Basilica of Santa Croce Guided Tours

Florence calls it the Temple of the Italian Glories. Get fast-track entry to see exactly why.

• Everything you get: Skip the ticket queue and enter Santa Croce at any time within its opening hours. Explore the basilica, Medici and Pazzi Chapels, cloisters, crypt, and Opera Museum — taking in Giotto's frescoes, Donatello's sculptures, and the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli.
• Why choose this: Florence has a habit of charging you twice — once to get in, again to see the best parts. Santa Croce doesn't. Pre-book, skip the line, and the entire complex with its 16 chapels, 3 cloisters, 4000+ pieces of art, and 250 tombs is yours for one flat fee.

Inclusions #

• Fast-track entry to the Basilica of Santa Croce

• Access to Pazzi, Bardi and Peruzzi chapels

• Access to tombs

• Access to Refectory Museum (Cimabue's Cruxifix)

Exclusions #

• Live guide

• Audio guide

• Hotel transfers

• Meals

What's not allowed

• Pets, except service animals

Accessibility

• The basilica is wheelchair accessible.

Additional information

• The average user takes about 50 minutes to tour the basilica independently, but visitors can stay for as long as they like till the closing time i.e. 5:30pm.
• Since this is an active place of worship, visitors must dress respectfully before entry. Shoulders and knees must be covered.

See the art at the Uffizi. Meet the artists at Santa Croce. One ticket connects both these sites, just 500m apart.

• Everything you get at Uffizi Gallery: Enter the gallery at your chosen time slot. See Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, and Raphael, across 90+ rooms. Explore at your own pace.
• Everything you get at Basilica Santa Croce: Skip-the-line entry to the full complex — basilica, Pazzi Chapel, Medici Chapel, cloisters, crypt, and Opera Museum. See Giotto's frescoes, Donatello's sculptures, and the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli.
• Why choose this: Florence made these figures immortal twice: first through their art, then through their tombs. This ticket takes you to both moments.

Inclusions #

• Skip-the-line entry to Basilica Santa Croce

• Timed entry to Uffizi Gallery

Exclusions #

• Guides at either attractions

• Transfers

What to bring

• Valid photo ID for entry to both the Uffizi Gallery and Basilica di Santa Croce.
• Your printed or digital voucher for each site. The confirmation email is not the entry ticket for either venue; check your final voucher for redemption instructions.

What's not allowed

• Bare shoulders and knees are not permitted inside Basilica di Santa Croce. The church is an active place of worship, so a lightweight cover-up is sufficient.
• Large bags and backpacks must be deposited at the cloakroom at the Uffizi Gallery before entering.

Accessibility

• The Uffizi Gallery is wheelchair accessible via lifts throughout the building.
• At Basilica di Santa Croce, wheelchair users and visitors with reduced mobility can enter via a ramp on the north side at Largo Bargellini. A raised platform at the cloister exit onto Piazza Santa Croce provides an additional access point. Admission for visitors with disabilities and one accompanying carer is free of charge and requires no advance booking.
• Note that the chapels in the transept, the Novitiate Corridor, and the Sacristy at Santa Croce are on a raised level accessible only via steps and cannot be reached by wheelchair.

Additional information

• A multilingual audio guide is available to rent inside Basilica di Santa Croce in five languages. This is not included in your ticket and is paid separately at the venue.
• Security screening is mandatory at the Uffizi Gallery regardless of ticket type — factor in additional time at the entrance.

Line A:

• First bus from Santa Maria Novella Train Station: 9:20am.
• Last bus: 6:30pm.
• Frequency: Every 25 mins.
• Popular Stops: Porta Romana, Teatro Verdi.

Line B:

• First bus from Galileo: 10:15am.
• Last bus: 5:15pm.
• Frequency: Every 60 mins.
• Popular Stops: San Domenico, Piazzale Michelangelo.

Please click here for the detailed route map and boarding points.

Inclusions #

City Sightseeing: Hop-On Hop-Off Tour of Florence

• 24-hour hop-on hop-off bus pass

• Access to 2 routes

• Audio guide in 8 languages (Italian, English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese)

• Free Wi-Fi

• Onboard assistance

• Free 'Sightseeing' app with interactive map

Santa Croce Basilica Complex

• Skip-the-line entry to Santa Croce Basilica

• Access to cloisters and the Bardi, Peruzzi and Pazzi Chapels

• Access to Medici Chapel, Old Sacristy, tombs, and the Refectory Museum

Exclusions #

• Live guide at Basilica Santa Croce

• Audio guide at Basilica of Santa Croce

• Hotel transfers

• Meals

What to bring

• Valid photo ID for entry to Basilica di Santa Croce

What's not allowed

• Bulky luggage and large backpacks are not permitted on the hop-on hop-off buses
• Bare shoulders and knees are not permitted inside Basilica di Santa Croce — the church is an active place of worship. Lightweight cover-ups are sufficient

Accessibility

• Wheelchair users can board hop-on hop-off buses only on buses fitted with a footboard and dedicated wheelchair space. Only one wheelchair is permitted per bus at a time. Wheelchairs must be secured with safety belts and brakes locked while the bus is in motion
• At Basilica di Santa Croce, wheelchair users and visitors with reduced mobility can enter via a ramp on the north side of the basilica at Largo Bargellini. A raised platform at the cloister exit onto Piazza Santa Croce serves as an additional access point. Admission for visitors with disabilities and one accompanying carer is free of charge and does not require advance booking
• Note that the chapels in the transept, the Novitiate Corridor, and the Sacristy are on a raised level accessible only via steps and cannot be reached by wheelchair

Additional information

• The Red Line of the hop-on hop-off tour operates on weekends only from 3 November 2025 to 31 March 2026. It runs daily on a limited schedule from 20 December 2025 to 6 January 2026. The Blue Line operates as normal throughout this period
• Small and medium-sized pets are welcome on the hop-on hop-off buses, provided they are on a leash, muzzled, or in a carrier
• An audio guide is available to rent inside Basilica di Santa Croce in five languages. This is not included in your ticket and is paid separately at the venue.