The Cappelle Medicee (Medici Chapels) at Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini 6 in Florence are the funerary monument of the Medici dynasty and home to Michelangelo’s greatest sculptural achievements in a single room.
This guide was updated in June 2026. The full admission price is €11, confirmed on the official Bargello Museums tickets page — many aggregators and recent TripAdvisor reviews still cite €9 (the pre-2025 price), and some older listings show €6 or €7. Two further points to note: “Michelangelo’s Secret Room” is a separate combined ticket at €32, not included in standard admission; and the museum is closed every Monday. You can book through GetYourGuide in advance to skip the queue.
Quick facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini 6, 50123 Florence, Tuscany, Italy. |
| Hours (Tue–Sun) | 08:15–18:50 |
| Closed | Mondays; 25 December; 1 January |
| Last admission | 40 minutes before closing (18:10) |
| Full ticket | €11 |
| Reduced ticket (18–25, EU citizens) | €2 |
| Under 18 | Free |
| Reservation fee | €3 (optional but recommended) |
| 72-hour Bargello pass | €38 (all five Bargello Museums) |
| Secret Room (combined, separate ticket) | €32 full / €7 reduced |
| Audioguide | €6 (single device); €10 (double) |
| Free admission days | First Sunday of the month; 25 April; 4 November |
| Nearest bus stop | ATAF lines to San Lorenzo / Piazza del Mercato Centrale |
| Nearest car park | Piazza della Stazione or Fortezza da Basso |
| Typical visit | 45–75 minutes |
Medici Chapels opening hours
The Cappelle Medicee are open Tuesday to Sunday, 08:15 to 18:50. The museum is closed every Monday. It is also closed on 25 December and 1 January. The last admission is 40 minutes before closing — that means 18:10 on a standard day.
Free admission applies on the first Sunday of each month (#domenicamuseo) and on the national holidays of 25 April and 4 November. On free days, reservations and educational activities are not available, and tickets are collected on site only.
Medici Chapels admission prices
The full admission price is €11, confirmed on the official Bargello Museums page. Many aggregators and TripAdvisor reviews still show the old price of €9, and some platforms show €6 or €7. The reservation fee is €3, payable on top of admission; it is optional but strongly recommended in summer.
| Category | Price |
|---|---|
| Full ticket | €11 |
| Reduced (EU citizens 18–25) | €2 |
| Under 18 | Free |
| Secret Room combined ticket (full) | €32 |
| Secret Room combined ticket (reduced) | €7 |
| 72-hour pass (all five Bargello Museums) | €38 |
| Reservation fee | €3 (optional) |
| Audioguide | €6 single / €10 double |
The 72-hour pass covers the Bargello, Cappelle Medicee, Orsanmichele, Palazzo Davanzati, and Casa Martelli within 72 consecutive hours. Book through GetYourGuide to secure your date and skip the ticket counter.
Why visit the Medici Chapels?
- 🏛️ Michelangelo’s New Sacristy in its original setting: The four allegorical sculptures — Night, Day, Dawn, and Twilight — remain in the room for which they were made, beside the tombs they were always intended to adorn.
- 🎟️ Free for under-18s and on the first Sunday of the month: Children pay nothing, and the museum joins the national #domenicamuseo scheme with free entry for all on the first Sunday of every month.
- 🌿 The Chapel of the Princes is one of the most expensive rooms ever built: Begun in 1604 and not completed until 1962, the Cappella dei Principi consumed the equivalent of billions of euros in polychrome hardstone — pietra dura at a scale found nowhere else in the world.
- 📜 Michelangelo’s Secret Room: Accessible only by reservation as a separate combined ticket, the underground room contains 57 charcoal drawings on the walls attributed to Michelangelo. Each slot is limited to four people for 15 minutes.
- 💰 One of Florence’s most underrated major museums: Queues are significantly shorter than at the Uffizi or Accademia, despite the Michelangelo sculptures being comparable in importance to the David.
