One of the world's truly great art galleries

Word to the wise: As a premier attraction, entrance queues can be ludicrously long. Avoid these by booking in advance online or over the phone for an extra EUR 4.

This grand palace houses the planet’s finest collection of Renaissance art, putting the Uffizi Gallery easily amongst the world's greatest. The historic space was first built in the mid-16th century. It was later dramatically extended, and then opened to the general public by the Medici family in 1765 - making it one of Europe’s earliest large public art exhibitions.

Today, art lovers can find world-famous works like Botticelli’s 'The Birth of Venus' and da Vinci’s 'Annunciation' alongside lesser-publicised masterpieces by the likes of Raphael, Giotto, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Dürer, Titian, Uccelo and Rubens. If you can stop staring at the walls for a moment you'll also notice some very significant ancient sculptures dotted around the place, including ‘Arrontino’ and ‘The Two Wrestlers’.