a good grasp thanks to the collection organization and explanation blurbs if you spend a little time. Of course, if you are reading this, you are most likely already planning to go to Florence and even the Uffizi, which you should as Uffizi is a must-go destination! But because of its world-renowned popularity, this museum can be challenging to enjoy so here are some tips: 1) Go as soon as it opens at 8:15! Uffizi was designed as an office building, not a world-class museum, so the crowd can be extra painful to handle and the Tuscan summer can be harsh in midday despite the AC addition. 2) Get reserved tickets online or buy a Firenze Card! Unless you are going on free-admission Sunday, please don't waste your time to wait in the infamously long line to buy tickets on the spot. 3) Free admission Sunday? Yep, every 1st Sunday every month! But the line and the crowd are exceptionally worse and even a Firenze Card cannot save you. You already spent a fortune flying here, so don't be frugal about spending a little extra money for a better museum experience. 4) Alternatively, Uffizi sometimes opens much later (to 11 PM!) during summertime! Most people don't know this and even if they do, people don't tend to go to museums at nighttime (as shown by the always late-opening but empty-at-night Palazzo Vecchio nearby). Even if there's a crowd, it would be much less stuffy than a midday visit. Check the Florence tourism website for info. 5) Go to the Botticelli and the Leonardo da Vinci rooms first! These rooms are always the most crowded, followed by the first few rooms near the entrance. Most people ignore the rest, so you can always backtrack to enjoy these rooms later. 6) Study ahead or use Rick Steves' free audio guide! You will love this museum even more if you know more about the art pieces you are seeing. 7) Take a breather at the Uffizi's rooftop cafe! Even if you are an art elite, you can't say no to an unique view of the Florence skyline. Anyway, Uffizi is one of the best museums in the world and it would be a shame if you don't make this an enjoyable experience because of the lack of planning! If you are visiting Florence, you must go to the Uffizi - only there can you truly experience and see how and why the Renaissance is such a big deal! --- tl;dr version: 1) World's best Renaissance collection! 2) Well-organized in art progression to see the evolution of Italian art 3) Plan ahead with reservation or Firenze Card to prevent long wait read more

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Definitely shocking to see where renaissance was born with a wonderful tourist guide. And a lot of "originals" with Medici's generous donation. read more

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If you had to visit one museum in Florence,Italy the Uffizi would have to be the one. I remember many moons ago during my college years taking those two art history classes trying to fill my humanities requirements. Sitting in the dark room looking at artwork during the Renaissance period followed by Neo-classicsm and Baroque periods. The painted figures seemed to be grossly distorted and there was so much detail. I'm relived all of this in real life at the Uffizi Museum in Florence. The lines are long but you can pre-order tickets (highly recommended) and we paid an extra five euros to move to the faster moving line. There are guided tours and you can purchase the tour with the recording and headphones. I didn't want to do either so my partner in crime and I went from room to room on our own. There are two main floors with a mixture of sculptures and paintings that span the 1500's to the 1800's. Approximately 25 rooms of artwork on each floor..Early Renaissance up to the Modernism periods. Some of the artists featured were Valaquez, Rubins, Botticelli, the list is endless. On the ceiling of some of the rooms there were frescoes on the ceilings, beautiful works of art. My favorites were the statues of Hercules and Ulysses. Be prepared to go climb up four long flights of marble stairs. read more

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Awesome time here. Spent 3 hours here which for me is a long time. Botticelli paintings were very much why I came here. Both of the paintings were beautiful. Then to cap it off you see Leonardo da Vinci paintings which were just as impressive as Botticelli's. The sculptures from ancient Roman times were all around you in almost all the rooms. A must see while in Firenze. read more

