The Boboli Gardens

The Boboli Gardens are a historic garden complex on the hillside behind Pitti Palace, with formal paths, sculpture, grottos, and views across Florence. The Medici gardens and later additions reward an unhurried wander rather than a rush between monuments.

Allow around two hours, wear shoes for sloping gravel paths, and bring water in warm weather. Choose a public entrance at Pitti Palace, Annalena in Via Romana, Porta Romana, or Forte di Belvedere according to the day’s route; the map’s central garden marker is not an entrance. Admission to the gardens does not automatically include Pitti Palace.

The gardens open at 08:15, with closing time varying by season and as early as 16:30 in winter. Last entry is one hour before closing. They normally close on the first and last Monday of each month and may close in severe weather. Check current notices before setting out; the Porcelain Museum is closed until further notice.