The Museo Galileo at Piazza dei Giudici 1 in Florence, Italy, is the world’s most important museum of scientific instruments. It holds the finest surviving Medici and Habsburg-Lorraine scientific collections alongside Galileo’s own telescopes, quadrants, and — most striking of all — his preserved middle finger in a reliquary.
This guide was updated in June 2026. The full admission price is €14 — several guides still show €10 or €12, both out of date. One critical planning point: on Tuesdays the museum closes at 13:00, not 18:00. Most guides list a single opening time without flagging this exception. You can book through GetYourGuide in advance.
Quick facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | Piazza dei Giudici 1, 50122 Florence |
| Hours (Mon, Wed–Sun) | 09:30–18:00 |
| Hours (Tuesday) | 09:30–13:00 only |
| Ticket sales end | 30 minutes before closing (i.e. 17:30 on standard days; 12:30 on Tuesdays) |
| Closed | 1 January; 25 December |
| Full price | €14 |
| Children/students (6–18) | €7 |
| Groups (min. 15 people) | €7 per person |
| School groups (6–15 years) | €6 per student |
| Family ticket | €32 (2 adults + max 2 children 18 and under; or 1 adult + max 3 children) |
| Discounted | €10 (Unicoop Firenze, LaFeltrinelli CartaEffe, ACI, and other qualifying cards) |
| Under 6 | Free |
| FirenzeCARD | Accepted |
| Nearest bus stop | Multiple ATAF lines along the Arno (Uffizi / Piazza dei Giudici) |
| Distance from Uffizi | 2-minute walk |
| Typical visit | 1–2 hours |
Museo Galileo opening hours
The museum is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 09:30 to 18:00. On Tuesdays it closes at 13:00 — half the standard day. Ticket sales end 30 minutes before closing (17:30 on standard days; 12:30 on Tuesdays). The museum is closed on 1 January and 25 December only.
Two Tuesdays in 2026 are exceptions: Tuesday 2 June and Tuesday 8 December, when the museum is open until 18:00 instead of 13:00. These coincide with national public holidays when the usual Tuesday truncation is lifted.
Museo Galileo admission prices
The full price is €14, confirmed on the official hours-prices page. Several aggregators and guides still show €10 or €12 — both figures are from earlier pricing.
| Category | Price |
|---|---|
| Full price | €14 |
| Children / students aged 6–18 | €7 |
| Groups (minimum 15 people) | €7 per person |
| School groups (ages 6–15) | €6 per student |
| Family ticket | €32 |
| Discounted | €10 (see qualifying cards on official site) |
| Under 6 | Free |
The family ticket (€32) covers 2 adults + up to 2 children aged 18 and under, or 1 adult + up to 3 children. Book through GetYourGuide to confirm your visit.
Why visit the Museo Galileo?
- 🔭 Galileo’s own telescopes: Two of Galileo’s original telescopes — the instruments with which he first observed Jupiter’s moons in January 1610 — are displayed alongside the lens through which he made the discovery. Nothing comparable survives anywhere else.
- 🎟️ Galileo’s middle finger in a reliquary: Three of Galileo’s fingers were removed at his reburial in 1737; his right middle finger, preserved in an 18th-century crystal egg on an alabaster base, is on display in Room I. It is the most asked-about object in the museum.
- 🌿 The Mirabilia Graphica exhibition (18 June – 18 October 2026): A remarkable temporary exhibition on micrographic calligrams by 17th-century artist Francesco Ignazio Muligino — included in the standard entrance ticket.
- 📜 The most important Medici scientific collection in existence: Armillary spheres, celestial globes, astrolabes, sundials, mathematical instruments, and navigational tools assembled by the Medici over two centuries — the finest such collection to survive.
- 💰 One of the most undervisited major museums in Florence: Two minutes from the Uffizi, it regularly draws far smaller crowds than comparable institutions. Early afternoon visits are particularly quiet.
How to get to the Museo Galileo
On foot, the museum is a 2-minute walk from the Uffizi Gallery — proceed from the Piazzale degli Uffizi east along the river embankment; the museum occupies the medieval Palazzo Castellani on the riverfront. From Ponte Vecchio it is a 3-minute walk east. From Piazza della Signoria, allow 5 minutes.
By bus (ATAF), several routes run along the Lungarno Generale Diaz (the river road). Bus C3 connects the embankment with Santa Croce; other routes stop near the Uffizi. Given the museum’s proximity to the Uffizi, most visitors arrive on foot from the city centre.
By car, ZTL restrictions apply across the historic centre. The nearest car parks are at Piazza della Stazione (SMN) or Piazza del Grano, both a 15-minute walk.
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 Museo Galileo
There is no parking at or near the museum — the Lungarno embankment is a restricted traffic zone. ZTL restrictions apply. The museum is walkable from any point in the historic centre in under 15 minutes. Visiting by car is strongly discouraged.
How long to spend at the Museo Galileo
Allow 1 to 2 hours. The museum covers two floors across 20 rooms, divided into two collections (Medici instruments; Lorraine instruments). A self-guided highlights visit — Galileo’s telescopes, the armillary spheres, the finger reliquary, and the 17th-century globes — takes around 60 minutes. The official Museo Galileo App (free, iOS and Android) provides an audioguide in multiple languages; downloading before arrival is recommended as in-museum wifi is unreliable.
Accessibility at the Museo Galileo
The museum is fully accessible to wheelchair users — a lift serves all floors and the entrance is step-free from the piazza. Accessible toilets are available inside. Disabled visitors and one accompanying person enter free. No flash photography is permitted; photography for personal use is otherwise allowed.
