Explore Florence art and architecture on a tour that gets you skip-the-line access to the Accademia Gallery and the Duomo. See Michelangelo’s ‘David’ in the uncrowded, morning hours, then get an in-depth tour of the Duomo, including the Duomo Museum, the Duomo Terraces, without waiting in line. This tour includes all entrance fees, and is limited to 15 people for a personalized experience.

Small-group Accademia and Duomo tour
Skip-the-line access at both locations
See two Florentine highlights
Small group ensures personal service

What's Included

Expert English-speaking guide
Skip the line tickets to the Accademia Gallery
Special access to the Duomo Terraces
Skip the line access to climb the dome
Headsets (when needed)

Gratuities
Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Piazza San Marco
Piazza San Marco, Firenze FI, Italy
The tour meets in Piazza San Marco, by the statue in the middle of the square. This is a centrally-located square adjacent to Via degli Arazzieri and Via Giorgio la Pira, about 1/3 mile north of Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral. Your guide will be holding a Walks sign.

Start time

08:30 AM

End point

Piazza del Duomo
Piazza del Duomo, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
Duomo Terraces

What To Expect

Make your way to the Piazza San Marco, where you’ll meet your guide. Walk right past the long lines at the Accademia Gallery, and visit one of the museum’s most iconic masterworks: the David, a longtime symbol of the small (but mighty) Florentine Republic. You’ll also have time to explore some of Michelangelo’s unfinished sculptures, The Slaves, which offer a fascinating insight into the artist’s creation process.

Continue to the Duomo Baptistry to see its famous doors, replicas of the originals, which you’ll see later in the Duomo Museum. Learn stories about the members of the powerful Medici family that were baptized here, and see some of the Duomo’s exquisite artwork.

The next stop is the Duomo Museum, which offers a glimpse of how the Cathedral’s original façade once looked, and contains masterpieces by Michelangelo and Donatello. Walk past the lines into the Duomo itself, where you’ll have special access to a room of statues from the Cathedral’s original façade. This tour also gets you pass the velvet ropes, so you can take in the Cathedral’s remarkable detailing up close.

Finish the tour with a once-in-a-lifetime experience: skip the lines for the Duomo Terraces, and climb all the way to the top for panoramic views of Florence. This tour concludes at the Duomo Terraces.

Galleria dell'Accademia

You’ll start first thing in the morning, meeting your local expert guide and small group of 18 people or fewer outside the Accademia. Before the daytime crowds show up, you’ll head in to marvel at Michelangelo’s “David” as well as his unfinished sculptures known as “Slaves,” which give incredible insight into the mind of one of history’s greatest artists.

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Piazza del Duomo

After leaving the museum, you’ll stop at Piazza del Duomo outside the Baptistery and check out the incredible bronze-cast doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti, coined the "Gates of Paradise" by Michelangelo.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Please note that guests can only carry small handbags inside the Accademia. Larger backpacks and big pointy umbrellas are not allowed. Please also note there is no cloakroom inside the Accademia Gallery.
Please remember that the Duomo (Cathedral) is a holy place and attire must be appropriate for the visit. Both men and women are asked to wear clothing that covers at least the shoulders and knees. Walks of Italy cannot be held responsible for denied entry due to improper dress.
Comfortable walking shoes recommended.
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation

Due to conditions inside the Duomo (463 steps and fairly narrow), wheelchairs, those with limited mobility, and anyone with claustrophobia cannot be accommodated on this tour.
Guests may be asked to go through security on this tour.
We ask all guests (including children) bring ID on the day of their tour.
Walks complies with all local government regulations. You may need to wear a mask or provide proof of vaccination to enter certain venues. Please refer to Italy government guidelines for the most up to date information.
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

The climb up the Duomo is a little rough but if you take it slow and steady it’s not too bad and the view at the top is worth every step!

The climb to the top is hard but worth the trip!

As other reviews state it’s worth it getting up early to get to the academy before the crowds.

Reviews

5.0

217 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 217 reviews

Informative and beautiful!

Megan_B, Dec 2022

The tour provided great information and plenty of time to take in the sites on your own. I appreciated the tour guide's knowledge!

Highly recommend

Samantha_T, Dec 2022

Instructor knew everything that was being asked and didn’t hesitate for everything. Would highly recommend taking this tour and especially the instructor we had (sorry forgot his name).

Pick this tour 😊

Kim_H, Dec 2022

Fabulous Our guide was so knowledgeable on the history of Michael Angelo The information on the statue of David was incredible The climb if the Duomo was incredibly breathtaking Would recommend this tour to anyone

If your main interest is David take this tour.