Gli Uffizi - The Birth of Venus - Museums Near Me - Florence, FI

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How do I keep this review short....gosh let me try. So there certainly is a lot to see here and not just the famous Birth of Venus painting. It also a pretty big art gallery but it's normally pretty crowded so be aware of that. I would strongly suggest purchasing tickets in advance online. Also, even though you purchase a designated time online, just be there around 15-20 near that time or earlier if you'd like and they'll let you in. It's so much better than standing in line with the folks that didn't purchase their tickets in advance. Also, if you purchase in advance, you have to go to the little ticket booth down the street just before the entrance to exchange your online printout for the actual ticket. DO NOT FORGET TO DO THIS or you may have to get out of line, exchange your ticket, and then get all the way back in the line. Some of the entrance guards are nice and might let you get back in line where you were, but don't count on it. Our ticket was for 1045 am - 11am. We got in line at 10:30 and the line for the non-online ticket purchasers was already around the block and halfway down the other block. We actually entered around 11, so not too bad. That was only because they let a tour group go in before us. Once inside, you go through the metal detectors and bag xrays. After the xrays, there aren't any backpacks allowed so you have to drop large bags off at the baggage check. Some purses are okay but check with the bag check people. Then once you're actually in the gallery, take your time. I could sit here and list off all the cool sculptures and paintings, but each person will find something different he/she likes. We actually had downloaded the Rick Steves audio tour before going and it worked like a charm. Some of the items had moved to different galleries but nothing too major. I would say one of the highlights for me was a room that had a dome that was covered in mother of pearl and semiprecious stones/gems. It was very regal. Also, the room with the Birth of Venus wasn't as packed as I had thought it was going to be and most people were very courteous by not lingering too long and letting others see. The Uffizi Gallery was one of the highlights of my brief time in Firenze/Florence and I hope to one day return. Plan for about 1-3 hours in here if you take your time and don't forget the gift shop on your way out. read more

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Reviewing a museum is hard. Of course, there are so many different preferences, as far as artistic styles go. Truth be told, I'm not a huge art lover. I want to be; I just haven't learned enough art history to have the best appreciation for what I'm looking at. That being said, I've been lucky enough to go to some amazing museums throughout the world, and the Uffizi did not do it for me on a variety of levels. Actually getting in was quite confusing. We purchased or tickets online ahead of time and it was very hard to tell what line to stand in at our 'scheduled' time. Luckily, Jim G. and I are both particular about not being late. After waiting in a line for about 10 minutes, and being ridiculed by some douchey Italian schoolboys (I understand enough Italian to know much of what they were saying), the guy at the front told us that we needed to go wait in another line, pick up tickets (even though we printed the online thing, as instructed), and then get in another line. Sucks to be totally frustrated (in the rain, no less) before we even get inside. We finally get inside. Have to check our umbrellas (I guess crazy people want to destroy art with umbrellas), which is another 10 minutes. Then, they are out of maps. Out of maps?!?! They tell us that we can go to the gift shop to buy a book (20 euro) that has a map in it. Come on! Then, nearly every security guard looked like most teenagers at dinner with their parents: face glued to the phone, texting away. Ridiculous. There were some nice pieces in the museum, but all the frustration along the way made it super hard to really notice, really care, and really appreciate it. The views out some of the picturesque windows were quite nice. One of the more expensive museums we've been too; also, one of the more disappointing. read more

This was one of the more interesting aspects of my trip to Florence. I'm not a big fan of art, or at least to say Renaissance art. It never grabbed me. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't go. If you go with a knowledgeable guide, you will have a really enjoyable and informed time. The display and artworks are gorgeous and the museum is a marvel to see unto its own. You definitely get the feeling that they respect and honour the artwork and the artists. This is a fantastic museum to stop by if you are in Florence. read more

It's one of the greatest museums in the world, not to be missed. We ordered tickets on line with the extra skip the line charge for the first admission time of the day. No wait at all. On our previous trip we ordered the same skip the line tickets but for midday. We wound up waiting for an hour. Definitely a winning strategy! Oh, and the Botticellis are pretty good too. read more

