What Is Giotto's Campanile?

Giotto's Campanile is the 84.7-meter (277-foot) marble bell tower that stands beside Florence Cathedral on Piazza del Duomo, one of five structures — alongside the cathedral nave, Brunelleschi's Dome, the octagonal Baptistery, and the Opera del Duomo Museum — that make up the Duomo complex. Construction began on 18 July 1334 under Giotto di Bondone, the painter and architect the tower is named for, though he died in 1337 having completed only the base level. Andrea Pisano carried the project through its next tier over the following decade, and Francesco Talenti finished the top three levels by 1359, building without the tall spire Giotto had originally sketched — a change that trimmed the tower's planned height from roughly 122 meters down to its current 84.7.

The exterior is faced in the same three-color marble scheme as the rest of the Florence Duomo complex: white from Carrara, green from Prato, red from Siena, arranged in the geometric hexagonal and lozenge panels that made it one of the most decorated bell towers of its era. Many of the original relief sculptures have since been moved indoors to the Opera del Duomo Museum for preservation, with faithful copies left in their place on the tower itself.

Giotto Campanile Tickets & Prices 2026

There's no standalone ticket for just the bell tower — access comes bundled into one of the Duomo complex's combined passes, valid for single entry to each included monument within 3 calendar days of first use. As of mid-2026:

• Giotto Pass (Bell Tower, Baptistery, Opera del Duomo Museum, Santa Reparata crypt — no Dome): €20 full / €7 (ages 7–14) / free under 6
• Brunelleschi Pass (adds the Dome climb to everything in the Giotto Pass): €30 full / €12 (ages 7–14)

Both passes require choosing a specific date and entry-time slot for the Bell Tower when you book, though the climb itself isn't as tightly timed as the Dome — you generally have a wider window to go up once your slot opens rather than being locked to the exact minute. Book through the official Duomo ticketing site; resellers near the piazza routinely charge well above face value for the same slot.

If you're only weighing whether the Campanile is worth adding to a broader Duomo ticket, or comparing it against a city-wide sightseeing pass, our Florence Pass value breakdown runs the numbers on which combination makes sense for a typical 2–3 day visit.

Opening Hours & Best Time to Go

The Bell Tower is open daily, including Sundays and public holidays, from 08:15 to 18:45, with last admission at 17:45 — an hour before closing. It's closed on Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, and September 8th (the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, a local patronal holiday), and it periodically closes for short maintenance windows — a stretch in mid-November 2026 is one example — so confirm the live schedule on the official site close to your travel dates rather than relying on a fixed calendar.

Early morning is the best window to climb: arriving right at 08:15 gets you a near-empty staircase and the clearest light for photos from the top, before the piazza fills with tour groups by mid-morning. The hour or so before closing is the other quiet stretch, with the added benefit of golden-hour light over the city — worth planning for if you're not an early riser. Midday, roughly 11:00 to 15:00, is when both the staircase and the ticket queue are busiest, particularly from late spring through early autumn.

How Long to Plan

Budget 45–60 minutes total for the Campanile itself: 20–30 minutes for the 414-step climb up and down at a steady pace, plus time at the top for photos and time queuing for your slot. The staircase is one person wide in places, so groups naturally bunch up on the way — don't expect to move much faster than the crowd ahead of you.

If you're using the Giotto Pass across its full 3-day validity, the Baptistery, Opera del Duomo Museum, and Santa Reparata crypt each add another 30–45 minutes, so a full-pass visit spread across a day or two runs 2–3 hours in total. Most visitors pair the Campanile with one other stop rather than doing all four monuments back to back. If the tower is one piece of a bigger day in the historic center, our 2-day Florence itinerary shows where it fits alongside the Uffizi and the rest of Piazza del Duomo.

How to Get There

Giotto's Campanile stands on Piazza del Duomo in the heart of Florence's historic center, an easy walk from almost anywhere downtown. From Santa Maria Novella train station it's about 10 minutes on foot heading south-east down Via de' Panzani. From the Oltrarno side of the river, it's roughly 10–15 minutes from Ponte Vecchio, crossing the bridge and continuing north.

Florence's center is a restricted traffic zone (ZTL), so there's no practical parking near the piazza and driving in isn't an option for most visitors. Public buses stop several streets away rather than directly at the piazza. Walking is the realistic way in for almost everyone, whether from a hotel in the center or a short taxi to the edge of the ZTL followed by a walk the rest of the way.

Visit Tips: Queues, Booking & Mistakes to Avoid

Book your entry slot online before you travel, especially from June through September — showing up without a reservation in peak season means a real chance the day's slots are full. Even with a booked slot, arrive 10–15 minutes early; security screening at the base of the tower can add a short wait.

The most common mistake is confusing the Campanile with the Dome climb next door — they're separate monuments with separate step counts and separate entry systems, and only the Brunelleschi Pass includes both. If you only want the Bell Tower, the cheaper Giotto Pass is the right choice; buying the Brunelleschi Pass by mistake means paying €10 more for a Dome slot you may not use.

The climb is 414 steps on a narrow spiral staircase with no elevator and limited room to pass other visitors, so it isn't a good fit for significant mobility issues, heart conditions, or serious claustrophobia — the Duomo's free cathedral nave is the fallback if the climb isn't for you. A dress code applies across the Duomo complex: shoulders and knees covered, with no rental cover-ups at the entrance, so bring your own. Leave large bags, backpacks, and luggage at your hotel — bulky bags are awkward on the narrow stairs and storage isn't guaranteed on-site.

Nearby Attractions

The Uffizi Gallery is about a 10-minute walk south of the piazza and pairs naturally with a Campanile morning if you book both in advance — Uffizi slots sell out just as fast as Dome slots in peak season. Continuing south another 10–15 minutes brings you across the river to the Ponte Vecchio, Florence's medieval bridge lined with jewelers' shops, a good stop to end a loop through the historic center that started at the tower.

Piazza della Signoria and the Palazzo Vecchio sit roughly halfway between the Duomo and the Uffizi, worth a short detour if you're walking rather than taking transit between the two.

Frequently Asked Questions