Meet your expert, English Only Tour guide for an enchanting walk towards the Florence Duomo. You will be welcomed by the imposing red, white, and green marbled Duomo Complex: the Cathedral, Bell Tower, Baptistery, and Dome.
Your Duomo Guide will go into vivid detail about the church and its fascinating history. You will learn why, unlike many others in Italy, the Florentines decided to keep the inside of Santa Maria del Fiore stark, with less decorations and elaborate frescoes. Discover the stories behind the cathedral's artwork, until you reach the front and look up - it is Brunelleschi’s dome. The frescoed dome is truly breathtaking! As the highlight of Dumo Cathedral, you will be eager to see it upclose… Follow your guide up a small set of stairs to the “hidden terrace.” A guard will unlock the door, and you will have complete access to a secret balcony. Admire panoramic views of Florence from above, as well as incredible access to the best photo spot right next to the dome. You will walk back in through a secret room of old statues which were previously placed outside of the Cathedral. The tour will last about an hour. 11.15 am and 1.00 pm tours do not include access to Terraces and to the Dome
At this point, your guided tour will end. You will climb to the very top of the dome! Climb a small set of stairs, which lead to a balcony directly beside the dome’s frescoes. Vasari’s frescoes will be within hands-reach, and you will be able to admire the detail with a new appreciation. Then, you will reach another set of spiral staircases. Climb up, and you will reach the most beautiful view of Florence you can imagine… at the very top of Brunelleschi’s Dome! Enjoy taking some unforgettable photos, then relax on one of the benches and admire the view. You can see the entire Florence skyline! Whenever you are ready to complete your time at the Florence Duomo, you can head down the steps and exit. This is a once in a lifetime experience where you can see the Cathedral and Dome from a completely different perspective. 11.15 am and 1.00 pm tours do not include access to Terraces and to the Dome
Totally worth it for the views alone! My mom and I had a great time seeing the church and especially the top of the duomo! Aurora was a great tour guide and very knowledgeable 🥰
The Florence Duomo is absolutely magnificent and unquestionably worth visiting. Unfortunately, our experience with the Ciao Florence Premium Duomo Tour with Terrace View and Dome Climb did not live up to what we expected, particularly considering the price we paid. Our biggest disappointment was the guided portion of the tour. Our guide was not very engaging, and more importantly, she frequently did not speak directly into her microphone. This made it extremely difficult to hear and understand what she was explaining. Another guest actually brought the issue to her attention, and although it improved briefly, she soon went back to speaking away from the microphone. As a result, I came away feeling that I had seen an extraordinary building but had learned very little about its history, architecture, artwork, or significance. That defeats much of the purpose of paying a premium for a guided tour rather than simply purchasing admission. The overcrowding also affected the experience considerably. There were so many people inside that at times we felt like canned sardines, and it became extremely hot. During the climb to the dome, our group was made to wait on a narrow ledge for more than 20 minutes because of the congestion above us. I understand that Ciao Florence does not control how many visitors the Duomo admits, and this has nothing to do with their tour, but it is something travelers should be aware of when booking this experience. The major positive was the ability to skip the general entrance line, which was definitely valuable, and the terrace and dome views are spectacular. The Duomo itself deserves to be experienced. However, for the amount we paid, I expected much more from the actual guided portion of the tour. A premium guided tour should provide context, history, and insight that you would not get simply walking through the site yourself. Unfortunately, because we could barely hear our guide and the commentary was not particularly engaging, we did not receive that added value. I would absolutely recommend visiting the Florence Duomo and climbing the dome, but based on our experience, I cannot say that paying the premium price for this particular guided tour added enough to justify the cost.
Only gave it 4 stars because the starting point was not clear. We were very disappointed in the communication. It affected several other participants so I know it was just not us. The tour guide was wonderful but the starting point of the tour was so confusing. They called and told us they would wait but didn’t. Someone on staff for the Duomo was most helpful! Our guide was wonderful and gave great info without being too talkative.
Based on the description, thought I booked the inside of the cathedral as well as the climb to the dome. But apparently I did not. The listing was very deceiving!!
This is all about getting access without needing to line up in the sun. A must do however the very brief history was somewhat lackluster
False advertising 1/2 hour with guide and 19 other people NO “Florence Premium Duomo Tour With Terrace View and Dome Climb” Deceived and very disappointed
Great experience and friendly staff, just be prepared to climb a lot of stairs. The view from the top was worth it.
We were slower getting up to the top than our group and when we got up there, our group was told to go down, and we had only a couple of minutes up top, whereas our tour guide said we had a lot of time up there or to take our time up there. So it was really disappointing
Our guide was great! Fun and informational. The walk up was so worth it. Amazing view, but be prepared to wait in a few lines to get to the top.
Not a ton of information but nice to skip the line. Tour operator was not organized so would recommend against booking with them.
The small group tour was excellent and well worth the money. The terraces were such a unique experience. We were very pleased with our decision to include them in our tour option. Giacomo was an incredible tour guide! So enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We could feel his passion and pride throughout the tour. He was accommodating, personable and intelligent. This tour was the highlight of our time spent in Florence! Thanks Giacomo!
