Accademia Gallery (Galleria dell'Accademia)

To avoid spending hours in line at the Accademia Gallery, snag skip-the-line tickets in advance or opt for a private guided tour. David is unsurprisingly popular, so booking an exclusive, early-access tour allows you to beat the crowds. Other options for seeing the museum include a half- or full-day tour that visits both the Accademia Gallery and the Uffizi Gallery, or includes a city sightseeing tour.

• To be assured entry on the day you want to visit, book tickets or a tour in advance.

• Photography is not allowed inside the gallery.

• The gallery is closed on Mondays.

• Students from the EU and children under 18 years old are eligible for reduced or free tickets.

The Accademia Gallery is located beside Piazza San Marco, about a 15-minute walk from the Santa Maria Novella train station. It’s not far from the Uffizi Gallery, which many tours visit in combination with the Accademia.

The Accademia Gallery is busy year-round, but especially in the summer. It’s slightly less crowded in the late afternoon, but can still be impossible to visit without a reservation. Note that the gallery is closed on Mondays.

The scale of Michelangelo’s David (carved from a single block of Carrara marble) is enough to impress, but its fine details and lifelike features make it a true masterpiece. Travelers spend most of their time admiring David, but those interested in Michelangelo’s life and other works should also see his unfinished San Matteo or Prigioni that adorn the main hallway. The plaster model of Giambologna’s Abduction of a Sabine Woman also shouldn’t be missed.

This Florence highlight is busy every day of the week (except for Mondays, when it is closed to the public). The crowds peak during the weekends and holidays, so opt to visit on a weekday afternoon after the crowds disperse for slightly quieter galleries.

Like many museums in Italy, the Accademia Gallery is free on the first Sunday of the month. Understandably, this is also the museum’s busiest day of the month, and the line to enter can stretch for blocks, so free-admission Sundays are not the best time to visit.

No, the Accademia Gallery is not a place of worship, so there is no dress code. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes since you will be on your feet for at least a few hours, and remember that the museum does not have a cloakroom to check extra layers.

No, large bags and backpacks are not permitted inside, and there is no cloakroom or storage facility at the museum where visitors can leave them. Before heading to the gallery, leave your personal items in your hotel room or at a nearby luggage deposit facility.

Yes, photography without flash is permitted inside the gallery, though professional photography, flash photography, and the use of selfie sticks are forbidden. Keep a respectful distance from other visitors, and do not approach the artwork while snapping photos.

The most famous work in the Accademia Gallery is Michelangelo’s towering “David,” which stands at the end of the main Tribune hall under a theatrical cupola. Other highlights inside the museum include the unfinished sculptures known as the “Slaves” by Michelangelo and Giambologna’s “Rape of the Sabines.”