The Duomo — formally the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore — anchors the whole historic centre, and its famous red-tiled dome by Filippo Brunelleschi is still the defining shape of the Florence skyline. But "visiting the Duomo" actually means choosing among five separate sites on the same piazza.

The five parts of the complex

  • The Cathedral — free to enter, though the interior is comparatively plain compared to the exterior; the real draw inside is Brunelleschi's dome frescoes, best appreciated from below or, better, from within on the dome climb.
  • The Dome climb — 463 steps up a narrow spiral staircase between the dome's inner and outer shells, ending on an open-air terrace with a 360° view. Requires a timed-entry booking, and is not suitable for anyone with claustrophobia or significant mobility limitations — there is no lift and no way to turn back partway.
  • The Baptistery — an octagonal building older than the cathedral itself, famous for Lorenzo Ghiberti's gilded bronze doors (the originals are in the Duomo Museum; the doors in place today are careful replicas).
  • Giotto's Campanile — the bell tower, a shorter, less crowded climb than the dome (414 steps) with arguably the better view, since it includes the dome itself in the frame.
  • The Duomo Museum (Museo dell'Opera del Duomo) — houses the original Ghiberti doors, a Michelangelo Pietà, and models of the dome's construction — genuinely excellent and consistently the least crowded part of the complex.

Booking and order

A combined ticket covering the dome, baptistery, campanile and museum is the standard way to visit, and the dome climb specifically requires a pre-booked time slot — this is the piece to reserve first, since it sells out days or weeks ahead in peak season. The cathedral nave itself is free but also benefits from a quick pre-booked slot in high season to skip the entry queue.

Suggested order: Cathedral first (free entry, quick), then your timed dome climb, then the Baptistery and Campanile at your own pace, finishing at the Duomo Museum — which rewards having seen the building itself first.

Is the dome climb worth it?

Yes, for anyone reasonably fit and not claustrophobic — it's the single best view in the city precisely because the dome itself, the thing everyone photographs from outside, is missing from views taken elsewhere. Budget around 45–60 minutes including the climb and time on the terrace, and go early morning for the coolest conditions and thinnest queues.