Ponte Vecchio: the bridge of the goldsmiths
There has been a bridge at the narrowest point of the Arno since Roman times. The one that stands now was built in 1345, after a flood carried the last one away, and it has had shops on it from the start.
- Admission
- Free
- Open
- At all hours
- Closed
- Never
- Allow
- 20 to 45 minutes
Florence this week
What to see at the Ponte Vecchio
The view from Ponte Santa Trinita
The picture everyone wants is not taken on the bridge but from the next one downstream, five minutes' walk along the river. Come at sunset, when the shops turn gold.
The Vasari Corridor
Look up on the side facing upstream: the line of small square windows above the shops is the Medici's passage. Three large windows in the middle were opened later for the view.
The goldsmiths' shops
A few dozen of them, with wooden shutters that fold down at night and make the bridge look like a row of sea chests. Prices are those of a famous address.
The terraces in the middle
The shops stop at the centre of the bridge and leave two open terraces. On one stands a bronze bust of Benvenuto Cellini, the greatest goldsmith Florence produced, put up in 1901.
The Oltrarno side
Cross and keep going. The far bank is the quarter of workshops and the Pitti Palace, and the church of Santa Felicita, just over the bridge, has the corridor running across its front.
Tickets and tours for the Ponte Vecchio
Sold by GetYourGuide
Florence: Highlights Walking Tour with Expert Guide
A guided walk through the old centre from the cathedral to the Ponte Vecchio, with the stories of Dante, Michelangelo and the Medici.
Included
- A guided walk through the old centre, from the cathedral to the Ponte Vecchio
- A guide who lives in the city
More tickets and tours in Florence
Visiting the Ponte Vecchio: hours and admission
Opening hours
- Every day
- Open at all hours
- The bridge is a public street. The shops on it keep shop hours and are shuttered at night.
Who gets in free
- Everyone. There is no charge for crossing the bridge.
Getting there
- On foot
- About fifteen minutes from Santa Maria Novella station. Three minutes from Piazza della Signoria, down Via Por Santa Maria.
- Tram
- Lines T1 and T2 stop at Santa Maria Novella station. T2 comes from the airport.
- By car
- The old centre is a restricted traffic zone, watched by cameras. Leave the car outside it.
Address
Ponte VecchioPonte Vecchio
50125 Florence, Italy
Entrances
The bridge is reached from Via Por Santa Maria on the north bank and from Via de' Guicciardini on the south. It is closed to cars. The Vasari Corridor above the shops is not entered from the bridge: it is visited from the Uffizi, by reservation, and comes out in the Boboli Gardens.
On the map
Before you go
- Come before nine in the morning or after dinner. At midday in summer you cross it shoulder to shoulder.
- At night the shutters are down and there is nothing to buy, but the bridge is at its most handsome and often has a musician on it.
- For photographs go to Ponte Santa Trinita, or to the river wall by the Uffizi.
- Watch your pockets in the crush at the middle of the bridge.
- A walking tour of the centre is the easy way to see the bridge with the cathedral and Piazza della Signoria in a couple of hours.
Butchers, goldsmiths and a corridor for the duke
The first shopkeepers were butchers, fishmongers and tanners, who threw their waste into the river. In 1593 the Grand Duke Ferdinando I, who had to cross above them, ordered the bridge given over to goldsmiths and jewellers, and it has been theirs ever since. The little back rooms hanging over the water on wooden brackets were added later, as the shops ran out of space.
The Grand Duke crossed above them because of the corridor. In 1565 Vasari built a long private passage for Cosimo I, from the Palazzo Vecchio through the Uffizi and over the tops of the shops to the Pitti Palace, so that the family could go from office to home without setting foot in the street. Its row of small windows runs along the upstream side.
In August 1944 the retreating German army blew up every other bridge in Florence. This one was left standing, and the old streets at either end were demolished instead to block it. It also survived the flood of 1966, when the Arno ran through the shops.
Ponte Vecchio: common questions
- What are the opening hours of the Ponte Vecchio?
- Every day: Open at all hours. The bridge is a public street. The shops on it keep shop hours and are shuttered at night.
- What does the tour include?
- A guided walk through the old centre, from the cathedral to the Ponte Vecchio. A guide who lives in the city. It is sold by GetYourGuide.
- Why are there shops on the Ponte Vecchio?
- Shops on bridges were common in the Middle Ages, when space inside the walls was short. Here they survived. Butchers had them first, and since a decree of 1593 they have belonged to goldsmiths and jewellers.
- Is the Ponte Vecchio free?
- Yes. It is a public street, open at every hour. The shops keep ordinary shop hours and are shuttered at night.
- What is the corridor above the Ponte Vecchio?
- The Vasari Corridor, built in 1565 so that the Medici could walk from the Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi to the Pitti Palace in private. It is visited from the Uffizi, with a ticket of its own.
What visitors say about the Ponte Vecchio
Rating from Google
More to see in Florence
Uffizi Galleries
Accademia Gallery
Florence Cathedral
Palazzo Vecchio
Pitti Palace
Bargello National Museum
Medici Chapels
Basilica of Santa Croce
Things to do near the Ponte Vecchio
The nearest of this site's best things to do in the city. Distances are in a straight line.
- 1Stand in front of Botticelli's Venus at the Uffizi200 m awayMuseum, 2.5 to 4 hours, ticket
- 4Walk the halls of the Palazzo Vecchio300 m awayMonument, 1.5 to 2.5 hours, square free, ticket for the palace
- 7See Raphael and Titian at the Pitti Palace400 m awayMuseum, 2 to 3 hours, ticket
- 16Cross the river to the Oltrarno and the Brancacci Chapel400 m awayWalk, 2 to 3 hours, free to walk, ticket for the chapel
Where to eat near the Ponte Vecchio
The nearest of the famous tables this site lists in Florence. Distances are in a straight line.
- Trattoria Antico Fattore4.5Trattoria, Uffizi150 m away
- Rivoire3.8Café and chocolate maker, Piazza della Signoria250 m away
- Giubbe Rosse4.0Literary café, Piazza della Repubblica350 m away
- Perché no!4.6Gelateria, Orsanmichele350 m away
Hotels near the Ponte Vecchio
The five-star hotels closest to it, of those this site lists in Florence. Distances are in a straight line.
- Portrait Firenze4.8Five-star hotel, Ponte Vecchio100 m away
- Hotel Lungarno4.7Five-star hotel, Oltrarno100 m away
- Porta Rossa4.8Five-star hotel, Via Porta Rossa250 m away
- Hotel Bernini Palace4.7Five-star hotel, Piazza della Signoria400 m away