Florence is where the Renaissance was born, and its three great sights, the Uffizi, the Accademia and the Duomo complex, hold the works that made it famous: Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, Michelangelo’s David, Brunelleschi’s impossible dome. They are also the three places most likely to swallow your morning in a queue if you arrive unprepared. This is how to visit all three properly in 2026, with the ticket prices, the opening hours and the booking rules that will save you hours.
The Uffizi Gallery
The Uffizi is the greatest collection of Renaissance painting anywhere, arranged along a light-filled corridor built by the Medici. Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera are the pilgrimage pieces, but there are also Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio and Titian, room after room of them.
For 2026 the standard ticket costs €25 in high season (March to October) and €12 in low season (November to February). Booking online in advance adds a €4 fee but guarantees your entry slot, which in summer is well worth it, same-day tickets can sell out by late morning. New for 2026 is a cheaper afternoon ticket at €16 for entry from 4pm onwards, a genuinely good option if you would rather see the gallery in the calmer late-afternoon light. EU citizens aged 18 to 25 pay only a €2 reservation fee, and under-18s enter free (with a €4 reservation fee if booked online).
The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday, 8:15am to 6:30pm, with last entry at 5:30pm, and closed every Monday. Book the very first slot at 8:15 if you want the Botticelli room to yourself for a few minutes before the tour groups arrive; it is one of the few genuine luxuries in a city this busy.
The Accademia Gallery and David
People are sometimes surprised by how much the David moves them. Photographs never prepare you for the scale, over five metres of marble, nor for the tension in the hands and the turn of the head. Michelangelo carved him from a single flawed block that other sculptors had abandoned, and the Accademia built a domed tribune specifically to hold him.
The Accademia is smaller than the Uffizi and you can see it well in an hour to ninety minutes. For 2026 the standard ticket is €16 in high season and €4 in low season, again with a €4 fee to book online. The same EU concessions apply: €2 for those aged 18 to 25, free for under-18s. Entry on the first Sunday of the month is free for everyone, though you still need to reserve a slot and the museum is predictably busy. From 15 March 2026 there is also a new 48-hour combined ticket with the Bargello sculpture museum for €26, which is excellent value if you care about Renaissance sculpture.
Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 8:15am to 6:50pm, with last entry at 4:45pm, closed Mondays. Entry is by timed slot every fifteen minutes, so book ahead: the 8:15 opening sells out fastest, and I find the crowds inside are thinnest either right at opening or in the last hour before last entry.
The Duomo complex
The cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, its green-and-white marble facade crowned by Brunelleschi’s terracotta dome, is the heart of Florence. Entry to the cathedral itself is free, but the four other monuments around the piazza, the dome climb, Giotto’s bell tower, the Baptistery and the Opera del Duomo museum, are covered by one of three passes, all bought through the official site at duomo.firenze.it and valid for three calendar days.
The Ghiberti Pass costs €15 and covers the Baptistery, the museum and the Santa Reparata crypt beneath the cathedral. The Giotto Pass at €20 adds the climb up Giotto’s bell tower. The Brunelleschi Pass at €30 is the only one that includes the climb to the top of Brunelleschi’s dome, and it covers everything else too.
If you only do one climb, make it the dome. It is 463 steps with no lift, up between the inner and outer shells of the dome and out onto a walkway with the whole of Florence spread beneath you. Since March 2025 a photo ID is required to climb, and you must book a fixed time slot, which sells out weeks ahead in high season, so this is the one thing to reserve the moment you know your dates. One honest note for 2026: the famous gold mosaic ceiling of the Baptistery is currently under restoration and not visible, though the building itself remains open.
Beyond the big three: the Bargello
If the Uffizi and the Accademia leave you wanting more, the Bargello is the connoisseur’s museum and the antidote to the queues. Housed in a former prison, it holds the finest collection of Renaissance sculpture in Florence, Donatello’s swaggering bronze David, Michelangelo’s early Bacchus and works by Cellini and Giambologna, and it is almost never crowded. From 15 March 2026 the new 48-hour combined ticket pairs it with the Accademia for €26, which for anyone who loves sculpture is the single best value in the city. It is a natural, calmer counterpoint to book alongside the David.
How to fit all three into a visit
The trick is spacing them so you are never fighting the worst of the crowds. I book the Uffizi for the 8:15 opening on one morning and the Accademia for the 8:15 opening on another, keeping the dome climb for a late-afternoon slot when the light is golden and the earlier climbers have come down. That leaves your middle-of-the-day hours for churches, markets and lunch, none of which need timed tickets. If you are visiting for only two days, the Firenze Card exists as a single museum pass, but for most travellers booking the three big sights individually online works out cheaper and just as smooth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much are Uffizi tickets in 2026?
The standard Uffizi ticket is €25 in high season (March to October) and €12 in low season (November to February), plus a €4 fee if you book online. A new €16 afternoon ticket for entry from 4pm was introduced for 2026, and EU visitors aged 18 to 25 pay only a €2 reservation fee.
Do I need to book the Accademia in advance to see the David?
Yes, especially in high season. Entry is by timed slot every fifteen minutes and the early slots sell out first. The standard 2026 ticket is €16 (high season) plus a €4 online booking fee, and the first Sunday of each month is free but still requires a reservation.
Which Duomo pass includes the dome climb?
Only the Brunelleschi Pass (€30) includes the climb to the top of Brunelleschi’s dome. The Ghiberti Pass (€15) and Giotto Pass (€20) cover the other monuments but not the dome. All three are valid for three days and bought through duomo.firenze.it.
How many steps is the Florence Duomo climb?
The dome climb is 463 steps with no lift. A photo ID is required and you must reserve a fixed time slot, which sells out weeks ahead in summer, so book it as soon as you have your dates.
Can you visit the Uffizi, Accademia and Duomo in one day?
You can, but it is rushed. A better plan is to book the Uffizi and the Accademia for early-morning slots on separate days and keep the dome climb for a late afternoon, leaving the middle of each day for churches, markets and long lunches that need no tickets.
Read also: The Best Things to Do in Florence | The Perfect Florence Itinerary | The Complete Guide to Florence