Angel_W, Nov 2022

Really enjoyed seeing David with our guide, Ishmael. The tour was truly skip the line, which was great, but it would have been nice to have more time in the Academia. The Duomo tour was nice as well. The guide takes you about 1/3 of the way up and you can continue the climb to the top solo.

Fantastic Tour!

Klodet_T, Nov 2022

Our guid Paolo was amazing! very knowledgeable and a fantastic guide. The tour met on time and it was intimate so no crowds! loved the quick entry into everything including inside the duomo so fab!

Great informational tour!

Andrew_J, Nov 2022

Amazing tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable. I forgot his name, but he is a native of florence, tall/skinny with long hair. He was very nice, informational, and friendly. Learned so much and would highly recommend him!

Fantastic tour

Joy_B, Nov 2022

We cannot recommend this tour highly enough! This was a fantastic tour and a highlight of our trip to Italy. Seeing David and touring the Duomo is something we will never forget. We had limited time in Florence and this was an ideal tour to experience these amazing things. Angelo is incredibly knowledgeable and he has a great way of making the history relevant in the stories he tells. He made us want to learn more about many things and come back to spend more time in Florence. We have wonderful memories and photos from this day! Thank you, Angelo!

David and Duomo Tour

Debbie_S, Nov 2022

Great tour! Guide was knowledgeable about the history of the David and the Duomo. Highly recommend this tour.

It was a great tour and I...

David_H, Oct 2022

It was a great tour and I would highly recommend it to others. The tour brought to life the history around us.

This is a must see!

Trina_Z, Oct 2022

We enjoyed a very knowledgeable and friendly guide, Erin. The views were amazing!! The rich history, especially the politics, was most interesting.

Great tour, difficult climb to the top

GeorgeandPam_A, Oct 2022

It was a wonderful trip with an excellent guide who explained the nuances of the church and it’s history. The climb to the top was a challenge but well worth it for the magnificent view

Fantastic Tour!

Lauren_B, Oct 2022

Our guide was fantastic and so knowledgeable! She knew so much of the city’s history and took us on an amazing tour from the David to the Duomo. Highly recommend!

We loved our guide, the...

Kevin_M, Oct 2022

We loved our guide, the history and his presentation. The Duomo climb was challenging at points, but very worth it! The view was incredible!

Great Tour!

Kameron_K, Oct 2022

Absolutely worth the money for the skip-the-line experience. Tour guide was knowledgeable and maintained a great pace. Note: Wear comfortable shoes and plan for a cardio workout if you decide to go to the top of the dome!

This experience earned a...

Vicki_M, Oct 2022

This experience earned a 5 star review based on the guide assigned to our group. Angelo was one of the most knowledgeable, interesting and enthusiastic guides we have ever had.

Skip the line + amazing educational experience was amazing!!

Carly_K, Oct 2022

Our tour guide Natalie was super knowledgeable and kept us entertained the entire tour! Loved getting to learn more about the inspiration behind David and the Duomo, their construction, and the history surrounding these creations. Having the ability to skip the lines everywhere and save hours along with this fun educational experience made paying for the tour sooooo worth it. Views from both the terrace and the top of the duomo were BREATHTAKING. Thank you for a great tour!

Awesome!

Michel_P, Oct 2022

The view from the dome. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and provided some detailed information about the paintings and the cathedral.

Great tour, great guide!

Patricia_P, Oct 2022

We enjoyed this tour very much! Angelo was our tour guide and he was very knowledgeable about the history of the Duomo and the David statue in the Accademia, as well as all of the details about David, and we appreciated his passion and delivery. The tour without the extra “Duomo climb” included a climb 1/3 of the way to the top, where you had an aerial view of the interior of the cathedral, as well as an aerial view of the exterior. The climb to the top of the Duomo was breathtaking, but WOW the stairs!! Our calves were burning toward the end of the climb down but it was worth all the stairs. I would not recommend this part if you are claustrophobic or have weak legs. Most of all, the “skip the line” part was awesome. There was a long regular line to enter, so with already sore feet from all the walking in Florence, it was worth the extra money to avoid standing in line. We had one 10-minute bathroom break between the Accademia tour and the short walk to the Duomo. Also, a radio and earpiece was provided so that everyone could hear the tour guide clearly. Highly, highly recommend this tour, and hope you get Angelo as a tour guide!

Just wow

Nicola_C, Sep 2022

Fantastic tour to see David and the dome. Climbed right to the top even though I hate heights. Absolutely amazing.

David and Duomo

Clark_E, Sep 2022

Loved the tour and tour guide, Walks. He told such interesting stories and was so knowledgeable! Definitely a must! PS- be ready to climb stairs, whew!

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