Gli Uffizi - Hall of the Ufffizi - Museums Near Me - Florence, FI

If you appreciate art and history, go to Uffizi. It's a very popular attraction in Florence and one of the most famous museums in Europe. Be forewarned that the wait can be horrendous. Make reservations online first before coming! You'll be able to select the time and they'll email a voucher. Take the voucher to the ticket office where you exchange it for an actual entry ticket before getting in another line to enter the museum. My friend and I made reservations and even though we came 15 minutes before our designated time slot per the voucher's instructions, we still encountered a small wait line for both the swapping of voucher-to-ticket and for the museum entrance. Be prepared to wait! This is a big museum, the most famous painting being the Birth of Venus by Botticelli. The Uffizi primarily features paintings from the Italian Renaissance period, so you'll see a lot of Botticelli, Giotto, Cimabue, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raffaello. There are also antiques and sculptures to see as well. The collection of Florentine paintings is quite expansive. Even the ceiling frescos are spectacular. There's a nice outdoor cafe on the second floor and a great view out a window on the second floor that overlooks the Ponte Vecchio and Arno River. read more

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I did not get a chance to go inside the museum during my trip to Florence but I did come to admire the architecture and sculptures they have on the outside. I loved the outdoor hall design. There are a ton of sculptures of different famous Italians from the renascence period. After you walk through the hall, it leads to amazing views of the water. Great place to visit even if you do not plan on going inside. read more

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I was really excited to go to the Uffizi. It definitely was one of the more pricey museums I have gone to, however who can put a price on this type of experience. I learned a couple things from my experience... 1. The Getty is awesome. We take if for granted. i.e. Free to get in, MAPS of the grounds, courteous guides and security. 2. The Uffizi runs out of MAPS! How does this happen? I'm even paying to get in! 3. To be security at the Uffizi you must be seated with your head buried in your smart phone. This makes them extremely effective and helpful. 4. I don't really like Renaissance art. I prefer more variety. 5. Make sure to look out the windows at the great views from the museum. This was the highlight for me. read more

Awesome! only 5 people on the security checkpoint! Bought tickets within 5 minutes of entering the building. Just came here last week of January 2015. Not that many people on queue. You have to ask for a map, they will not offer you one. Great museum, beautiful paintings and fascinating sculptures. We came here mainly to see the birth of venus painting. 1/3rd way through the museum, I needed the bathroom, so I went down the path of the museum... and did not find a bathroom until I got to the exit area. OMG. Apparently there was a bathroom near the entrance. arg i should have asked someone so I didn't have to waste time going back and forth. At this museum, you can also get a beautiful view of the vecchio bridge. I saw it while it was still sunny out, and when the sun was setting. Amazing views. I'm glad I got to visit this musuem. read more

A guided tour is a must here, you avoid the lines and get the best information for this place. It was built in the 1500 to be an office building. Back in the day the Italians were thinking of an office type environment, therefore the Uffizi name, it stands for office. After the building was done the Medici family (one of the richest families in Italy) that were very influential have decided to use this place as a museum to display their art. So the building still in the 1500 because the first museum in the history of humanity. The Medici family had so much art acquired that they could no longer display it in the chateaus and villas. The place overwhelms with priceless art so you need a guide to focus on the most important pieces. There is art done by the Renaissance era artists (Michelangelo, Leonardo DaVinci, Raffael) along with their self portraits. The small portraits that you will see displayed along the corridors are actually copies of famous people from a different family that refused do give their art to the Medici family. The Medici family was so upset and obsessed with that art that they hire a private painter for close to 40 years to copy all their paintings. There is also a big hall filled with maps that is intriguing knowing that these maps were created centuries ago. If you visit Florence you have to go to this place. read more

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Beautiful beautiful museum. This is the type of art and history that I enjoy looking at. It's a giant collection and the building itself is amazing to look at on its own. There are also sculptures on the outside. When we went it was a bit rushed so I didn't really understand a lot of what our tour guide was saying (she was speaking in mandarin for the tour as well...so struggle was real). We ended up only going through the most famous works of art as well as some of the guide's personal favorites. You can easily spend half a day just looking and listening to the explanations of each piece. The lines for this museum are really long though. We were on a tour and had reserved time tickets. That didn't matter because they let people in late that day so we our 3:45 ticket time became almost 5 and the museum closed at 6:30. Definitely pay attention to every detail of the place from the walls to the ceilings inside. There is just so much to see. I wish I could have had more time in there. read more

