What free entry includes (and what it doesn't)
| Free | Paid |
|---|---|
| The cathedral nave, all 153 metres of it | The dome: climb and fresco balcony (from €35) |
| The Last Judgment seen from the floor (~90 m) | Giotto's Bell Tower (from €20) |
| Uccello's clock, the equestrian monuments, Michelino's Dante | The baptistery with the golden mosaics (from €15) |
| The 16th-century marble floor | The Santa Reparata crypt (from €15) |
| — | The Opera del Duomo Museum with the originals (from €15) |
One thing deserves saying plainly: the nave is barer than people expect. The Duomo's masterpieces moved to the museum decades ago, and the interior impresses by volume more than by artworks. Beautiful? Yes. The complex's highlight? No — that's up top (the dome) and next door (the museum and baptistery).
The queue: real numbers and how to shrink it
- July–August, 11 am: up to an hour along the south flank.
- After 2 pm: noticeably shorter — the groups are at lunch.
- November–February: often 10–15 minutes, sometimes straight in.
- Sunday: no luck — the cathedral is closed to visits.
- Timing: the window is short (10:15 am–3:45 pm) — plan accordingly.
When free is enough (and when it isn't)
It's enough if:
- You're in Florence for a few hours on a closed budget;
- you've done panoramic climbs elsewhere and museums don't call you;
- you want to "have been there" and photograph the nave.
It isn't if:
- You want the view over Florence — that lives up the dome or the bell tower;
- you love art: Ghiberti, Donatello and Michelangelo are at the museum, not in the nave;
- the baptistery intrigues you — the mosaics cost money, and they're worth every euro of the €15 Ghiberti Pass.
