The Uffizi palace was designed and begun in 1560 by the architect Giorgio Vasari in the period when Cosimo de' Medici, first Grand Duke of Tuscany, was bureaucratically consolidating his recent takeover of power. Built in the shape of a horseshow extending from Piazza della Signoria to the Arno River and linked by a bridge over the street with Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi were intended to house the administrative offices (Uffizi) of the Grand Duchy. From the beginning, however, the Medici set aside a few rooms on the third floor to house the finest works of their collections. The Gallery was subsequently enriched by various members of the Medici family. Two centuries later, in 1737, the palace and their collection were left to the city by Anna Maria Luisa, the last Medici heir, and today houses one of the world's great art galleries. In its 45 rooms, the Uffizi houses not only the best of Florentine paintings from the 14th and 15th centuries, but masterpieces from other parts of Italy as well as four centuries' worth of works from leading artists in Germany, Spain and Holland. Apart from paintings, the Uffizi exhibits ancient Roman and 16th century sculpture in its frescoed corridors.

Serious art lovers should visit the Uffizi at least twice. The museum is organized in chronological order from the 13th to the 18th centuries. Your first visit should cover Rooms 1-24, dedicated to the Florentine Renaissance (home to the most famous paintings). A second visit could deal with Rooms 25-45, devoted to the High Renaissance and Mannerism in Florence, with works that end in the 18th century.

Visitors to the Uffizi may also visit the famous Vasari Corridor linking Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi to the Pitti Palace across Ponte Vecchio. Over 1 km long, the passage way was commissioned in 1565 by Cosimo I to celebrate the marriage of his son Francesco to Joanna of Austria and was completed in only six months. The private corridor enabled the Medici to move freely between the seat of government and their private residence without having an escort and without walking among the commoners on the street. Apart from the delightful views of the city through the corridor's circular windows, its entire length contains a selection of 17th and 18th century paintings, including a unique self-portrait collection. A visit to the corridor has to be booked in advance as only small groups are allowed, accompanied by a guide.

The Uffizi Gallery is one of the world's premier galleries for Renaissance art. It is the home to renowned pieces such as Boticelli's "Birth of Venus", da Vinci's "Adoration of the Magi", Carravaggio's "Sacrifice of Isaac" and many more. Because the Uffizi is essentially the most popular gallery in Florence, having pre-booked tickets is a must. Without reservations, you may have to wait up to more than three hours in line. Getting reserved tickets is easy. You can use a calling card to call Firenze Musei at +39 055294883. With this number, you can also reserve tickets for the Accademia.

The Uffizi is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 8:15am to 6:50pm and closed on Mondays and holidays. It is a short walk from the train station (10 minutes) although you can take Bus No. 23 directly to the gallery. Tickets are €6.50 each and if you reserve tickets for a pre-determined date/time, you must pay an extra €3 reservation fee (per ticket). There are reduced rates for EU citizens as well. It may be wise to plan your trip to Florence (or Italy even) during Italy's Culture Week (typically in April or May and dates are announced sometimes in February of that year). During Culture Week, all Italian state-run museums, galleries, and archaeological sites are free of charge which is perfect for budget travellers looking to save money. We took advantage of that and happened to be in Florence during Culture Week and did not have to pay anything except the reservation fees so it was a huge bargain for us.

We reserved tickets for May 15 at 9:30 but we had travelled so much that we lost track of the days and instead showed up on the 16th thinking it was the 15th. However the ticket agent was sympathetic and gave us tickets at no charge (we still paid the €3 reservation fees. So let that be a lesson to you guys: always keep track of the dates! We considered ourselves lucky because the line was so long for people who didn't reserve tickets for it was already around the block! Waiting in line didn't take very long, maybe 20 minutes at the most. You are required to go through security in which they'll ask you to dispose of plastic bottles and check large bags/umbrellas. No photography is allowed whatsoever. There is an exception - you are allowed to use your camera in the part of the gallery that has a great view of Ponte Vecchio in which you can take pictures of.

During my visit, the Uffizi was crowded but it was so worth it to see the beautiful works by Botticelli (and Carravagio. I must have spent 3 hours wandering around the gallery and also purchased a few choice items in the gift shop which has everything you could imagine. If you're in Florence, you MUST visit the Uffizi. To not do so is a travesty for it's truly one of a kind!

