The Uffizi Gallery welcomes all visitors and guests with disabilities, and there are special features to ensure your visit is comfortable.
Visitors with impairments or specific health conditions can get preferential access to ticketing and museum entry.
For information and help, you can ask staff members wearing white or green uniforms.
Please remember that only people with disabilities and one of their relatives (or anyone accompanying them) are eligible for free priority access.
The disabled person should carry an identity card with valid documents.
You should have a medical certificate following your country’s legislation, a specific badge or card, or a valid disabled parking card with your data.
European visitors should have a European Disability Card.
Other than this, there are various other Uffizi Gallery accessibility services you should know about. Read on!
Routes Facilitated at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence
Inside the museum, the traditional route comprises multiple flights of stairs to ascend and descend.
However, lifts suited for wheelchairs of all sizes will always be available.
- There are additional accessible restrooms at the museum.
- There is a disabled exit. To use it, you can ask for help from the staff in each room.
- Touch the Masterpieces: The museum provides tactile replicas of famous paintings, allowing one to explore their textures and details.
- Sculpture at Your Fingertips: Experience the power of sculpture firsthand.
You can touch and explore 16 classical sculptures, feeling the curves and textures of these timeless masterpieces.
- Navigate with Ease: A dedicated map for visually impaired visitors makes finding your way a breeze.
Ask for it at the entrance, along with disposable gloves for touching the sculptures.
- Easy Access for All: Enter the museum effortlessly through a special ramp directly from Via della Ninna, next to the main courtyard.
Friendly staff will greet you at the entrance.
- Soaring to the Art: Once inside, use the accessible elevators to reach the gallery and explore its wonders at your own pace.
The Uffizi Gallery believes everyone should enjoy art. These special features ensure a truly enriching and memorable visit for all.
Reservations and Ticket Offices are Easily Accessible
Visitors with impairments and their accompanying persons are not required to make reservations.
Uffizi Accessible Entrance (download the map)
There’s a friendly welcome at Door 1 under the colonnade for guests with mobility needs or particular health concerns.
There’s a friendly welcome at Door 1 under the colonnade for guests with mobility needs or particular health concerns.
They can pick up their tickets at the office under the Ponente Loggia (on the right) near the Lungarno Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici.
Then, follow the accessible ramp from Via Della Ninna.
At the end of the corridor, an elevator will take you directly to the second floor.
If you’re using a motorized wheelchair, electric scooter, or other large device, please let the reception staff know.
They’ll guide you to the Vasari Auditorium, Uffizi’s concierge desk, where they’ll ensure a smooth and comfortable entry for you.
Boboli Gardens (download the map)
People in wheelchairs should be accompanied to the Pitti Palace’s entrance since the walk from the square is quite steep.
The entire area is accessible by foot, and vehicles are not permitted. However, if you have a disabled person’s badge, you can park nearby.
The ticket office is positioned to the right of the façade, on the same level as the entrance door, some 87 meters away, under an open loggia.
Visitors with disabilities can pick up their tickets at the ticket office in Piazza Pitti (to the right of the main entrance).
You can contact the reception staff at the ticket office and museum entry for information and help.
There are no steps to enter the palace’s inner courtyard (the Cortile dell’Ammannati).
The courtyard serves as the entrance space for the restaurant, bathroom, and bookshop and the beginning point for exploring the Pitti museums.
The Boboli Gardens are accessible from there: on the left side of the courtyard, a vaulted tunnel connects to a dirt track (uphill) leading to the Amphitheatre.
The normal entry, located in the courtyard near the café, requires climbing a meandering incline (also known as a flat staircase) with 44 shallow steps.
And there is no handrail, which links to a short paved slope leading to the Amphitheatre.
Treasury of the Grand Dukes Museum
The Treasury of the Grand Dukes Museum is located on the courtyard’s left side.
The museum’s entry door also serves as its departure, and the threshold has a maximum height of 3 cm.
Because the museum is divided into two floors connected by a stairway, those with limited mobility can only visit the ground floor.
From the courtyard, you can access the Palatine Gallery (first floor), the Gallery of Modern Art, and the Museum of Costume and Fashion (second level) via stairs or lifts.
The lifts are on the right side of the courtyard, close to the cloakroom.
Wheelchair and Walker on Rentals
The Uffizi Gallery welcomes visitors of all abilities and offers several resources to ensure a comfortable and enriching experience for those with disabilities.
Electric scooters
To protect the safety of the museum spaces and works, electric scooters are limited and usage is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
As a result, the staff may invite the visitor to shift to one of the museum’s wheelchairs at no additional cost.
To use the lifts, it is best not to visit museums with measurements greater than a length of 120 cm, a breadth of 50 cm, and a weight preference not exceeding 250 kg.
Assistance dogs
Blind people’s guide dogs
Guide dogs for the blind may enter without further permission or notification of their presence before the visit if they wear the appropriate harness and are on a leash.
Dogs that provide assistance
Assistance dogs and pet therapy animals can only be admitted if they have a certification from a public health facility stating that their presence is necessary and that they are fit to serve this purpose.
If you are bringing an assistance dog or a pet therapy animal, please contact the gallery in advance and submit the necessary certification by emailing uffiziaccessibili@cultura.gov.it.
The use of a leash is required.
Baby Pit-Stop
The Uffizi Galleries provide designated places for breastfeeding and nappy changing so that parents can feel at ease.
If you are searching for it, it is available in the Uffizi in the cafeteria on the second floor.
The nursing area at the Pitti Palace is located in the basement near the restrooms and consists of two rooms with comfy chairs and a changing table.
It is accessible from the café by descending two short flights of stairs (18 steps) with handrails or from the cloakroom by descending one flight (20 steps).
The amphitheater has a bathroom with a changing table.
Contents
Food and Beverages
You are not allowed to bring food and drink inside the museums.
You can bring baby food, baby bottles, powdered milk, and fruit juices in no larger than 250 ml cardboard cartons for children.
Children can drink from non-drip baby bottles, cups, or tiny bottles. Highchairs are available on request in the cafeterias.
FAQs
Is the Uffizi handicap accessible?
Yes, the Uffizi Gallery is generally considered handicap accessible, with several features in place to ensure a smooth and enjoyable visit for guests with disabilities.
Does the Uffizi have an elevator?
Visitors will discover an elevator at the end of the corridor that will take them directly to the gallery’s second floor.
Is Florence disabled-friendly?
The Uffizi Gallery, Boboli Gardens, Duomo, and Accademia Gallery offer accessible entrances, ramps, elevators, and adapted restrooms.
Also, buses and trams have designated wheelchair spaces and audio announcements. Some metro stations are accessible.
Are backpacks allowed in Uffizi Gallery?
As you know, backpacks and large bags or luggage are prohibited inside the museum. However, you store them in free cloakrooms.
This is the most convenient option for large backpacks or luggage. Remember to bring a photo ID for the claim ticket.
Featured Image: Heritagetribune.eu
