Ghiberti, Giotto or Brunelleschi? The Duomo's three passes look confusing, but the choice comes down to one question: do you want to climb the dome?
There is one thing every first-time visitor to the Florence Duomo needs to understand before booking anything: you cannot buy a ticket for a single monument. The dome, the bell tower, the Baptistery, the Opera del Duomo Museum and the Santa Reparata crypt are sold only in bundles, on one of three combination passes. Choose the wrong one and you either overpay or, worse, turn up unable to climb the dome. This guide breaks down exactly what each pass covers and which is right for you.
The cathedral interior — the nave, the marble floor, Uccello's clock and the view up into the dome — costs nothing to enter. You only queue at security, and it is open to visitors Monday to Saturday, roughly 10:15 am to 3:45 pm, closing on Sundays and religious days. So none of the three passes is about getting into the church itself. They are about the other five monuments, and above all the climbs.
The cheapest pass covers the Baptistery of San Giovanni, the Opera del Duomo Museum and the Santa Reparata crypt. Crucially, it includes no climbs — neither the dome nor the bell tower. It is the art-lover's pass: the museum alone holds Ghiberti's original Gates of Paradise, Michelangelo's Bandini Pietà and Donatello's Magdalene, and the Baptistery's gold mosaics and bronze doors are a short step away. If stairs are out for you, or you simply care more about the sculpture than the view, this is the honest choice.
For five euros more, the Giotto Pass adds Giotto's Bell Tower — a 414-step climb — to everything in the Ghiberti Pass. What it still does not include is Brunelleschi's dome. This pass suits visitors who want a great rooftop panorama and the museum, but are happy to admire the dome from the outside rather than climb inside it. The bell tower's terraces actually give you the best head-on view of the dome itself, which the cupola cannot.
The top pass is the only one that includes the climb up Brunelleschi's dome — 463 steps, past the Last Judgment frescoes, to the highest point in the city. It also covers the bell tower, Baptistery, museum and crypt, so it is effectively the all-access ticket. If climbing the dome is on your list — and for most people it is the whole point of coming — this is the pass you need. There is no cheaper way to reach the top.
| Pass | Price | Dome | Bell tower | Baptistery, museum, crypt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghiberti | €15 | — | — | Yes |
| Giotto | €20 | — | Yes | Yes |
| Brunelleschi | €30 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The dome climb needs a timed slot chosen when you buy, and those slots sell out two to four weeks ahead in peak season — often long before the passes themselves. Buying a Brunelleschi Pass does not guarantee a dome climb if no slots are left for your dates. Book the slot early, and build your day around it.
Cut through it like this:
Buying a pass yourself works well if you plan ahead and the dome slots are still open. When they are not — or when you would rather skip the security queue and have a guide connect the dome, the museum and the Baptistery into one story — a guided tour is often the better route, because the operator books your timed slot and skip-the-line entry for you. Compare the options and prices on our Florence Duomo tours page, and see the dome climb and museum tour for the best-value guided version.
Passes are sold on the official Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore website and at the ticket office on Piazza San Giovanni, both as mobile tickets you show on your phone. Guided tours are sold through booking platforms that bundle the pass, the dome slot and a guide. Whatever you do, buy from the official site or a recognised platform — the piazza attracts unofficial sellers, and a pass is only valid with a genuine timed reservation. Keep a screenshot of your QR code in case the signal drops in the crowd.
The cathedral is free for everyone. On the paid passes, reduced and free categories — for children and certain other groups — are set by the Opera and appear at checkout; young children are usually free but still need a booking for the timed monuments. Because these rules change, confirm the current concessions on the official site rather than trusting last year's advice. Guided-tour child pricing is set separately by each operator.
Not the security queue for the free cathedral — that line is separate and can be long in high season, pass or no pass. Your pass gives you timed entry to the monuments it covers, so you are not queuing for tickets, but you may still wait at the cathedral's security check. This is one reason many visitors book a guided tour, whose skip-the-line entry covers the cathedral access as well.
Because every pass runs for 72 hours from first use, you do not have to cram the complex into one exhausting day. A common rhythm is the dome climb and cathedral on the first morning, the museum and Baptistery on the second, and the bell tower whenever the light is good. Only the dome — and, for Ghiberti holders, the crypt — is tied to a fixed time; the rest you fit around it. Spreading it out is more enjoyable, and a rained-off afternoon then costs you nothing.
Florence's city museum card is tempting if you are seeing many sights, but the Duomo complex runs on its own three passes, and city-card coverage of the Duomo monuments has changed over time and can be limited. If you hold or are considering a city card, check its current Duomo inclusions on the official site before counting on it for the dome — which still needs its own timed slot regardless.
Whichever pass you pick, reserve the very first dome slot of the day if you can. The stairwell is cooler in the morning, the light at the top is softer, and you climb before the biggest crowds arrive.
For opening hours and how to get there, see the full visiting guide. Still deciding between the climbs? Read dome vs bell tower next.