This is one of the most famous museums of paintings and sculpture in the world. Its collection of Primitive and Renaissance paintings includes several universally acclaimed masterpieces of all time - an absolute must see for any art lover.

The Uffizi Gallery occupies the top floor of the large building erected by Giorgio Vasari between 1560 and 1580 to house the administrative offices of the Tuscan State - thus, the name uffizi, which means offices. The Gallery was created by Grand-duke Francesco I and subsequently enriched by various members of the Medici family, who were great collectors of paintings, sculpture and works of art.

We did this as a small group tour with Context Florence, whose website can be found at: florence.contexttravel.com. The group was potentially six people but it ended up being only me and my husband. So for €33 each, which included the ticket for the Uffizi, we got a private tour.

Context Florence, which is part of the Context Tours organization, uses only docents who have masters or PhDs in a related field. Our docent had her masters in art history and was teaching art history while researching for her further degree. She was a great resource so that we could make the best use of our time. With our pre-paid tickets, we avoided the wait to buy tickets and speedily negotiated the security queue.

The art gallery starts from the 13th century with Cimabue, and ends with Tiepolo, Canaletto, and Guardi in the last hall. In between, we found the Italian paintings of the Tuscan Macchiaioli, Carrà and Severini, the Frenchmen, Ingres and Delacroix, and also Durer, Rubens, and Rembrandt. There is an unbeatable Florentine and Italian Renaissance selection of paintings by Giotto, Simone Martini, Piero della Francesca, Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Mantegna, Correggio, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael, with no less than 27 Botticelli’s, including The Birth of Venus and the Prima Vera. There is also the impressive Doni Tondo by Michelangelo.

When we visited, the Annunciation by Leonardo Da Vinci was on loan for an exhibit in Japan, causing great controversy to have allowed a masterpiece to leave the shores of Italy. Not Renaissance, but also a masterpiece is Caravaggio’s Medusa as well as his Sick Bacchus and Rest on the Flight to Egypt.

The Uffizi does not allow cameras but we were able to take photos on the outdoor terrace of the café, on the top floor, where we saw some unusual views of the Plazzo Vecchio and Il Duomo in the distance.

There are a number of bookstores on the ground floor and the public washrooms in the basement are some of the nicest I ever saw in Italy, although it was a rather long walk to get to them.

Despite the three hour tour, we focused on only parts of the collection. There’s so much more I’d like to return to and see. The Gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8:15am to 7pm.

The first day you arrive in Florence, check into your hotel, then leave straight away to the Uffizi. Order your tickets for a few days later (thus avoiding massive lines) and explore other Florentine treasures while you wait in anticipation for a great life event. The Uffizi is simply the best Art Gallery/Museum you can visit. It has none of the pomp or pretense of the Louvre. Rather, it's like walking through a partly run down palace, exploring rooms packed full with the greatest Italian and other European art works in existence. Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Verrocchio, the list goes on and on. You will notice organised tour groups that race through the Uffizi looking at around five of the most famous works. Don't do this! Take your time, and look at everything. You will be amazed! Look at the really famous works just after the tour groups have been called away. You'll have great access to the world's greatest works you thought unimaginable. A few hours later, after your finished you exceptional walk through the Uffizi, spend some time in the exceptional book, print, and jewelery store. A truly inspirational experience!

Wonderful and terrible all at the same time - glorious art - some of the very best in the world - Stendhal-Syndrome inspiring pieces like the Botticelli's Birth of Venus and a room full of portraits of the Medici that gives me chills every time I walk through. But the interminable waits to get in are miserable, and by the time you get in you may not be in the mood to take in the world's best art anymore.

The museum is much described elsewhere on this site. I don't have much to add, except a tip. Go early. If you're like me and hate getting up at the crack of dawn you'll balk at that suggestion, but trust me. Get there by 7:00am or 7:30am. Drink a cappuccino to go (hard to get but oh-so-delicious) and eat a panino while you wait. The line won't move until the museum opens, so you'll be able to sit quietly and read if you like. And you'll be in one of the first batches to enter when it does open, chopping of an hour or more of wait time.