What Is Inside Palazzo Vecchio, and Which Ticket Do You Need?
Palazzo Vecchio has been Florence's town hall since 1299, and parts of the building still run city government today. Inside, the Salone dei Cinquecento, at 54 metres the largest room of its kind in Italy, is covered floor to ceiling in Vasari's battle frescoes, with Michelangelo's Genius of Victory standing at its centre. This guide covers what the entrance ticket includes, which of the two tickets to book, and how to plan a visit around the museum's Monday opening and its early Thursday close.
About This Experience
Piazza della Signoria, 50122 Florence
2 minutes from the Uffizi, 5 minutes from the Duomo, on foot
Daily 9:00 to 19:00, Thursdays to 14:00. Open every day, including Mondays
$37 for the standard entrance ticket with audioguide; the door price is €12.50 for the museum alone, and the Arnolfo Tower climb is ticketed separately
Florence's fortress town hall, which still runs the city, on Piazza della Signoria
The Salone dei Cinquecento, Michelangelo's Genius of Victory, and the hidden Studiolo of Francesco I
Check Live Availability & Prices
Time slots for Palazzo Vecchio can tighten in high season, so it helps to check current availability before you plan the rest of your day.
Which Palazzo Vecchio Ticket to Pick
The standard entrance ticket costs $37, is rated 4.4 stars from 5,029 reviews, and comes with an audioguide covering the Salone dei Cinquecento and the Medici private apartments upstairs. It is the ticket most first-time visitors book.
The skip-the-line version costs $34, slightly less than the standard ticket, and is rated 4.3 stars from 1,148 reviews. It covers the same rooms with the same audioguide, and its only real difference is priority entry, which matters when the Piazza della Signoria entrance backs up in high season.
The honest read: this is not a museum where the queue usually ruins your day, so pick based on which date and time slot is available rather than agonising over a $3 gap. Both tickets leave the Arnolfo Tower climb as a separate purchase. If you are mapping out the rest of your day, the museums in Florence worth prioritising are worth a scan before you commit to a route.
Book Your Palazzo Vecchio Ticket
Both tickets cover the same rooms inside Florence's fortress town hall, one of the most central museums in Florence, Italy to fit into a walking day.
from $37 Palazzo Vecchio Entrance Ticket & Audioguide
- Salone dei Cinquecento
- Medici private apartments
- Audioguide included
from $34 Skip-the-Line Palazzo Vecchio Entry + Audio Guide
- Skip-the-line entry
- Audio guide included
- Good in high season
What You'll See
The ground floor holds the building's biggest draw.
- The Salone dei Cinquecento, 54 metres long, the largest room of its kind in Italy, with Vasari's battle frescoes covering every wall
- Michelangelo's Genius of Victory, standing at the centre of that hall
- Michelozzo's frescoed courtyard just inside the entrance, free to walk into even without a ticket
Upstairs holds the smaller, stranger rooms.
- The Studiolo of Francesco I, a windowless jewel-box study behind a concealed door, lined with paintings and cupboards where the grand duke kept his alchemy and curiosities
- The wall behind Vasari's plaster where Leonardo's lost Battle of Anghiari may still lie, a question that has never been settled
- The Medici private apartments, covered by the audioguide included with both tickets
How a Visit Flows
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On arrival
Walk through Michelozzo's courtyard
Step into the frescoed, carved courtyard just inside the entrance, free to see even before you scan your ticket.
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First 20 minutes
Take in the Salone dei Cinquecento
Stand in the 54-metre hall and look up at Vasari's battle frescoes running floor to ceiling on every wall.
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Next 10 minutes
Find the Genius of Victory
Look for Michelangelo's sculpture at the centre of the hall, then check the far wall for the concealed door beside it.
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Following 15 minutes
Step into the Studiolo
Duck through the hidden door into Francesco I's windowless study, lined floor to ceiling with painted cupboards.
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Next 20 minutes
Work through the Medici apartments
Follow the audioguide through the private apartments upstairs, less crowded than the Salone below.
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Before you leave
Pass the copy of David outside
On your way out, note the replica standing exactly where the original stood on the piazza from 1504 to 1873.
Know Before You Go
Not suitable for
- Visitors expecting a quick, five-minute stop
- Anyone hoping to see Michelangelo's original David, which moved to the Accademia in 1873
- Travellers who only have a Thursday afternoon free, since the museum closes at 14:00 that day
What to bring
- Comfortable shoes for stone stairs and uneven floors
- A charged phone or headphones for the audioguide
- Cash or card if you add the separate Arnolfo Tower ticket
- A light layer, since the upper floors stay cool
Not allowed
- Flash photography inside the Salone dei Cinquecento
- Large backpacks or luggage inside the museum
- Climbing the Arnolfo Tower without its own separate ticket
Insider Tips
A few details make the visit easier to plan.
- Come on a Monday if the Uffizi and Accademia are closed, since Palazzo Vecchio stays open
- Remember the 14:00 closing on Thursdays, which catches people out
- Budget 1.5 to 2 hours for the museum itself
- Walk through Michelozzo's courtyard first, it costs nothing and is easy to rush past
- Look for the concealed door beside the Genius of Victory before you move on
- Book the Arnolfo Tower separately if you want the climb, since neither ticket includes it
Where You're Headed
Palazzo Vecchio Tickets FAQ
How much does a Palazzo Vecchio ticket cost?
The standard entrance ticket with audioguide costs $37. A skip-the-line version with the same audioguide costs $34. The door price for the museum alone is €12.50, and the Arnolfo Tower climb is always a separate ticket.
What are Palazzo Vecchio's opening hours?
The museum opens daily from 9:00 to 19:00, except Thursdays when it closes at 14:00. It stays open every day of the week, including Mondays.
Is Palazzo Vecchio open on Mondays?
Yes. It is one of the few major museums in Florence open on Mondays, which makes it a straightforward plan for the day the Uffizi and the Accademia are closed.
Does Palazzo Vecchio close early on Thursdays?
Yes, it closes at 14:00 on Thursdays instead of the usual 19:00. This catches out a lot of visitors who assume every day runs the same hours.
How do I get to Palazzo Vecchio?
It sits on Piazza della Signoria, a 2-minute walk from the Uffizi and about 5 minutes on foot from the Duomo, so it fits easily into a walking day through central Florence.
What will I see inside Palazzo Vecchio?
Expect the 54-metre Salone dei Cinquecento with Vasari's battle frescoes and Michelangelo's Genius of Victory, the hidden Studiolo of Francesco I, the Medici private apartments, and the free frescoed courtyard by the entrance.
Should I book Palazzo Vecchio tickets in advance?
It helps in high season, though this is not a museum where queues usually ruin the visit. Booking ahead mostly guarantees you the date and time slot you want rather than saving you from a long wait at the door.
What Visitors Say
The Salone dei Cinquecento is enormous in person, no photo prepares you for it. We also loved finding the hidden door to the Studiolo, easy to miss if you don't know it's there.
Booked the skip-the-line ticket in July and the entrance queue was already long by 10am. Worth the extra few euros just to walk straight in.
Went on a Monday when the Uffizi was shut and had large parts of the museum to ourselves. The Medici apartments upstairs were quieter than the main hall.