Boboli Gardens Florence - Tickets

Visit Giardino di Boboli: tickets for the gardens behind Palazzo Pitti

On the south bank of the Arno near Palazzo Pitti are two beautiful gardens, namely the Giardini di Boboli garden and a little further the Giardino Bardini. Read the tips for Boboli Gardens tickets.

The Boboli Gardens behind the Pitti Palace

When you have crossed the Ponte Vecchio to the south bank of the Arno you will soon come across two garden parks that you must see. The first gardens, and the most famous thanks to Dan Brown's Inferno, are the Boboli gardens, which lie adjacent behind the Palazzo Pitti. The second garden park is the Giardino Bardini, located near the Villa Bardini and Porta San Giorgio.

^{The Boboli Gardens behind Pitti Palace}

^{The amphitheater in the Giardini di Boboli Firenze}

Giardino di Boboli

The Giardino di Boboli are located directly behind the Pitti Palaceand can be called a true open-air museum. Much of the current gardens were laid out by Eleonora of Toledo, the wife of Cosimo I. Through the ages the gardens have been adapted and expanded several times. The gardens have become known for the works of art that can be found there. The most famous is the Grotta Grande, a cave with stalactites and sculptures. At the back of the cave is the secret Vasari corridor connected to Palazzo Vecchio. Furthermore, in the Boboli gardens you will find an amphitheater, an Egyptian obelisk, the Neptune fountain and several ponds with waterfalls. Furthermore, a tea house and at the top of the gardens the summer house where nowadays a porcelain museum is located (you can visit this for free when you enter the park with this ticket). You will also find Fort Belvedere at the back of the gardens.

Palazzo Pitti & Boboli Gardens Tickets

^{The tea house built in 1776 by Zanobi del Rosso}

^{The Grotta Grande}

Fort Belvedere

Fort Belvedere is the second largest fortress of Florence. It was built in 1590 by order of the Medicis and executed by Bernardo Buontalenti. The fortress is located on a hill in the grounds of the Boboli Gardens and next to the Pitti Palace. The location of the fort was plausible from a strategic point of view, as the city walls were believed to be weak at that site. The fort was built in a fairly military style to create as much area as possible that could be monitored. Fort Belvedere is best known because Galileo Galilei studied the stars and planets here. To visit the fort you need to buy separate tickets. You must leave the park at the back exit (unfortunately not always open).

^{The porcelain museum, included in the Boboli gardens tickets}

^{The 'Forte di Belverdere' between the Boboli and Bardini gardens}

Giardino Bardini

The Giardino Bardini (included in your Boboli Gardens ticket) are smaller than the nearby Boboli Gardens, but this means that fewer people are present and you can enjoy a beautiful garden park in peace. You can reach this park by taking the back exit of the Boboli Gardens at Fort Belvedere. The Bardini gardens are divided into three parts: the Baroque part with the wide staircase, the English part with exotic elements and the horticultural part, where olive trees grow. You will also find remnants of the medieval city wall in the gardens. The gardens started out as a walled orchard, but gradually expanded. At first the gardens belonged to the Mozzi family, but at the beginning of the twentieth century they became the property of Stefano Bardini.

^{The Bardini gardens in Florence}

^{View of the top at the Bardini gardens}

Where are the gardens in Florence?

The Giardino di Boboli are directly behind the Palazzo Pitti. The Giardino Bardini are slightly further uphill and are located near the Villa Bardini. When the back gate at Fort Belvedere is open, you can easily walk to the Bardani Gardens from there.