Such a great way to spend an afternoon with friends! The tour was amazing, and the view from the terraces was a unique perspective. The Dome climb is a bunch of stairs, yes, but it's not that hard and totally doable. The view from the top is worth it!
Ciao Florence was a great tour group to work with. From the time of booking, they were communicative and responsive via whatsapp to any questions we had. Our tour guide Jacomo was very knowledgeable of Florence and the surrounding areas. The tour of the Duomo was spectacular and our tour access got us ahead of the crowds and up to the top of the dome without delay. Highly recommend
Overall this was a very good small group tour. The guide provided good information and was easy to hear until we got on the Terrace, where the wind created such noise in the headsets, we didn't hear a lot of that information. The many steps to the Terrace were enough for us (in our 70s), so we did not continue on the steps up to the top of the Duomo; while the rest of the group did. The view of Brunelleschi's Dome was amazing enough from below. The view from the Terrace was fantastic, overlooking Florence! With our skip the line tickets and additional entry to the Baptistry and Opera del Duomo Museum, this was worth the price. We enjoyed the Baptistry and Museum visits as well, with no guide.
I paid for this tour specifically to go up in the dome and terraces - lured by the name of the tour - but the only one thing I got was entrance to the cathedral. Our guide was nice but no one could understand her English, so it was just like going by myself which would have been free. I am really annoyed that Viator is misleading tourists like me. Florence Premium Duomo tour with terrace view and dome climb - that was the name of the tour and I didn’t select or dissect any options. My ticket detail said something like -if selected… but again, I wasn’t asked to select anything so just assuming that I was paying for what the title said. Two hours. Sounded reasonable. I only got to see the inside of the cathedral and the tour was over in one hour. I asked the guide about the rest and she says she doesn’t have anything to do with Viator so couldn’t give me any advice. The entrance to climb to the dome is outside, I tried there but again, no luck . So I feel like I got taken advantage of. Sad.
It was great tour of the Duomo. The guide is very knowledgeable. She took us through the history of this monument and well explained the history. S treeully enjoyed the tour.
Not given tour as advertised . Didn’t give us tour of north terrace, baptistery. As advertised on Viator. Ciao Florence said they couldn’t help us that it’s Viator fault
Slightly confusing about which experience we bought. Not easy to find the correct meeting space had to read instructions several times because there were mixed automated messages sent. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………:)
We booked a 2 hr terrace view and dome climb tour. The tour lasted less than an hour with no terrace view or dome climb as advertised. Apparently the areas were closed which is fine but we should have been advised in advance not as the tour started. We should have been offered a refund or an opportunity to book something else. The climb and terrace view is the only reason we booked the tour
On this tour you will learn about the history of the most iconic building in Florence. You will also get a panoramic view of the city and its surrounding hills if you're willing to climb a hundred or so steps... and an even better view if you're willing to climb 300 more. Your ticket includes more than just a tour of the cathedral, you can also climb the bell tower, enter the baptistry on the south side of the cathedral and the crypt beneath the cathedral. We had the good fortune of having Maria Cristina as our tour guide. It's totally worth it just to be able to skip the lines, but nothing beats a knowledgeable tour guide who has enthusiasm for what they do.
Great tour that gives you options and takes you to a view not many get to see. Highly recommend you do this to not only get some great insight but also takes you places that are off limits to many. Loved it.
#unclearcommunication -from the listing saying it’s a “premium” tour with duomo climb & terraces (it wasn’t- you had to pay for an additional optional which didn’t come up in the app) to messages giving 2 different meeting places (use the one with a photo of the meet), to a message saying you’d have to pay cash for entry tickets (we emailed-already paid 🙄) Then the tour-NOT and hour & a half (barely 30 minutes) was just a tour of one side of the cathedral and a look up the duomo. English was so-so. All in all …meh.
Interesting tour with beautiful views, Sandra was a great tour guide. Do your self the favor and book a no waiting in line tour!
We had Vincent as our guide through the duomo and he was great! Very casual and funny. He had a lot of great history knowledge and told us lots of cool stories about the region. Grazie mille Vincenzo!!
It’s good as you skip the line but tour guide doesn’t even stay with you the whole way He was in a rush and he only walks up one set of stairs and then leaves you to do rest of tour and duomo yourself Also they just give you tickets to go to chathedral and didn’t even have time to do basement of duomo because it closes at 4 so if you do the 210 tour you won’t make it in
The meeting point provided by Viator was incorrect and the instructions by the tour operator to attempt to connect us was incorrect, causing us to miss the tour. Refund denied by the tour and Viator.
I missed the tour since the meeting location on the reservation was not accurate. I waited in the wrong location thus missed the tour. My request for refund was also denied by Viator.
The quality of the headphone system was poor. This coupled with the speech patters of the tour guide made it very hard to understand the information being communicated. The walk to the top of the Duomo was hard but worth it. That was the best part of the tour. I learned little to nothing from our guide. I would look for a different company to do this tour.
