How do you book Accademia tickets to see Michelangelo's David?
Accademia tickets cost €20 plus a €4 booking fee through B-Ticket, the museum's only official seller. They carry your name and cannot be refunded; here are the free days, combined tickets, passes and reseller options.
To see Michelangelo’s David, book a timed ticket for the Galleria dell’Accademia through B-Ticket, the only channel the museum names as authorized by Italy’s Ministry of Culture. Use the “Buy online” link on galleriaaccademiafirenze.it, or call the Firenze Musei booking line on +39 055 294883. A full ticket is €20 plus a €4 booking fee, so €24 booked ahead. It carries your name, so bring matching ID, and it cannot be refunded. The Accademia opens Tuesday to Sunday, 8.15 a.m. to 6.50 p.m., with last admission at 6.10 p.m., and is closed on Mondays, 25 December and 1 January.
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This is an independent travel guide, not the official Accademia or Uffizi website, and we earn a commission on some bookings made through our links, at no extra cost to you. This page covers the museum’s ticket rules and how to book them yourself. If you would rather book a reserved ticket or a guided visit in one step, our Accademia David tickets page has the ticket we would book and the alternatives. Prices and rules change, so check galleriaaccademiafirenze.it before you pay.
How do you book Accademia tickets?
Book through B-Ticket, the only channel the Accademia says is authorized by the Ministry of Culture. You can buy online from the “Buy online” link on galleriaaccademiafirenze.it, or by phone.
| Channel | How | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Online (B-Ticket) | The “Buy online” link on galleriaaccademiafirenze.it | Card payment; confirmation by email; €4 booking fee per ticket |
| Phone | Firenze Musei, +39 055 294883 | Same €4 booking fee; check the line’s hours on the museum’s site before you call |
| Box office on the day | At the museum, Via Ricasoli | The museum says the wait without a reservation may be long |
Step by step
- Start from galleriaaccademiafirenze.it, not a search ad. There are many lookalike sites.
- Choose your date and time slot.
- Choose your ticket type: full, reduced (EU citizens aged 18 to 25), free (under-18s, still booked) or a combined ticket.
- Enter each visitor’s name exactly as it appears on their ID.
- Pay by card.
- Keep the confirmation email and bring it with you, along with original ID for everyone.
The rules to know
- Tickets carry the visitor’s name. Under the visitor regulation the museum adopted in July 2026, staff may check ID, and if the name does not match, entry can be refused with no refund.
- Name changes: the July 2026 regulation is reported to allow one name change, up to 24 hours before your visit, through the concessionaire. Older booking terms say bookings cannot be changed, so contact them early if you need to.
- No refunds. Booked tickets cannot be refunded or cancelled once paid.
- The €4 booking fee applies to every booked ticket, free ones for children included.
- Free days cannot be booked. On the first Sunday of every month, and on 25 April, 2 June and 4 November, entry is free, first come, first served.
How much do Accademia tickets cost?
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Full price | €20, plus the €4 booking fee: €24 booked ahead |
| During the winter exhibition (15 December 2026 to 2 May 2027) | €23 plus €4 has been reported by the press; not yet on the museum’s own site when we checked |
| EU citizens aged 18 to 25 | €2, plus the booking fee |
| Under-18s | Free (€4 booking fee if you reserve); under-12s must be with an adult |
| Disabled visitors and one companion | Free, with documentation |
| Accademia + Bargello, valid 48 hours | €26, plus the booking fee |
| Six museums of the Accademia and Bargello group, valid 72 hours | €38, plus the booking fee; adds the Bargello, the Medici Chapels and more |
| Firenze Card | €85 for 72 hours and more than 60 museums; you still need an Accademia time slot |
The two combined tickets have been on sale since 15 March 2026. For a day of Michelangelo’s sculpture, the 72-hour ticket costs €18 more than the Accademia alone and adds the Medici Chapels and the Bargello. Prices change, so check the museum’s tickets page before booking.
If you are also seeing the Uffizi, its prices and discounts are on our page on Uffizi ticket types, discounts and free entry, and the two-museum day is planned in Uffizi and Accademia in one day.
Is there skip-the-line entry for the Accademia?
A timed reservation saves you queuing for tickets, but it does not get you past the security check. Under the Accademia’s July 2026 regulation, tour operators may not advertise “skip the line”, “fast track” or “priority entry” for access the museum does not offer. Treat any product that promises it with suspicion.
What helps:
- Book a timed slot ahead, especially at weekends, from 26 December to 6 January, and from Easter to October.
- Take the first slot of the day (8.15 a.m.) or a late-afternoon slot.
- Arrive 15 minutes early with ID and a small bag.
- Avoid free days unless saving money matters more to you than time.
What’s on at the Accademia in winter 2026–27?
