The Ultimate Florence Duomo Experience With An Art Historian

We were very dissatisfied with the visit. The instructions did not stress that is started from an office and not the Cathedral. The start time was delayed twice and the guide was not English speaking. Instead we were given earplugs and listening devices. We then had to join the usual queues to get it. We felt the whole experience was a rip off and can only recommend that future visitors to the Cathedral book through the official Duomo website.

Got out of the general entrance line for the Duomo in Florence to take advantage of the 11:30 a.m. tour of the Duomo. Save time in line and get a guided tour. Immediately the tour operator delayed the tour until 1200. At 12:00 we met at a shop away from the Duomo and then got in the general entrance line and waited 45 minutes. The actual guide was good and knowledgeable. Other reviews for this tour are not necessarily relevant.

Tour guide was very patient and nice and explained everything very well.

Our visit to the Duomo in Florence was absolutely fantastic! The queue looked enormous, but thanks to our wonderful guide, Alex, the time passed almost unnoticed. Alex is an exceptional professional with an impressive depth of knowledge and a truly engaging way of bringing history to life. She was warm, attentive, enthusiastic, and answered every question with confidence and expertise. The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is truly remarkable and breathtaking, but without Alex, the experience would not have been the same. Thanks to her, we did not simply visit one of Florence’s most beautiful landmarks. We gained a deeper understanding of its history, symbolism, architecture, and cultural significance. We wholeheartedly recommend Alex to anyone who wants to experience the true spirit of Florence!

Great tour by Alex - really informative!

I arrived with family for tour and without notice changed my tour time which I could not use however I was given refund

We felt misled by the tour description. We knew entrance was $0, we paid for a specific time thinking it would help us avoid the line. It meant nothing, there was no reserved entry time so we walked out of our way to download something to listen to (audio tour that probably could have been downloaded from an email) and walk back to wait in line with the masses.

This company sells “skip-the-line” cathedral tour packages without honestly explaining that the rules changed months ago and everyone now has to wait outside regardless of the ticket type. We paid expecting priority access, but in reality there was no advantage at all. The visit to the cathedral itself is free, and you do not need to pay this company to enter. On top of that, their scheduling was disorganized and misleading. Our booking was for 9:35, and we were told to arrive 20 minutes early. We did exactly that, only to be told the actual entry would be another 30 minutes later. Overall, this felt deceptive and poorly managed. I would strongly recommend that visitors research the current cathedral entry rules before spending money on these unnecessary packages.

She was very knowledgeable and made the wait to get in to the Duomo feel like nothing! She explained so many fun stories about Florence history we would have missed out on! 100% recommend! MARY ROCKS!!

We had a fantastic guided tour of Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral. The experience was truly enriching and gave us a much deeper appreciation of this incredible landmark. Alex was extremely knowledgeable, engaging, and clearly passionate about the history and details of the cathedral. She explained everything in a way that was easy to follow and brought the whole place to life. We came away learning so much more than we would have on our own, and it made the visit far more memorable. Highly recommend this tour—especially with Alex as your guide!

Got discounted tickets at a great price and both of our guides did everything they could to make the experience pleasurable and memorable. Highly recommended.

It was okay. I booked this thinking it was a skip the line pass but, it wasn’t. If I could do it again I would just stand in line and get the free entry. The inside isn’t as interesting as we thought it would be so i don’t think you need a guided tour for it personally.

Late starting. No ticket needed as it is free to get in. Spent 45 mins in the queue outside whilst the guide waffled on. We learnt way more about Florence on a different Tour.

Our climb for the dome was cancelled at very late notice and the audio for the tour was impossible to hear. Very disappointing

Our tour was mostly in the Duomo and to help us enter. Afterwards, you are on your own due to the line and crowd. We were able to see all of the main attractions within the Duomo. 2 of the attractions has around 400 stairs each so make sure you're in good health, have water, and don't have claustrophobia. Would definitely recommend!

