Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Palazzo Medici Riccardi
4
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
About
The first Medici palace, the home of Cosimo the Elder and Lorenzo the Magnificent and the workplace of artists of the calibre of Donatello, Michelangelo, Paolo Uccello, Benozzo Gozzoli and Botticelli. The Renaissance house… where it all began.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Florence Historic Center
How to get there
- Alamanni-Stazione Santa Maria Novella • 10 min walk
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2,698 within 5 kms
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884 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- David YBoston, Massachusetts3 contributionsWell worth itFound this to be an interesting place to visit. Very relaxed with incredible artwork. You got the feel of the building and the chapel and the ceiling of the Mirror Gallery are unforgettable. Near the Academia gallery where the statue of David is. We were sightseeing after seeing David and this was relaxed and not crowded, a welcome change.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 8 October 2023
- LesleyDublinDublin, Ireland259 contributionsThe home of the Medicis, a lovely buildingThis is where the Medici family actually lived. We booked tickets in advance for early in the morning and we went straight in. The chapel of the Magi is on the first floor. You are only allowed in for 5 minutes as it is quite small and groups of 10 go in at a time. You just have time to look around it and take pictures. There is another stunning room, A Mirror Gallery. It’s a lovely building to walk around. There is an indoor and outdoor courtyard and garden. There was also a display of busts downstairs and two other exhibitions. One was of modern tapestries and pictures ( from the 1930s) which were very colourful. I really enjoyed this building. It was one of my favourite in Florence.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 29 October 2023
- Chris GilbaneManchester, United Kingdom195 contributionsOverpriced, not that interesting, looks like poor conservationThis was a medici palace, was then bought by another family and is now a municipal building.. It's more of a town hall with some old stuff, some paintings and a few really decent rooms. Some of the hanging tapestries are very faded and have light direct on them which seems very weird from a conservation perspective Not worth the money and I.like my history.Visited June 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 28 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.0
1,047 reviews
Excellent
475
Very good
335
Average
129
Poor
64
Terrible
44
LWB888
London, UK565 contributions
Sept 2021 • Solo
I called the museum a few weeks in advance to book an English guided tour. Paolo of the museum told me that English tour of Palazzo Medici was fully booked most of days. I begged Paolo to find me a slot. Eventually he told me he was able find a slot and sent me email confirmation. When I arrived, I ended up the only person on the tour. What a luxury! My tour guide was very nice. I told her that I was very curious about the Medici family history. We were lucky to stay in the Magi chapel alone for quite a long time. I could thoroughly enjoyed seeing the paintings and listening the story behind it. The palazzo was magnificent but some rooms lacked furniture, feeling rather empty. The ballroom was beautiful. I wish one day I could go for a ball there (fantasy). It was one of the highlights of my trip to Florence.
Written 30 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen O'C
Vienna, Austria13 contributions
Apr 2022
We visited just before Easter weekend on a Thursday after lunch.
The ticket price was €10 for adults.
The original courtyard, designed by Michelozzo, is very beautiful and a good start to the visit. We followed this up with a tour of the garden, which is very peaceful and creates a wonderful atmosphere. The very high garden wall blocks out the noise and bustle of the city, just as it has done for generations of Medici and Riccardi. The Magi Chapel is where the inside tour begins and it is genuinely striking and impressive. This is surely one of the best frescoes in Florence and is well worth seeing.
However, the visit goes steeply downhill from this point. A tour of sparsely furnished rooms, with little or no information or context. There are a few items - paintings and period furniture, but nothing to tie everything together.
The Baroque hall and city council chamber are nice, but once again visitors are left to decipher the rooms and decoration themselves.
The visit continues in the basement with an archaeological exhibit. Some of the cellars have been excavated and a small selection of finds are on display, but with very little information. This is a disjointed and disconcerting part of the tour and really should be addressed.
The final part was a collection of antique busts from the Riccardi family.
Some are them of are decent, but many are gnarled and damaged beyond the point of display, particularly with museums and galleries all over Florence exhibiting far superior pieces. Worse still are busts made of chalk, copies of items that one can see in the original nearby at the Uffizi.