Entry to the uffizzi gallery is free on the first Sunday of each month. Entry opens at around 8 and it closes around 6.15-6.50pm. However get there before 7.30 to queue as we got there at 8.40 and had to queue for 2.5-3 hours to get in. While we were in the uffizzi, the queued had elongated and snaked around corners and went all the way across the bridge. The audio guide costs €6 per person or share it with your companion at €10, however one of you holds the audio guide and leads the other one with attached headphones on a headphone leash. Great way for new couples to bond. ;) The audio guide is completely useless. It barely tells you anything about the artwork. Sometimes, it tells you you have entered a room and works are by some artist. Pretty useless. If you are an art fanatic, I suggest you get a guide book or an actual guide to understand the artwork. If you're like me who can appreciate beauty but knows nothing about art, you can marvel at the statues (did all Roman men have well defined 8 packs and amazing calf muscles in those days?!), get excited when you see art by leonardo da Vinci and boticelli, and marvel at the intricacy and detail in the paintings while reading the information signs as you dawdle around. There are a total of three floors and you need 3 or more hours to get through the art. Some of the art was initially stored in galleri academia but was moved to the uffizzi. Some of the art had been donated by other countries. read more

Gli Uffizi - Rape of sabines - Museums Near Me - Florence, FI

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You will be amazed as you go from room to room and see works of art that you saw in books. Thankful that we had a local guide who provided great insight to many of the famous paintings. Plan on spending at least a half day here. You will not be disappointed. Must have been amazing to live in Florence during the Renaissance. Center of the art universe. read more

Make sure you call the museum and place a reservation before coming to visit, otherwise you'll spoil the experience with a long wait! This is like the Louvre of Florence. More than "just another museum" this is a monument to the greatness that Florence was earlier in its history. I am not really an art person, but was happy that it contained a variety of artwork. Beyond the madonnas and babies that are very typical in Italian artwork there is also the amazing architecture of the building itself , Italian sculpture which is not to be missed, and some well known paintings that I'm sure you already know of. read more

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Amazing gallery. It was gorgeous inside. Outside the plaza are a lot of statues that were replicas of originals that are either in the Uffizi or in the Galleria de Accademia. Ferenzi pass works here. The line towards the end of the day is not so bad. We walked along the river to get here, which ended up being a very nice walk. Highly recommended. Also, important thing to note is that IT IS CLOSED ON MONDAYS. So please plan accordingly. read more

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The Uffizi had some great art and is a must see tourist attraction, but if you only have a few days in Florence I would skip this museum because it will consume most of your day. As every mentioned "BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE!!!". www.tickitaly.com Even though we had tickets we still had to wait in line for a bit, but at least we bipassed the line without tickets. That line looked like it was hours long... not fun! Rick Steves gives a very good free audio tour that is downloadable onto your iPod, iPhone, or mp3 player on the highlights of the museum http://www.ricksteves.com/news/travelnews/0602/italy-audio-tours.htm If you want to linger at each piece in the museum I would recommend renting the headphones instead, but personally I think Rick Steve's is more interesting and we weren't looking to spend the entire day at the museum so it was nice to have the highlights of the museum pointed out so we could move on to the next tourist attraction. If you want to spend your time in Florence waiting in long lines with hoards of tourists see the Uffizi. If you aren't a huge art fan there are better places to spend your time (historical churches, Italian markets, bicycling through piazzas, cooking classes or wine tours. For me the highlight of the Uffizi is the gorgeous view of the Arno River and Florence that you can see from the second floor. read more

