The all-areas Duomo ticket with the rooftop terraces by stairs, lift optional, at the official Combo price.
- Free cancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund, stated on the listing and confirmed on 8 September 2026
- DurationAbout 2 hours for all five areas; the terraces take 45 to 60 minutes
- Starting timesHourly timed slots from 09:00; last admission 18:00
- LanguagesSelf-guided; optional audio guide, languages shown at checkout
The Duomo Milan rooftop ticket costs €26 per person and admits you to the cathedral, the rooftop terraces, the Duomo Museum, the archaeological area and San Gottardo in Corte, with a timed cathedral slot and the terraces reached by about 256 steps. The lift is an add-on at checkout, and it only goes up: everyone comes down the stairs into the cathedral. The price matches the official Combo Lift (€26) and sits €4 above the official Combo Stairs (€22); what you pay for is free cancellation up to 24 hours before and reserve-now-pay-later. It is the ticket to book for a first visit, because the roof is the part of the Duomo no other cathedral in Italy lets you walk on.
Key facts
upper-level-access- Duration
- About 2 hours for all five areas; the terraces take 45 to 60 minutes
- Starts
- Hourly timed slots from 09:00; last admission 18:00
- Meeting point
- Security line on the right-hand side of the cathedral facade, Piazza del Duomo
- Price
- €26 per person
- Entry ticket included
- Yes
- Languages
- Self-guided; optional audio guide, languages shown at checkout
- Group size
- No group; entry is individual
- Accessibility
- Ramp at the front doors for wheelchairs; a visitor with a motor disability can reach the Retrochoir area of the Rooftops through the facade entrance, accompanied. The upper terrace is stairs only. Free entry for visitors with disabilities and one companion.
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund, stated on the listing and confirmed on 8 September 2026
Included
- ✓ Cathedral entry with a timed slot
- ✓ Rooftop terraces by stairs (lift available as a paid option)
- ✓ Duomo Museum in Palazzo Reale
- ✓ Church of San Gottardo in Corte
- ✓ Archaeological area under the square (baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti)
- ✓ Fast-track entrance to the cathedral and terraces if the option is selected
- ✓ 10% discount at the Duomo Shop
Not included
- ✗ Guided tour
- ✗ Lift ascent unless the lift option is selected
- ✗ Any descent by lift
Meeting point
Piazza del Duomo, 20122 Milano — No collection needed. Show the e-ticket on your phone at the metal-detector line to the right of the facade; the terrace stairs and lifts are at the north and south flanks of the cathedral, outside.
Nearest transit: Metro M1 (red) or M3 (yellow) to Duomo, ATM single ticket €2.20 valid 90 minutes; the exit puts you on the square
What the rooftop ticket gives you and what it costs
For €26 the rooftop ticket covers five areas of the Duomo di Milano: the cathedral, the two levels of terraces, the Duomo Museum at Piazza del Duomo 12, the archaeological area under the square and the church of San Gottardo in Corte. The official ticket office sells the same set as Combo Stairs for €22 and Combo Lift for €26, so the partner price is the official lift price with the stairs as default. The terraces alone cost €16 on foot or €18 by lift at the official office, without the cathedral; the €10 gap between a terrace-only ticket and the combo buys the nave, the museum and the crypt, which is why the combo is the better value for anyone who has not been inside.
Stairs or lift: the 256 steps, the queues, and who should take which
Take the stairs if you can climb about 256 steps, because the stair entrance usually has the shorter queue and the lift saves you only the first level. The Veneranda Fabbrica, which runs the cathedral, states that the terraces are reached on foot by around 256 stairs or by two elevators that stop at the first-level walkways; from there two steep stairways climb to the second level at 45 metres. Forum reports put the stair climb at three to four minutes and the lift wait at ten to fifteen minutes on a normal day, and longer in summer. Take the lift if knees, heat or a pushchair rule out the climb, and expect a further flight of stairs on the roof and the full descent on foot.
Rooftop-only ticket or the full pass
Buy the full pass unless you have already seen the inside of the cathedral. The terrace-only ticket from the same operator costs €19 through the partner (€16 to €18 official) and excludes the cathedral, the museum and the archaeological area; the €26 combo adds all three for €7 more. The exception is a second visit or a tight afternoon: the roof takes 45 to 60 minutes on its own, while the five areas together take about two hours. On Wednesdays the museum is closed, so the official cathedral ticket drops to €8; the terrace prices do not change.
