How Much of Pitti Palace Should You Actually Try to See?
Across the Arno from the Uffizi, the Pitti Palace is a different kind of Medici stop: a palace the family bought and doubled in size, a gallery hung the way they actually hung it, and a hillside garden behind that most first-time visitors underestimate. Between the Palatina's stacked frames and the Boboli's terraces, there is easily half a day here. This guide covers what the ticket gets you, what the Palatina actually looks like inside, and how to spend the time without trying to see all of it.
About This Experience
Piazza de' Pitti 1, 50125 Florence, in the Oltrarno across the Arno
10 minutes on foot from the Ponte Vecchio, over the river into the Oltrarno
Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15; the Boboli Gardens close earlier in winter. Closed Mondays
€16 for the palace and €10 for the gardens at the door, or a combined ticket online
The palace the Medici bought, doubled in size and moved into, with a landscaped hillside behind it
Eleven Raphaels in the Palatina Gallery, the Buontalenti Grotto, and the Neptune fountain above the amphitheatre
Check Live Availability & Prices
Rates and time slots update live, so confirm today's price before you decide whether to add the guided Palatina option.
Which Pitti Palace Ticket to Pick
The $40 combined ticket covers the palace and the Boboli Gardens, self-guided, and it is what most people want. You get the Palatina Gallery's stacked walls of Raphael and Titian, the Royal Apartments, and the run of the hillside behind, all on one entry with no fixed timetable inside the grounds.
The $68 guided visit focuses on the Palatina Gallery alone and holds the highest rating of any tour on this site, 4.9★, though from a small base of 276 reviews. The case for it is stronger here than at most museums: the Palatina hangs its paintings the way the Medici did, frames stacked three deep with no modern labels, so without someone explaining what you are looking at you are staring at a beautiful wall of anonymous masterpieces.
If sculpture and gardens matter more to you than being talked through eleven Raphaels, the $40 ticket and a slow walk through the Boboli will do it. If you want the paintings explained, pay for the guide and treat the gardens as the cooldown afterward. Either way, weigh it against the rest of the museums in Florence before deciding how much of a day to give the Oltrarno.
Book Your Pitti Palace Ticket
One combined ticket covers the palace and gardens; the guided option adds a Palatina specialist to walk you through the frames.
from $40 Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens Ticket
- Palace and gardens in one
- Raphael & Titian rooms
- Boboli hillside terraces
from $68 Pitti Palace and Palatina Gallery Ticket & Tour
- Original Medici hanging style
- Guided Palatina rooms
- Highest-rated tour here
What You'll See
The Palatina Gallery is the reason most people come. It hangs its paintings the way the Medici did, sorted by how the frames look together on silk walls rather than by artist or date, with nothing in the way of modern interpretation.
- Eleven Raphaels, including the Madonna della Seggiola and La Velata
- Titian, Rubens and Caravaggio filling the same rooms
- The Royal Apartments, still furnished as the Medici and later the Savoy left them
- The Treasury of the Grand Dukes and the Museum of Fashion and Costume, both under the same roof
Behind the palace, the Boboli hillside set the template every formal Italian garden has copied since.
- The Buontalenti Grotto, its walls modelled to look like dripping rock
- The amphitheatre climbing the slope directly behind the palace
- An Egyptian obelisk brought from Rome
- The Neptune fountain crowning the upper terraces
How a Visit Flows
-
0 to 15 min
Cross into the Oltrarno
Walk over the Ponte Vecchio and up toward Piazza de' Pitti, where the palace's long stone facade fills the far end of the square.
-
15 to 90 min
The Palatina Gallery
Work through the stacked walls of Raphael, Titian and Rubens room by room; there is no fixed route, so slow down where a frame catches you.
-
90 to 120 min
The Royal Apartments
Continue through the furnished state rooms, kept much as the Medici and later the Savoy left them.
-
120 to 150 min
Out into the Boboli
Step outside and start climbing the amphitheatre toward the upper terraces; this is where the light and the crowds both thin out.
-
150 to 200 min
Grotto, obelisk, Neptune
Loop past the Buontalenti Grotto, the Egyptian obelisk and the Neptune fountain before the hillside starts to feel like a proper walk.
-
200 min
Head back down
Descend toward the palace exit and back over the river, or stay in the Oltrarno for dinner in Santo Spirito.
Know Before You Go
Not suitable for
- Anyone with under two hours to spare; this is a half-day stop, not a quick detour
- Strollers or wheelchairs on the steeper gravel paths in the upper Boboli
- Visitors expecting modern wall labels in the Palatina Gallery
What to bring
- Comfortable walking shoes for the hillside terraces
- Sun protection; the Boboli has little shade and gets hot by midday
- Water, since options inside the gardens are limited
- A printed or digital copy of your ticket for the entrance gate
Not allowed
- Large backpacks or suitcases in the Palatina Gallery
- Flash photography near the paintings
- Picnicking on the palace terraces (the Boboli lawns are more relaxed)
Insider Tips
A few habits separate a rushed loop of the palace from a visit that actually uses the half day.
- Go in the morning; the Boboli hillside has little shade and turns into an oven by afternoon
- Do the Palatina before the gardens, your legs will thank you on the climb
- Skip the Modern Art Gallery and Costume Museum on a first visit; the Palatina and Boboli are enough
- Remember the palace is closed Mondays like the other state museums
- Book the guided Palatina slot if you want the Raphaels explained rather than guessed at
- Pair the visit with a Ponte Vecchio walk on the way back rather than the way there, so it is downhill at the end
Where You're Headed
Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens Tickets FAQ
How much does a Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens ticket cost?
The combined self-guided ticket for the palace and gardens is $40. A guided visit focused on the Palatina Gallery alone is $68. At the door, admission runs €16 for the palace and €10 for the gardens separately.
What are the opening hours?
The palace and Palatina Gallery open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15. The Boboli Gardens keep similar hours but close earlier in winter, so check the season before you plan an afternoon visit.
Is Pitti Palace closed on Mondays?
Yes. Like the Uffizi and the Accademia, Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens close on Mondays.
How do I get to Pitti Palace from the centre of Florence?
It is about 10 minutes on foot from the Ponte Vecchio. Cross the bridge into the Oltrarno and follow the crowds up toward Piazza de' Pitti; there is no metro in Florence, so everything here is walked.
What will I see inside?
The Palatina Gallery holds eleven Raphaels plus Titian, Rubens and Caravaggio hung Medici-style on silk walls. The ticket also covers the Royal Apartments, and outside, the Boboli Gardens with the Buontalenti Grotto, an Egyptian obelisk and the Neptune fountain.
Do I need to book Pitti Palace tickets in advance?
Booking ahead is worth it in high season, especially for the guided Palatina option, since the small-group slots are limited and sell out on busy weeks.
Is the guided Palatina Gallery tour worth the extra cost?
It depends on how much the paintings matter to you. The Palatina has no modern labelling, so a guide fills in what the walls do not, and the tour carries the highest rating of any ticket on this site at 4.9★.
How long should I plan for a visit?
Treat it as a half day rather than an hour. The Palatina alone takes over an hour, and the Boboli hillside rewards a slow, unhurried walk rather than a quick loop.
What Visitors Say
The Palatina rooms floored me, frame after frame with no space between them. Glad we paid for the guide because half of it would have gone over my head otherwise.
We nearly skipped the gardens after the palace but the walk up to the amphitheatre was one of the best views of Florence we got all trip.
Bigger than we expected and the June heat on the hillside was rough. Go early and it is worth every euro.