Villa Bardini and Bardini Gardens

Picture yourself as a noble from days past, strolling through your private garden overlooking Florence’s main monuments: the Cathedral with its imposing dome, the Palazzo Vecchio, and the National Library. As you admire these beautiful buildings that seem to compose a painting crafted by great artists, you can smell the fragrant flowers and plants that create a unique ambiance. The good news is that today, this special place is open to all residents and visitors of Florence. Here’s how to organize your visit.

What you’ll find at Villa Bardini and its Gardens

Nestled in the heart of Florence, between Costa San Giorgio and Borgo San Niccolò, the Bardini Garden is a treasured relic that was given back to the city in 2006. Restored by the Bardini and Peyron and CR Florence foundations, Villa Bardini has evolved into an oasis of culture, art, and nature. Today, it is a place filled with stories waiting to be explored.

The Bardini Garden is more than just a garden; it’s a mosaic of three distinct gardens, each representing a unique era and style. The lush Italian garden, the English woodland filled with exotic elements, and the agricultural park home to a newly planted orchard and a beautiful wisteria pergola. This blend of styles makes the Bardini Garden a notable example of restoration and preservation.

Villa Bardini, once known as “Villa Belvedere” due to its magnificent panoramic view of Florence, dates back to the “Casini di Delizia” that were common in the city between the late 16th century and the first half of the 17th century. These were spaces created for leisure and rest, usually surrounded by both productive and ornamental crops.

Since the Middle Ages, the land of the Bardini Garden has belonged to several wealthy families, transforming over the centuries from an agricultural space to a sophisticated Italian garden. In the early 20th century, it was acquired by the collector Stefano Bardini, known as the “prince of antiquarians”. He used the garden as an impressive setting to entertain his affluent clientele.

Among the garden’s wonders is the wisteria, one of the most loved plants by visitors. This fragrant plant, covering the pergola entirely with its purple clusters, leads visitors to the Loggia del Belvedere, where you can enjoy a panoramic view of Florence and San Miniato al Monte. The wisteria, besides its beauty, carries a long history and a distant origin, having been brought from China as a rarity by Marco Polo in the 18th century.

The wisteria flower, with its shades ranging from lilac to violet, from mauve to pink, provides a blooming spectacle in spring, between April and May. Its particularity is the rapid and constant growth, symbolizing the development of human consciousness that, just like the plant, expands in a spiraling movement, embracing the outside world.

When to Visit Villa Bardini and its Gardens

Special exhibitions are organized at Villa Bardini at certain times of the year.

From October 21, 2025 to April 12, 2026, Villa Bardini hosts Oceani: David Doubilet (National Geographic), an exhibition with more than 80 underwater photographs that reveal both the beauty and the fragility of marine ecosystems under pressure from climate change and human activity.

Spanning eleven rooms, the images were captured from the Caribbean to the Philippines, Indonesia to Australia, and even Antarctica. Working alongside his wife Jennifer Hayes (marine biologist and underwater photographer), David Doubilet has become an international ambassador for ocean conservation.

As for the Gardens of Villa Bardini, although they are open all year round, the best period is between April and September, the warmest months of the year in Italy. The Villa Bardini Gardens open daily from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM (entry allowed until 7:00 PM), except on the first and last Monday of the month.

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Bardini Villa and Gardens Tickets

You can book tickets for the Oceani exhibition at Villa Bardini or choose a ticket for the Bardini Gardens only (which also grants access to the Boboli Gardens). There is also a combined ticket that includes both the exhibition and the gardens, costing €15 full price or €8 reduced (plus any applicable presale fees).

Villa Bardini – “Oceani” Exhibition (David Doubilet / National Geographic)

Category	Fee***	Online Tickets
Full	€ 10.00	buy here
Reduced*	€ 5.00	buy here
Free (0-17 years)**	€ 0.00	buy here

You can also purchase open date tickets for Villa Bardini – Oceani here.

Villa Bardini Gardens

The daily validity entrance ticket is cumulative with the Giardino di Boboli and may vary depending on the temporary exhibitions that may take place during the year in such museums.

Category	Fee	Online Tickets
Full	€ 10.00	buy here
Reduced*	€ 5.00	buy here
Grátis**	€ 0.00	buy here

Entry ONLY to the Villa Bardini Gardens is free, no reservation needed for residents in the Città Metropolitana di Firenze, in the Comune di Arezzo and province, in the Comune di Grosseto and province showing a document proving this requirement.

Free entry for everyone on the first Sundays of each month.

Groups can have a maximum of 28 participants including the guide.

Ticket sales are closed one hour before the garden’s closing time.

How to Get to Villa Bardini

The main entrance to Villa Bardini is located at 2 Costa San Giorgio.

There is a second entrance to the Villa Bardini Gardens at 1/r Via dei Bardi, which is open exclusively during the garden’s opening hours.

By Car

For those traveling by car, it’s recommended to use a GPS such as Waze or Google Maps. Search for Villa Bardini or Forte Belvedere (which is just a few steps away from Villa Bardini). There is free parking available for visitors. From the parking lot, you will find signs indicating how to get to Villa Bardini on foot.

By Taxi

A taxi ride from the center of Florence to Villa Bardini costs between 7 and 10 euros.

You can call a taxi in Florence by dialing the number +39 055.4242 or 055.4390.

On Foot

From the center of Florence, you can reach Villa Bardini on foot, enjoying a pleasant walk through the hills. Yes, there is an uphill stretch, but with a bit of determination and a bottle of water in the summer, it will be a wonderful experience.

For those coming from the Ponte Vecchio, it’s possible to go up via Costa San Giorgio (the “costas” are small streets with steep inclines), leading directly to Villa Bardini.

For those coming from the picturesque and lively San Niccolò neighborhood, there’s a road just beyond the Gate, called Via di Belvedere, that extends for 1 km and takes you straight to the entrance of Villa Bardini.

Finally, Villa Bardini can also be accessed by crossing the Boboli Gardens: once past the gate, you’ll find yourself immediately within the splendid confines of this location.