Florence Cathedral's great brick dome, raised by Filippo Brunelleschi between 1420 and 1436.
Climb 463 steps past Vasari's Last Judgment, squeeze between the two shells and step out by the lantern above a sea of red roofs.
Dome closed 16 to 20 November 2026. The Opera del Duomo shuts the dome climb for maintenance that week, and Giotto's Bell Tower closes 9 to 13 November. Pick other dates for those weeks. Official FAQChecked 29 October 2026
The dome on every tourNo cathedral-only tours dressed up as climbs
Official prices alongsideThe 30 euro pass next to every tour
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on all but one ticket
Who climbs with youGuide on the stairs, or on your own
Tours
Choose your dome climb tour
In the centre, the most-booked dome tour in Florence, with a terraces option. Left, a guide who climbs with you
after the museum. Right, the evening climb with the terraces and an empty cathedral. Every card opens a full tour page.
An hour in the Opera del Duomo Museum with the original Gates of Paradise, then the cathedral and the climb. Guests say the guide climbs with the group.
What's included
Guided tour of the Opera del Duomo Museum
Cathedral visit and the dome climb with your guide
A guide walks you through the cathedral, then you climb to the dome on a held slot. Pick the option with the rooftop terraces: the dome ribs right beside you at 32 metres.
What's included
Guided visit inside the cathedral
Reserved Brunelleschi's Dome climb (all options)
Duomo terraces in the Dome & Terraces option
Pass for the bell tower, baptistery, crypt and museum
Climb the dome and walk the terraces in the evening, after the day crowds have gone. You leave with the cathedral's Key Master as the lights go off inside.
What's included
After-hours entry to the cathedral
Private access to the Duomo terraces
Brunelleschi's Dome climb
72-hour pass for the museum, baptistery, crypt and bell tower
Every listing below gets you up the dome. They differ on three things: who is with you on the stairs, whether you
also get the rooftop terraces, and how much of the rest of the complex comes with it.
The official Brunelleschi Pass costs 30 euros (12 euros for ages 7 to 14) and is non-refundable once booked;
every tour here except the audio-guide ticket cancels free up to 24 hours before. Most tours do not take children under 7.
Before you book
One pass, one slot, 463 steps.
There is no dome-only ticket. The Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore sells the climb inside the Brunelleschi Pass: 30 euros,
a fixed time slot for the dome, and three days for the bell tower, the baptistery, the crypt of Santa Reparata and the museum.
Since March 2025 the pass is in your name and staff check ID at the dome door. The slot cannot be changed or refunded.
Every tour on this site is built on that same pass. What you pay extra for is certainty and company: a slot held on
a date the official shop shows as sold out, a guide in the cathedral or the museum, the rooftop terraces, which you can only walk
with Opera staff or a guide, or an evening after the crowds. One thing almost no tour gives you is a guide on the stairs. Even
the Opera's own 50 euro dome tour ends with you climbing alone.
463
Steps from the cathedral floor to the lantern, no lift. The last part runs between the
inner and outer shells of the dome, steep and in places less than a metre wide.
Monday to Friday: slots from 8:15, last slot 18:45.
Saturday: 8:15 to 16:30 (last slot).
Sundays and public holidays: 12:45 to 16:30 only.
Closed: 1 January, Easter Sunday, 25 December, and for maintenance from 16 to 20 November 2026.
The cathedral floor itself is open Monday to Saturday, 10:15 to 15:45, and free.
463 steps, no lift, no way to skip the narrow top section.
Strongly discouraged for heart conditions, vertigo, claustrophobia and pregnancy (the Opera's own wording).
No official minimum age, but under-18s must climb with an adult; most tours take children from 7 or 8.
Guests in their fifties and sixties manage it fine at their own pace; the stairs are one long effort, not a sprint.
Your passport or ID card: the name must match the ticket.
Water in a pocket, not a backpack. Bags beyond a small one go to the free storage.
Shoes with grip. The steps are worn smooth and some are shallow.
Shoulders and knees covered if your tour enters the cathedral; the climb itself has no dress code.
Steps463Cathedral floor to the lantern terrace, no lift.
HeightAbout 116 mThe Opera's figure for the dome with its lantern.
Official pass30 eurosBrunelleschi Pass, with three days for the other monuments.
Time insideAbout 45 minFrom your slot, up, the view, and back down.
Fresco3,600 m²The Last Judgment, painted 1572 to 1579, seen from the drum gallery.
Refund24 hoursFree cancellation on every tour here but the audio ticket; the official pass has none.
