Hello! I'm with a party of three and we will be in Florence 1.5 days in mid-September. We want to make the most of our time there, and are primarily interested in vising the Duomo and then the Accademia. Rick outlines a handful of ticket options for both and I'm wondering if we should book in advance or just tough it through the lines. From what I understand the combo-ticket for the Duomo does NOT include climbing the dome, which is something we want to do, and we'll need to wait in line for a specific ticket to do so once we get there (correct?)So should we just wait in the main ticket line first thing in the morning to buy our all-up tickets so we can also tack on the option to make the climb? Or should we busy in advance and buy the ticket to climb upon arrival? Alternatively, I've been looking at the Viotour option for both the Accademia and Duomo. I think we'll run into the same issue of not being able to climb the Duomo with this tour. I called to confirm but was asked to call back in the morning to confirm :)
http://www.viator.com/tours/Florence/Skip-The-Line-Best-of-Florence-Walking-Tour-including-Accademia-Gallery-and-Duomo/d519-3731BESTFLR This is our first visit to Florence - so appreciate any advice you can provide. Thanks!!
Posted by
White Plains, NY
96 posts
Lindsey, I can't speak for climbing the Duomo but I can for the tour type thing and my suggestion is skip it ~ its overpriced and not worth it. Our B&B made reservations for tickets for the Accademia and it was just perfect. The place is really crowded and how anyone heard their tour leaders was beyond me. My suggestion for both places is to go early (for the climb part especially) and break them up over 2 days. The Duomo itself had a long line out front but the wait was less than 10 minutes; when we came out the long was much longer and clearly not moving as fast. Hop on it when you notice it getting shorter! All the best for your trip ~ Lisa
Posted by
OP
Portland, Oregon
5 posts
Thanks, Lisa - very helpful insight!
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
For climbing the dome, you queue up in line. The earlier the better. I don't recall any tour. It's quite narrow up the 463 or so stairs. I can't imagine following a flag. We were in the line to go inside il Duomo and the line to climb the dome was very long. Both lines passed each other on the left side of il Duomo. If I recall correctly, il Duomo opens at 10:00 and the side door to the dome opens at 8:30am. The tickets for the dome were about 9Euro a few years ago. I'm sure they are more expensive now.
Posted by
Bedford, texas, united states
132 posts
I am going in october and am also curious to the answer. What about the terraces of the cathedral and dome tour which Rick mentions for 15 euros. Gets you to skip the line and climb the duomo. I am curious about this tour and to be able to skip the lines.