L’anima dei marmi: Michelangelo e le visioni del Simbolismo
From 15 December 2026 to 2 May 2027, this exhibition looks at how Symbolist artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries saw Michelangelo, and above all the unfinished Prisoners, as a key to inner, spiritual expression. Rodin called him a “great magician”.
- About 50 works: sculpture, painting and drawings
- Loans from the Musée Rodin, the Musée Bourdelle, the Musée d’Orsay, Tate Britain and others
- Reported highlights include Rodin’s La Petite Ombre, Burne-Jones’s The Wheel of Fortune, and a Michelangelo drawing shown beside Bourdelle’s Le Cri
- Ticket surcharge: the press has reported €3 extra during the exhibition. Check the official site for the final figure.
Restored paintings
Two restored panels by the Master of 1416 are on show on the first floor until 14 March 2027, included in your ticket.
Free days and key dates
The rule: entry is free, with no booking, on the first Sunday of every month and on 25 April, 2 June and 4 November. The museum closes every Monday and on 25 December and 1 January; the holiday openings and the Monday 30 November evening are on our page of Accademia opening hours and holidays.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Sunday 6 December 2026 | Free first Sunday, no booking |
| 15 December 2026 to 2 May 2027 | Exhibition, with a reported surcharge |
| 25 December 2026 and 1 January 2027 | Closed |
| 26 December to 6 January | Busy; book ahead |
| First Sundays of 2027 | Free if the Ministry’s scheme continues; check the museum’s visit page |
| Easter Monday, 29 March 2027 | The museum opened on Easter Monday in 2026 (6 April); 2027 not yet announced |
| Strike days | Hours can be cut short; check the museum’s news page in the days before your visit |
When is the best time to visit the Accademia?
First thing (8.15 a.m.) or late afternoon. The Accademia stays open later than the Uffizi. The visit page gives last admission as 6.10 p.m. while the tickets page says 30 minutes before closing, so plan for 6.10. From 6.40 p.m. the Musical Instruments rooms and the first floor close.
| Time | What to expect |
|---|---|
| 8.15 a.m. | The quietest Tribune of the day; your best chance of David with space around him |
| 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Tour groups at their peak |
| After 5 p.m. | Thinner crowds; mind last admission |
| Tuesdays | Busier after the Monday closure |
| Winter weekdays | Quieter than spring and summer |
| Free days | Big crowds, no booking |
Opening hours for both museums sit side by side on our page on Uffizi opening hours and free days.
Should you buy Accademia tickets from a reseller?
If your dates are fixed, book official: €24 is the lowest price for a reserved slot. Resellers make sense when you want free cancellation, a guide, an audio app or support in your own language, or when official slots for your date are gone.
| Option | Best for | Watch out for | Our pick on GetYourGuide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official (B-Ticket or phone) | Lowest price; fixed dates | Non-refundable; the name must match ID | None: book at galleriaaccademiafirenze.it |
| Box office on the day | Flexible winter weekdays | Potentially long waits | None |
| Reseller timed ticket | Free cancellation, an audio app, language support | Higher price; some require collection at an office near the museum | Timed Entry to Michelangelo’s David + Audio App, $32, 4.5 from 21,923 reviews, free cancellation |
| Guided tour | Understanding what you are seeing | Group size and what is included | Accademia Gallery David Guided Tour & Timed Entry, $74, 4.7 from 4,915 reviews; more in Accademia tours compared |
| Firenze Card | Five or more paid museums in 72 hours | Accademia reservation still required | Firenze Card Official Museum City Pass, 4.1 from 431 reviews |
Other reseller options with a track record: the Michelangelo’s David Timed Entry Ticket is $27 with 4.5 from 831 reviews; the Michelangelo’s David Official Timed Entry ticket is $47 with 4.5 from 16,058 reviews, collected at an office a few steps from the museum; the David & Accademia ALL Collections Ticket & AudioApp has 4.4 from 7,778 reviews; and the Accademia Gallery Guided Tour with Entry Ticket is a cheaper guided hour at $56, 4.6 from 2,520 reviews.
For both galleries in one booking, the Uffizi Gallery and Accademia Gallery Guided Tour costs $163 (4.8 from 2,234 reviews) and the Accademia and Uffizi Galleries Guided Tour $168 (4.9 from 520 reviews). Without a guide, the Timed Entry Ticket to Uffizi & Accademia Galleries is $96 (4.4 from 745 reviews) and the Uffizi & Accademia Timed Combo Tickets & Audio App $88 (4.3 from 1,666 reviews, non-refundable). The Museum Pass with David, Uffizi, Pitti Palace & Gardens bundles the state museums for $134 (4.2 from 157 reviews).