Where it starts
The dome entrance
Porta della Mandorla, north side
Piazza del Duomo, 50122 Firenze. Free bag storage: Piazza del Duomo 38/r
The dome is not climbed from the front of the cathedral. The entrance is the Porta della Mandorla on the north flank, the side facing
Via dei Servi. Tours meet nearby: by the Lindt shop on the piazza, at the Misericordia steps opposite the bell tower, by the column of
San Zanobi next to the baptistery, or in Piazza della Repubblica. Your voucher names the exact spot.
Santa Maria Novella station: about 10 minutes on foot
Ticket office: Piazza San Giovanni 7, facing the baptistery
4.8★★★★★ 1,195 reviews · Duomo tour with dome climb & terraces Viator rating
★★★★★
This was an excellent tour that included the museum as well as the duomo. [...] It was incredible walking the balcony inside the dome before making the final climb between the one and outer domes to the top coppola.
★★★★★
She was extremely knowledgeable and we had a great climb with her. She made sure that no one in the group got lost during the climb and made the experience as seamless as possible.
★★★★★
Getting to do all that after hours and without a crowd was worth every penny. The after hours schedule also meant you accessed the terraces during sunset so the view and pictures were perfect.
★★★★★
The climb to the top was quicker than I expected. About halfway to there is an opportunity to see the inside of the church from a very high point, plus a closer look at the paintings on the ceiling.
★★★★★
My Husband and I had the best time learning about the history of the duomo. [...] The climb was so cool to witness (definitely a bit tight) but so worth it for the view and to see all the parts of the building.
★★★★★
The climb is 463 steep steps and when you get half way and think you’re done you’ve still got a bit to go. [...] I am 56 years old and relatively unfit and still managed the climb.
★★★★★
Great pictures and the cherry on top was when the Keymaster locked the Duomo for the evening and allowed us to hold the keys.
★★★★★
We received our tickets the day before with clear instructions on where to go and what to do. [...] We booked this because the Duomo official site was sold out.
★★★★★
We decided to climb the Duomo and I would highly recommend it as the 360-degree view you get at the top is remarkable. [...] Fair warning though it is 463 stairs to the top.
Dome sold out?
Climb the bell tower instead
The other great climb on the square, with David on the same morning.
Dome sold out on your dates? This one skips it on purpose. A guide takes you to Michelangelo's David at the Accademia, then to the Duomo square, and your pass covers Giotto's Bell Tower: 414 steps, three landings, and the best view of the dome itself.
Plenty of "Duomo tours" in Florence never leave the cathedral floor, which is free anyway. The ones on this page all go up.
Here is what you are climbing, and how to choose.
A dome nobody knew how to build
By 1418 Florence had a cathedral with a gaping octagon where the crossing roof should be. It had been planned decades earlier,
wider than any vault the builders of the day could span, and nobody had the timber for a wooden frame big enough to hold it up
while the mortar set. Filippo Brunelleschi, a goldsmith turned architect, won the commission with an idea that sounded reckless:
build it without one. Work began on 7 August 1420. Sixteen years later the dome was closed, and Pope Eugene IV consecrated the
cathedral on 25 March 1436.
The trick was two domes, not one. A thick inner shell carries the weight, a thinner outer shell keeps the rain off, and the
two are tied together by ribs and rings. Bricks laid in a herringbone pattern locked each course in place as it rose. More
than four million of them went up. The white marble lantern on top was finished after Brunelleschi's death, in 1461.
Vasari began the Last Judgment in 1572; Federico Zuccari finished it in 1579.
What you see on the way up
The climb starts at the Porta della Mandorla on the north side. The first stretch is ordinary stone stairs inside the
cathedral wall. Then you come out onto a walkway around the base of the dome, about 40 metres above the floor, and the
painted vault is right above you: 3,600 square metres of the Last Judgment, saints at eye level, demons lower down. Glass
screens run along the rail. Take your time here. It is the only real pause on the climb.
After the gallery, you go into the gap between the two shells. This is the part people remember: steep steps, a curved ceiling
close over your head, brick in herringbone on both sides, walls that lean as the dome narrows. In places it is less than a
metre wide, and people coming down squeeze past. Then a last steep flight, and you are out on the terrace at the foot of the
lantern, with the bell tower straight in front of you and Florence's roofs running to the hills.
The honest small print: no ticket, official or not, lets you skip the line for the dome. The Opera says
so in writing: the timed slot is the queue control. A tour earns its price by holding a slot when the official calendar is
sold out, by adding a guide where guides are allowed, or by opening the terraces. Our tour pages say which.
Ticket, tour or both?
