Basilica di San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapel: A Visitor Guide

The Basilica di San Lorenzo is about a five-minute walk from Emerald Palace, making the church and nearby Medici Chapels easy to pair on foot. The Basilica complex is at Piazza San Lorenzo, 50123 Florence. The Medici Chapels museum has a separate entrance at Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini, 6, behind the Basilica.

They are not covered by the same admission: a Basilica complex ticket does not include the Medici Chapels. If you’re planning both, allow for separate entry arrangements and check the opening information for each before setting out.

The Basilica complex ticket covers several areas: the Basilica, Old Sacristy, cloisters, Treasury Museum, crypt and monumental underground areas. That gives you more to see than the church alone, so check which parts are included as you plan your visit.

Photography is permitted in the Basilica as long as it does not disturb other visitors. Flash, tripods and other professional equipment are prohibited unless you have specific permission.

The Medici Chapels’ principal visitor areas are Michelangelo’s New Sacristy and the Chapel of the Princes, built in the following century. Some rooms of the crypt are also on the route. Michelangelo built the New Sacristy between 1521 and 1534.

Full-price and reduced tickets are available. The reduced rate is for European Union citizens aged 18 to 25. European Union visitors under 18 and over 65, as well as student groups by reservation, can enter free.

The Basilica complex ticket costs €9 and is sold at the Basilica ticket office. It does not include admission to the Medici Chapels or the Medici Laurentian Library; those require separate admission.

Children up to 12, people with disabilities and their companions, tourist guides, and group leaders can enter the Basilica complex free. These free admissions apply only to tickets bought at the Basilica ticket office.

The Basilica complex is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 to 17:30, with last entry at 16:30. It is closed on January 1, January 6 and August 10; hours may also vary for extraordinary religious celebrations.

The Medici Chapels are open from 8:15 to 18:00, though another published schedule gives 14:00 as the closing time. Last entry is at 13:20.

The museum is closed on the second and fourth Sundays of each month and the first, third and fifth Mondays, as well as January 1, May 1 and December 25. Check the official site before you go, especially if timing your visit around last entry.

Access to the Basilica complex is guaranteed to visitors with reduced mobility, and their companions receive free admission. The Medici Chapels have disability access and devices for visitors with disabilities. Audioguides are available in Italian, English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese.

At the Medici Chapels, using the free cloakroom is obligatory for umbrellas, backpacks and large bags. Keep this in mind when planning what to carry between the two sites.

The Central Market is also in the San Lorenzo area, near Piazza San Lorenzo, so it can fit naturally alongside the church and chapels. Florence’s Mercato Centrale was inaugurated in 1874 during the International Horticulture Exhibition. The city describes its iron structure as designed by Giovanni Mengoni.

The market is at Piazza del Mercato Centrale, Via dell’Ariento, 50123 Florence. The ground floor is open Monday through Friday from 09:00 to 15:00 and Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00; it is closed Sundays and holidays. The first floor is open Monday through Sunday from 08:00 to 00:00, except December 25.

For a longer route through the neighborhood, you can pair the visit with a walk through Florence’s Old Town from San Lorenzo. For more detail on the market’s food and layout, see this guide to Central Market Florence.