Florence Duomo tickets: Dome tickets, prices, hours, skip the line

Florence Duomo tickets are not a single entry: the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, which runs the cathedral complex, sells 3-day passes (Brunelleschi €30, Giotto €20, Ghiberti €15), the nave is free Monday to Saturday, and there is no official skip-the-line ticket. The main decision is whether you want to climb the Dome’s 463 steps or stick to the Bell Tower, Baptistery and Museum — and not to pay a reseller for a “skip the line” the Opera does not recognise.

Florence Duomo tickets: Brunelleschi, Giotto and Ghiberti compared

The only official online channel is tickets.duomo.firenze.it (no commission). The ticket office at Piazza San Giovanni 7 has no extra allocation when online slots are sold out (the one exception is the “On-site” Ghiberti ticket, sold only when the regular Ghiberti Pass is sold out). You can buy up to 10 Brunelleschi Passes per order.

Passes are valid for 3 calendar days from the date you choose, with one entry per monument. The first day is the day of your booked slot; you cannot enter the day before. Bookings cannot be changed, cancelled or refunded. The Brunelleschi Pass is issued in your name and ID is checked at the Dome. Under 7s are free; students with a card get a €5 reduced Ghiberti Pass only, collected at the ticket office. Visitors with disabilities and their companions should contact accessibilita@duomo.firenze.it.

We are an independent guide. If you book through our Tiqets or GetYourGuide links we may earn a commission; the price you pay does not change.

Why resellers cost more

Authorised resellers (including Tiqets) and marketplaces that are not on the Opera’s list sell “Premium” or “fast-track” packages, often at €64–€69 against the official €30. The Opera lists its authorised resellers in its FAQ; GetYourGuide and Viator are not on it. If a website promises an “official skip the line”, it is not an Opera channel.

Opening hours and the free nave

The whole complex closes on 25 December, 1 January and Easter Sunday. Maintenance closures announced so far: the Dome on 16–20 November and the Bell Tower on 9–13 November (check the Opera’s calendar before you go). In the Cathedral and Baptistery, shoulders and legs must be covered and flip-flops are not allowed; in the Baptistery sandals, hats and sunglasses are also banned. The dress code does not apply to the Dome, Bell Tower and Museum.

Dome, Bell Tower and Baptistery: practical rules

Dome (463 steps) — no lift, about 45 minutes; not allowed for unaccompanied minors, and strongly discouraged for anyone with heart or breathing problems, vertigo or claustrophobia, and during pregnancy. Arrive about 5 minutes early: you can be no more than 5 minutes late. ID required. It is the highest point in the city (at the base of the lantern).

Bell Tower (414 steps) — 85 m high, with three loggias and a terrace; allow 45–50 minutes. With the Giotto Pass you need a slot; with the Brunelleschi Pass no slot is required within the 3 days. The climb is open during restoration, but scaffolding partly blocks the view.

Baptistery — about 30 minutes. The vault mosaics are not visible during the restoration; a guided visit up the scaffolding costs €65 (max 10 people). Not to be confused with the free Cathedral nave.

Museo dell’Opera — Piazza del Duomo 9; 6,000 m² housing the original Gates of Paradise, the Bandini Pietà and Donatello’s Magdalene, with a free audioguide app (OperaGuide). Allow 60–90 minutes. It is the part of the complex many visitors underrate: the originals are here, while outside you see copies.

Bag deposit: Piazza Duomo 38/r, free and mandatory for medium and large bags, 7:30–20:15. There is a metal detector at every entrance.

Official Opera guided visits

Under 7s are free on guided visits, except the Baptistery restoration site. Tours run in Italian and English; other languages on request from ufficiovendite@duomo.firenze.it.

Firenze Card, Uffizi and itinerary

The Firenze Card does not include the Dome, Bell Tower, Baptistery, Museo dell’Opera or Santa Reparata, and the Uffizi and Accademia need their own tickets. A realistic one-day plan:

1. Morning — Brunelleschi Dome slot (while your legs are fresh).
2. Short lunch — with bags already dropped at 38/r.
3. Afternoon — Museo dell’Opera and Baptistery (same pass).
4. If you still have energy — the Bell Tower (no new slot needed with the Brunelleschi Pass), or leave the free nave for another day.

Do not climb the Dome and the Bell Tower an hour apart unless you are fit: that is 877 steps in total. For a gentler view, choose the Bell Tower (Giotto Pass) or Piazzale Michelangelo (free, outside the complex).

Authorised resellers vs marketplaces

The Opera publishes its list of authorised resellers: AF Tours, Cavour 191/ToursAbout, Ciao Florence, Enjoy Rome, JBY Network, Liv Tours, Esquilino/Nicom Tours, Sharkey/Martella Tours, Tiqets, Tourify, Tours and Tours, Towns of Italy, Trip.com, Walkabout Tours, Walks Agency, Walks in Town and Weekend in Italy. Buying “skip the line” from anyone else means using an unauthorised reseller. The reference prices remain €30 / €20 / €15 on the Opera site.

Practical questions before booking

Decide first whether you actually want the Dome climb: without it, the €20 Giotto Pass is enough. Check the official calendar for greyed-out slots (sold out or closed). Bring ID for the Brunelleschi Pass, and dress appropriately if you are visiting the nave or the Baptistery. Under 7s go free on passes, but unaccompanied minors cannot climb the Dome — with small children, consider the Museum and Baptistery instead. For Mass, the worshippers’ entrance is the Porta dei Canonici (south side), with times published by the Opera; do not use a tourist slot to attend.

