We’re most pleased to have just added two new tours that offer very special ways of exploring Florence’s magnificent Duomo – not only skip-the-line but also a chance to climb both up and down … up to explore the incredible dome – Brunelleschi’s cupola – and down to explore the crypt of the cathedral.
The ‘climb the dome’ tour begins with a guided tour of the fascinating museum of the cathedral, after which you’re given your privileged-access tickets to climb (under your own steam, you’ll not have the guide with you) up the 463 steps to the cupola, including the external terrace and the incredible views across Florence and the Tuscan hills – this is, after all, the highest point of the city of Florence. Limited numbers are given access each day – learn more here.
There is currently no way to pre-book access to the cathedral, and queues in high season can be hours long, snaking around Piazza del Duomo, so the second tour is most attractive in that it is fully skip-the-line, giving access to the cathedral via a dedicated side-entrance.
The tour lasts around an hour and includes a thorough exploration of the duomo as well as a trip down to the (ordinarily closed to visitors) crypt of the cathedral. Here you’ll explore the incredible remains of the much older church and see the graves of, among others, Brunelleschi himself and Giovanni Di Alamanno de’ Medici – learn more here.
