Florence and touring question.

Lulu, I'm not seeing any tours which include the inside of the duomo on Sundays. That's very likely because it's an active church that's only open for 3 hours (13:30-16:30) on Sunday afternoons. That sort of limited access would be difficult for tours - even if allowed on Sundays; I'm not seeing even dedicated/fast-track tours out there for the duomo on that day - to work around.

Personally? We found the exterior of the duomo to be vastly more interesting than the interior, and other parts of the complex to be more interesting as well. The interior of the baptistry, for example, is stunning.

We did Florence largely on our own. In fact, I have been there twice and only took one tour. That tour was a bike tour that was nice, but not necessary.
What is important prior to visiting any city is to do research and study the sites and read about the history, art and architecture. A good guidebook is a necessity for this. Yes, a guide is sometimes a great idea, but if you do your own research, not necessary.

Thank you Kathy, I will book the tour without the inside Duomo, knowing how interesting the outside is. We will just visit the Uffizi and Duomo Saturday afternoon on our arrival day.

Geovagriffith, thanks for responding. I do agree it’s wise to research and learn beforehand. But, we are seeing so many things, there is no way I’d remember details of everything. Plus, we are a family of 4, and that would be hard to do. I can’t make anyone read and research.

We did the very tour you mentioned. I think you could easily make up for the Duomo tour later. I think we spent 30 minutes inside the Duomo - 15 minutes with our guide and 15 minutes on our own.

The rest of the tour is well worth it.

A wise decision, Lulu, as your time in Florence is so limited. I know that the dome climb - which you don't appear to be interested in - is a must for some visitors but really, the main body of the cathedral itself is surprisingly austere...not that there's a thing wrong with that but, well, it's just wasn't nearly as visually arresting as Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Maria del Popolo, San Giovanni in Laterano, etc., Milan's duomo, Santa Croce and San Miniato in Florence... the list goes on!

But if you get the chance, take a stroll around when the exterior is lit up at night? That's a great time to snag some really nice snaps as the intricate detailing took on a different ambience against a dark sky.

Thanks Dougmac, it’s good to know from someone who actually was on it.

Kathy, I read there are over 400 stairs. I think I would struggle with that. I’m not overweight, nor claustrophobic, but I do get winded after 4-5 stories, and have a bad back, (scoliosis I just found out). My husband and son are athletic, so they might. I think it would have been a fabulous thing to do though.