The Sinagoga e Museo Ebraico di Firenze at Via Luigi Carlo Farini 6 is one of the most important Jewish monuments in Italy. A grand Moorish-style synagogue inaugurated in 1882, it’s complemented by a two-floor museum covering 700 years of Jewish life in Florence.
This guide was updated in June 2026. The full admission price is €9 — several aggregators and older guides show €7 or €8. The closure calendar is more complex than most guides convey: the venue is closed every Saturday (Shabbat) and on all Jewish holidays, with multiple closures in autumn 2026 including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah. Photography is not permitted inside the synagogue or museum. You can book through GetYourGuide in advance.
Quick facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | Via Luigi Carlo Farini 6, 50121 Florence, Italy |
| Summer hours (June–September): Sun–Thu | 10:00–18:30 (last ticket 17:45) |
| Summer hours (June–September): Friday | 10:00–17:00 (last ticket 16:15) |
| Winter hours (October–May): Sun–Thu | 10:00–17:30 (last ticket 16:45) |
| Winter hours (October–May): Friday | 10:00–15:00 (last ticket 14:15) |
| Closed | Every Saturday; all Jewish holidays (see below) |
| Last tickets sold | 45 minutes before closing |
| Full price | €9 |
| Concession (children 6–14; students 15–26; journalists; Siena Synagogue ticket holders) | €5 |
| Under 6 | Free |
| FirenzeCARD holders | Free |
| Disabled visitors + companion | Free |
| Group leaders | Free (2 teachers per 20 students; 1 per 20 adults) |
| Advance booking fee | €1 |
| Photography | Not permitted inside synagogue or museum |
| Nearest bus | ATAF lines to Piazza d’Azeglio or Via Laura |
| Distance from Duomo | 15-minute walk east |
| Typical visit | 45–75 minutes |
Florence Synagogue opening hours
The summer season (June–September) runs Sunday to Thursday, 10:00 to 18:30, and Friday 10:00 to 17:00. The winter season (October–May) runs Sunday to Thursday, 10:00 to 17:30, and Friday 10:00 to 15:00. The venue is closed every Saturday (Shabbat) without exception.
Last tickets are sold 45 minutes before closing — not 30 minutes as some sources state. The opening schedule uses Jewish calendar days; Sunday (not Monday) begins the visitor week.
2026 Jewish holiday closures confirmed on the official site:
- 2 March: Pesach (early closure)
- 2–4 April & 8–9 April: Pesach (CLOSED)
- 21 May: Shavu’ot (early closure)
- 22–23 May: Shavu’ot (CLOSED)
- 23 July: Tisha B’Av (CLOSED)
- 11 September: Rosh Hashanah (early closure)
- 12–13 September: Rosh Hashanah (CLOSED)
- 20 September: Yom Kippur (early closure)
- 21 September: Yom Kippur (CLOSED)
- 26–27 September: Sukkot (CLOSED)
- 3–4 October: Simchat Torah (CLOSED)
Florence Synagogue admission prices
The full admission is €9 for adults, confirmed on the official jewishflorence.it page. Several aggregators and older guides still show €7 or €8. The concession rate is €5. An advance booking fee of €1 applies to online purchases.
| Category | Price |
|---|---|
| Full price | €9 |
| Concession (ages 6–14; students 15–26; journalists; Siena Synagogue ticket holders) | €5 |
| Under 6 | Free |
| FirenzeCARD holders | Free |
| Disabled visitors + one companion | Free |
| Group leaders (2 per 20 students; 1 per 20 adults) | Free |
| Advance booking fee | +€1 |
A single ticket covers both the synagogue and the Jewish Museum. Proof of identity is required for concession tickets and must be presented at the entrance. Book through GetYourGuide to reserve your visit.
Why visit the Florence Synagogue and Jewish Museum?
- 🏛️ The green dome on the Florence skyline: The synagogue’s copper-covered central dome — distinctive among the terracotta of Florence — is visible from multiple viewpoints across the city. Inside, the Moorish interior of arabesques, gilded highlights, polychrome stained glass, and mosaic floors creates an atmosphere unlike any other building in Florence.
- 🎟️ A single ticket covers both the synagogue and the museum: The €9 admission covers the full synagogue interior and both floors of the adjacent Jewish Museum — two distinct experiences in one visit.
