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Florence Cathedral: Dawn VIP Tour Experience
4.4
24 Ratings
Firenze
Experience the Florence Duomo, Cathedral, and Baptistery before the crowds with our exclusive early morning tour. Be the first to see these iconic landmarks come to life!
Experience the Florence Duomo, Cathedral, and Baptistery before the crowds with our exclusive early morning tour. Be the first to see these iconic landmarks come to life!
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Duomo - Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore - Meet the “chiavigero,” the individual responsible for unlocking this treasure of artistic splendor. As the key turns and the doors open, the interior reveals itself, still dim and tranquil. Prepare to be amazed: the next action of the key bearer is to illuminate the space, starting with the lights that…
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Duomo - Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore - Meet the “chiavigero,” the individual responsible for unlocking this treasure of artistic splendor. As the key turns and the doors open, the interior reveals itself, still dim and tranquil. Prepare to be amazed: the next action of the key bearer is to illuminate the space, starting with the lights that unveil the stunning frescoed vault. Observe as the light gradually reveals the 3600 square meter masterpiece painted by Vasari and Zuccari. Marvel at the intricate, vibrant “Last Judgement” fresco, and watch as the elders of the Apocalypse, the angels, and the saints come to life before your eyes.
Follow your guide and admire the Duomo’s magnificent clock: painted by Paolo Uccello, it marks time from sunset to sunrise! Listen to its fascinating history and then explore the rest of this beautiful church.
Conclude your visit with a delightful Italian breakfast: join the locals at the bar of a historic café and savor a delicious espresso, cappuccino, and brioche!
- Cupola del Brunelleschi - Conclude your tour with an unforgettable view of Brunelleschi’s cupola. Re-enter the Duomo through a special entrance, the Porta Canonici, reserved exclusively for your group, and ascend to the world’s most renowned dome. Once at the top, enjoy the breathtaking cityscape and gain insight into Brunelleschi’s genius, the collaborators he worked with, and the methods he used to construct the cupola. Meanwhile, take pleasure in observing Florence and its residents from above.
What's Included
- Exclusive access: VIP small group tour of the Cathedral and Brunelleschi’s Dome
- Climb on top of Brunelleschi’s dome (skip the line)
- Experience the first light of day and relish the coolness of the early morning hours at dawn
- Private English-speaking guide
- Be the one to open the doors, at daybreak, be the only one inside!
- Exclusive access: VIP small group tour of the Cathedral and Brunelleschi’s Dome
- Climb on top of Brunelleschi’s dome (skip the line)
- Experience the first light of day and relish the coolness of the early morning hours at dawn
- Private English-speaking guide
- Be the one to open the doors, at daybreak, be the only one inside!
What's Not Included
- Hotel Pick up
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pick up
- Gratuities
Additional Information
No tourist can resist the charm of the Florence Cathedral, its rooftop, or Baptistery. But…have you ever thought about how these magnificent sights look during the dawn, tranquil and untouched before the influx of people?
Picture being the arms that unlock the Duomo’s grand entrance, or the Baptistery’s shining “Gates of Paradise”, stepping in before…
No tourist can resist the charm of the Florence Cathedral, its rooftop, or Baptistery. But…have you ever thought about how these magnificent sights look during the dawn, tranquil and untouched before the influx of people?
Picture being the arms that unlock the Duomo’s grand entrance, or the Baptistery’s shining “Gates of Paradise”, stepping in before any other soul, and witnessing the illumination of the interior.
With this innovative, remarkable, and private early morning Tour, you now have the opportunity. This specially designed small group tour gives you an exclusive perspective of the Duomo and Baptistery. Witness these two remarkable structures as they come alive, view the doors being unlocked just for you and experience the lights flickering on!
- We regret to inform that this tour is not suitable for guests with wheelchairs or with impaired mobility
- A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements.
- Comfortable shoes suggested
- Please note the number of steps to reach the top of each monument: Terraces: 153 Terraces + Brunelleschi’s Dome: 153 + 310
- Due to the security checks, please be informed that for the entrance to the Dome and Terraces, bulky backpacks and bags are not allowed to climb.
- We are sorry to inform you that pets are not permitted on our tours
- Operates in all weather conditions
Location
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
Piazza del Duomo
Meet Towns of Italy tour leader in front of the main entrance of Florence Cathedral
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.4
(24 Ratings)
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Peak-district-ian
Aug 20, 2025
Wonderful early morning, beat the crowds experience. - Greta was an excellent guide, she really made the experience next-level.
Very knowledgeable and very helpful.