10/30/2013 I must admit -- all the museums and art galleries I went to in Italy are starting to blur together. I should have written my review earlier! Amazing paintings and sculptures in this museum; the 4th floor had wings in a U-shape. We listened to the Uffizi audio-tour available from Rick Steve's for FREE. Just be sure to download it before you go to the museum. :) While some of the exhibits changed rooms, you can still get some good history from that audio-tour. My husband and I bought tickets online ahead of time, and went in during our reserved time. I think it's low-season when we went, because there wasn't a huge problem getting tickets. We opted OUT of the 3-day Firenze pass, since we didn't have enough time to visit that many museums outside of the major Uffizi and Accademia ones. read more

This is one of the top art museums in the world--don't miss it! You'll get to see Boticelli's famous "Birth of Venus" and "Primavera," but there's so much more to see, too. You'll see works by many other masters (Michelangelo, da Vinci, Caravaggio, Titian, etc.), plus lesser-known artists, and the facility itself is just amazing--hallways are lined with sculptures, there are frescoes painted on the ceilings, a beautiful view of the Ponte Vecchio, and there's the Tribune, an amazing, dome-topped octagonal room designed by Bernardo Buontalenti in the 16th century, covered in some amazing finishes, and filled with sculpture and paintings. As with nearly all the museums in Italy, purchase tickets in advance to avoid standing in a long line (or arrive early, when they open, to avoid the worst lines). read more

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If you're an art history fan then this museum is a must if visiting Florence. From Botticelli to Titian and Da Vinci, you'll be delightfully impressed by the endless exhibits. Prices are steep to get in, €15,75 online for the fast pass. However, that "fast" pass is bulls--t because you'll still wait forever to get in. Also note, even if you speak Italian, the staff is obnoxiously rude and unhelpful. Again, a test of patience but an art lovers dream. read more

Gli Uffizi - The hallway. - Museums Near Me - Florence, FI

The Uffizi Gallery - Galleria degli Uffizi. One of the most acclaimed art museums in the world and a showcase in particular for Italian and Renaissance art. Every art history book has illustrations of the masterworks on display here. To actually see them is person is a surreal experience. The museum has its origins in the art collecting and commissioning of the Medicis. The gallery itself was built in 1560-1581 as Medici regime administrative offices--uffizi. The gallery forms a large U-shape beginning across from the Palazzo Vecchio and wrapping around back to the Loggia dei Lanzi on the Piazza della Signoria. I liked the newly restored Tribuna, the octagonal central room that was an elegant reception room and original display chamber for the Medici's most treasured works. It was meant to show off the best of the Medici collections to visitors. It's difficult to know where to begin to describe the Uffizi collections! The works that stood out most for me were Botticelli's Birth of Venus and his Primavera, Michelangelo's Holy Family, and Leonard da Vinci's Annunciation. One could of course spend days here and not take in everything or begin to comprehend it all. The museum is always changing and its never-ending corridors are something of a warren of surprises. A must-see even if one can only spend a brief time in Florence. Photography of the collections is not permitted. One can take photos of the Ponte Vecchio from the windows at the far end of the corridors and of the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio from the terrace. Part of the Historic Centre of Florence UNESCO World Heritage site. read more

After many trips to Florence, I finally visited Uffizi - a spectacular museum. The kernel of the collection started with the Medici's in the 1300s. The museum itself has been "showing" since before 1600 and helped set the model for how museums should operate. There are a lot of busts and statues, many of which are replicas of ancient Greek and Roman originals. In Uffzi, you'll find one of the finest collections of Renaissance paintings in the world. To me, it is particularly effective in showing the transitions in styles and learning's that took place from 1450 to 1550. This is when many legendary figures were working and competing for market share in the rarefied world of masterpiece creation. My enlightening moment at Uffizi was when I came to the painting: Michelangelo's Holy Family with the Infant St. John the Baptist (1506-1508). It is the only completely attributable Michelangelo painting that is on a moveable platform (as opposed to say, a wall). The painting bursts onto the scene. Here, the master amps up everything. It is high saturation, high contrast and 3D all at the same time. In a world of art trying to break free of the flat plane, Michelangelo throws everything at the canvas - all at once, and it explodes back at the viewer. It's new then and now. Other masters of the time kept their personal vision and their personal approach and style true to themselves and created works just as great. My favorites include: Botticelli: Birth of Venus (1484) Sigh. Titian: The Venus of Urbino (1558) Carravagio: Medusa (1596-97) On a shield. Leonardo da Vinci: Baptism of Christ (1475-1478) The light coming from the heavens is downright UFO-like? Bronzino: Bianca "Bia" (1542) Cosmo Medici's illegitimate daughter who died at 5 years. So touching. And too many others to list. Fantastic and important collection. Go here. read more

