Leonardo da Vinci in Florence: day itinerary
A chronological and passable route between the three paintings of the Uffizi, the lost construction site of the Battle of Anghiari, Leonardo's workplaces and a machine museum.
Best order: book the first Uffizi slot, then cross Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio, then spend the afternoon at Via dei Servi, the interactive museum and Santissima Annunziata. Count 3 to 4 km walk and approx 8 hours, breaks included.
Don't choose Monday for this program: the Uffizi Gallery is closed. On Thursdays, the Palazzo Vecchio museum closes earlier; place it before lunch and always check official times the day before.
A coherent day, without crossing Florence in a zigzag
The route follows a compact east-west axis. It distinguishes original works, historical places and reconstructions: an essential detail so as not to enter an interactive museum thinking of seeing paintings by Leonardo.
Uffizi Gallery
Start with room A35: The Annunciation, The Adoration of the Magi and The Baptism of Christ.
Piazza della Signoria
Observe Palazzo Vecchio and the Loggia dei Lanzi: the political heart to which the command of the Battle of Anghiari responded.
Palazzo Vecchio
Enter the Salone dei Cinquecento. Leonardo's fresco has disappeared; the volume of the room remains essential to understand the scale of the project.
Lunch in the center
Stay between Piazza della Signoria and the Duomo to take the route straightforward.
Museo Leonardo da Vinci
Via del Castellaccio, the manipulable models explain the mechanisms, flight, hydraulics and construction machines.
Santissima Annunziata
Join the square and the basilica linked to Leonardo's return to Florence around 1500 and the presentation of Saint Anne's cardboard.
Santa Maria Novella
Finish with the district where Leonardo worked on the Battle of Anghiari. The interior visit depends on the weather and times.
From completed painting to lost works
Morning shows what remains. The afternoon reconstitutes a network of commissions, workshops and experiments. The day thus becomes a short urban biography of Leonardo.
View original
The three Uffizi paintings are the non-negotiable core of the route.
Measure a command
In the Salone dei Cinquecento, imagine the Battle of Anghiari on the scale of a civic wall.
Understanding a machine
The models make technical drawings readable, without replacing the original manuscripts.
Link addresses
Santissima Annunziata and Santa Maria Novella recount Florentine returns and projects.
Keep a margin
Florence can be visited slowly: allow thirty free minutes for queues, checks and detours.
At the Uffizi, three works tell the story of young Leonardo
The Leonard Room, on the second floor, allows you to move from learning at Verrocchio to invention in an autonomous way. Arrive at the opening, before the streams focus on Botticelli and neighboring rooms.
Go directly up to the second floor
Follow the numbering to room A35. Hanging changes remain possible: confirm the room on the day plan.
The Annunciation
The walled garden, architectural perspective and atmospheric landscape reveal an artist who further transforms the conventions of the studio.
Office Instructions →
The Adoration of the Magi
The unfinished state reveals the construction: spiral groups, architecture, horsemen and revivals. It’s a life-size method lesson.
Office Instructions →
The Baptism of Christ
Compare the material of the figures. Young Leonardo intervenes in particular in the kneeling angel on the left and in certain areas of the landscape.
Office Instructions →Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio
These two stages are similar but tell two different things: the public space of the Florentine Republic, then the immense room where Leonardo received one of his most ambitious commissions.
The Salone dei Cinquecento
In 1503, Leonardo received the commission for a battle scene for the Grand Council Hall. He chose the Anghiari episode and experimented with a mural technique which failed. The decor visible today is later: do not look for an intact fresco by Leonardo.
The real interest of the visit lies in the proportions of the room, its political function and the mental confrontation with the Battle of Cascina entrusted to Michelangelo.
Method point: hypotheses about hidden remains have been debated. Present the wall as the historic site of the commission, not as a visible work.
Machines, workshop and urban memory
The afternoon leaves the masterpieces to understand Leonardo's modern uses: educational museum, reconstructions and documented but transformed places.
Museo Leonardo da Vinci
This private, interactive museum does not preserve Leonardo's original paintings. It presents models built according to the drawings: gears, construction machines, hydraulic devices, flight studies and removable structures.
It is particularly suitable for families and anyone who wants to move from sketching to movement. Allow about an hour, more if you try each device.
Official website and opening hours →
What the reconstructions explain well
The models clarify the transmission of movement and the relationships between force, weight and friction. They are educational interpretations: a drawing by Leonardo is not always the plan of a machine actually built in the 15th century.
Photograph the captions that refer to the codices, then compare them later with the digitized sheets. This caution transforms an attraction into a real stage in the history of techniques.
