The dome closes in November

When is Brunelleschi's dome closed in November 2026?

From Monday 16 to Friday 20 November 2026, five days in a row. The bell tower closes the week before, from Monday 9 to Friday 13 November.

Both dates come straight from the Opera's opening hours page: "The Dome will be closed for maintenance from November 16 to 20, 2026" and "The Bell Tower will be closed for maintenance from November 9 to 13, 2026". The official FAQ repeats them.

The cathedral nave, the baptistery, the Opera del Duomo Museum and the crypt of Santa Reparata keep their normal hours both weeks. The nave is free and needs no ticket (Monday to Saturday, 10:15 to 15:45). The baptistery vault mosaics are hidden by their own restoration whatever week you come.

Why does the dome close for maintenance?

It is routine. The Opera closes the dome and the bell tower for a few days most years to inspect and service the stairs, railings and the outside of the monuments.

This is not a one-off. The dome was closed from 18 to 22 November 2024 and again from 10 to 14 February 2025, and the bell tower from 17 to 21 February 2025 and from 16 to 20 February 2026. The work is done when visitor numbers are lowest, which is why November and February keep coming up.

Some of it is spectacular to watch from the square. In past closures rope-access climbers have clipped onto the railings around the lantern and checked the terracotta tiles of the dome by hand, as Magenta Florence reported from one of these weeks. Nothing suggests a longer closure this year: the Opera gives fixed dates and both monuments reopen on schedule.

How do I plan a Brunelleschi Pass around the closures?

Book the dome slot first, on a day the dome is open, then fit the bell tower into the pass's three days on a day it is open too.

The 30 euro Brunelleschi Pass (12 euros for ages 7 to 14, free under 7) is valid for three calendar days from your first visit, one entry per monument. The dome slot is fixed and cannot be changed, cancelled or refunded, and the Opera's terms exclude refunds even when visits are cancelled for liturgical events or force majeure. If the bell tower is shut for all three of your days, you simply lose it.

The trick is to straddle the reopening. Brunelleschi Pass holders do not need a time slot for the bell tower or Santa Reparata, so you can walk up the tower on any of your three days. Our pick for a mid-November trip: dome on Thursday 12 or Friday 13 November, bell tower on Saturday 14 or Sunday 15.

Can you still climb the dome on a tour that week?

No. The closure applies to everyone, tour groups and after-hours visits included. No tour can take you up the dome from 16 to 20 November.

Every dome tour on this site depends on the same Opera slots: the dome and terraces tour as much as the evening climb with the Key Master. If a listing still lets you pick a date between 16 and 20 November, ask the operator in writing what replaces the climb before you pay. Every tour here except the audio-guide ticket cancels free up to 24 hours before, so a booking made by mistake costs you nothing if you catch it.

The week before is a different story. From 9 to 13 November the dome runs as usual and only the bell tower is shut, which matters for tours that bundle a three-day pass. You still get the dome; the tower part of the pass needs a day outside those dates.

The most booked dome tour: a guide in the cathedral, a held dome slot and, in one option, the rooftop terraces. Pick a date from 21 November on.

★ 4.8 · 2 to 4 hours · from $92

Explore the dome and terraces tour → Tour details

What can you climb in Florence while the dome is closed?

Giotto's Bell Tower: 414 steps, three landings and the closest view there is of the dome itself. It is open again from 14 November.

The bell tower is the honest plan B. It needs the 20 euro Giotto Pass (7 euros for ages 7 to 14) with a time slot, or a Brunelleschi Pass bought for other days. The climb is easier than the dome: three landings to rest on and no squeeze between two shells. It is also under restoration, with scaffolding on the outside; the Opera says access to the top terrace stays open. Our post on the bell tower restoration covers what you see from the top.

To pair it with a guide, the David and bell tower tour starts at the Accademia with Michelangelo's David and includes an optional bell tower climb. It has no dome on purpose, which makes it the right booking for 16 to 20 November.

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