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Great museum. I'm glad I paid for a tour of the place. I usually stay in hostels and have little budget for paid tours, but this was well worth the €49 or something to take the tour. It included a ticket to the Uffizi and we came through the tourist guide's entrance which skipped a massive line. Our guide explained some things I would have totally missed about the paintings, not being an art historian nor a painter, and I probably would have given this place 3 stars. The bathrooms are only near the entrance to the museums, at least, they were the only ones I could find. Best to go before you plunge in. The wide stone wall with floor grates that serves as the men's pissing stall is it's own modern installation. At least, that how I interpreted it. read more

Go! Done. Okay, in off season you can walk in without appointments or expensive passes. Too much beautiful work to take in at once. Take your time and prepare for a long stay. Or, go with a prioritized agenda and be prepared to not take it all in. We rushed past beautiful work as we were tired and ready to leave. Listen to Rick Steves podcast and read his updates. read more

Possibly my favorite art gallery in the world. We were fortunate to run into an Italian citizen named Marcello who we met earlier in the Duomo. Turns out he was an architect and an art teacher and knew the gallery's contents intimately. We bought his entry ticket and he ended up giving us a personalized tour of the Uffizi which made the visit surreal as he was able to explain the historical significance of every painting and sculpture we came across. The museum has a huge collection of Roman and Greek busts ans statues ranged around the main galleries with impressive works by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello, Botticelli and Raphael (among others) placed in galleries which flow from period to period. The lines to get in are tremendous, often reaching 3 hours, but it is worth it to get the prepaid tickets and somewhat cut down on the wait time as the Uffizi is an unbelievable museum with works by masters you will only see in books. read more

This indeed one of the world's foremost galleries: as the other reviewers have intimated, the Uffizi (literally offices - it was built as an office for the Florentine magistrates in 1560-1581) is possibly the most important renaissance art gallery in the world. It's certainly up there with the Prado, Louvre, National Gallery and Metropolitan Museum of Art. The collections have their origins in the notorious Medici family, whose private collection was slowly assembled here during the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly in the octagonal Tribuna della Uffizi room (completed in 1584). The Uffizi was opened to the public in the late 18th century, having become, in the meantime, an essential stop on the European Grand Tours of young British aristocrats. The building itself is therefore arguably as important, and well worth a look in terms of its architecture, as the art contained within. It's certainly one of the earliest 'art galleries' in the world. As well as the superlative collection of Italian masters - Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Mantegna, Correggio, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Caravaggio, there are German, Dutch and Flemish grand masters represented too, including Rubens and Rembrandt. Over the years, some of the paintings have moved to museums elsewhere in Florence, although the collection is so large that there is still a huge amount to see here. When I visited, queuing was a given: and it did take me four hours. Thankfully, as the other reviewers point out, you can now book on-line - something I would strongly recommend. By the way, the official website is at: http://www.uffizi.firenze.it . There are lots of others claiming to be the official site - you can normally tell them by their appallingly translated English! read more

You have to REALLY be into art to enjoy this experience. The museum is huge. We decided to do a Rick Steve's audio tour, unfortunately the exhibits had been rearranged so it was hard to find everything. In the end I was exhausted. Having been to top museums in Paris and New York, I was really over it and rushing through. read more

The Uffizi is one of the "must-sees" when you go to Florence. I'm not much of an art person but I was still able to enjoy it. You can reserve tickets online or through the phone. I believe tickets are normally 16 Euros, but I only paid 4 Euros, due to a special event that was going on that weekend. There wasn't really a line (unlike the Galleria dell'Accademia), but why not reserve anyway? You never know if it might be busier at certain times of the day. I went at 4:30, the last time slot. It closes at 6:30 but I thought 2 hours was more than enough time. I don't even think we were there for that long. That being said, if you're an art buff, you might want to come earlier. read more

