The Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria remains Florence’s town hall to this day. Behind its austere façade, however, lie the magnificent halls of the Medici family, and above them a tower offering views over the city centre.

You can visit the museum, climb the tower, or do both. And you don’t need to pay anything for a quick peek inside.

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The 94-metre-high Town Hall Tower is a defining feature of Florence’s skyline and also serves as a viewing point.

Admission

The museum and the Arnolfi Tower have separate admission tickets:

• Palazzo Vecchio Museum: 18 eur; visitors aged 18 to 25 and university students 12 eur.
• Arnolfi Tower: 20 eur; visitors aged 18 to 25 and university students 13 eur.
• Museum and tower: 38 eur for the price of two standard tickets (discounted combined tickets are not available).

Children under 18 enter free of charge. However, they are only permitted to visit the tower from the age of 6, and minors must be accompanied by an adult.

Want to save money? You can visit the first courtyard and the ground-floor ‘Tracce di Firenze’ exhibition on the city’s transformation for free.

Standard tickets can be purchased directly from the city: admission to the museum and access to the tower. When buying online, a booking fee of €1 is added to the ticket price.

Is it necessary to book a ticket in advance?

• Museum: No. You can also buy a ticket on the spot; booking online is useful if you want to be sure of a specific time slot.
• Tower: Yes. The official ticket office requires you to book a time slot in advance. Please arrive 15 minutes before your visit begins. Even for children with free entry, please select a time slot when booking online.

Opening hours

• Museum: daily 9.00–19.00, Thursdays 9.00–14.00.
• Tower: daily 9.00–17.00, Thursdays 9.00–14.00. It is also open at weekends.

The ticket office closes one hour before the museum. In the event of rain or a heatwave warning, the tower may be closed; parts of the palace are also sometimes closed due to City Hall events.

What to see in the palace

The highlight is the Hall of the Five Hundred (Salone dei Cinquecento), a former council chamber which the Medici transformed into a magnificent space celebrating their rule. Here, Giorgio Vasari and his collaborators painted, amongst other things, the victories over Pisa and Siena. You will also see Michelangelo’s sculpture, The Genius of Victory.

Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were also commissioned to work on the hall’s decoration, but they did not complete their planned battle scenes. The frescoes on display today are therefore not their work.

During your tour, do not miss the ornate inner courtyard and the Medici chambers, including the rooms named after Pope Clement VII. A tour of the secret chambers, which involves an additional charge on top of the standard admission fee, leads to the small study of Francesco I, known as the Studiolo. Some rooms may not be accessible during official events.

Climbing Arnolfo’s Tower

The tower is 95 metres high and there are a total of 418 steps leading to the highest viewing platform; 223 of these are on the staircase inside the tower. There is no lift to the viewing platform.

From the upper gallery, you can see the rooftops of the historic centre, the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and its Giotto’s bell tower. Depending on the weather, only the lower defensive gallery may be accessible.

What to visit nearby

In front of the town hall stands a replica of Michelangelo’s David. You can see the original in the Galleria dell’Accademia.

Right next door is the Uffizi Gallery. The Vasari Corridor leads from the Palazzo Vecchio to the gallery and continues across the Ponte Vecchio to the Pitti Palace. A tour of the corridor requires a separate booking with the Uffizi; it is not included in the town hall admission ticket.

Accommodation near the Palazzo Vecchio

Piazza della Signoria is a good base for exploring the city centre on foot. If you’d like to stay right next to the town hall, compare accommodation options by date and price; in this location, it’s worth booking well in advance.

Find hotels near Piazza della Signoria

If you’d prefer a more affordable neighbourhood, start with our guide to accommodation in Florence.

A brief history

Construction of the Town Hall began in 1299; its design is usually attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio, who also worked on Florence Cathedral.

When the Medici family moved in during the 16th century, Giorgio Vasari transformed the former medieval seat of government into a stately palace. It remains the town hall to this day.

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