If your dates are firm and the official shop has slots, the 30 euro Brunelleschi Pass is the best value in Florence, and
you will climb exactly the same stairs as everyone on a tour. Book it the day you know your dates. If the shop shows grey
zeros, a Viator listing with a held slot is how you still get up; the ticket-only ones cost about $75 to $78 and include no guide.
Pay for a tour if you want the story. A good guide in the cathedral or the museum turns the climb from a workout into the
ending of something you understand. The terraces are a real extra: you can only walk them with Opera staff or a guide, and they put
the ribs of the dome right next to you. And if you want company on the stairs, choose the guided climb,
or the museum tour, where guests say the guide comes up too.
From the lantern terrace, Giotto's Bell Tower stands right in front of you.
Who should not climb
The Opera strongly discourages the climb for people with heart conditions, vertigo or claustrophobia, and for pregnant women.
Take that seriously: once you are between the shells there is no easy way back against the flow. If you are unsure, climb
Giotto's Bell Tower first. It has three landings to rest on, and
it gives you the one view the dome cannot: the dome itself.
About 116 metres to the top of the lantern, by the Opera's count.
Straight answers to what people ask most about Brunelleschi's dome.
How much does it cost to climb Brunelleschi's dome?
The official way up is the Brunelleschi Pass: 30 euros for adults, 12 euros for ages 7 to 14, free under 7, with the bell tower, baptistery, crypt and museum thrown in for three days. The Opera's own guided dome tour is 50 euros. On Viator, a ticket with a held slot starts at $75 and guided tours run $90 to $300. The tickets guide breaks it down.
How many steps are there to the top of the Duomo?
463, and there is no lift. The last stretch runs between the dome's two shells, where the stairs are steep, curved and in places under a metre wide. Giotto's Bell Tower next door has 414 steps; the Duomo terraces have about 150. More in what the climb is like.
Do you need a ticket to climb the dome?
Yes. The cathedral floor is free, but the dome needs a Brunelleschi Pass or a tour that includes one, with a fixed time slot. Since March 2025 the pass carries your name, and staff check ID at the dome door, so book in the names of the people climbing.
Is there a skip-the-line ticket for the dome?
Not really. The Opera del Duomo says there is no skip-the-line service and never will be: the timed slot is the queue control. What a tour can do is hold a slot on a day the official calendar is sold out, and walk you to the entrance at the right minute.
Does a guide come up the dome with you?
Usually not. On most tours, and even on the official 50 euro dome tour, the guide talks to you below and you climb on your own. The VIP guided climb and, by guest accounts, the museum and dome tour are the exceptions.
How long does the dome climb take?
The Opera plans about 45 minutes from your slot. Most people take 20 to 25 minutes to reach the top, a few minutes at the drum gallery under the frescoes, 10 to 15 minutes on the lantern terrace, then the way down. Add 10 minutes before your slot for the security line.
Is climbing the Duomo scary or claustrophobic?
For some people, yes. The passage between the shells is tight and steep, and the gallery inside the dome puts you about 40 metres above the cathedral floor behind a glass screen. The Opera strongly discourages the climb with heart conditions, vertigo, claustrophobia or pregnancy.
What if the dome is sold out on my dates?
Check the official shop first; a grey "0" means that slot is gone and the ticket desk has no extra stock. Then look at tours with held slots, or climb Giotto's Bell Tower instead. Our sold-out guide lists every option.
Dome or Giotto's Bell Tower: which is better?
The dome gives you the frescoes up close and the highest view; the bell tower gives you the view of the dome, with landings to rest on. The tower has been under restoration scaffolding since March 2026, with the top still open. See dome or bell tower.
Can children climb Brunelleschi's dome?
There is no official minimum age, but under-18s must climb with an adult, and most tours set 7 or 8 as the lower limit. Under-7s go free on the pass. Strollers and backpacks cannot go up. Read the dome with kids.
Is there a dress code for the dome climb?
The covered shoulders and knees rule applies to the cathedral and the baptistery, not to the climb itself. Most tours pass through the cathedral, so dress for it anyway, and wear proper shoes: no flip-flops or heels on 463 steps.
When is the dome closed?
It is closed on 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December. Otherwise slots run weekdays 8:15 to 18:45 (last slot), Saturdays to 16:30, and Sundays and holidays 12:45 to 16:30 only. In 2026 it also closes for maintenance from 16 to 20 November. Details in the November closure post.
Ready to book
Pick your slot, then the stairs.
The dome is included on every tour here, and all guided tours cancel free up to 24 hours before.
Guide on the stairs
★ 4.92.5 hoursFree cancellation