Very personal. Your guide was extremely knowledgable. Was able to enter separately from other tours. Was able to climb both interior and exterior balconied
Easy booking, clear instructions for meeting point. Knowledgeable guide. Small group, our group was only 10 total. Which was nice
This tour was absolutely fabulous! Our guide, Jacomo, was knowledgeable, informative, and very helpful. He shared fascinating stories about the dome’s construction. Highly recommended!
Giulia was amazing as a guide; she is passionate about the subject and very knowledgeable. We had a little glitch because we did not know backpacks are not allowed on the tour, but we sorted it out with Giulia and really enjoyed the tour. Would def do again; it was magical to be in the duomo with a guide, and the access we had meant the crowds were smaller.
Pricey. Nice to skip-the-line. Too much background talk on topics not Duomo related. Guide had poor diction. ( we did tip, however). Got stuck above church floor on hot catwalk for twenty minutes while group above waited to come down. Poor timing and/or coordination. The views from above were amazing. Church was great- but limited time within main floor.
Our guide, Jacamo, was excellent! He provided a tremendous amount of information with just the right mix of comedy sprinkled in to keep us interested. Would take the tour again just to hear him present the topics!
Highly recommend the tour. And the majestic view in particular. We had an excellent guide. Very informative. The climb to the secret terrace was challenging but manageable. I was able to make it to the top of the duomo. The climb was steep. The view at the top and on the terrace overlooking the landscape of the city was all worth it. Magnificent view from the top if you are willing to climb the stairs.
Fun and informative tour Tour guide well very knowledgeable and passionate Climbing to the top of the Duomo and viewing Florence from this point of view was thrilling
Beautiful views. Strenuous walk up to the top but worth it!! Stunning view of Florence. Seeing the ceiling up close was interesting!!
Giacomo was our guide and he was awesome! The tour was everything it was billing to be. It was both interesting and informative. The Terrace was panoramic and the 350 steps beyond that to the very top were manageable. The VIP has 72 hour access to the Duomo, Baptistry and the Crypt. I would recommend the morning tour as the Crypt was closed by the time we finished in the afternoon. I would highly recommend this tour.
We had the best and most informative time with our guide. I apologize I can’t recall his name but he is born in 1987 and originally from Spain. Those are pretty specific details so I assume there is only one guide with that backstory. Anyhow, he was very informative and enthusiastic. He has a wealth of knowledge and relayed all the info to us in a very digestible way. The tour itself is also incredible — you are off to the side and out of the crowds THE ENTIRE TIME. I will recommend this tour to friends and family. Book it.
The guide was very nice. We had a small inattentive kid in our group; he managed to engaged him in the tour throughout the day. We were impressed with his people’s skills. Thank you.
Angelo was one of the best guides we have had in our travels. He is a proud Florentine and his knowledge of Florence was impressive and infectious. Rather than rush us through the various sites everyone expects to see, Angelo gave us much more to think about and appreciate in the art and the city itself. Thoroughly enjoyable, and highly recommended.
Our guide Manuel was fantastic! He answthe questions we had and was easy going and informative. We loved having our separate entry (lines were long) & being allowed in the spaces others weren't in. It felt very special & was worth the extra money for sure! We went on the terrace & were alone for photos & questions. We did the entire walk to the top - wow! Top experience!!
Our guide Liza was wonderful, very informative, giving us facts and history of the Duomo, explaining its history to the present day. We climbed!!!! >400 steps but seeing the levels of the dome and the city from the top was well worth it!!! Excellent tour.
Our guide was amazing and the Duomo complex was beyond words. The climb to the top was challenging but worth it when you saw the view.
This was an awesome tour! The guide was extremely knowledgeable and efficient with delivery of info. And all AV gear worked during the entire tour. I appreciated Florence so much more after hearing the history. What a beautiful, proud city!
We loved the experience of being high up in the dome, both inside and out. The climb is long and steep, so not for all. We stood up inside on the second stop of the climb for almost thirty minutes. I’m sure this was because it is a one way up and down and they have to allow for the people at the very top a way down, plus a limit on how many people can be up there at one time. It was a long time to stand so high up with not a lot of space and the guard wouldn’t allow us to talk to each other. Also, our tour guide talked for 10-15 minutes about the doors of the Baptistry but we didn’t get any information on the exterior of the duomo and what or who any of it was. We all agreed we would have liked a few minutes on that. With all that said, we all really enjoyed the tour and our guide.
The tour guide was very friendly and incredibly knowledgeable. We learned a lot. I would highly recommend this tour. It was a lot of fun.
Great service, tour guide and experience!!!! A must in Florence!!! 100% recommend!!!!! The guide made the experience fun and original!!!
Great experience. With my grandson, new architect graduate. Very impressed, tour guide Jocko was amazing, full of information and insight. Thank you!
Really fun tour with a great guide. Well worth it. Very professional tour company. Great to be able to skip the line. The climb to the top is worth it for the view of the city.
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