- 🌿 700 years of Florentine Jewish history in one building: The museum traces the Jewish community’s presence in Florence from the 14th century through the Medici ghetto, emancipation, and the wartime deportations, with archival photographs, silverware, and ceremonial textiles.
- 📜 A plaque with 248 names in the garden: In the garden surrounding the complex stands a memorial with the names of the 248 Jewish residents of Florence killed during the Nazi occupation — a quiet and significant detail that most visitor guides don’t mention.
- 💰 Free for FirenzeCARD holders: The synagogue is included in the FirenzeCARD circuit (€85 for 72 hours, covering 72 Florentine museums), giving excellent value for visitors using the card across multiple sites.
How to get to the Florence Synagogue
On foot from the Duomo, the synagogue is a 15-minute walk east along Via dei Servi and across Piazza d’Azeglio. From the Accademia Gallery (home of the David), the walk takes around 8 minutes east along Via degli Alfani and Via Laura. The building is unmistakable from a distance — look for the green copper dome.
By bus (ATAF), several lines serve Piazza d’Azeglio, a 5-minute walk from the synagogue. Bus C1 connects the area with the Oltrarno and Piazza Santa Croce.
By car, ZTL restrictions apply across the historic centre. The Mattonaia district around Piazza d’Azeglio has some limited on-street parking outside the ZTL. Arriving by foot or bus from central Florence is more practical.
5 great Florence experiences to book
- 🏛️ Cover Florence in a day – including the Duomo, Uffizi and skip-the-line tickets for Michelangelo’s David.
- 🍝 Learn how to make pasta the Tuscan way at a cooking class with unlimited wine.
- 🎨 On a guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery, discover the detail in the Renaissance masterpieces.
- 🗿 Discover much more than David on a guided tour of the Galleria dell’Accademia.
- 🍷 Take a 4WD Tuscan wine safari – with several winery tastings and a three-course lunch.
Parking at the Florence Synagogue
There is no dedicated parking. The synagogue is in the Mattonaia district, east of the historic centre. Limited on-street parking exists in the wider area. The nearest practical car park is at Piazza della Stazione (SMN), from which the walk takes approximately 20 minutes. Public transport or walking is the realistic option.
How long to spend at the Florence Synagogue
Allow 45 to 75 minutes. The synagogue interior takes around 20–30 minutes — guided tours (available in Italian and English) typically run 45 minutes and are the recommended way to understand the architectural iconography. The Jewish Museum on two floors adds 20–30 minutes. Brief guided tours of the synagogue run at published times; check the schedule at the ticket desk on arrival.
Accessibility at the Florence Synagogue
The synagogue complex is accessible to wheelchair users. A pavement-level entrance connected to the street avoids steps, and the main access does not present significant obstacles. Disabled visitors and one companion enter free. If a large-framed wheelchair cannot pass through the metal detector at the standard entrance, it is possible to enter via the main gate by car — visitors must inform the reception team in advance. Accessible toilet facilities are available inside. Photography is not permitted inside the synagogue or museum at any time.
What to see at the Florence Synagogue
The synagogue exterior announces itself with travertine and pink limestone cladding, a massive copper-green central dome, and two side towers with smaller domes — a distinctive profile deliberately distinct from the city’s Romanesque and Renaissance architecture. Built between 1874 and 1882 by architects Treves, Falcini, and Micheli, it was designed to signal Jewish emancipation after 1861 through architectural grandeur comparable to Florence’s great churches.
The prayer hall interior is the defining experience of the visit. Every surface is painted with geometric arabesque motifs in gold, blue, and red, layered over a Moorish structural system of arches and galleries. The women’s gallery runs around the upper level on three sides. Polychrome stained-glass windows filter light through the arches. The floor mosaics and the carved walnut pews and ark (the cabinet holding the Torah scrolls) were all commissioned as part of the original 1882 scheme.
The Jewish Museum (Museo Ebraico, two floors) provides the historical and ceremonial context. The collection includes textiles, silverware, and objects from the synagogues of the original Florentine ghetto — the ghetto was demolished in the 1880s during the same redevelopment that prompted construction of the new synagogue. Archival photographs document the community from the late 19th century through the Fascist racial laws of 1938 and the Nazi occupation of 1943–1944.