So this tour was a big let down. While our guide Alex was amazing and the inside of the duomo was great, we did not get anything we paid for. We paid for premium access to skip the line and had to wait in line. It was raining which made it worse. We bought the dome walk which they told us the day of we could not do until 6pm. Our tour was at 12:30 and we had dinner plans that night so that would not work. Then they said how about a Giotto tower climb instead. We are easy going and said sure. That got cancelled too. Contacted support several ways and was ignored. So we paid hundreds of dollars for a guided tour of the duomo that took one hour. Find another tour company and stay away from Italy pass and head out. We did another tour with the tour guy and it was perfect. Would not recommend or book again.

The tour guide did great and was very passionate about it. I didn’t think this tour needed to be an hour long, though.

The tour guide never showed up!!!!’ We had NO TOUR !!!! Refund our money!!!! We were early but tour guide never arrived!!

Did not enjoy cathedral’s altar covered Shouldn’t be open to the public or charge less to come inside

The Duomo is an unreal structure of history. It's beauty can be seen without a tour. Don't miss the climb to the top of the cupola!

When I booked guided tour of Duomo I assumed Duomo was the climb to the dome and guided tour of the cathedral. The guided referred only to the done climb and access to the cathedral without a guide

The frescos and the view. Stunning view of all of Florence. Beautiful art and incredible architecture.

Lots of stair steps! If you have a disability or repritory problems this isn't for you. Good tour guide, easy to locate! Beautiful cathedral and views of the city!

The guide was very knowledgeable and know when to give the group a break based on the climb to thw top.. Highly recommend this tour we really enjoyed. the complete tour.

The tour operator had no record of us on their list. However, they told us to join a group for the tour inside of the Duomo but did not have tickets for us to climb the dome. Very disappointing.

We enjoyed the trip to the top of the Duomo, but thought the tour portion was bad. It was very hard to hear & understand the tour director. We were also surprised that when we entered the cathedral, we started our ascent to the top. We thought there would be more of a tour of the building rather than just some commentary while we waited in line. Think the tour description needs to be more explicit on what is provided! We had one member of our group who could not do the ascent to the top & was expecting a better tour of the building!

Did not get the tour I was expecting. It was billed as a Duomo tour with access to the dome but instead it was only access to the dome (top). The views are amazing but it was not what was described in the offering. You get 3 days to access other things but what I really wanted was tour of the cathedral.

The dome on the inside up close and the view from the top. The inside was much cooler in temperature than I thought it would be

Instructor was fantastic. Very informative and respectful to everyone s needs. Well done! Give her a raise

Quite a climb, but worth it! Beautiful views of the city! Time of tour matched description. Didn’t wait in line for long and had nice tour guide.

When I arrived, the guide was not welcoming. I was carrying a small shoulder bag and he informed me that I wasn’t allowed a bag at all. I returned again, carrying my purse, phone, camera and keys in my hands, only to be sent over to the group I was with and finding the tour guide had a bag, as did other members of the group. Nobody told me I was allowed a handbag. After leaving the group, I found finding my way into the cathedral pretty complicated, as I kept being sent in different directions. I found the whole entry security process overkill, particularly when the guard, who obviously wanted a job to do, made the little boy in front of me leave his teddy and tissue for inspection while he walked through the metal detector. And no, it was not as a game. I have traveled much of Italy, but have found attitudes in Florence very arrogant, with some outright disrespectful.

We should have planned better to purchase tickets ahead of time on our own, because it was a good bit of money for the access - BUT we wanted to see the dome and climb it. All tickets to the public were sold out so this was the only way. Very thankful to have climbed and seen, but not worth the $$.

The experience was described as an a complete Duomo experience. Instead, we got a 5 minutes explanation/history and then we climbed up the steps to the top of the Duomo, given 10 minutes and told the rest we can do on our own. We could have done the same experience minus the 5 mins explanation for less than half that price at 30 Euros. I wouldn't waste the money on this.