TL;DR - It's the "must see" attraction in Florence, but doesn't seem to be trying very hard. So this place is probably at the top of most people's lists of things to see and do in Florence, and with good reason - the collection is huge and features some amazing pieces. However, I can't say that I had a great experience here. Yes, the queues are long. We had to wait about 90 minutes to get in, not having reserved tickets in advance. But even if you book ahead, you have to queue to collect your tickets, and then queue again to get in. And once everyone is in, the first few rooms of the museum are absolutely mobbed... you struggle to see things it's so busy. Also, if you;re in the main queue waiting for tickets, they let a few people in, then stop for an indefinite period... basically you can't judge how long you'll be queueing for because of the way they stop and start the line. The next thing which annoyed me was the way the art was displayed. Each has a piece of information displayed in Italian and English, but the focus is mostly about how the piece was made and how it came to be in the collection. I'd like to have seen more about what the piece was about - *why* are these figures displayed together? What's the connection between the pieces in this room? I didn't really care when they gallery came to own the piece. Thirdly, the concept of the layout is just odd. They've tried to assemble the pieces in a linear fashion in chronological order which makes total sense... except for the fact that it branches off a corridor of statues - if you follow the artwork in order, you'll miss vast sections of the main corridor. Also, at various points they just throw away the chronological idea... so you'll be looking at paintings from the 1400s, then the 1500s, then suddenly there's a room of ancient Greek sculpture, then it's paintings from the 1600s... There's toilets at the start/end, and once again half way through. There's also a cafe at the mid point with an amazing outdoors terrace, but the cafe itself is pretty small. I kept trying to forgive the above failings, thinking that the Uffizi is a victim of its own success... but then I though about how well organised the Louvre is which copes with much higher volumes of visitors. I'd still advise you to visit the Uffizi if you're in Florence, but it won't be the amazing experience that it deserves to be or some would lead you to expect. read more

They got the Birth of Venus and I really wasn't too impressed with anything else. I found this museum to be unbearable compared to even the louvre. The payoff for the time in line and the crowds was just not worth it to me. read more

This week 5.3~ seems to be some free art for all -courtesy of the state- week. All nice and games but nothing you study beforehand applies what comes to practicalities. Poor nonna was on the line at 10.30am just to get her free ticket with the entering time 16pm. Be still my beating heart. Well Firenze is not the worst place to hang around for 5 hours, but would I rather have had my strenght and energy left for the actual experience for 20€? Well yes. After four unnecessary contacts with humans at the checking points before I eventually got in I was tonta enough to take the stairs up. Big mistake. Huge. Art itself lifted my spirit trough the roofs to the skies. Worth all the misery? Totally. Would I do it again? My brain says no, my heart sings yes with a catholic choire humming on the background. read more

Gli Uffizi - Museums Near Me - Florence, FI

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The first and only thing people told me whenever I mentioned my upcoming trip to Firenze was when you go to the Uffizi gallery make a reservation! Of course me being me I kept on forgetting to do so... Luckily my AirBnb host told me about the FirenzeCard and was able to get in with a small wait time. The actual museum is HUGE. I was in a bit of a time crunch but you can easily spend a whole day in here. There is so much history and awe inspiring artwork. It's so hard to bevel that all this artwork was done eons ago. I hope I can return to this place. Every twist and turn you make there is something new. I absolutely LOVED this museum & it wasn't as packed as I thought it was gonna be. Make sure you include this in your itinerary. read more

