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.

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

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Piazza del Duomo

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Duomo - Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Cupola del Brunelleschi

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

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.
Not wheelchair accessible
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.
Near public transportation

Most travelers can participate
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.
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

382 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 382 reviews

The view of a lifetime

Paul_P, Sep 2023

The stairs were well worth the view. Great tour guide. Very thorough. We were able to see the beautiful countryside, churches, and vegetation. There was so much to see that do not know how to put it into words.

Excellent tour

Carole_B, Sep 2023

The tour overall was Fantastic!! Our tour guide Valentio was Amazing and very informative. You would be remiss to not take this tour

Worth it for some fantastic views! (And to skip the hours long lines)

Andrea_G, Sep 2023

Seeing the David for the first time, and climbing to the top of the Duomo to see the incredible view were our favorite parts of our time in Florence. Elena was a fantastic guide- she was so knowledgeable, very friendly, funny, and easy to listen to. We appreciated her expertise so we could better understand the art and the history of everything we were looking at. Overall a highlight of our trip, and well worth it.

Buy this tour, you won’t regret it

Kathleen_C, Sep 2023

Exceptional tour with an exceptional tour guide! Be ready to climb… And be ready to manage very narrow spaces. This is not for people who are out of shape nor claustrophobic. We absolutely loved this tour, and our tour guide was fantastic! She had a great sense of humor, and taught us so much more than we could have ever learned by doing the tour on our own. she is educated in the arts and history and I think this is true of many of the guides in Rome. Please show up early as requested because we learned through some other tours that we booked via Viator that they re-book your space, and you will lose out, even if you show up on time. You must show up early as requested. For those who have not traveled in Rome, you must know that everything will take you longer than you think it will, especially if you were coming from another city. The trains are amazing, but everything will take longer than you might expect. Give yourself plenty of cushion!

Best Experience in Florence!

Kristen_F, Sep 2023

This tour exceeded all my expectations. It was the perfect blend of history, heart, and knowledge and was worth every penny. Our guide, Alma, was exceptional! I absolutely loved the way she guided us and was so natural about making everyone feel included while keeping the experience engaging. There’s truly nothing I can think of that would have made this experience better. I highly recommend skipping the line and taking this VIP tour. You won’t regret it!

Uffizi tour

Catherine_C, Sep 2023

The guide Victoria was very knowledgeable, but she spent way too much time talking about way too few paintings. Would have liked to have been guided to more pieces of art and spent more time seeing and hearing about additional paintings and sculptures. Also would have liked to hear more history about the the Uffizi Loved the small group of 8. Perfect size group.

Outstanding

Timothy_B, Sep 2023

Our tour guide was excellent, extremely knowledgeable! I would 100% rec commend you take this tour especially if you’ve seen the long lines as this tour gets you fast passes past the line, also the climb to duomo is a must.

Great tour and great guide! So worth it!

Lisa_P, Sep 2023

Great experience, and I definitely recommend this tour! It is worth it to do the skip the line AND early tour. If you do not do this you will wait in line for hours. We got right in and our tour guide was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. There was one difficult person on our tour who brought a backpack but insisted they should be let in (there are no backpacks allowed) our tour guide handled this beautifully and didn’t make anyone uncomfortable even though the guest was being rude.

Really nice tour

Hannah_M, Sep 2023

Elenora was very knowledgeable, had great communication and was very friendly. Would definitely recommend doing this tour as it gave you special access on the Duomo terraces and enabled us to skip several very long lines! Tour really finishes after the terraces visit - you’re then left to go up the Dome if you want to.

So much fun and informative

Julianna_W, Sep 2023

Our tour guide was so personable and fun. The climb was exciting and she gave everyone a heads up before we began that it would be a challenge but it was so much fun.

A MUST!!!!!

Carmen_N, Sep 2023

If seeing the David statue is very important to you, you MUST take this tour or something identical to it. We strolled by a line 1/2mi long & we’re escorted right in through a side entrance. We were able to look at David up close & personal for as long as we wanted to with NO CROWDS. Unbelievable! Why spend your entire trip waiting in lines?? And trust me they are long!! BOOK THIS TOUR with Jade. She was so lovely & knowledgeable. Also climbing to the top of the Duomo is totally optional. We opted for climbing just to the terrace & trust me that was plenty. But if you’ve got something to prove to your buddies at home then by all means be my guest ( climb all 483 steps😱). 20 out of 10!!

Amazing

Emily_J, Sep 2023

All of it. Amazing!!! Worth the climb! Very informative!! Great guide! Small group nice! Sound system great!

Highly recommend

Michael_S, Sep 2023

Highly recommend. Our guide Klaus was excellent ! Could not have asked for a more enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide.

Breath taking!

Tom_C, Sep 2023

We had a wonderful experience. To see the statue of David after having heard and read about for my whole life nearly brought me to tears. Out guide Jade was very knowledgeable and professional. Such an amazing experience. Thank you!

Good guide but expensive

Dale_D, Sep 2023

Good guide. But didn't think it was value for money. We went on all day trips with lunch which were not as expensive.

A great opportunity to see and hear about two of Florence's historic attractions

Aaron_J, Sep 2023

Two things made this a great tour. The first was being able to skip the lines and get into the Academia Gallery to see Michelangelo's David before the large crowds arrived and to go to areas of the Duomo that ordinary ticket holders cannot (such as the terrace). The second was our guide, Greta, who was very knowledgable about the history of the Gallery and the Duomo, which helped us appreciate more the areas we were visiting. Greta also gave us a mini walking tour and explained the history behind some of the other landmarks we passed while walking between the Gallery and the Duomo, including the Palazzo Vecchio and Ponte Vehccio.

A Wonderful Excursion!

Kerry_W, Aug 2023

Charles was a wonderful guide! He was very knowledgeable about Michelango’s life and history as a painter and sculptor. Seeing The David for a second time gave me a new perspective with Charles’s information. The view from the top of the Duomo was one of the best city views - highly recommend!!

Highly recommend

Timothy_I, Aug 2023

Overall great experience. Elena (our tour guide) was very informative with providing the perfect amount of information. She kept the crowd engaged and entertained. We got to see all the main attractions on a very hot stressful day so that speaks a lot of volume.

Definitely a must !!!!

SHAUNDA_C, Aug 2023

Brenda was so knowledgeable of Florence!!!!!! Michelangelo work David was spectacular!!! After Brenda presented so much detail to look for on Statue .. The walk to the top of Dumo was breathtaking.

Fantastic tour with an exceptional tour guide

Brittany_D, Aug 2023

Our guide Constantine was amazing and the tour was perfectly structured. The ability to see the private terraces and certain areas that otherwise couldn’t be accessed was also great. Overall a wonderful experience.

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