Looking for opinions from those who have climbed the Duomo Dome in Florence, how hard is it?

I'm a photographer too. I doubt there are windows on the way up. We took the elevator. Everyone must climb down unless physically unable to do so. I remember no windows on the way down, or maybe 1.

Don't worry about the photos on the way up. Plenty of time on the roof. March is Shoulder Season, so it should be busy but not crazy. We were there Oct 2022, and we got tix to go directly up, with no wait.

WAIT, there's an elevator? How did I miss that? Do you still buy the Bruneleschi Pass and just take the elevator?

Thank you Dplaunderville, this info is extemely helpful. I'm not sure if the first response was thinking of another dome, but I did double check the website and they clearly state there are no lifts. I will send along your info and that youtube link to my husband, this may just be too much for both of us. Perhaps we'll spring for the extra and do the guided tour of the dome, which concludes with the walk up on our own (that I assume we could skip).
How about the clock tower climb? I know it's only marginally less steps but is it as steep and tight? What about views from the top and/or rest stops along the way?
Thanks.

My husband and I (70s) climbed the Duomo a couple of years ago. My concerns were similar to yours: I figured it would be crowded…and did not want to hold people up, nor did I want to be staring at someone’s butt in front of me. Also, going early meant that people wouldn’t be coming down. At that time we did not have any issues with joints, etc.
We were in Florence several days, so we had time to choose our time slot. We chose the 8:30 am. time because I figured it wouldn’t be too crowded or hot and stuffy in the stairwell. And I was correct. I didn’t think it was that difficult as far as climbs go. We just took it “slow and steady.”
However, I don’t think there is much “photo op” while climbing. We did take a few photos going up and down of the stairs.
I think Rick Steves mentions somewhere that the view of the Duomo is great from the clock tower, which we did not climb.

I haven't climbed the Duomo but I have climbed Giotto's Tower and that climb is broken up at several levels with open areas that do let you rest and take pictures if you want to. It's been a few years so I don't remember exactly how many but I want to say at least two and probably more like three areas you could stop and get out of the stair process.

It also has the advantages of having the Duomo in the pictures you're taking and you don't have to schedule an exact time to climb it like you do with the Duomo.

If you are looking for more great views of the Duomo don't miss the Duomo museum and just keeping going up.

Either way enjoy,
=Tod

Wow Carol, I'm impressed! After watching that youtube video we've decided not to climb the dome. It's the right decision for us because my husband would have definitely struggled, both with the climb and the narrow space. I think we'll consider the Giotto tower, that seems more reasonable, and if he doesn't want to go all the way up, he can turn around at one of the levels - he'll like the idea of being able to get the dome in the pictures! Hiredman thank you for that description, that helps a lot. And as mentioned, this means we won't have to worry about buying a timed entry ticket. We'll keep an eye on the website to decide if we want to do the tour of the dome, which is time scheduled, or perhaps the baptistry tour which sounds great but may be pushing our museums/tours budget if we do the others that we want to do.
Thanks all for the info.

Not sure what clock tower some are referring to but I climbed Giottos Bell Tower back in 2015 (55 yo and better shape) and although I don’t get claustrophobia, there were areas on the climb that were pretty tight. It was a challenge for me breathing wise, but very do-able. Maybe that would be an option for your husband?

I think Rick Steves mentions somewhere that the view of the Duomo is
great from the clock tower, which we did not climb.

Pretty sure it's Giotto's Bell Tower he mentioned: it's part of the duomo complex. There's no clock tower there.

I climbed the Duomo and the Bell Tower on my last trip. When climbing the duomo, there are two sections where you can get a breather. The 1st is probably 1/4 of the way up where there is a bit of a ledge where statues are located. The next is about half way where you can view Giorgio Vasari's frescoes of the Last Judgment up close and look down into the cathedral. People tend to pause here to take pictures, so a longer break. While walking, take a look at the walls. There are sections where you can see the herringbone pattern the bricks were laid in. The method Brunelleschi used to build the double domes is fascinating and if you do decide to climb it, take the time to learn the history.

In regards to climbs, the Bell Tower is easier with a few resting areas. One thing to be aware of in regards to the Bell Tower, when going up or down, you can cross paths with others going in the opposite direction, and on the spiral section, the steps are very narrow.

The other tower is Torre di Arnolfo. I did plan on climbing it, but it was closed due to the rain.

Since I was a child, whenever I see a tower, I want to climb it. I'm not that fit, but determined. I did get asked a few times if I was okay, probably due to my red face and heavy breathing. But happy to say I did not cause any traffic jams. So perhaps I'm more fit than I think :) And as a side note, I did start briskly walking up and down my stairs at home prior to the trip.

Timing - I climbed the duomo close to sunset and the views were amazing with the sun going down. This was in December, so sunset was early.

Thank you Gail, very helpful information. I'm still leaning toward skipping the dome climb, but hopefully we'll do the Giotto bell tower. It is good to know that the stairs are two way - I guess that means if we need to turn around, we can just do that. I think we will be fine but just in case. My husband also asked about the Tower at the Palazzo Vecchio. It looks to me like that's included in the admission to the museum (12euro?) but there's mention of reservation, yet I can't find how to do that on the website. I'm using this website [email protected]
I sent an email asking for clarification, but I'm hoping that this is something we can figure out on our first day in Florence and just reserve within the time we're there (6 days, mid March.)

I climbed when I was 68. It was hot and crowded. At the top were a group of photo lovers taking their Instagram photos, over and over and over. I finally asked them to move as I pushed my way in. I’d still be there now if I hadn’t.
My 30 something son pushed and pulled me along. Going down wasn’t fun. My tower climbing days are over. I was in shape due to spinning and other cardio, but age takes a toll on one’s perceived abilities.

