How to get to the Vasari Corridor
Walking there
Almost everybody walks, and in this part of Florence walking beats every alternative. From Santa Maria Novella station the route runs south-east through the centre; from the Duomo you are a few streets away. Piazzale degli Uffizi is the long courtyard between the two wings of the gallery, running down to the river, and it is the first thing you will recognise from photographs. Which door you use depends on what you booked, so read your confirmation rather than joining the longest queue.
The traffic zone, and why not to drive
The centre is a ZTL. Cameras enforce it, and there is nowhere useful to leave a car near the gallery in any case. Taxis are allowed to drop off close by. If you are staying outside the centre, get to the edge of the zone by whatever means and walk the last part.
Meeting points are not all the same place
This catches more people than the ZTL does. Guided products do not all start at the gallery door. Two meet at the Leonardo da Vinci statue, one at an operator sales office on Via Cavour, and the private tour at the Neptune Fountain on Piazza della Signoria; the timed-ticket products give a central Florence meeting point that varies by booking option. Reservation is mandatory and visitors are asked to be at the meeting point shortly before their slot, so check the exact address on your booking instead of assuming. Every product and its starting point is listed on all tours.
Photograph your booking confirmation and the meeting-point map before you leave the hotel. A confirmation you cannot open while you are standing on a corner is the classic way to miss a slot.
You come out somewhere else
This is the useful part. The corridor is one-way and the door at the end opens beside the Buontalenti Grotto in the Boboli Gardens, which is the Oltrarno, the other side of the river from where you started. Walking back over the Ponte Vecchio takes about a quarter of an hour. Plan the rest of the day from the Pitti side rather than the Signoria side: lunch, the next stop, the route back to the hotel. Note also that the exit does not automatically include a visit to the Boboli Gardens themselves, which normally needs their own ticket. What to have with you at the security check is on what to bring, and the step-free question is answered on accessibility.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Vasari Corridor start and finish?
It starts at Room D19 on the Uffizi’s first floor and finishes at a door beside the Buontalenti Grotto in the Boboli Gardens. It is walked in one direction only, so you end on the opposite bank of the Arno from the entrance.
Can I drive or park near the Uffizi?
Not usefully. The historic centre is a limited-traffic zone with camera enforcement, and there is no practical parking by the gallery. Taxis can drop off nearby; otherwise walk in from the edge of the zone.
How early should I arrive?
Reservation is mandatory and visitors are asked to be at the meeting point shortly before the slot. Build in extra for the security check, which is where entry actually slows down. Which days the gallery runs at all is on opening days.
Do I end up back where I started?
No, and it catches people out. You finish across the river near the Pitti Palace, roughly a fifteen-minute walk back over the Ponte Vecchio. Factor that into the shape of the day, which we set out on how long it takes.