Frequently asked questions

What is the Vasari Corridor?

The Vasari Corridor (Corridoio Vasariano) is an elevated, enclosed passage that runs from the Uffizi Galleries, along the Arno, over the top of the Ponte Vecchio and through to the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens — described by the Uffizi as about 750 metres long, and often cited as up to around a kilometre. It was designed by Giorgio Vasari and built in 1565 for Duke Cosimo I de' Medici, so the Medici family could move privately between the government palace and their residence without entering the public street. It reopened on 21 December 2024 after eight years closed for restoration.

How does booking the Vasari Corridor work?

The Corridor is visited only in tiny timed groups — a maximum of 25 people at a time — on a combined Uffizi + Vasari Corridor ticket. You choose your date and entry window and pay securely; we then book the timed slot in your name on the official Uffizi calendar and email your confirmation. Because the ticket is nominative, we collect each visitor's name at checkout so it is valid at the gate. If your exact slot has already sold out, we secure the nearest available window on your date and confirm it with you.

Is this a skip-the-line ticket?

No — and we won't pretend it is. The Vasari Corridor is a reserved, timed-entry experience with a hard cap of 25 people per group, so there is no general queue to skip. What we do is secure you a confirmed timed slot and book it in your name on a calendar that sells out fast. You arrive for your booked group time and walk straight into your reserved visit.

Do I have to buy the Uffizi too?

The Vasari Corridor is sold only as a combined Uffizi + Vasari Corridor ticket — there is no Corridor-only ticket. The good news is the same ticket admits you to the Uffizi Galleries, so you can explore the Uffizi before heading to the Corridor entrance inside the gallery for your timed group.

Why do you need each visitor's name before booking?

The official ticket is nominative — issued in a named visitor's name, personal and non-transferable, and checked against a physical ID at the entrance. To book a slot the instant it opens, we already need each traveller's name on file, so we don't lose the slot chasing you for details. Each name must exactly match the passport or government ID that person will travel on. We use the names only to book your ticket and delete them after your visit.

What will I actually see inside the Corridor?

The reopened route is a walk through the structure itself. Along the way you pass almost three hundred ancient Greek and Latin marble inscriptions, around fifty Greco-Roman portrait busts of emperors and empresses (Augustus, Antoninus Pius, Commodus, the empresses Sabina and Faustina among them), and 16th-century frescoes created under Vasari's direction. There are memorial spaces for the 1944 destruction of Florence's bridges and the 1993 Via dei Georgofili bombing. The famous self-portrait collection that once hung here has been moved into dedicated rooms inside the main gallery.

Can I see the self-portraits in the Corridor?

Not any more. For decades the Corridor was lined with hundreds of artists' self-portraits begun by Cardinal Leopoldo de' Medici in the 17th century. During the restoration those works were relocated to dedicated rooms inside the Uffizi's main galleries. The reopened Corridor instead displays ancient inscriptions, Greco-Roman busts and Vasari-era frescoes, with the bare structure and the views over the Arno as the experience.

How long does the visit take, and which direction does it go?

The Corridor walk is one-directional, from the Uffizi over the Ponte Vecchio towards the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens side. Allow roughly 45–60 minutes for the Corridor itself once your group enters, plus however long you spend in the Uffizi beforehand on the same ticket. Groups run Tuesday to Sunday, with the first at 10:15 and the last at 16:35.

Is the Corridor wheelchair-accessible?

Yes. The reopened Corridor was rebuilt to be fully accessible, with an integrated system of ramps, platforms and lifts, and toilets at the far end. If anyone in your party has specific access needs, tell us when you book and we will pass them to the Uffizi Galleries when we book.

When does the Corridor open and close, and is it open Mondays?

Timed groups run Tuesday to Sunday — the first group enters at 10:15 and the last at 16:35 — and the Corridor is closed on Mondays, like the Uffizi. The exact slots available shift seasonally and on public holidays; we confirm your precise group time when we secure the booking.

Is the Vasari Corridor a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

It sits within one. The Corridor and the Ponte Vecchio it crosses are celebrated features of the Historic Centre of Florence, which UNESCO inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1982. The Corridor is a landmark within that listing rather than a separately inscribed monument.

What happens after I book?

As soon as your payment clears, we book your timed Uffizi + Vasari Corridor entry in your name on the official calendar and email your confirmation. If the exact slot you chose is no longer available, we secure the nearest window on your date and confirm it with you before finalising. If we cannot fulfil a confirmed, paid booking, you are refunded in full.

What is your refund policy?

Because the ticket is a nominative, timed reservation, all sales are final once a ticket has been issued in your name. You are only ever charged after we have a confirmed slot to book. We refund in full only in the event the operator fails to honour a confirmed, paid booking. We do not promise a refund 'if we can't secure a slot' because we never take payment until a slot is confirmed — if none opens, you simply are not charged.

How do I get to the Uffizi and the Corridor entrance?

The Uffizi is beside Piazza della Signoria in the heart of Florence's pedestrian centre, about a 15-minute walk from Firenze Santa Maria Novella station. Enter the Uffizi with your combined ticket; the Vasari Corridor begins inside the gallery, from room D19 on the first floor. Arrive in good time so you reach the Corridor entrance before your group's start time.