We skipped the line and our guide provided a history of the Duomo. We then climbed 500 stairs to the dome and the views were breathtaking. I would not recommend this to someone physically challenged or afraid of heights. My family loved it!!

Was a bit nervous walking up a tight stairway because I'm a big guy. But worth the spectacular view of Florence at the top. Worth it, in my opinion.

Great tour. Quick and to the point. Guide went up with us which was great. Highly recommend this tour if you are in Florence.

This tour is a waste of money. Too expansive and the tour guide don't provide detailed informations about the Duomo. Just buy ticket to climb the Duomo stairs by yourself and would be more worth it. The Guy who welcome us at the beginning of the tour is rude, honestly, first bad experience in Italy. All of the remaining tours guide we've booked were awesome. Dont book this tour, buy a ticket yourself just in front of the Cathedral.

Incredible views from the top. This tour is not for the fainthearted. Many steps and if you’re afraid of heights or claustrophobic do not go. Otherwise amazing views from all sides. It was quite an experience.

We were charged £170 for 2 tickets. When we got to meeting point we were handed our tickets which have a face value of €30 each,€60 total. €60 is currently approx £50 A mark up on the tickets of £120. We have regularly used Viator however this has left us feeling robbed. The guide was with us for 45 mins,30 mins of herding 30 of us in the queues and getting up the 400+steps whilst giving a limited commentary and 15 mins at the very top of the dome which had zero commentary. This was a very disappointing experience for us and left us feeling very cautious of using Viator again.

Our tour was excellent, very educational and through provoking. I would certainly recommend this to others.

We started to look for Duomo tickets late in the game and they were all sold out. Came across this and took a gamble that it wasn’t a scam and, to our surprise, it actually paid off. This was a full skip the line situation. That was amazing. I felt like Ray Liotta’s character in Goodfellas taking his wife on that date. Tour guide was good. She knew her stuff. My wife’s ear buds worked but mine seemed to have a short in the cable so didn’t function so well. I wasn’t really in this for the tour guide was more there for the experience. The experience was awesome. Great views. Fun backstory on the dome. You should definitely go.

“Tour” started over an hour late. The guide chatted with us for a few minutes before walking up the dome, we walked up the stairs and handed back our headsets at the top. The end. Two hour tour was just walking up the steps. Wouldn’t waste money again on this so called tour. Sure, you can call it 2 hours when you make us wait over an hour past the meetup time to even start. What a waste. Just buy walk up tickets yourself and save money.

The climb was 463 steps, 19 floors up. So make sure you have good knees to go both up and down! But so worth it. I have wanted to do this climb ever since I read about the engineering feat of the dome.

Total scam!! The tour was only 30 minutes. Then they said we were done. When I showed we had paid extra to climb dome, guy disappeared for 20 minutes, brought back 4 tickets. One ticket was a photocopy and had already been used. Therefore the Duomo ticket taker would not accept it. When I tried to call number listed no one ever answered. I requested a refund and they guy lied and said we were an hour late when we were actually 30 minutes early!

It was easy to locate the meeting spot and get our tickets. Went to front of line and climbed right up to the very top! Guide was very nice and informative.

We arrived an hour & half early & we could not find a parking spot. We believe it was because of the taxi strike…therefore no taxi to take us. Lots of construction so by the time we made our way to the plaza we had missed our tour. Sent a message to Viator- no response…also tried to connect with Italy Pass Tour- no luck. We would appreciate an accommodation credit request. Thank you.

Directions to find the guide was perfect. Our guide was great and we skipped the line! Wonderful experience

Hearing the history of the competition and the building of the dome. Even with headsets though, it was hard to hear the guide if you were not one of the closest 5-6 people. Almost need smaller group maybe?

Upon arrival, wife and I saw only tour guide with group in area that was designated for meetup. Guides had no checklist and internet service was poor to show voucher. Went to the tour and paid for a Duomo Guided Tour with access to Dome. Was told I went to wrong tour when asked where our access to Dome was. Reached out to customer service for refund or another day access but was told no.