Dome or bell tower?

What is the difference between the dome and the bell tower?

The dome is higher, tighter and inside a building; the bell tower is shorter, has rest stops and looks at the dome. Here they are side by side.

The facts first:

Which has the better view, the dome or the bell tower?

The bell tower, if you want the dome in your photos. The dome, if you want an open terrace and the widest view. In 2026 the dome wins on photos.

It sounds like a riddle, and it decides most people. From the dome's terrace you look across at the striped marble of the campanile, out to Fiesole and down at Piazza della Signoria. From the bell tower, Brunelleschi's dome fills the frame at close range, a picture you cannot take while standing on it.

The restoration tips the balance. The Opera says views from the tower top "may be partially reduced", and visitors report mesh fencing all round the summit that gets in the way of photos. The dome terrace has no such screen.

Which climb is harder?

The dome. It is 49 steps longer, and its last stretch runs between two curved shells where the walls lean in and the stairs steepen.

The bell tower is narrow too: a square spiral around a central core, barely one person wide in places. But it breaks into stages at three loggias, open landings where you can stop, breathe and look out. People who dislike tight spaces usually manage it better.

On the dome, the gallery under the fresco is the only real pause before the shells. One guest, not the fittest and no fan of enclosed spaces, still made it: they counted a first wider landing at about 150 steps and said "despite everything, it goes well". The full route is in the dome climb guide.

Is the bell tower worth climbing during the restoration?

Yes, if you go in knowing the top is screened. The terrace stays open throughout the work; the views are partly reduced.

The first complete restoration of the campanile started on 9 March 2026 and is expected to take about four to five years, behind scaffolding 86 metres high. The Opera keeps the climb open, except for a maintenance closure from 9 to 13 November 2026. What you lose is some of the panorama and clean photos. What you keep is the stair, the loggias and the dome at close range through the gaps.

We follow the work in the bell tower restoration post. If photos are the point of your climb, pick the dome this year.

Can you climb both on one ticket?

Yes. The 30 euro Brunelleschi Pass covers both: the dome at your fixed slot, the bell tower any time within the 3 days, no slot needed.

That is the best deal on the square, 10 euros more than the Giotto Pass for a second climb. Don't do both on the same afternoon unless you like stairs: 877 steps in a few hours is a lot. Climb the dome early on day one and the tower the next morning.

One caveat if you buy through a reseller. The listing for the dome ticket and 3-day pass says its pass no longer includes the bell tower for visits from 1 January 2027. Check what your pass says for your dates; the Opera's own Brunelleschi Pass includes it.

Which is easier to book?

The bell tower. Dome slots sell out first, weeks ahead in spring and summer; the Giotto Pass usually has space nearer the date.

On the Giotto Pass the bell tower has a fixed slot, like the dome. On the Brunelleschi Pass it does not: you walk up whenever you like within the 3 days. Open daily 8:15 to 18:45 (last slot), the tower is quietest in its first hour. Midday in summer turns the narrow sections into a slow queue.

If the dome is gone on your dates, a tour with a held slot is the way round it; otherwise switch to the tower and save 10 euros.

One hour with a guide round the piazza, the cathedral and Santa Reparata, then the Giotto Pass and 414 steps up the tower.

★ 4.3 · 1 hour 35 minutes · from $79

Explore the bell tower tour → Tour details

Which is better for kids or nervous climbers?

The bell tower, for the landings. Children of any age can climb with an adult, but the dome's shells are hard going with small ones.

The Opera sets no minimum age; under 18s must be with an adult and under 7s are free. The loggias give children natural stops and windows to look out of. On the dome there is no turning back easily once you are between the shells. More in the Duomo with kids.

Which tours cover the dome or the bell tower?

One tour here climbs the bell tower, from $79. Five hold a dome slot, from $90 for a ticket with no guide to $193 with Michelangelo's David.

The bell tower tour by My Green Tour Italy runs 1 hour 35 minutes: an hour of guiding, Santa Reparata, then the climb on the Giotto Pass, in groups of up to 20. For the dome, the Duomo tour with dome climb is the all-rounder at $125, with two hours of guiding before your slot. Both cancel for free up to 24 hours before.

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