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Children painting
Photo © Barrie Greens
Photo © Barrie Greens

Big museums. Little visitors. Great adventures in Florence

Check our selection of Florentine museums that offer special activities for children and their families

You’re on holiday with your family. And you’re in Florence! So you’re probably having a good time touring museums, galleries and palaces with your children. But sometimes they get tired. And even when visiting the most wonderful, rich and astonishing places, it can be hard to keep all your family members attentive, awake and quiet!

But don’t despair! If you want to offer your kids a cultural experience in an entertaining and interesting way, here are some Florence museums with children’s activities (in English).

Contents
  • 1.
    Palazzo Vecchio
  • 2.
    Museo Novecento
  • 3.
    Museo Galileo - Institute and Museum for the History of Science
  • 4.
    Museo degli Innocenti
  • 5.
    Palazzo Strozzi
  • 6.
    Uffizi Galleries

Palazzo Vecchio

Kids exploring Palazzo Vecchio
Kids exploring Palazzo Vecchio - Credit: Mus.e Firenze blog

Thanks to the Associazione Mus.e, Palazzo Vecchio offers a wide variety of activities for children and families all year round: special tours, workshops, shows, in different languages and suitable for different ages.

If, for example, your children are over 8 years old, take them to Palazzo Vecchio and join the "In the atelier: the fresco painting" workshop. Kids will dabble in the different phases of making a small fresco, and they'll have the possibility to take their creation home with them at the end of the activity.

If your children are younger, from 4 to 7 years old, let them have fun with "The Story of the Turtle and the Sail". After watching a video about the story of an old turtle that Cosimo I de Medici met (and saved!) when he was a child, they'll explore the floors, walls and ceilings of the Palazzo, in search of the symbol of Cosimo I: a turtle with a sail.

Other family activities include a visit to the "Secret Passages", a taste of "Life at Court" during the 16th century, and a "Guided tour by Giorgio Vasari" himself (well, sort of!).

And we could go on and on. For more information, prices and booking check out the website of Mus.e Firenze

Museo Novecento

A glimpse of the Novecento Museum
A glimpse of the Novecento Museum

When visiting the Novecento Museum, you could upgrade your kids experience with a journey through time: the "Time Machine" activity (suitable for children 8-12 years old) will help them become acquainted with the great artists of the 20th century, such as Emilio Vedova, Lucio Fontana, Bruno Munari and Giorgio De Chirico.

Other activities and laboratories can be arranged, according to children’s age, and you can also celebrate your kid's birthday at the museum!

More information and booking here and here.

Museo Galileo - Institute and Museum for the History of Science

Galileo Museum in Florence
Galileo Museum in Florence - Credit: Seth Snyder

The Galileo Museum hosts priceless and beautiful scientific pieces (including some of Galileo’s original ones) and it’s definitely one of the best suited and popular museums among kids.

Next to the "General Guided Tour", a 60-minute visit highlighting the most important instruments and their historical-scientific significance, the museum offers thematic visits and workshops specifically designed for schools, but also available to the general public.

Check out this page and get in touch with them to know all the details.

Museo degli Innocenti

Activities for children at the Innocenti Museum
Activities for children at the Innocenti Museum - Credit: Museo degli Innocenti Facebook page

The Innocenti Museum is an innovative museum dedicated to the history of the Istituto degli Innocenti, possibly the oldest lay orphanage for abandoned children in the world.

Given the Institute's historical mission of promoting childcare, the Museum was conceived as a museum for children: captions and audio-guided tours designed for the youngest visitors, a free kit for a special "treasure hunt", a free "Family Tour" visit kit to get to know the city centre.

The Museo degli Innocenti also offers workshops for families with the Bottega dei Ragazzi, the educational section of the museum: activities for children aged 3 to 11 and for families, inspired by the philosophy of "learning by doing" in the style of the ancient Renaissance workshops.

Palazzo Strozzi

Palazzo Strozzi's Family Kit
Palazzo Strozzi's Family Kit - Credit: Palazzo Strozzi Website

Palazzo Strozzi has a well-known established attention to the needs and expectations of little ones. Their temporary exhibitions always offer fun and unconventional experiences for everyone, and there’s a rich program of activities and events for schools, families and young people, such as guided tours, lectures, workshops and access programmes.

Each visitor can choose a personal way of interacting with art at Palazzo Strozzi and activities for families are planned to turn the visit into an experience designed to be shared together.

All the information are on this page (and make sure you ask for the "Family Kit"!)

Uffizi Galleries

Yes, the Uffizi Galleries too! The illustrious Florentine museum welcomes families with special activities for kids and teens, and with self-teaching tours or guided ones.

Get the necessary info to plan the best visit for your family, on the Uffizi website.

Other museums around Tuscany schedule workshops and special events for families and kids, so be sure to ask at the ticket desk so that your children can experience this fun and active way of visiting and experiencing museums.
And maybe this time you will not hear the classic question: “Is it over yet? Can we go now?"

Other museums around Tuscany schedule workshops and special events for families and kids, so be sure to ask at the ticket desk so that your children can experience this fun and active way of visiting and experiencing museums. And maybe this time you will not hear the classic question: “Is it over yet? Can we go now?"

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