Walks · Florence
Walks takes a group of up to 19 onto the cathedral's rooftop terraces and up the dome in the early evening, then back into a nearly empty cathedral. You leave last, behind the Opera's Key Master, as the lights go off and the doors are locked.
Walks (the company behind Walks of Italy) runs this as the last group of the day. The tour starts in the early evening, after the cathedral has closed to day visitors, so you share the stairs and the terraces with your own group and nobody else. Guests describe the terraces at sunset, the brickwork of the dome close enough to touch, and then a quiet nave before the official Key Master shuts it for the night.
Everything you'd book separately is in: the terraces, which The Opera's terraces page says are open only with staff or a guide, the 463-step dome climb, the guided cathedral, and a 72-hour pass for the museum, baptistery, crypt and Giotto's Bell Tower. Reviewers mention holding the giant keys when the doors close.
It is the most expensive dome tour on this site at $224, more than six times the 30 EUR official pass. The rules are strict too. No bags of any size go up (the guide takes you to the free lockers first), everyone brings ID, under-7s can't join, and the listing says anyone with claustrophobia cannot be accommodated. If you're unsure about the stairs, the evening is a hard time to find out.
In Piazza San Giovanni, next to the baptistery. The guide holds a Walks sign.
No bags of any size are allowed. The guide walks you to the free lockers before you go in.
Up through the walls onto the roof walkway, then on through the dome shells to the lantern terrace above the city lights.
Down into the nave after closing: the floor, the fresco from below and the building to yourselves.
The lights go off and the Key Master locks the doors behind the group.
★★★★★This was so fabulous to access the terraces of the Duomo! [...] The after hours schedule also meant you accessed the terraces during sunset so the view and pictures were perfect. [...] Then entering an almost empty cathedral for a tour was fantastic. Following the key holder out and watching them lock the giant doors was the cherry on top.
★★★★★What a great experience. The tour was very informative and adventurous with a climb of the Duomo and then a hike around the terrace in the evening. Great pictures and the cherry on top was when the Keymaster locked the Duomo for the evening and allowed us to hold the keys.
★★★★★This is an evening tour of the Duomo, including not only the climb to the top of the dome, but also exclusive access to the terraces that are along the rooftop of the church. [...] We were, as promised, the last group to leave the church. We got to experience the church as they shut off the lights for the night-amazing.
★★★★★It is a climbing tour - you will have to climb 463 stairs but the top is worth it - the guide was great - and the view from the terraces was also fantastic. [...] My recommendation on this would would be to enjoy in the spring or fall as the summer can get quite hot [...]
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In the early evening, after the cathedral closes to day visitors; the exact time is on the booking page for your date. Arrive 15 minutes early at the San Zanobi column in Piazza San Giovanni.
Both. The listing includes private terrace access and the dome climb, plus the guided cathedral after closing and a 72-hour pass for the museum, baptistery, crypt and bell tower.
No bag of any size. Free lockers are available before you go in, and your guide takes you there. Pack only what fits in your pockets.
If you want the terraces and the dome without crowds, and the lock-up at the end, yes. For the dome alone it isn't: the official pass is 30 EUR. Compare all options in our terraces guide.
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The dome and the private terraces after closing time, then out with the cathedral's Key Master.
Duomo Tour with Dome Climb & TerracesThe most-booked dome climb in Florence: a guided cathedral, a held dome slot and the rooftop terraces in one option.★ 4.8 · 2 to 4 hours · from $92
Dome Climb with Duomo Museum TourAn hour in the Duomo museum, then the cathedral and the climb, with a guide guests say stays with you on the stairs.★ 4.9 · 2.5 hours · from $136
Brunelleschi's Dome Climb with a GuideThe rare listing where a guide climbs the 463 steps with you, plus the 3-day pass. Very few reviews yet.★ 4.3 · 1 hour · from $146