There were two different tickets for Palazzo Vecchio, one is for the museum and a separate one for the tower. We bought our tickets on site for the museum and the individual told us to come back if we wanted to do the tower since hopefully it would open back up in the afternoon. I understand that there are time slots, but I'm not sure if you can buy in advance since the tower being open is subject to weather, while the other towers are not.

I climbed the bell tower (in my 50's but overweight and out of shape) and it was tough but doable. I did have to stop and rest a couple of times and let people pass me so I know there are places you can do that. I don't remember any windows to take photos out of on the way up or down but the views from the top were fantastic. I assume the views from the dome are pretty comparable. The one thing you get good photos of from the bell tower is the dome itself - those were some of my favorite photos. You can't get those photos from the dome.

“Bell Tower.” Yep. Not Clock tower. Sorry.
I just know it is the Tower adjacent to the Duomo.

If you buy the Giotto Ticket it includes Opera del Duomo Museum, Santa Reparata (downstairs history of the various versions of the church), Baptistery, Opera del Duomo Museum (which I really liked) and the Tower on a three day ticket so you can go to to each thing whenever you feel like it.
https://operaduomofirenze.skiperformance.com/en/store?skugroup_id=3006&product_id=13345#/en/buy?product_id=13345&skugroup_id=3006&bookable_y_n_a=a

If you're sure you don't want to climb the Tower you can buy the Ghiberti Pass which includes everything else
https://operaduomofirenze.skiperformance.com/en/store?skugroup_id=3006&product_id=13346#/en/buy?product_id=13346&skugroup_id=3006&bookable_y_n_a=a

I don't know if this works with your plans but I found it really convenient to have flexible windows to make planning easier.

Have a great trip, Florence is amazing,
=Tod

There is a YouTube channel called "The Global Expats" and just a few days ago, they published a vlog of themselves climbing the Duomo and the Bell Tower. It was the best step-by-step (see what I did there?) video that I've seen covering this.

Celeste - WOW, thank you for posting about that youtube video. It was an excellent overview of the entire Duomo complex as well as both climbs. I think we've definitely ruled out the dome climb. But now I'm rethinking our overall strategy for the 6 days we're in Florence. We've been looking at splurging on a very nice day tour to Chianti, but I'm not sure I want to book that and be locked in to leaving the city. A main rationale for going to Florence in March is to hopefully see as much of the city as possible during the hopefully less busy time. We may still decide to do a day trip once we're there, but if the tours are all booked up, we'll just use trains/buses and head out for a day on our own.... at least that's my current thinking, it could change again!

We just climbed the duomo steps in October and I swear it was broken up into 3 sections...for example, you climb the first set of stairs and then you can climb out for a 360 view, then you climb another set of stairs and get another 360 and then you get to the last set and climb out at the very top. I have photos from all levels on my phone so I believe my memory is serving me well on this one...I am glad we did it and if you have climbed other similar domes (in London or Paris or Italy) this one is no different...it is a set of narrow winding stairs where you will most certainly have one person immediately in front of you and behind you. That said, I recall a little sliver of the dome with a beautiful view outside...I took a quick snap with my dslr and captured what I wanted. Of course, if there is no gap in the traffic behind you, you will not get this opportunity. Best to you!

I climbed the Duomo a few years ago, it was a nice day, but it was October so not hot. I had come down with a bit of an upper respiratory infection, and since I also have mild asthma, it meant I was a little winded and had to step out of the river of people a couple times to catch my breath. As you get further up there aren’t really any places to get out of the way, but everyone slows down as the passage get narrow and the ceiling lower so you won’t need to rest. Also, the people coming back down are using the same passage so that slows everyone down. I think the hardest part was when we were in sight of the end, but had to constantly wait for people coming back down to get out of the doorway so we could get out. The photo ops on the way up weren’t great as there was usually something blocking, or partially blocking,a good view, but the views from the top are great.

I have not climbed the Florence duomo dome. I did climb the St Peters dome in Rome last year. I am older but in good shape, I was physically able to make the climb but encountered people who appeared out of shape and in distress moving out of the way when opportunities presented. I am imaging it is a similar experience with the steep steps narrowing as you get higher.

Thinking of that climb, I chose not to climb the Florence duomo when I am in Florence in April. Rather I found a small group tour that includes the duomo terraces (which I guess are now closed to anyone but escorted tours per the duomo information website). You are also able to climb the dome afterwards as part of the same tour but can chose not to. The terraces include less than 200 steps while the dome involves 400+. The views from the terraces look wonderful and include a close up of the outside of the dome. This might be an enjoyable compromise for you. The tour is called the Duomo Skywalk.

Perhaps if someone has experienced a climb to the terraces they can share that with us.

My husband and I climbed the dome in November of 2021. At the time, we were 63, and I'm not in particularly good shape. Honestly, I was worried about it, but found it quite doable. As someone else mentioned, going early makes a difference. We were among the first to enter, so it wasn't too busy, and we did not feel like we were holding people up or anything.

We had to go before our hotel's breakfast time window in order to do this. So, we had a small snack in our room, went to the dome, and went back to our hotel for breakfast afterward. Worth it.

Carol,

Could you provide some info on the Skywalk tour please? I have a terrace tour booked as well but it seems like a different company. I'm wondering if this one could be better?

Thank you

PQ

The terrace tour I found is, "Skip the line Duomo Skywalk - Florence. It is conducted by a company called Florencetown, but booked through Viatour, which I didn't realize at the time but seems ok. They also offer an upgrade to an early, "open the door" version, guess you are literally the first visitors of the day when they unlock the door. The tour includes the cathederal, terraces and dome (if you want to climb it). It is 2.5 hours long. It has alot of reviews with a 5 star rating. There is a video of the terrace part of the tour.