What to see at the Museo Galileo
Room I — The Galileo Room opens the visit with the museum’s most significant objects. The two surviving Galileo telescopes (1609–1610) are displayed in climate-controlled cases — one is the instrument with which Galileo first observed Jupiter’s four largest moons in January 1610, a discovery that fundamentally changed understanding of the solar system. Beside them is the objective lens from the telescope used to observe the phases of Venus. In the same room: Galileo’s compass and armillary sphere, and the reliquary holding his middle finger, removed at his reburial in the Basilica di Santa Croce in 1737 and housed in a crystal egg on an alabaster pedestal.
The Medici collection (Rooms I–VII) preserves instruments assembled by Cosimo I, Ferdinand I, and Ferdinand II. The centrepiece is Antonio Santucci’s monumental gilded brass armillary sphere (1588–1593) in Room III — one of the largest and most elaborate surviving models of the universe. Astronomical quadrants, astrolabes, sundials, and calculating machines trace two centuries of Medici scientific patronage.
The Lorraine collection (Rooms VIII–XX) covers instruments gathered by the Habsburg-Lorraine Grand Dukes who succeeded the Medici in 1737. The character shifts from courtly display to practical measurement: barometers, electrical machines, surveying instruments, and early chemical apparatus. The Wunderkammer cabinet in Room X holds naturalia — coral, fossils, and minerals — from the original Medici collections.
Mirabilia Graphica (temporary exhibition, 18 June–18 October 2026, included in standard admission) presents the extraordinary work of Francesco Ignazio Muligino — a 17th-century calligrapher who wrote texts so small they are invisible to the naked eye, composing them as images only revealed under a microscope.
Practical tips for visiting the Museo Galileo
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tuesday closes at 13:00, not 18:00 | The Tuesday truncated hours are consistent year-round (with two exceptions: 2 June and 8 December 2026). Arriving at 14:00 on a Tuesday means no entry. |
| The full price is €14 | Several guides and aggregators still show €10 or €12. The current full adult ticket is €14. |
| Download the app before visiting | The official Museo Galileo App (iOS and Android) provides audioguide content. Museum wifi is unreliable — download the app and content in advance. |
| Galileo’s finger is in Room I | It is the first major room and most visitors are surprised to encounter it immediately on entry. It is not a minor curiosity but one of the museum’s central objects, displayed prominently with full historical context. |
| Book in advance | Walk-up tickets are generally available, but pre-booking is advisable during peak summer months and around the new Mirabilia Graphica temporary exhibition opening. |
Museo Galileo FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the adult ticket price? | €14 full price. Several guides and aggregators still show €10 or €12 — both are out of date. Children and students aged 6–18 pay €7. |
| Is it really closed early on Tuesdays? | Yes. Tuesday hours are 09:30–13:00, not 18:00. Ticket sales end at 12:30. The only exceptions in 2026 are 2 June and 8 December, when it opens until 18:00. |
| Can I see Galileo’s finger? | Yes — it is in Room I, the first major gallery, displayed in a crystal reliquary on an alabaster base. It is one of the most prominently displayed and historically documented objects in the collection. |
| Is the Mirabilia Graphica exhibition included? | Yes — the temporary exhibition (18 June–18 October 2026) is covered by the standard admission ticket at no extra charge. |
| Is it part of the FirenzeCARD? | Yes. The museum is a member of the FirenzeCARD circuit, which covers entry to 72 Florentine museums and monuments with a single card. |
Things to do near the Museo Galileo
The Uffizi Gallery is a 2-minute walk west along the river embankment — the museum’s most immediate neighbour and the world’s greatest collection of Italian Renaissance painting.
The Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio are a 5-minute walk north-west. The medieval civic square, Loggia dei Lanzi with Cellini’s Perseus, and the Palazzo Vecchio museum are all in the same short walk.
Ponte Vecchio is a 3-minute walk west. The medieval bridge lined with goldsmiths since 1593, and the views along the Arno embankment, are a natural complement to the river walk between the Museo Galileo and the Uffizi.
The Opificio delle Pietre Dure Museum is 15 minutes north along Via degli Alfani and covers the history of the Medici grand-ducal workshop for hardstone mosaic — directly connected to the instrument-makers who supplied the Medici scientific collections.
The Bargello National Museum is 8 minutes north-east and holds the world’s greatest collection of Italian Renaissance sculpture.
Similar science and history museums to visit near Florence
The Museo di Storia Naturale, Florence (La Specola) is 15 minutes south-west across the Arno and is the oldest public natural history museum in Europe, holding a collection of 600 anatomical wax models made in the 18th century — among the most extraordinary objects in any Italian museum.
The Museo degli Strumenti per il Calcolo, Pisa is around 1.5 hours west by train and holds a significant collection of calculating machines and early computers alongside instruments from Pisa’s mathematical tradition — a natural companion to the Museo Galileo.
The Museo Nazionale di Antropologia e Etnologia, Florence is 10 minutes east and is Italy’s oldest anthropology museum, holding Medici-era exploration collections from Africa, the Americas, and Asia — material gathered by the same dynasty that commissioned many of the Galileo collections.
Galileo’s villa at Arcetri (Villa Il Gioiello) is around 3 km south of the city centre on the Arcetri hill. The house where Galileo lived under house arrest from 1634 until his death in 1642 is managed by the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica; access for individual visitors is limited but group visits can be arranged by contacting the Museo Galileo.
The Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, Milan is around 2.5 hours by high-speed train and is the world’s largest museum dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci, holding over 180 models of his machine designs. A significant complement to Florence’s science museum landscape.
More Tuscany travel
Other Tuscany travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- A guide to Pisa for first time visitors.
- 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, Uffizi Gallery, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens.