I'm writing only because it's absurd to rate one of the world's iconic art palaces. I have a couple of suggestions. First, never fall for going there on a "free" day. They have them, but the museum which is usually very crowded becomes impossible. If you are in town for a week, buy a family pass. I think it's 100 Euros and include two adults and some children. In addition to providing multiple entries, it puts you at the front of the entrance line. Also, because you can get in and out easily, go for two or three short visits rather than trying to jam this overwhelming visual experience into a single day. Look on line for times where fewer people are visiting. Suggest one of those visits be the Botticelli rooms - nothing else. Just bathe in the beauty and quietly work your way to a position where you can look as long as you want. Do not miss the "Calumny of Appelles" which is a small canvas to the left of Venus Rising. I understand that the museum plans to open the Vasari corridor this year or next. Not sure how they will price this. Under the old pricing system you had to pay an entrance for the Uffizi, Palazzo Vecchio and Pitti Palace along with a fee for hiring a guard to make sure you didn't do something to the paintings. It was not worth the price - except for the cool experience of walking over the Ponte Vecchio and the Arno - in the footsteps of the Medici tyrants. Depends on your view of authoritarians. One last suggestion. If you are worried about the crowds at the Uffizi, consider skipping it (look at the pictures on line) and go to the Bargello instead. It's a separate ticket. The museum is rarely crowded. The ground floor is filled with magnificent statues from famous Italian sculptures. The first floor has a room devoted largely to Donatello and his acolytes. You must see Donatello's "David" and then compare it with Michaelangelo's - and re-read the portion of the Bible describing Saul's recruitment and efforts to arm David. The museum also has a large collection of Della Robbia's ceramics and lots of other materials that are not paintings. Both the Uffizi and Bargello staircases have higher than usual risers for the steps. They also have elevators that get you to the top floors. They are not obvious and you should ask. The elevators down in the area around the Uffizi snack bar are very slow and always seem to shove you out at the back exit so you have to go back to the entrance to retrieve anything you checked. read more

One of the most important art galleries in the world. See it and die, or rather make sure that you see it before you die. I honestly think that even anyone who didn't give a stuff about art would still be rather amazed by this place. I do not have intellectual property rights to this pic. Photo link: http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/Textklick/Qype%20pix/d0ab2fe7.jpg They would be with Fra Filippo Lippi, but I don't think he will sue me or Qype, being long departed. The Uffizi does not own the picture either; they simply look after it for the benefit of humanity. In fact, I think old Filippo would rather like you to see his work, together with that of Botticelli, Leonardo and many others. People queue for up to 4 hrs. to get in, but you can get round that by booking online here: http://www.florence-tickets.com/index.php?uffizi-eng&tplchange=6 Not much to add to that really. Oh! Since then, there is someting to add: http://www.qype.co.uk/place/556734-Vasari-Corridor-Florence And more information about the erstwhile proprietors here: http://www.qype.co.uk/place/430478-Waterstones-Maidenhead-Maidenhead read more

Low-quality art. Medusa painting not realistic - did not turn me into stone. Gratuitous nudity and lots of adult subject matter as well as graphic violence. Similar to harmful video games. Would give zero stars if I could. read more

The art is magnificent, love it. I could go on and on about the art. I have a problem with whoever is in charge of tickets. On the website AND at the ticket office, it is advertised that students and scholars get in for free instead of the regular 20 euro. We tell the people at the desk and they ask what we study. Why should that matter? I am a university student part of a study abroad program in Italy. Okay whatever I'm studying pharmacy. "20 euro." Okay so I was still gonna pay because I really wanted to see the galleries. My classmate get to the counter and she's a history major, no big deal right? They ask "where do you study?" We are from the USA, but studying Italian language and culture in Bologna, this museum is a day trip. classmate answers, "Bologna," and she asks for proof, as if our student ID's don't get us anywhere. We both had to pay the 20 euro. I'm just annoyed that it was advertised that students could enter free, but we were interrogated about our studies, then denied. They should have said "free entry if a student studying this specific topic only in Italy." As if they don't already make thousands of euro per day on regular tourists, they feel the need to charge students who have valid student IDs from university. Not to mention the building is under construction and only the top floor is fully open with partial exhibits. I can't express how angry I am that there is gatekeeping at one of the "best" museums in the world. read more