Tonight, in brief
- Start
- Evening, once the cathedral has closed to day visitors
- Duration
- 2 hours
- The climb
- 463 steps inside the dome, no lift
- Group size
- Small group, capped at 19
The ascent
The tour moves in stages, from the queue outside to the top of the dome, down onto the terraces, and finally through the cathedral once it's completely empty.
Arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes early — once the group has gone inside, the doors don't reopen for latecomers.
- First
In ahead of the queue
Your guide brings the group in while the last public visitors are still queuing to climb — you go ahead of them, not after they've left.
- Second
Straight into the stair
The climb starts at once, up a narrow stone staircase built into the gap between the dome's two shells — tight, and warm in summer.
- Third
Past the frescoes
On the way up, the stair brings you close to the painted underside of the dome, nearer than any view from the cathedral floor.
- Fourth
The top
At the 463rd step, the walkway around the lantern opens onto Florence — the rooftops, the hills, and the piazza you started in, small below you.
- Fifth
Down onto the terraces
A few flights back down from the top, the route opens onto both the north and south terraces — opened just for your group of 19, a rarely visited corner of the cathedral.
- Sixth
The empty nave, saved for last
Back at ground level, the cathedral is finally empty of its day visitors — a crowd-free walk through the nave with your guide, before the lights go off and you watch the doors locked from outside.
The dome Brunelleschi built
An engineering problem no one else had solved
Built without scaffolding
Filippo Brunelleschi raised the dome between 1420 and 1436 using a herringbone brick pattern that let each ring of bricks support itself, so the cathedral never needed the external wooden centring that domes this size usually relied on.
Two shells and a cage of stone
The dome is really two domes, one inside the other, built of more than four million bricks and bound by four stone-and-iron chains that work like barrel hoops to stop the structure spreading at the base.
The frescoes you'll pass at arm's length
The inside of the dome is covered in roughly 3,600 square metres of fresco, begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1572 and finished by Federico Zuccari after Vasari's death. The climb takes you past them closer than the cathedral floor ever allows.
The terraces and the empty nave
Two parts of the evening that go further than an ordinary visit: both terraces, opened privately for your group, and the nave itself once it's completely empty.
The terraces
Narrow stone walkways on the north and south sides of the cathedral roof, opened exclusively for your group of 19 on the way down from the dome — close enough to see the brickwork Brunelleschi's masons laid by hand.
What to bring
No bags of any size are allowed inside — free lockers are provided before you go in. A suitcase or backpack needs to go to the paid luggage storage at Piazza Duomo 38/r beforehand, not the lockers.
Who this ticket covers
| Who | What's included | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Adults | The full after-hours tour: the dome climb, both terraces, and the empty cathedral | Groups of up to 19 share one guide, with headsets when needed |
| Children aged 7 and over | The same route, dome stairs and terraces, alongside an accompanying adult | The stair is narrow and warm — judge it against your child's comfort with tight spaces |
| Everyone, for 72 hours after | Separate entry to the Opera del Duomo Museum, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, the Crypt of Santa Reparata and Giotto's Tower | Visit these on your own, any time in the three days after your tour |
This is the only version of the tour on GetYourGuide — see the open evenings: See open evenings ↗
Pick your evening
More Florence evenings nearby
A few other things GetYourGuide lists around Florence, in case the cathedral isn't the only stop on your evening.
Before you climb
Meeting point
Piazza San Giovanni, by the column of San Zanobi next to the Baptistery. Arrive 15 minutes early — your guide carries a green sign and can't wait for stragglers once the group goes in.
Dress for a church and a stairwell
Shoulders and knees need to be covered to enter the cathedral. Flip-flops, slippers, clogs and heels aren't allowed on the climb — wear shoes you can take 463 steps in.
ID and bags
Every guest, children included, needs ID on the night. No bags are allowed inside; free lockers are provided, but a suitcase or large backpack has to go to the paid storage at Piazza Duomo 38/r first.
Read before you climb
Read before you climb
The after-hours Duomo tour, step by step
What actually happens between meeting your guide in Piazza San Giovanni and watching the cathedral lock up for the night.
Read the guide →The engineeringBrunelleschi's dome: how it was built
Why raising Florence Cathedral's dome took a competition, a disgraced goldsmith and a building method no one in Europe had used at this scale.
Read the guide →The viewThe terraces and what you see from them
The two stretches of rooftop walkway this tour opens, and what's actually visible from the dome once you've made the climb.
Read the guide →Before you bookStairs, fitness and who this climb suits
What the 463-step climb actually involves, and the plain cases where this isn't the right tour to book.
Read the guide →Practical detailsDress code and what to bring
The cathedral's rules on clothing, what you can carry inside, and where to leave anything that doesn't fit in a pocket.
Read the guide →Planning the rest of the nightAn evening in Florence around the tour
The tour runs about two hours — here's how travellers typically build an evening in the historic centre around it.
Read the guide →FAQ
Worth knowing before you climb
What time does the tour start?
It runs in the evening, after the cathedral has closed to day visitors — GetYourGuide shows that night's exact start time when you pick a date.
How many steps are there to the top?
463, in a narrow stone stair with no lift. It's warm in summer and tight in places, so it isn't recommended for anyone with limited mobility or claustrophobia.
Can children come on this tour?
Children aged 7 and over are welcome alongside an adult. Under-7s aren't admitted, mainly because of the narrow stair and the length of the climb.
Is there a dress code?
Yes. Shoulders and knees need to be covered to enter the cathedral, and flip-flops, slippers, clogs and heels aren't allowed on the stairs.
What's actually included?
After-hours entry to the cathedral, the dome climb, private access to both terraces, and an English-speaking guide with headsets when needed, for the full two hours. You also get 72-hour tickets to the Opera del Duomo Museum, the Baptistery, the Crypt of Santa Reparata and Giotto's Tower, to use on your own.
Can I bring a bag?
No bags are allowed inside, of any size. Free lockers are provided at the entrance; a suitcase or large backpack needs to go to the paid luggage storage at Piazza Duomo 38/r before the tour.
Where do we meet?
Piazza San Giovanni, by the column of San Zanobi next to the Baptistery of St John. Arrive 15 minutes before your start time — your guide holds a green sign.
What if the cathedral closes unexpectedly?
The Duomo occasionally closes for religious celebrations, including around Easter. If that affects your date, you're contacted directly to reschedule.