Ignore “skip the line” wording on reseller listings. Under the museum’s 2026 regulation, nobody should be selling faster access than a standard timed reservation. How resellers work in general, and what GetYourGuide adds to the museum’s ticket, is on our page about booking the Uffizi on GetYourGuide.
How to spot a lookalike Accademia site
- The domain is not galleriaaccademiafirenze.it (information) or B-Ticket (booking)
- “Official” appears in the domain name but not in the legal entity in the footer
- The price is well above €24 for a plain ticket
- It promises “skip the line” or “priority entry”
- It does not ask for each visitor’s name
Do not buy from people in the street. In April 2024, Florence’s Guardia di Finanza seized dozens of Accademia tickets that touts were reselling at a markup.
Why Michelangelo’s David is worth the trip
In the 1460s the cathedral works of Florence had a colossal block of Carrara marble quarried. Agostino di Duccio was contracted to carve a David from it and walked away. Antonio Rossellino tried in 1475 and gave up too. Florentines called the spoiled block “the Giant”, and it lay in the cathedral yard for about 25 years.
On 16 August 1501, a 26-year-old Michelangelo signed the contract. By 1504 he had finished a 5.17-meter figure from that narrow, half-started block. It shows the tense moment before the fight with Goliath: sling over the shoulder, stone in hand, brow knotted.
It stood outdoors in Piazza della Signoria for 369 years, through weather, a 1527 riot that broke its left arm, and a harsh acid cleaning in 1843. In August 1873 it was moved indoors to the Accademia, where it waited nine years in a wooden box for the skylit Tribune built to show it. Standing beneath it is a highlight of many trips to Italy.
What else is inside the Accademia? (A 60-minute route)
Most visitors spend 45 minutes to an hour and a quarter. Here is how to use an hour:
- Hall of the Colossus (5 minutes): Giambologna’s full-size plaster model for the Rape of the Sabine Women, and early Renaissance panels.
- Hall of the Prisoners (10 minutes): Michelangelo’s four unfinished Prisoners, carved for Pope Julius II’s tomb. The figures look as if they are struggling out of the raw marble. Also here: the unfinished St Matthew and the Palestrina Pietà, whose attribution to Michelangelo the museum itself calls “controversial”.
- The Tribune of David (20 minutes): walk all the way round. The back view and the left hand on the sling are what many people miss. Sit on the benches and look.
- The Gipsoteca (10 minutes): a 19th-century hall crowded with Lorenzo Bartolini’s plaster casts. The little black dots are pointing marks, used to copy the model into marble. It is one of Florence’s most photogenic rooms, and few visitors find it.
- Museum of Musical Instruments (10 minutes): includes the “Medici” tenor viola by Stradivari (1690), said to be the only one preserved in its original state, and instruments by Bartolomeo Cristofori, inventor of the piano.
- First-floor Gothic galleries (5 minutes or more): gold-ground panels by Orcagna, Lorenzo Monaco and others. Go up before 6.40 p.m.
Photography: non-flash photos for personal use are generally allowed; flash, tripods and selfie sticks are not. Check the museum’s current rules before your visit.
Audio guide: the museum rents one at the bookshop for €6, against an ID deposit.
Michelangelo’s David: the essential facts
| Artist | Michelangelo Buonarroti |
| Carved | 1501–1504 |
| Commissioned by | The Opera del Duomo (Florence Cathedral works) |
| Material | A single block of Carrara marble, traced to the Fantiscritti quarries |
| Height | 5.17 meters (about 17 feet) |
| Weight | About 5.5 to 6 tonnes (sources vary) |
| Original location | Outside Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria (1504–1873) |
| Moved indoors | August 1873, to the Galleria dell’Accademia |
| Tribune | Designed by Emilio De Fabris; the gallery in its current form opened in 1882 |
Why are David’s head and hands so big?
The statue was first planned for a place high on a cathedral buttress, so the enlarged head and right hand are usually explained as compensating for that viewing height. They also stress the hand, the instrument of David’s victory, and the mind. Both are standard art-historical readings, not documented intent.
What happened to David’s toe?
On 14 September 1991, a man smashed part of the second toe of the left foot with a hammer hidden under his jacket. Visitors held him until guards arrived. Restorers reassembled the toe from fragments and glued it back in October 1991.
Is David in danger?
Microfractures in the ankles have been studied for years. A 2014 study linked them to the centuries the statue spent tilting slightly in the piazza. An anti-seismic plinth was pledged in 2015, but the focus has since shifted to strengthening the building itself. A restorer dusts the statue every two months on a closed Monday.
The statue that won a court case
Under Italian law, commercial reproduction of cultural property needs permission. In April 2023 a Florence court ordered a magazine publisher to pay damages for using David’s image on a cover without authorization, the first ruling of its kind on the merits.
How many Davids are there in Florence?
