Localada’s free The Accademia & Michelangelo's David audio guide is part of the Florence audio guide: the story of The Accademia & Michelangelo's David, practical visiting tips and a route map, narrated in 15 languages. It opens in your browser, with no app download and no tour group.
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Opens the Florence guide in Localada, where The Accademia & Michelangelo's David is one of the stops. A free account takes a few seconds.
The Accademia & Michelangelo's David: key facts
- Time to allow: 1–1.5 hours
- Hours: 08:15–18:50 (closed Monday)
- Address: Via Ricasoli 58/60, 50122 Florence
- Nearest transport: San Marco · C1 · 4 min walk (C1)
- Localada perk: 5% OFF – Timed entry to Michelangelo's David — book below
- Small museum built around one sculpture; most people are done in an hour. Timed entry and booking are effectively required. Closed Mondays. The unfinished Prisoners line the hall leading up to the David and are easy to walk straight past.
The story of The Accademia & Michelangelo's David
The marble had been sitting in a cathedral yard for forty years when Michelangelo got it.
Two sculptors had already tried. One cut a rough channel between what would become the legs and abandoned it; the block was declared ruined, too tall and too narrow to be useful. It was known around Florence as the Giant. Michelangelo was twenty-six when he asked for it.
He worked for two years behind a wooden screen and let nobody in. When it came out in 1504 a committee including Leonardo da Vinci argued for weeks about where to put it, and it took forty men four days to move it half a kilometre to the Piazza della Signoria.
Stand to the left and look at the right hand. It is out of proportion, deliberately — the hand of a man about to do something, swollen with blood, veins up. The sling is over the shoulder and the stone is in it. This is the moment before, not after.
It stood outdoors for three hundred and seventy years. The one in the square now is a copy.
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Tips for visiting The Accademia & Michelangelo's David
- Book a slot — the unbooked queue here is the worst in the city.
- First entry of the morning gives you the hall almost empty.
- Stop at the Prisoners on the way in; the figures half-out of the stone are the point of the room.
- Walk round the David fully; the back is rarely photographed and shows the tool marks.
- An hour is genuinely enough here — do not over-plan it.
5% off The Accademia & Michelangelo's David tickets and tours
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More audio guides in Florence
- The Duomo & Brunelleschi's Dome · 2 hours
- The Uffizi Gallery · 2–3 hours
- Palazzo Vecchio & the Secret Passages · 1.5 hours
All stops in the Florence audio guide →
The Accademia & Michelangelo's David audio guide: frequently asked questions
Is the The Accademia & Michelangelo's David audio guide free?
Yes. The The Accademia & Michelangelo's David audio guide is part of Localada’s free Florence guide: create a free account and open it in your browser, no app download needed. Tickets for The Accademia & Michelangelo's David are bought separately; booking through Localada’s GetYourGuide links gives 5% off.
How long should I spend at The Accademia & Michelangelo's David?
Allow 1–1.5 hours for The Accademia & Michelangelo's David.
What are the opening hours of The Accademia & Michelangelo's David?
08:15–18:50 (closed Monday). Hours can change on public and religious holidays, so check on the day.
Can I get a discount on The Accademia & Michelangelo's David tickets?
Yes. Book The Accademia & Michelangelo's David tickets and tours through Localada’s GetYourGuide links and GetYourGuide applies 5% off at checkout.
Which languages is the The Accademia & Michelangelo's David audio guide available in?
Narration and text are available in 15 languages: English, Turkish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Listen to the The Accademia & Michelangelo's David audio guide, free →
Official website: galleriaaccademiafirenze.it