Climbing Brunelleschi's dome

How many steps is the dome climb, and how hard is it?

463 steps, no lift, about 45 minutes from your slot to the bottom again. Fit adults find it hard work but steady; the problem is space, not distance.

The steps come in stretches with places to stop, and one guest counted a first wider landing at about 150 steps. What gets people is how tight it becomes. The last third runs between the two shells, where the walls curve over you and the stairs steepen. The Opera strongly discourages the climb for people with heart conditions, vertigo or claustrophobia, and for pregnant women.

Guests describe it the same way again and again. Clara G. wrote: "the stairs to the top of the Duomo were a workout, the hallways were tight and the windows small, but the view from the top made it all worth it."

What does the climb look like, stage by stage?

Four parts: spiral stairs in the walls, a balcony under the fresco, the passage between the shells, and a last steep stair onto the lantern terrace.

• The door: the Porta della Mandorla on the north side of the cathedral, facing Via dei Servi. A metal detector, the ID check, and you start.
• The walls: spiral and straight stairs inside the masonry of the drum, with small windows.
• The fresco gallery: a walkway around the base of the dome, above the nave. Vasari and Zuccari's Last Judgment, painted from 1572 to 1579, is close enough to see brushwork, and the floor of the cathedral is far below. Many people find this part better than the top.
• Between the shells: the brick herringbone pattern Brunelleschi used, at arm's length. The walls lean in and the steps get steep.
• The terrace: the stone ring at the foot of the lantern, open on all sides, with the bell tower in front of you and the hills of Fiesole behind.

Alan W. liked the halfway stop most: "Lovely fresco in the dome tho dramatic scenes. Well worth viewing as you go up the stairs."

How do you book a dome slot?

Buy the 30 euro Brunelleschi Pass at the Opera's shop and pick a fixed time. Every ticket carries a name and nationality, checked against ID at the door.

The rules since 1 March 2025:

• Name, surname and nationality for every visitor at purchase, up to 10 passes per order.
• Names are checked against a passport or ID card at the dome entrance and cannot be changed later.
• No changes, no cancellations, no refunds. Miss the slot and it is gone.
• Be in line 10 minutes before your time. There is 5 minutes' tolerance after the slot starts.

The other way up is the Opera's 50 euro dome tour, which adds about 30 minutes with an Opera guide in a reserved area at the base of the dome. The climb after it is on your own. Prices for the whole complex are in Duomo tickets and prices.

What is the best time to climb the dome?

The 8:15 slot. The stairwells are cooler, the queue is shorter and the light over the rooftops is soft. Late weekday slots are the second choice.

Dome hours in 2026: Monday to Friday 8:15 to 18:45 (last slot), Saturday 8:15 to 16:30, Sundays and public holidays 12:45 to 16:30 only. Midday in July and August is the worst time: the stairs hold the heat and the climb slows to single file. The dome closes for maintenance from 16 to 20 November 2026, and the whole complex closes on 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December.

If you also want the free cathedral, an early dome slot on a weekday lets you come down and join the cathedral queue before it opens at 10:15. On Sundays the cathedral is closed to visitors, so plan the dome for another day if you want both.

What can you take up the dome?

Your phone, a small bag and nothing bigger. Backpacks and medium or large bags are not allowed on the climb.

Leave them at the free luggage storage at Piazza del Duomo 38/r, next to the museum entrance, open daily 7:30 to 20:15 for ticket holders. Do it before your slot, not after you reach the door: your slot keeps running while you walk back. Every monument has a metal detector, and eating and drinking are not allowed inside. Drink before you start.

Wear shoes with grip. The steps are 600 years old and polished smooth in places. Shoulders and knees covered is the safe choice, since the route passes through the cathedral; what to wear to the Duomo has the full dress code.

Is a guided dome climb worth it?

For the complex, yes. For the climb itself, rarely: almost every tour, including the Opera's own, sends you up the 463 steps alone.

What tours with a dome slot actually guide:

Walkabout Florence Tours is the exception guests keep mentioning. One wrote that the guide "waited for guests who needed more time and allowed the rest of us to go ahead and wait". If someone in your group is nervous about the stairs, that matters more than an extra half hour of history.

A guided museum visit, then the dome with a guide who, guests report, climbs with the group. Max 15, from an official Opera partner.

★ 4.9 · 2.5 hours · from $137

Explore the Walkabout museum and dome tour → Tour details

What if the dome is sold out?

Check tours with held slots. Official partners buy dome slots in advance, so a tour can show availability when the Opera's calendar shows a grey zero.

The Opera does not release extra tickets at the desk, so turning up on the day is no plan in spring and summer. The cheapest held slot here is the dome ticket and 3-day pass at $90, sent by WhatsApp or email the evening before. One guest's dome booking fell through elsewhere, and a City Wonders departure fixed it: "My initial ticket cancelled my dome climb and this one saved the day!"

Read what you are sent. One reviewer of the ticket-only option found the booking voucher was not the entry ticket: you need the official Brunelleschi Pass the operator issues, so keep it on your phone and as a screenshot.

Who should skip the dome, and what to do instead?

Anyone with vertigo, claustrophobia, a heart condition or a bad back. Climb the bell tower, book the terraces, or see the fresco from the nave.

Giotto's bell tower is 414 steps with three landings where you can stop, and you get the dome itself in your photos. The Duomo terraces, a walkway 32 metres up along the cathedral's flanks, take 150 steps and are only open with an Opera guide or a tour such as the David and Duomo tour. See the Opera's terraces page.

And the cheapest view of the fresco is free: stand under the dome in the nave and look up.

Frequently asked questions