Three, and only one is Michelangelo’s.
| David | Where | What it is | Cost to see |
|---|---|---|---|
| The original | Galleria dell’Accademia | Michelangelo’s marble, 1501–04 | Timed ticket |
| Marble copy | Outside Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria | An early 20th-century copy on the original’s spot | Free |
| Bronze copy | Piazzale Michelangelo | A 19th-century bronze cast, overlooking the city | Free |
And no, David is not in the Uffizi. People often mix them up because the copy stands right beside the Uffizi. The Accademia is about a 15-minute walk north, as our David tickets page explains.
Plan a Michelangelo day in Florence
- 8.15 a.m.: the Accademia. David, the Prisoners and St Matthew.
- 10 a.m.: the Medici Chapels, about seven minutes’ walk. Michelangelo’s New Sacristy, with the tomb figures of Dawn, Dusk, Night and Day.
- 12.30 p.m.: lunch near San Lorenzo or the Mercato Centrale.
- 2.30 p.m.: the Bargello. Michelangelo’s Bacchus, the Pitti Tondo and Brutus, plus Donatello’s bronze David.
- Sunset: Piazzale Michelangelo, with the bronze David and the city below you.
Ticket tip: the €38 72-hour ticket for the Accademia’s group of museums covers the Accademia, the Bargello and the Medici Chapels, among others. Casa Buonarroti, Michelangelo’s family house, is separate.
Accessibility, families and what to bring
- Step-free access with a lift, stairlifts and tactile maps. Toilets are only at the end of the route, so go before you enter.
- Disabled visitors and one companion enter free, with documentation at the ticket office.
- Under-18s are free. Under-12s must be with an adult. The museum runs family workshops for children aged roughly 7 to 12.
- There is no cloakroom. Bags over about 40 × 30 × 18 cm are refused, and luggage storage is offered at the MyAccademia shop. Bring a small bag, a compact umbrella, water up to half a liter and original ID matching every ticket.
Frequently asked questions
How do I buy tickets to see Michelangelo’s David?
Book a timed ticket through B-Ticket, the Accademia’s only officially authorized channel, from the “Buy online” link on galleriaaccademiafirenze.it, or by phone on +39 055 294883.
How much does it cost to see the David?
€20 plus a €4 booking fee, so €24 booked ahead. Under-18s are free (with the €4 fee if booked) and EU citizens aged 18 to 25 pay €2. The press has reported a small surcharge during the winter 2026–27 exhibition; check current prices on the official site.
Can I buy Accademia tickets at the door?
Yes. The box office sells same-day tickets, but the museum warns the wait without a reservation may be long.
Is the Accademia open on Mondays?
No, it is closed every Monday. It has opened on the odd holiday Monday, such as Easter Monday in 2026, so check the museum’s visit page for special openings.
Do I need to book the Accademia with a Firenze Card?
Yes. Firenze Card holders still need to reserve an Accademia time slot; firenzecard.it explains how.
Can I change the name on my Accademia ticket?
Under the July 2026 regulation, the name can reportedly be changed once, up to 24 hours before your visit. Contact the concessionaire early.
Can I get a refund on Accademia tickets?
No. Booked tickets cannot be refunded or cancelled. If you need that option, a reseller ticket with free cancellation costs more but can be cancelled up to 24 hours before.
How long do I need at the Accademia?
About 45 minutes to an hour and a quarter.
Is the David in Piazza della Signoria the original?
No. It is a marble copy. The original has been in the Accademia since 1873.
How tall is Michelangelo’s David?
5.17 meters, about 17 feet.
Can I take photos of the David?
Non-flash personal photography is generally allowed. Flash, tripods and selfie sticks are not.
Is the Accademia free on the first Sunday?
Yes. Entry is free on the first Sunday of every month and on 25 April, 2 June and 4 November, but you cannot book, so expect queues. The next free day is Sunday 6 December 2026. The museum lists the first-Sunday rule for 2026 only, so the 2027 dates are expected rather than confirmed.
Is there an exhibition at the Accademia in winter 2026–27?
Yes. L’anima dei marmi: Michelangelo e le visioni del Simbolismo runs from 15 December 2026 to 2 May 2027, with a small ticket surcharge reported by the press.
Is the Accademia worth it if I’m short on time?
Yes. It is compact. You can see David and the Prisoners properly in under an hour.
Related reading
- Accademia David tickets: the ticket we would book
- Uffizi and Accademia in one day
- Uffizi and Accademia tours
- Uffizi opening hours and free days
- Booking the Uffizi on GetYourGuide
- Florence’s best rainy-day museums
Fixed dates? Book direct through B-Ticket from galleriaaccademiafirenze.it. Want free cancellation or a guide? Compare the options on our Accademia David tickets page.
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