One of our group couldn't quite manage the whole climb so was helped out about halfway round - Martina explained to the cathedral staff and all demonstrated empathy.
Getting inside the cathedral as it is being opened and no one is inside was very special.
We then went for coffee and a pastry (not included)
and then back to the cathedral to be the first to climb to the very top and outside was a real experience.
Towns of Italy are a good tour provider too - keeping us well informed and delivering a great experience.
I'm sure they do say it somewhere but there are a lot of steps and then the end part is between the two walls of the duomo and is steep and quite enclosed (but actually quite cool as it is well ventilated)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cdeloreto
Aug 9, 2025
Worth every penny! - This experience was spectacular! We travel often and Greta was definitely one of the best and most informative guides we have had the pleasure to learn from during our adventures around the world. We were able to coordinate other aspects of our trip based on her knowledge and suggestions - made our time in Florence extraordinary 🥰
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G9901qulesliep
Jul 10, 2025
Early morning, first access to Santa Maria del Fiore & climbing stairs of Brunelleschi's dome!! - So worth it to do this early morning - and first access! - tour of the cathedral and climb Brunelleschi's Dome (especially given the recent European heatwave). Our tour guide, Aurora, made history come to life. It was fun to see the cathedral door be unlocked for the day. I highly recommend this tour - and hopefully, you'll get Aurora as your guide!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kerrym1595
Jul 10, 2025
The most magical experience in Florence - Wow, was an experience! As the description says you are literally there as they unlock the door in front of you and you follow the security guards in.
Our guide (I think she was Alla?) was amazing! She was so passionate and knowledgeable, I learned so much not just about the Cathedral but also about Florence and Italy, including culture and even about the Italian language and dialects!
I am so glad we did this, it was an absolutely wonderful experience and a memory I’ll hold on to for a very long time. Well worth the cost.
The meeting point address is to the side of the church, but if you read the info it’s actually at the front. Very easy to find.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kflermoen
Jun 26, 2025
Great experience - This was the best way to see the cathedral and access the climb on a very hot summer day. Our guide was knowledgeable and wonderful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tiffbreaux
Jun 18, 2025
Che Bella! - Beautiful early morning tour of duomo with our guide Greta. As the 7 am bells rang out in the square, the guards unlocked the doors and let us inside the cathedral. Sunlight filtered in and Greta began her history lesson. Even the 462 step climb to the top could not dampen my enthusiasm for this special experience. Greta obviously loves her city and was patient with all of our questions and special needs. Her passion for Firenze has given me a deeper appreciation for this beautiful place and for the people who call it home.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kub35
Jun 10, 2025
VIP Treatment! - We met Laura our guide at 06:30 and were briefed about the adventure ahead. We met the gatekeeper promptly at 07:00 to watch him open the doors and let us in. After 30 minutes of touring and learning about the cathedral and done we went back out for a cappuccino and pastry until let back in at 08:00 to climb the steps to the top. The early morning trip up was much cooler in temperature so this was a plus for us! All along the way we were guided by Laura and learned much about the construction. We got to the top and were there for 30 minutes with the place all to ourselves for the first 15 minutes. After many pictures we descended back down. All along the way we were guided by Laura with many more stories about the done and cathedral. She is a wonderful guide! We left the cathedral and went on to the rest of our day! Just a great experience and the early entry was awesome!
The only note would be, a few of the less cultured of the total group were not dressed appropriately and according to Laura, “The dress code is not strictly enforced.” I would suggest men can wear nice shorts as long as they are longer in length. No hats as one had worn but I seemed to be the only one to let him know a hat in church for men is not allowed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Angela_c
Jun 3, 2025
Early access - Very informative. Lovely to get in and out ahead of the crowds and in the cool of the morning. Learned a lot. Our guide Alla was relaxed and knowledgeable. Very much recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Nickl39
May 28, 2025
Excellent and informative pre-opening tour of the Duomo followed by dome climb - Wonderful and highly informative pre-opening tour of the Duomo followed by a dome climb. Amazing to see this Florence highlight before the doors open to the public and to learn so much about its history. They followed a climb to the top of the dome with its spectacular views, again before the official opening.
Excellent tour guide Aurora who even found time for us to squeeze in a cappuccino and croissant between the Duomo visit and the dome climb!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Debra
May 16, 2025
Early morning Awakening the Duomo - We were supposed to be the only ones accessing the duomo but I believe we were waiting for the key keeper and timing was off. We paid a lot of money to be the only ones at the top but in fact were not. I don’t believe this was any fault of our guide as she was awesome. I have two friends who did this tour and it sounded very different.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