How the 3-day validity works

Example: with a Dome slot on the 2nd of the month, the Brunelleschi Pass is valid on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th. You cannot enter any monument on the 1st. On the day of your slot you can visit the Baptistery or Museum before your Dome time. Each monument allows one entry only, so you cannot climb the Bell Tower twice. The ticket is a PDF/QR code on your phone: no printing needed, but keep your battery charged.

Passes are non-transferable, and the Opera will not refund or change a Brunelleschi Pass booked with the wrong date or name. For orders of more than 10 Brunelleschi Passes, write to help@duomo.firenze.it. Support is also available on WhatsApp (+39 339 990 8183) and by phone (+39 055 2645789).

Free nave vs paid pass: what you actually see

The nave (Monday–Saturday 10:15–15:45) is the Cathedral interior: free, with a dress code and a single queue at the Porta del Campanile. It does not include the Dome, Bell Tower or Baptistery. On Sundays and religious holidays the nave is closed to tourists (worshippers use other doors). If you only want to see inside the Cathedral without climbing, do not buy a pass: go in free and spend the money on the Uffizi or the Accademia.

With the €15 Ghiberti Pass you can see the Museum, the Baptistery and Santa Reparata without any stairs — ideal with small children, if you are recovering from an injury, or if 463 steps simply do not appeal.

VR, terraces and products outside the standard passes

• “Brunelleschi” VR experience: Via degli Alfani 113–117, daily 8:30–17:30, from age 8, sold in the Opera shop. It does not replace the real climb.
• Cathedral terraces: private visits on request only (commerciale@duomo.firenze.it), not sold online with the passes.
• Italian culture bonuses (Bonus Cultura / Carta del Docente): the Opera is a private church-works body and does not accept them; it is not part of the Firenze Card either.

Costly mistakes to avoid on Florence Duomo tickets

1. Buying “Dome only” from a third-party site for €60+: officially, the Dome comes with the €30 Brunelleschi Pass (or the official €50 Dome guided visit).
2. Arriving at the Dome without ID: you lose your slot.
3. Turning up with a large backpack without leaving it at Piazza Duomo 38/r first: you will not get in.
4. Booking the Dome and Bell Tower 30 minutes apart: 877 steps with no recovery time.
5. Believing in an “official skip the line”: it does not exist; at most you are buying from an authorised reseller under the Opera’s rules.
6. Assuming the Firenze Card covers the Duomo: it does not.
7. Forgetting that the Museo dell’Opera closes on the first Tuesday of the month.

Two-day itinerary without burning out

Day 1 — going up: Dome slot in the morning (bags already at 38/r) → Museo dell’Opera in the afternoon → Baptistery towards evening (check the early closing on the first Sunday). Day 2 — staying level: Bell Tower (if included in your pass and your legs allow) or the free nave plus the Accademia or Uffizi. If you only have one day and also want the state museums, do the Dome at opening and then just one big museum, not both.

From Santa Maria Novella station to Piazza del Duomo is about 10–12 minutes on foot via Via de’ Panzani and Via de’ Cerretani. Hop-on hop-off buses are of little use in the pedestrian centre; the cathedral monuments are all visited on foot.

Santa Reparata, services and separate queues

Santa Reparata (the excavations under the Cathedral) is reached from the Porta del Campanile area, down a staircase in the second bay on the right; the visit takes about 30 minutes. With the Ghiberti Pass a slot is mandatory; with the Brunelleschi or Giotto Pass it can fit anywhere within the three days — check the conditions of the pass you bought. The free-nave queue and the excavations queue are separate, even though both are on the south side.

Mass is entered through the Porta dei Canonici. Typical weekday times are 8:30, 10:00 and 18:00; on holidays 9:00, 10:30 (sung in Gregorian chant), 12:00 and 18:00, with Gregorian vespers at 17:15. Do not use a Dome slot as a shortcut to services, and do not take photos during celebrations.

With a pushchair: the Dome and Bell Tower are not suitable, but the Museo dell’Opera has lifts and, with the flat areas of Piazza San Giovanni, is the accessible part of the complex. For specific needs write to accessibilita@duomo.firenze.it; groups and schools to booking@duomo.firenze.it.

What you should really spend

• Nave only: €0.
• Museum, Baptistery and excavations without climbs: €15 (Ghiberti).
• Climbs without the Dome: €20 (Giotto).
• Everything including the Dome: €30 (Brunelleschi) on the Opera site.
• Official Dome guided visit: €50 (€30 for ages 7–14).
• Reseller “Premium fast-track” package: often €64–€69 — you are paying for availability and convenience, not an official skip-the-line.

On a tight budget, combine the free nave with the Ghiberti Pass and put the money towards a state museum where slots are scarcer (Uffizi or Accademia). If money is no object but you hate stairs, skip the Dome and Bell Tower, take the Ghiberti Pass and add the official €25 Museum and Baptistery guided tour.

In short: Duomo Florence tickets

Three official passes — Brunelleschi €30, Giotto €20, Ghiberti €15 — valid 3 days, non-refundable, with slots where required. The nave is free Monday to Saturday, and there is no official skip the line; Tiqets is an authorised reseller, not a way around the Opera’s rules. Check dates and reseller packages in the booking box above; for questions write to travel@alltours.florence.it.