We purchased tickets on line prior to our trip for 8:15am entry. Great to be early and beat the crowds. The climb was fine. At times very tight circles and at the end very steep. I found going down more of a challenge. The view from the top was stunning on a beautiful sunny morning. I don’t like heights but felt safe at the top as it was all wired in. Do the climb.

We climbed the cupola with a tour guide. It is not an easy mission to climb it. It is more than 400 steps. The stairs are narrow and swirling. If you are claustrophobic or have limited physical fitness, this is not for you. The view from the top is breathtaking.

Brunelleschi's Dome is situated upon Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo) in the historic city centre of Florence. This is an important landmark structure and probably one of the most easily recognisable church domes in the world. It is constructed between 1418-34, stands 54 metres in height and is 45.5 metres in diameter. You can see it very clearly from various elevated positions around the city as well as from the side of the basilica and at ground level when wandering around Piazza dell Duomo and Piazza San Giovanni. You can experience viewing the remarkable inner cupola of Brunelleschi's Dome from within Duomo, where you can stand under the dome and see the impressive frescos by Vasari and Zuccari (1572-1579) referring to the theme of the Last Judgement. Picture taking is a bit challenging given the height of the dome and its frescos. To see the frescos better, you may want to purchase one of the ticket passes that include entry and the 463 step climb to the top of the dome. As you near the top, you have up close views of the inner cupola frescos before being rewarded with spectacular views of the city centre from outside the dome.

We queued for around 45 mins to get in to the church for free. It was well worth it! There are side entrances with much shorter queues for those that have paid for to climb the dome or bell tower so make sure you get into the right one!

From the outside and in the inside the Duomo is a beautiful example of Renaissance architecture. However I think the building is better on the outside than the inside as it quite plain and there is restoration work taking place. I bought a combined ticket for the Duomo, which included the Cupola which is the only timed ticket. The remaining places to visit which include the Bell Tower, Baptistry, Crypt and interior of the Duomo and the Museum Dell' Opera can be visited at anytime within three days. I recommend that you choose the earliest timed ticket for the Cupola as it gets very busy and your entry is timed. Please read the small print and do not have any back packs as you will not be allowed entry and asked to store the back pack in another building. When visiting the Doom also no back packs and observe the dress codes for covering the shoulders and knees. I saw so many people turned away for this despite having queued for more than an hour, so be warned!!! There is no lift to the outside of the dome and it's 460 steps up and the same amount down. You can see the dome interior on the ascent but there are perspex screens that discourage from taking pictures down into the cathedral. Once at the top, you have the best views of Florence. I was the first person to the top so took wide angle shots then switched lenses for zoom images. By the time I had finished, the crowds began to increase, so I made my way back down to street level.