Skip the Line: Early Access Uffizi Tour and Palazzo Vecchio

Art is intimidating, and few art museums are more impressive than Italy’s greatest vault of masterpieces: Florence’s Uffizi. But it doesn’t have to be this way, our Uffizi tour is tailor-made to allow you to explore and discover the jaw-dropping, history-changing world of Renaissance art: Whether you are a seasoned art-lover or a rank amateur.

The tour, like the museum, is chronological, so after skipping the (always long) entrance lines your expert, English-speaking guide will introduce you to early Renaissance masterworks from Cimabue, Duccio, and Giotto.[readmore]Through their paintings you’ll learn to distinguish the styles and techniques that created a revolution in the visual arts. Next, it’s on to classics of the High Renaissance, like Botticelli’s ‘Primavera’ and ‘Birth of Venus’. You’ll see the progression of artistic techniques, and revel in the explosion of colour and perspective.  But it’s not all art theory; you’ll learn about the incredible personalities and bitter rivalries of some of the biggest stars of the day like Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. 

Your next stop is Palazzo Vechio. For centuries this was the heart of art and government in Florence; so important that both Michelangelo and DaVinci were hired to paint murals on its walls.  Your tour includes the incredibly impressive Council of 500 and an intro to the tumultuous history of Florence. You'll hear how and why the Medici family abandoned this majestic fortress, building the Vasari Corridor all the way through the Uffizi Gallery to their new home at Palazzo Pitti.

This is more than just a tour, it’s a voyage through time that will make you appreciate all that it took to bring the visual arts out of the dark ages and into the modern world.

In an intimate group of 14 people or fewer you will have unparalleled access to your expert, English-speaking, guide. With plenty of time to ask all those questions that you can’t find in books. This is the perfect way to immerse yourself in the fascinating world of art history.