How to get to the Medici Chapels
On foot from Florence city centre, the museum entrance is on Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini, immediately behind the Basilica di San Lorenzo. From the Duomo it is a 5-minute walk west along Via dei Cerretani, then north through the San Lorenzo market. From the central railway station (Santa Maria Novella) it is a 7-minute walk east.
By bus (ATAF), several lines stop near Piazza del Mercato Centrale or Via Nazionale, both a short walk from the museum. Buses 1, C1, and 23 pass nearby.
By car, driving into central Florence is restricted by the ZTL (zona a traffico limitato). Use car parks outside the restricted zone — Piazza della Stazione (Parcheggio Fortezza or Parcheggio SMN) are the nearest. Do not attempt to drive to the museum entrance.
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 Medici Chapels
There is no parking at the museum. The nearest practical car parks are outside the ZTL at Santa Maria Novella station (approximately 600 metres) and Fortezza da Basso. Parking in central Florence is expensive and heavily restricted. Public transport or walking from accommodation within the historic centre is strongly preferable.
How long to spend at the Medici Chapels
Allow 45 to 75 minutes for a thorough visit. The museum is compact — three main spaces (the Medici Crypt, the Cappella dei Principi, and the Sagrestia Nuova) plus the Lorraine Crypt — and most visitors need under an hour. Visitors using the audioguide (available in Italian and English, €6) should allow 75–90 minutes. The Secret Room visit adds exactly 15 minutes but requires a separate reservation and combined ticket (€32).
Accessibility at the Medici Chapels
A ramp connects the pavement to the ground floor, and a lift reaches the Cappella dei Principi on the first floor. From there a platform lift accesses the Sagrestia Nuova. Electric scooters and motorised wheelchairs are assessed case by case for the safety of the artworks. Accessible restrooms are on the exit route.
Michelangelo’s Secret Room is not accessible — access is via a narrow staircase of 12 steps with no lift. It is also closed to children under 10, unaccompanied minors, and anyone with heart conditions, claustrophobia, or in advanced pregnancy. Backpacks and large bags must be deposited on the upper floor before entering the Secret Room. Lockers are available at the cloakroom (€1 deposit, returned); large suitcases cannot be stored and are not permitted. A changing table is available near the toilets.
What to see at the Medici Chapels
The Medici Crypt is the starting point. Beneath grey pietra serena floor slabs lie 49 members of the Medici family, from Cosimo I (died 1574) to Gian Gastone (died 1737), with whom the main line ended. Lorraine family members who inherited the Tuscan throne are in the adjacent Lorraine Crypt.
The Cappella dei Principi is the most extravagant funerary chapel in Florence. Walls are clad floor to ceiling in polychrome pietra dura — jasper, quartz, lapis lazuli, and marble — executed by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, founded by Ferdinando I in 1588. The dome was painted by Pietro Benvenuti between 1828 and 1837.
The Sagrestia Nuova (New Sacristy) is Michelangelo’s masterpiece, built 1519–1534. The allegorical figures — Night, Day, Dawn, and Dusk — recline on the sarcophagus lids of Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino and Giuliano, Duke of Nemours. Opposite stands the Madonna and Child on the tomb of Lorenzo the Magnificent. The room’s architectural design — pietra serena on white plaster — shaped Italian architecture for a century.
Michelangelo’s Secret Room (separate ticket, €32) lies beneath the Sagrestia Nuova, rediscovered in 1975. Its walls hold 57 charcoal drawings believed made by Michelangelo while hiding here in 1530 after the fall of the Florentine Republic. Four people per slot, 15 minutes, reservation required.
