Giardino dei Semplici
Botanical garden founded in 1545 by Cosimo I de' Medici, a section of the Natural History Museum, with over 5,000 specimens and large nineteenth-century greenhouses.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The botanical garden, known as the Giardino dei Semplici, originated in 1545 at the wish of Cosimo I de' Medici and is the first nucleus of the Museum of Natural History of the University of Florence and of today's Sistema Museale di Ateneo. In the 18th century it was directed by the botanist and mycologist Pier Antonio Micheli, who planted a yew that is still present in the garden today.
The garden covers just over 2 hectares and houses over 5,000 specimens: plants of very ancient origin such as cycads, centuries-old trees, species of the Mediterranean flora and of tropical areas, teaching collections of carnivorous plants, a historic collection of medicinal plants and a collection of food plants with teaching gardens cultivated according to the principles of organic-regenerative agriculture.
Along Via Micheli the complex of large nineteenth-century greenhouses extends for 162 metres, about 1,700 m², divided into the hot house for tropical plants and the cold house; six small twentieth-century greenhouses complete the protected cultivation spaces. The route also includes themed itineraries dedicated to lichens and to the wild biodiversity of the garden, which is described as an open-air living museum.
Highlights
- Over 5,000 specimens on about 2 hectares
- Large nineteenth-century greenhouses, 162 metres long
- Yew planted by Pier Antonio Micheli
- Collections of medicinal, carnivorous and food plants
- Themed routes on lichens and wild biodiversity
Permanent exhibition
- Percorso espositivo dell'Orto botanico – Garden of over 2 hectares with botanical collections, nineteenth-century greenhouses and themed routes on lichens and wild biodiversity.
- Founded
- 1545
- Operated by
- Sistema Museale di Ateneo – Università degli Studi di Firenze (Museo di Storia Naturale)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €8 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4visitors aged 6 to 19, over-65s, residents of the Città Metropolitana di Firenze, students visiting with schools from the European Union up to upper secondary level, and graduates of the University of Florence with an AlumnUnifi Card |
| Children & teens | €4free up to age 5 · Free under 6; reduced ticket from 6 to 19. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. |
| Seniors | €4Over 65. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for people with disabilities and one companion. |
| Students & apprentices | freeFree admission for students of Tuscan public universities, Erasmus students in Tuscany and students of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze. |
| Families | €201–2 adults with up to 4 children. |
| Combined ticket (valid 3 months) for the Orto botanico, Geologia e Paleontologia, Antropologia e Etnologia and La Specola | €24Reduced €12, family €40 |
| Orto Card (unlimited entries for one year) | €40 |
Rates valid from 1 September 2026. Free admission also for ICOM and ANMS members, tourist guides and journalists on the official register, employees of the University of Florence, holders of Edumuseicard and up to three accompanying adults for school groups. For groups of more than 9 people please contact the Servizi educativi first. The Orto takes part in the Firenze Card; tickets are also available online and at Vivaticket outlets.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The entrance, ticket office and bookshop are on the ground floor and free of barriers; from the ticket office a ramp leads into the garden. Toilets and all the external avenues are accessible, including by wheelchair. People with mobility difficulties can book a visit with an electric minicar. Guided tours with qualified staff are available for visitors with sensory or cognitive difficulties; the collections lend themselves to multisensory experiences with touch and smell.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €20 · 1–2 adults with up to 4 children. |
- Family tours & workshops
- Baby changing facilities
Activities for families with children aged 6 to 11, on Saturdays at 11:00 (duration 1 hour and 30 minutes): admission ticket plus €6 per child, booking required. Seasonal camps for children and activities for schools. One of the toilets has a changing table.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
La Marmora–Orto botanico (T2) · 5-min walk
Tram line T2, La Marmora–Orto botanico stop (direction Peretola–Airport) or Cavour (direction San Marco Università), about 5 minutes on foot; buses to Piazza San Marco.
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
The Orto is in the ZTL: a ZTL permit or parking outside the zone is required (paid car parks in piazza Savonarola, Piazza Libertà and along the viali Spartaco Lavagnini and Giacomo Matteotti). Cars with a ZTL permit and a disabled parking badge can park free of charge.
About 5 minutes on foot from Piazza San Marco and about 25 minutes from Santa Maria Novella station; bicycle racks at the beginning and end of Via Micheli.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
New bookshop of the Orto botanico.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours and themed walks with experts (for example ethnobotanical ones); self-guided routes with panels and brochures on lichens and wild biodiversity. Bookings through the Servizi educativi: tel. +39 055 275 6444 (Monday–Friday 9:00–13:00), edu@sma.unifi.it. |