Overall, I really wanted to like and enjoy this palazzo, but this is one for those who simply must see everything related to the Medici in Florence. It has a few nice features, but they don't really justify the ticket price. Much better value can be found elsewhere in Florence.
Skip this one if you're short on time in Florence, you won't miss too much.
Better to spend your time at the Uffizi for ancient busts or Palazzo Vecchio for Medici history.
NOTE: This attraction was partially free until relatively recently. On my last visit in December 2019, the garden and ground floor were free to wander into. I was a little disappointed to be charged €10 admission.
The ticket price was €10 for adults.
The original courtyard, designed by Michelozzo, is very beautiful and a good start to the visit. We followed this up with a tour of the garden, which is very peaceful and creates a wonderful atmosphere. The very high garden wall blocks out the noise and bustle of the city, just as it has done for generations of Medici and Riccardi. The Magi Chapel is where the inside tour begins and it is genuinely striking and impressive. This is surely one of the best frescoes in Florence and is well worth seeing.
However, the visit goes steeply downhill from this point. A tour of sparsely furnished rooms, with little or no information or context. There are a few items - paintings and period furniture, but nothing to tie everything together.
The Baroque hall and city council chamber are nice, but once again visitors are left to decipher the rooms and decoration themselves.
The visit continues in the basement with an archaeological exhibit. Some of the cellars have been excavated and a small selection of finds are on display, but with very little information. This is a disjointed and disconcerting part of the tour and really should be addressed.
The final part was a collection of antique busts from the Riccardi family.
Some are them of are decent, but many are gnarled and damaged beyond the point of display, particularly with museums and galleries all over Florence exhibiting far superior pieces. Worse still are busts made of chalk, copies of items that one can see in the original nearby at the Uffizi.
Overall, I really wanted to like and enjoy this palazzo, but this is one for those who simply must see everything related to the Medici in Florence. It has a few nice features, but they don't really justify the ticket price. Much better value can be found elsewhere in Florence.
Skip this one if you're short on time in Florence, you won't miss too much.
Better to spend your time at the Uffizi for ancient busts or Palazzo Vecchio for Medici history.
NOTE: This attraction was partially free until relatively recently. On my last visit in December 2019, the garden and ground floor were free to wander into. I was a little disappointed to be charged €10 admission.
Written 17 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sonja M
Hove, UK725 contributions
Aug 2019
A great place to visit . Off the normal Florence tourist trail , this palazzo gives a great insight into the Medici way of life. There are some wonderful works of art , but few descriptions to give a little bit of background to what you are seeing.
Having said that it is well worth a visit.
Having said that it is well worth a visit.
Written 17 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AngelaM
4 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
Unpleasant staff. Queue three times: once to book a time slot ( get there when it opens at 19.30 and wait 40 minutes to book an afternoon slot) then queue to buy tickets, then queue another half an hour to be allowed to enter the museum. All the time deal with hot flustered unprofessional staff. Take your chance elsewhere.
Written 13 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
laura
Sesto Fiorentino, Italy11 contributions
Sept 2021
The main reason to go to Palazzo Medici Riccardi is to see the Chapel of the Magi painted by Benozzo Gozzoli for Cosimo the Elder and his son Piero the Gouty.
It is certainly one of the jewels of Florence,
BUT you Must Note that you will have a scant 5 , yes 5, MINUTES to explore, admire and understand this wonderful fresco and the Cost of the ticket is 10 euros.
Before the pandemic you were given 15 minutes . There is no long line most of the time to go in, and you can even make a free reservation, so WHY is the visit only 5 MINUTES?
It's far to expensive and completely frustrating. It's a marvelous and complex work of art that even in 15 minutes is hard to take in completely. So very very very disappointing !!
It is certainly one of the jewels of Florence,
BUT you Must Note that you will have a scant 5 , yes 5, MINUTES to explore, admire and understand this wonderful fresco and the Cost of the ticket is 10 euros.
Before the pandemic you were given 15 minutes . There is no long line most of the time to go in, and you can even make a free reservation, so WHY is the visit only 5 MINUTES?
It's far to expensive and completely frustrating. It's a marvelous and complex work of art that even in 15 minutes is hard to take in completely. So very very very disappointing !!