Practical tips for visiting the Medici Chapels
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| The correct price is €11 | Many aggregators still show €9 or lower. The full ticket is €11 plus the optional €3 booking fee. |
| Book the Secret Room separately | The Secret Room requires a combined ticket (€32 full) purchased in advance. It is not included in standard admission. Each slot takes only 4 people for 15 minutes — book well ahead in summer. |
| The museum is closed on Mondays | Several travel guides list the museum as open six or seven days. It closes every Monday without exception. |
| Arrive before last admission at 18:10 | Last entry is 40 minutes before 18:50 closing. Arriving at 18:30 means no entry. |
| Book in advance | A reservation is optional but saves the €3 fee you’d pay at the desk anyway — and skips any queue, particularly useful in summer. |
Medici Chapels FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the admission price? | €11 full, €2 reduced (EU citizens 18–25), free under 18. Many guides and aggregators still show €9 — that is now out of date. |
| Is the Secret Room included? | No. It requires a separate combined ticket at €32 full or €7 reduced, booked in advance. Each slot allows only 4 people for 15 minutes. |
| Is the museum closed on Mondays? | Yes, every Monday without exception. It is also closed on 25 December and 1 January. |
| Can I visit for free? | Yes, on the first Sunday of each month and on 25 April and 4 November. On free days, reservations are not available and tickets must be collected at the door. |
| Is the museum accessible for wheelchairs? | Largely yes — ramp at entrance, lift to the Cappella dei Principi, and platform lift to the Sagrestia Nuova. The Secret Room is not accessible (12 steps, no lift). |
Things to do near the Medici Chapels
The Basilica di San Lorenzo is immediately adjacent and is the parish church of the Medici family. The interior, designed by Brunelleschi, holds Donatello’s two bronze pulpits and the Old Sacristy — Brunelleschi’s breakthrough in Renaissance space. Entry is ticketed (separate from the Cappelle Medicee); the exterior, accessible from Piazza San Lorenzo, is always viewable.
The Mercato Centrale is the large covered market two minutes north of the museum. The ground floor holds butchers, fishmongers, and produce vendors; the first floor is a modern food hall with Florentine street food. The San Lorenzo street market surrounding it specialises in leather goods.
The Palazzo Medici Riccardi is a 5-minute walk east on Via Camillo Cavour and was the main Medici family residence until the 16th century. The Chapel of the Magi inside contains Benozzo Gozzoli’s masterpiece fresco Journey of the Magi (1459–1461).
The Museo Nazionale del Bargello is the sister museum within the Bargello group, around 10 minutes’ walk south-east. It holds Donatello’s David (the first large-scale freestanding nude since antiquity), Michelangelo’s Bacchus and Brutus, and the finest collection of Italian Renaissance sculpture in the world.
The Duomo complex (Brunelleschi’s dome, the Baptistery, Giotto’s Campanile, and the Cathedral Museum) is a 7-minute walk south-east. The Cathedral Museum holds Michelangelo’s Pietà and Donatello’s extraordinary Penitent Magdalene, both essential complements to the Cappelle Medicee visit.
Similar museums to visit near Florence
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence holds the world’s greatest collection of Italian Renaissance painting, including Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera. Booking in advance is essential; queues without a reservation can exceed two hours. About 15 minutes’ walk from the Medici Chapels.
Accademia Gallery, Florence houses Michelangelo’s David (1504) in the tribune designed specifically for it in the 19th century. Seeing the Medici Chapels and the Accademia in a single Florence visit gives a near-complete picture of Michelangelo’s sculptural career in the city.
Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens, Florence served as the Medici Grand Dukes’ main residence from the 1550s onwards. The Palatine Gallery holds major works by Raphael, Titian, and Caravaggio; the Boboli Gardens were the prototype for the Italian formal garden.
Musei di San Marco, Florence occupies the convent where Fra Angelico painted a fresco in every monk’s cell between 1438 and 1445. One of the most meditative museum experiences in Florence, and closely connected to the Medici through Cosimo il Vecchio’s patronage.
Villa La Petraia, Sesto Fiorentino is a Medici villa on the outskirts of Florence, now managed as part of the national museums. It holds Flemish tapestries and period furnishings in the rooms used by the Savoy dynasty; the garden has one of the best views of the city from any Medici property.
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