Dome or bell tower?

Dome or bell tower: what is the difference?

The dome is higher, narrower and steeper; the tower is a little shorter, with regular stairs and landings, and the view includes the dome.

Side by side, from the Opera's figures:

Which climb is harder?

The dome. It has 49 more steps, and its last stretch between the shells is steep, curved and single file. The bell tower lets you rest at three landings.

The step counts are close. The difference is the shape. On the dome, the final section climbs at an angle along the curve of the inner shell, and the walls lean in. On the tower the stairs are straighter, and three times on the way up you come out onto a landing and get your breath back. Travel writers at Our Escape Clause describe the dome's stairs as steep and uneven, the tower's as more standard.

Neither has a lift. The tower's stairs are narrow too, and two-way in places, so a crowd still means waiting. For anyone with claustrophobia the tower is the clear choice; for vertigo, both tops are high and open to the air.

Which has the better view?

The bell tower, if you want the dome in your picture. The dome, if you want an open 360-degree view without a mesh in the way.

From the dome you see all of Florence: the river, the hills to the south, the Palazzo Vecchio tower, and the bell tower itself, close enough to look into. You can't see the dome, of course. You are standing on it.

From the tower, the dome fills the view: the red tiles, the white ribs, the lantern with people on it. It is the best close-up of the dome in the city. The catch is the safety mesh round the top terrace, which travel writers grumble about: you push the lens to the gaps to get a clean shot. With the 2026 scaffolding, the Opera warns that views from the tower may be partly reduced.

How does the 2026 restoration affect the bell tower climb?

The tower is open and the 414 steps are climbable. Scaffolding wraps the outside, and the view from the top may be partly reduced.

The first full restoration in the tower's history began on 9 March 2026. It is expected to take about four years and cost more than €7 million, paid by the Opera, as part of a wider programme across the complex (The Florentine). The scaffolding stands about 86 metres high and took about four months to put up. It was designed to keep the internal stairs and the top terrace in use, and to protect the peregrine falcons that nest on the tower.

In practice: the climb is the same, the photos of the tower from the square are not, and the top has more mesh than before. The tower also closes for maintenance from 9 to 13 November 2026. The full story is in our restoration post.

Which ticket covers which climb?

The Brunelleschi Pass (€30) covers both. The Giotto Pass (€20) covers the tower but not the dome.

With the Brunelleschi Pass the dome has a fixed slot, and the tower and the rest of the complex can be visited when you like within three days. With the Giotto Pass, the Opera's FAQ says you enter the tower at the time you booked. Children aged 7 to 14 pay €12 on the Brunelleschi Pass and €7 on the Giotto Pass; under-7s are free on both.

One change to watch: an operator states in its listings that from 1 January 2027 the Brunelleschi Pass will drop the bell tower and Santa Reparata. The Opera had not published anything of the sort by 29 October 2026. If it happens, climbing both would need two passes. Our 2027 post has the latest.

Can you climb both in one day?

Yes, if your legs agree: 877 steps in all. Climb the dome on your morning slot and keep the tower for the afternoon or the next day.

The dome has the fixed slot, so build the day around it. The tower takes walk-ins on the Brunelleschi Pass within its three days, which gives you room to rest. Climbing the tower second also means you can look across at the lantern terrace you stood on a few hours earlier.

Many people find one climb is enough. A guest on the David and bell tower tour wrote: "We skipped the bell tower because we were so tired, but we did use our ticket to go into the baptistery and museum." Nothing is lost if you do the same: the pass doesn't need every monument used.

No dome on this one, on purpose: Michelangelo's David with a guide, then the cathedral, the museum and an optional bell tower climb.

★ 4.7 · 2 to 3 hours · from $112

Explore the David and bell tower tour → Tour details

Which should you pick if you can only climb one?

The dome, for most first-time visitors who are fit and fine with tight spaces. The tower if you are claustrophobic, the dome is sold out, or you want the photo.

• Pick the dome for the experience: the fresco gallery, the brickwork between the shells, standing on Brunelleschi's work. Nothing else in Florence is like it.
• Pick the tower for the picture of the dome, for a climb with places to stop, or for a ticket you can usually get a day ahead.
• Pick the tower if the dome shows grey zeros on your dates and you'd rather not pay for a tour with a held slot. See what to do when the dome is sold out.

Our view: if you can climb only once and you are comfortable in tight spaces, climb the dome. Look at it from the tower's photos later.

Which tours include the bell tower?

Nearly all the dome tours on this site include the tower through the pass, to visit on your own. Only one includes a guided tower climb, and it skips the dome.

What each listing says:

Frequently asked questions