The memorial garden contains a plaque bearing the names of 248 Jewish residents of Florence deported and killed during the German occupation of 1943–1944. The garden is accessible from the museum exit.
Practical tips for visiting the Florence Synagogue
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| Check the Jewish holiday calendar | Multiple closures affect autumn 2026, including both Rosh Hashanah (12–13 Sep) and Yom Kippur (20–21 Sep). Check the full calendar on jewishflorence.it before booking. |
| Photography is not permitted | This applies strictly throughout the synagogue and museum — not just in specific rooms. All photography, including smartphone photography, is prohibited. |
| Saturday is always closed | The venue closes every Saturday without exception. Plan accordingly if visiting Florence on a weekend. |
| Last tickets are sold 45 minutes before closing | Not 30 minutes, as some sources state. On winter Fridays (closing at 15:00), last ticket is 14:15. |
| Book in advance | Advance booking is particularly recommended around Jewish holidays when the pre- and post-holiday days can be very busy. The €1 advance booking fee is added to the ticket price. |
Florence Synagogue FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the adult ticket price? | €9 full price; €5 concession (children 6–14, students 15–26, journalists). Several guides still show €7 or €8 — those prices are out of date. |
| Is it closed on Saturdays? | Yes, every Saturday (Shabbat) without exception. It is also closed on all Jewish holidays — see the full 2026 calendar on jewishflorence.it. |
| Can I take photographs inside? | No. Photography is strictly prohibited throughout the synagogue and museum. |
| What are the winter Friday hours? | October–May: open 10:00–15:00 on Fridays only, with last ticket at 14:15. This is significantly shorter than weekday hours. |
| Does the ticket cover both the synagogue and museum? | Yes — the single ticket covers the synagogue interior and both floors of the Jewish Museum. |
Things to do near the Florence Synagogue
Piazza d’Azeglio is the residential square directly in front of the synagogue complex — a late-19th-century formal garden square used for the city’s expansion at the same period the synagogue was built. The area is quiet and residential, a contrast to the tourist centre a short walk away.
The Museo Galileo is around 20 minutes’ walk west along Via degli Alfani towards the Arno and holds the world’s most important collection of scientific instruments, including Galileo’s own telescopes.
The Sant’Ambrogio neighbourhood surrounds the synagogue to the south-west and is one of Florence’s most authentically local neighbourhoods — the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio (produce market, Monday–Saturday mornings) on Piazza Ghiberti is one of the best food markets in the city.
The Synagogue of Siena is around 90 minutes south by bus or car and is the companion institution — holders of a Florence Synagogue ticket receive the concession rate at Siena. Together the two form the principal sites of Jewish heritage in Tuscany.
Santa Croce and its neighbourhood is 15 minutes south-west on foot and includes the principal Franciscan church of Florence (tomb of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli), the Pazzi Chapel, and the Leather School. The Horne Museum in the same neighbourhood holds a significant small collection of Renaissance art.
Similar heritage sites to visit near Florence
Synagogue of Rome (Tempio Maggiore di Roma) is around 3 hours by high-speed train and is the largest synagogue in Italy, holding a Jewish Museum with significant Roman Jewish heritage. Rome’s Jewish community is the oldest continuous Jewish community in Europe.
The Memoriale della Shoah, Milan is around 2.5 hours north by high-speed train — a Holocaust memorial museum in the former railway area where Milan’s Jews were deported. A very different experience from a synagogue visit but an important complementary perspective.
The Jewish Museum of Venice is around 3 hours by high-speed train and covers the history of the Venice Ghetto — established in 1516 and the origin of the word “ghetto” — with guided tours of the still-functioning synagogues within the original ghetto boundary.
Palazzo Davanzati, Florence is 20 minutes west and gives an equivalent depth of domestic material culture from the same late-medieval period as the earliest Florentine Jewish community. Not directly related in subject matter but provides useful period context.
More Tuscany travel
Other Tuscany travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- Plan your visit to Siena Cathedral.
- How to visit two Chianti Classico wineries from Florence in one afternoon.
- Learning to make pasta in Florence.
- How long are the queues to see Michelangelo’s David?
- Florence attraction guides: Palazzo Vecchio, Medici Chapels, Museo de Medici, Uffizi Gallery, Museo Galileo, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens.