Santissima Annunziata
On his return from Milan, Leonardo stayed with the Servites. According to ancient sources, a box of the Virgin, the Child and Saint Anne then attracted a considerable crowd. The work exhibited today at the Louvre is not simply this box: the passage through the square is mainly used to locate the workshop, the order and the public reception.
The piazza also offers a masterful reading of the resurgent space. The interior visit depends on religious services: remain discreet and check access.
Santa Maria Novella
The Dominican complex is linked to the preparation of the cardboard for the Battle of Anghiari. The spaces have changed function and the cardboard is lost: we come here to place Leonardo in the Florence of major commissions, not to see a preserved work.
If the day is late, at least look at Alberti's facade and the square. The neighboring station then makes the return easier.
What to book
Prices and times below recorded on official sites in July 2026. They may change during exhibitions, public holidays or works: use the official links before payment.
| Location | Usual hours | Full price | Reservation | Recommended time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uffizi Gallery | Tuesday-sunday 8:15 a.m. - 6:30 p.m |
€25 on site €29 in advance |
Highly recommended | 2:30 a.m. to 3 a.m |
| Palazzo Vecchio | Usually 9 a.m. - 7 p.m thursday 9 a.m. - 2 p.m |
€17.50 | Useful in season | 1 a.m. to 1:30 a.m |
| Museo Leonardo | April - october 9:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m |
€10 | Optional | 1 h |
| Museo Galileo | Wed. -moon. 9:30 a.m. -6 p.m tue. 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m |
€14 | Alternative science | 1:15 a.m |
Realistic budget: Uffizi + Palazzo Vecchio + interactive museum represent approximately €52.50 excluding booking fees. For a lighter day, keep the Uffizi, admire the Piazza della Signoria for free and visit only one museum in the afternoon.
Art and history
- Offices at opening
- Piazza della Signoria
- Palazzo Vecchio
- Santissima Annunziata
The best choice for a first visit and to see the originals.
No more manipulation
- Offices limited to 2 hours
- Early lunch
- Museo Leonardo
- Break in the piazza
Avoid adding Santa Maria Novella if attention drops.
Galileo variant
- Offices
- Museo Galileo
- Piazza della Signoria
- Santissima Annunziata
The Museo Galileo is not a Leonardo museum, but it preserves real historical scientific instruments.
Five mistakes that waste time
Florence widely uses the name Leonardo. A successful itinerary begins by distinguishing public collection, private museum, historical place and simple evocation.
A machine is not an original
The models have great educational value, but they are modern. Always read the reference codex and the interpretation part.
Battle of Anghiari no longer visible
Copies and drawings transmit the central melee. The Salone dei Cinquecento transmits the location and scale of the order.
Other traps: arrive at the Offices without a slot in high season; schedule the day on a Monday; forget the early closure of Palazzo Vecchio on Thursday; promise access to an old workshop whose spaces have been transformed.
Florentine works in reproduction
Find the three paintings observed in room A35 as well as the collection dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo da Vinci
Portraits, landscapes and religious compositions brought together in the same selection.
Famous paintings
Leonardo's best-known compositions, from the Louvre to major European collections.
Religious works
Virgins, saints and biblical scenes to extend the visit to the Offices.
Explore the entire Leonardo da Vinci collection
Portraits, religious scenes and Renaissance masterpieces available in several formats.
FAQ to prepare for the day
The answers favor a feasible route rather than an accumulation of sites.
Can we do this route on a Monday?
Not in its full version: the Uffizi are closed on Mondays. You can visit the squares, the interactive museum and some historical places, but you will miss the three original paintings.
Do I have to reserve the Offices?
Yes, especially from spring to fall. Choose the first available slot; the extra reservation is generally worth the time saved.
Where do we see the most original works by Leonardo?
At the Uffizi Gallery, in room A35. The interactive museum presents reconstructions of machines, not original paintings.
Is the Battle of Anghiari visible at Palazzo Vecchio?
No. The mural is lost. The Salone dei Cinquecento is the historic site of the commission and allows us to understand its ambition.
Is the day suitable for children?
Yes by reducing the Uffizi to around two hours and keeping the museum interactive. Remove Santa Maria Novella if fatigue appears.
Which museum to choose between Leonardo and Galileo?
Choose the Museo Leonardo to manipulate codex-inspired models. Choose the Museo Galileo for real historical scientific collections, broader and later than Leonardo.
How much does the day cost?
Around €52.50 for the three main museums, excluding reservations, meals and discounts. An Offices + public spaces version is much cheaper.
Can we do everything on foot?
Yes. The historic center is compact. Depending on the variation, allow approximately 3 to 4 km, plus travel within the museums.
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