Finally, Kids are the Same for Italian State Museums
2013
A few days ago, the new minister for Italy’s Cultural Patrimony and Activities Massimo Bray (Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali) extended the right of free entry to Italian state museums and historical sites to all non-EU minors under 18 years old.
This is wonderful news: up to now, all EU minors under 18 could enter free into state museums but families from outside of the EU visiting Italy had to pay full price entrance tickets for their children. This meant a pretty hefty overall family price to visit monuments and museums in Italy, Italy’s main attraction for visitors worldwide.
This includes the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, as well as the Accademia, the Pitti Palace, the Bargello, the Medici Chapels…. if you’re wondering about any others across Italy, you can search on the MiBAC site for a complete list.
The decree has yet to enter effect but in the meantime the Minister has asked all museums to start applying the new rules and allowing non-EU children to enter free. Here is the official press release saying so: print it out and carry it along with you to show at museum entrances in case the present staff have not yet seen it!
UPDATE: Please note that while all children under 18 qualify for free entry, if you buy advance tickets you still pay for the online commissions and booking fees for those tickets.
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What about non EU citizens over 65? It appears you can only get a discount if you are over 65 if you live in the EU. Doesn’t seem fair to us old Americans.
Thanks.
Very unfortunate, I agree, but the Uffizi is an Italian State museum and the current law says that the discount only applies to EU citizens and to any other country that applies a similar discount for Italians as well (reciprocity). It is my understanding that this applies on very rare occasions, and not at all for the US.
Hi, Can you please let me know how the new rules apply to US students who are18 years of age? Your website states that Full Price tickets are for non-EU citizens over the age of 18. I wasn’t sure if the free tickets referred to 18 and under or 17 and under. Thanks for your help.
yes, the new rules include all children up to 18 years old, including those already 18!
Do handicapped US citizens over the age of 65 have to pay admission?
Yes, they do. Both the handicapped and over 65 provisions for free tickets applies only to EU citizens, unfortunately, by Italian law.
My daughter is 18 years old,the citizen of Taiwan, not EU youth. Does she need to buy the ticket or not to visit the Galleria degli Uffizi? If she need to buy the ticket, how much is it?
Unfortunately, once you turn 18 you no longer qualify for the free ticket. As a non-Eu citizen, she unfortunately does not qualify for a reduced ticket either.
If you do a search for your dates in the booking box in the right column of this website, the cost of the full price ticket will come out for your specific date of interest.
Hope you both enjoy your visit to the Uffizi!
What about Pompeii, the Colosseum and the Vatican? My kids are 8 and 17. We are from the United States. Will they get in free?
As they are all sites managed by the Italian State (except for the Vatican), your kids should be able to get in free. For the Vatican, if you check online, it seems they qualify for the reduced tickets.
Buon giorno! Mio figlio ha 17 anni, vive in Russia.
Se ha diritto a un biglietto gratuito?
Grazie!
Si, tutti sotto i 18 anni entrano ai musei statali in Italia gratis, indipendentemente dalla cittadinanza.
buona visita!
when going to purchase tickets at Florence Tickets.com the website still states free tickets are for EU children. We are coming from the US, should I purchase 2 full price adult tickets and 2 free children tickets and hope the free tickets will be honored when we arrive? Thank you for your help
Yes, the free tickets for your children will be honored at the ticket office.
Regards,
Lourdes