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Florence Cathedral: Dawn VIP Tour Experience
4.2
18 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
- VIP small group tour of the Cathedral, Baptistery, and Brunelleschi’s Dome
- Skip the line to climb on top of Brunelleschi’s dome
- Experience the first light of day and coolness of early morning hours
- Private English-speaking guide
- Exclusive access to open the doors at daybreak and be the only one inside
- VIP small group tour of the Cathedral, Baptistery, and Brunelleschi’s Dome
- Skip the line to climb on top of Brunelleschi’s dome
- Experience the first light of day and coolness of early morning hours
- Private English-speaking guide
- Exclusive access to open the doors at daybreak and 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
4.2
(18 Ratings)
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1 star
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
Martagranerob
May 16, 2025
Perfect!!! - Mercedes has been very professional and has told everything with great enthusiasm. Very happy with the explanations and length of the visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Milestedder
Sep 29, 2024
Awakening The Duomo - Early Entrance - The Cathedral is so beautiful early in the morning and then to experience the lights coming on inside is worth the early start time. The Baptistery, and then the climb up the dome is an experience you’ll never forget. The coffee and pastry after opening the Cathedral is a very nice touch.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Grace_b
Sep 26, 2024
A beautiful way to start the day - This is the best way to see the Duomo - early before the crowds arrive when it feels most like a holy space. The views from the top are amazing.
Review provided by Viator
John_k
Sep 3, 2024
Early access to Duomo - Being the first group into the cathedral was very nice, especially on a hot day! It was a small group and felt we had the entire place to ourselves. Upon finishing, there were hundreds of people in line. So glad we got out early to beat the crowd.
Review provided by Viator
Roy_t
Aug 30, 2024
A special experience in an enchanting city. - Wonderful experience with a great guide (Laura)
Hard to choose a favourite moment.
Engaging and inspirational throughout.
Thank you so much.
Review provided by Viator
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
Kimberly_c
Apr 29, 2025
Misleading description, not the tour we received. - The tour as described by Viator is NOT the tour we received. The only early morning activity we saw was the opening of 1 door- nothing else. Also, we did NOT get to visit the Baptistery AT ALL. We were shown only the inside of the duomo, in the main room. The tour guide was not very interesting, she constantly looked at her watch and we felt like she wanted to be somewhere else. The information she gave sounded like something she was reading from a dry history book - no fun facts or animation in how she delivered the information. We were given a ticket and told to come back and wait in line for any of the other experiences available - re-entry to duomo, baptistery, etc. Also, there is NO sunrise to see - that happens well before you will climb the dome. Do NOT waste your money on this tour - there are much better experiences available.
Review provided by Viator
