Florence, Italy, is a city that offers a perfect mix of history, art, and incredible food—often right around every corner. Whether you’re there for a few days or longer, you’ll find that every moment can be filled with discovery and awe. Imagine staying in an Airbnb with a rooftop terrace offering stunning views of the city. It’s the kind of experience that makes Florence unforgettable.

During your time in Florence, you’ll want to make the most of your stay, whether you're exploring the museums, walking through its charming streets, or enjoying a delicious meal. One of the most iconic sights in the city is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, or Florence Cathedral, with its breathtaking dome, known as Brunelleschi’s Dome, named after the brilliant architect. Right next to it, you’ll find Giotto’s Tower, offering a glimpse into the city’s rich architectural history. Both the Duomo and the Bell Tower are must-see landmarks for anyone visiting Florence, and they should definitely be on your bucket list.
Photo credit: Greg Cavanagh

After taking in the Cathedral from the rooftop and from below, it was time to tackle the climb. If climbing 463 steps to the top of Brunelleschi’s Dome has always been on your bucket list, this is your chance! But be warned: this climb is not for the faint of heart. Still, in 2025, timed tickets are required, and it’s a good idea to plan ahead. We booked ours about four weeks in advance (we’re serious about planning ahead!). For the best experience, we recommend purchasing your tickets directly from the official website: HERE. Choose the "Brunelleschi Pass," which gives you access to the Duomo, the Bell Tower, the Baptistery, the Museum, and the Cathedral itself—definitely worth it for those wanting to get the full experience.

While guided tours are available, we found that exploring on our own worked perfectly. The climb and the views are incredible, so take your time and soak it all in as you make your way up.

When you start the walk one of the cool things is that you get to walk on an enclosed catwalk above the cathedral. It was beautiful to look down on the altar and through the entire nave. There was some restoration work going on, but what can you expect for a 900 year-old building?

The dome itself is an architectural marvel as is it actually a dome inside of a dome. Think of hauling materials hundreds of feet in the air, with no modern tools?

As you are climbing, look up at the interior of the dome. This was painted by Giorgio Vasari and was completed in 1579 almost 150 years after the cathedral had first opened. It was just painted white before that. How boring is that in this extraordinary building? The mural in the dome is representative of The Last Judgement.

If you are the slightest bit claustrophobic or afraid of heights this is not the tour for you. Also you need to be in a bit of good shape. The entire 400+ step ascent and return must be done in 45 minutes! Once you’re at the top, the guards will move everyone out in time to get back down.

Once at the top, you are rewarded with 360 degree views of the entire region. This is looking back toward the Arno river with the Relais Piazza Signoia straight ahead. Across the river and to the left on the hill is Piazzale Michelangelo or Michelangelo Park. This park is where another replica statue of David stands. We visited that park on another day. The post can be found: HERE

Looking down at Giotto’s Bell Tower to the left of the long Nave of the cathedral. At one time this was the largest cathedral in Europe. It is still the 3rd largest cathedral in the world. It was a beautifully clear day to take in all the sites.

Too soon, the guards will tell you time is up and it’s time to hike 400+ stairs back down the duomo.

During our experience, once down, we rewarded our hiking efforts with mimosas in a great little cafe just off of the piazza. Hiking to the top was an exhilarating experience we won’t ever forget!

After hiking Brunelleschi’s Dome it was now time to take on the Bell Tower. The tower is named Giotto’s Tower for Giotto de Bondone, a painter turned architect, who started the project in 1334. Giotto was 67 years old at the time. Sadly he died in 1337 when only the lower floor was complete. It took over two more decades, that included 1348 when construction stopped due a pandemic (Black death), to complete.

The tower is 279 feet high and only 49 feet wide. Like the cathedral the tower is covered with white, green and red marble entirely.

There are no timed tickets for the bell tower like the duomo, so you are able to climb on your schedule. If you go in the summer months, be sure to go early before it gets too hot.

There are three levels where you can stop and see the view. (and take a breath!) In total the climb is 414 steps.

During our visit it was another beautiful day in Florence as we stopped at another level and looked down at the Piazza del Duomo. The building on the right is the Baptistry, another stop on the 4 ticket tour. Unfortunately, there was restoration going on in the baptistry at this time, so we did not get any good shots inside.

View from the top. Looking straight across to the top of the Duomo, that we’d hiked just the day before.

We made it! Due to the very small walkway around the bell tower, you can see the entire top viewing point is covered with wire. It does make it challenging to get good photographs. But you still will be happy to have the chance to climb both of these magnificent sites.

We visited Florence 11 years earlier, just for a day. This longer stay really helped us get to know the city, the culture and the food so much better. We highly recommend a long stay in Florence. We hope this inspires your trip to the beautiful city of Florence, Italy!