Written 28 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BethfromA2
Ann Arbor, MI143 contributions
May 2023 • Solo
I went to the Palazzo on the advice of a friend who knows and loves Florence. I had to wait about 30 minutes to get into the Palace. Though it was the first Sunday in the month this site was not free. I paid full price. There was no audio guide in English though there was a brief booklet describing the palace as well as a QR code with the major dates in the Palazzo’s history. There were descriptions of some of the paintings. But the place did not come alive with this meager information. I had heard a lecture in the morning during which the fresco in the chapel was interpreted. If I had not heard that I would have been clueless about what it depicted. Nor was there much about the excavations in the basement presumably from Roman times. Hope they improve!
Written 7 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jo_and_Tom
Anna, OH2,054 contributions
Mar 2020
This palace was used by Medici's for their banking business. The first floor contained the bank on one side of it, with a plaza inside. As you walked in there are sculptures and decorations. Inside the Medici's crests, bust etc along with murals was evident.
Written 8 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marla7
Naas, Ireland832 contributions
Sept 2021
It might not be one of the top priorities for those visiting Florence, but I really enjoyed Palazzo Medici Riccardi. It was very easy to get into, even if we didn't reserve in advance, we only had to wait about 10 minutes to be called. The visit to the palazzo was very interesting and there are some amazing pieces of art like the painted chapel and some work by Filippo Lippi.
I really also enjoyed the temporary exhibition on animation cinema.
I really also enjoyed the temporary exhibition on animation cinema.
Written 15 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JRMADA
United States3,386 contributions
Oct 2022
We went in expecting to see a Medici Palace in all its splendor. After all, this is the Medici House, a name synonymous with Power, Wealth, Luxury, Prestige… But instead we saw only part of the palace because parts of it are full of government workers. Then there was a modern art exhibit which was just rooms full of “art” where some pieces looked like kindergarteners had fun with art materials. Some of the rooms (the most beautiful ones) were set up for presentations full of chairs, a projector, and a white projection screen. Had we known this is how it was going to be, we would have saved our money and time and skipped it. The staff is friendly and helpful, but the organizers of the museum don’t really provide and info about the place (no audio guide, or written info). There is some posted info, but not really sufficient to give you a good experience. If you only have a limited time here, skip it.
Written 18 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Exploring Chris
Calgary, Canada244 contributions
Jan 2022
Of the many galleries, museums, churches and palaces we visited in Florence, the Palazzo Medici Riccardi was the only experience we found to be a waste of time. At the time we were there, capacity was very limited. We arrived at our timed entry but still needed to wait in the courtyard for nearly and hour before being granted entry. Touring is limited to a small amount of the place and other than the Magi Chapel, there is very little to see once inside. Ticket prices are to high for this limited experience.
Written 6 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
is this wheelchair accessible?
Written 11 January 2018
There is an elevator, on the right of the main courtyard where the exit stairs are. There was a guard there to assist patrons, as well.
Written 5 February 2018
Hello, I am interested in the 72 hour euro card, what is it and how can I get one?
Thank you for your advice
Written 13 September 2017
The answer is "it all depends......."
Its complex.
If you already know what you will want to see you can easily research the costs of your destinations and compare that with the cost of the card. However, that doesn't take into account the fact that the card can get you into each destination quicker - provided the place actually has those priority queue lines. This is an important factor if you have a family group.
The best, seemingly unbiased advice is actually on the Visit Florence website which explains the ins-and-outs of the card and suggests how best to assess for yourself whether or not the card is right for your particular needs.
On balance, the reduced hassle through using the card is hard to value but must be taken into account.
Mike S.
Written 16 September 2017
Can you purchase admissions tickets in advance? How much is the admission per person?
Written 13 August 2017
There was no line. It was 12 euro. This museum is small and not part of the usual tourist attractions and perfect on a hot Florence afternoon. Hope this was helpful.
Written 22 August 2017
What is the official website to Palazzo Medici Riccardi? The link on Tripadvisor goes to blank page. Where to book tickets online?
Written 16 July 2017
quanto tempo ci vuole in media per vedere questo monumento? grazie!
Written 16 April 2017
Tra l'una e le due ore a seconda del l'approfondimento e della guida
Written 16 April 2017
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