Hours, last admission and evening openings
The terraces open at 09:00 and admit the last visitors at 18:00, the same hours as the cathedral; the ticket offices on the square close at 18:00. Evening openings on the terraces happen on announced dates in summer, sold as separate tickets by the official office, and are not part of this ticket; the dates are announced on the official site each summer. The quietest slots are the first hour and the last, and the light for photographs of the 135 spires is best in the last hour. In July and August the roof is unshaded and marble reflects heat, so a morning slot is the practical choice.
Price compared with the official ticket and the alternatives
The partner's €26 equals the official Combo Lift and costs €4 more than the official Combo Stairs; the difference buys free cancellation up to 24 hours before, reserve-now-pay-later and a booking flow without the official shop's virtual waiting room. The table puts the three ways of doing the same visit side by side. The official shop is the better buy when your date is fixed and you want stairs; the partner is the better buy when plans might change, and identical when you want the lift.
What visitors consistently say
Across 25 replies in four Rick Steves and Tripadvisor threads on the terraces (2017 to 2025), the most repeated fact is that the lift does not save you from stairs: five replies describe a further flight after the lift and four say the descent is on foot. Six replies recommend the lift for anyone with limited mobility and three give step counts of 250 to 259. One reply warns that the roof is unshaded in July. Reddit threads on the same question report a three-to-four-minute climb by stairs and a ten-to-fifteen-minute wait for the lift. The most repeated praise, across threads and in the 4.6 rating from more than 71,000 partner reviews, is the close view of the spires and statues, with the Alps visible on clear days.
Who should not book this, and what to book instead
Do not book the rooftop ticket if you cannot manage stairs at all: the lift reaches only the first terrace and the way down is roughly 250 steps, so the cathedral entry ticket without terraces is the honest choice. Do not book it for a weekend at 11:00 in May or December if you can avoid it; take the first slot or the skip-the-line guided visit through the reserved entrance instead. Do not book it if you want the building explained; the guided tour covers the same areas with a licensed guide for €39. Children under six are reported to enter free, though the Veneranda Fabbrica publishes no age bands, and they must climb the same stairs.
| Option | Price | Terraces | Cancellation | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| This ticket (partner) | €26, lift add-on at checkout | Stairs or lift, all areas | Free up to 24 h before | Timed slot, pay later option |
| Official Combo Stairs | €22 | Stairs, all areas | Official terms | Official shop, waiting room in peak |
| Official Combo Lift | €26 | Lift up, stairs down, all areas | Official terms | Official shop, waiting room in peak |
| Official Rooftops on foot | €16 | Stairs, terraces only | Official terms | No cathedral or museum |
What reviewers consistently say
- 5 of 25 forum replies (Rick Steves, Tripadvisor, 2017 to 2025) note extra stairs after the lift
- 6 of 25 replies recommend the lift for limited mobility
- 4 of 25 replies state the descent is by stairs only
- 3 of 25 replies give a step count, all between 250 and 259
- Reddit reports: 3 to 4 minutes by stairs, 10 to 15 minutes waiting for the lift
- 4.6 out of 5 from 71,830 partner reviews (Google knowledge panel, 7 September 2026)
Who should not book this
- Visitors who cannot manage about 250 steps down
- Anyone wanting a guide (book the guided tour instead)
- Second visits that only need the roof (terrace-only ticket)
-
Milan Cathedral: Terraces Ticket, cathedral access excluded
EUR 19Rooftop only, for a second visit or when you have under an hour.
Check availability -
Milan: Duomo Ticket incl. Terrace by Lift and Audio Tour
EUR 58Lift included plus an app audio guide, for commentary without a group.
Check availability -
Milan Cathedral Direct Entrance, terrace excluded
EUR 124.5 6,957 reviews
Cathedral, museum and crypt without the stairs, for visitors who cannot climb.
Read the full page
How to book
Choose a date, pick the hour of your cathedral slot, and add the lift or the fast-track option if you want them. Pay by card now or reserve and pay later; the e-ticket arrives by email and in the app. On the day, join the security line on the right of the facade with the ticket on your phone, shoulders and knees covered and no suitcase; the terrace stairs and lifts are outside, on the flanks of the cathedral. This site may earn a commission on bookings at no extra cost to you.
This site may earn a commission on bookings at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to go up the Duomo rooftop?
€16 on foot or €18 by lift for the terraces alone at the official ticket office, and €22 to €26 for a combo that adds the cathedral, the museum and the archaeological area. The partner's all-areas rooftop ticket costs €26 with the stairs and offers the lift as an add-on. Reduced tickets are half price.
How many stairs are there to the Duomo rooftop?
About 256, according to the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, which manages the cathedral. Forum visitors count 250 to 259. The lift replaces the climb to the first-level walkways at about 31 metres; two steep stairways then lead to the second level at 45 metres, and the descent is by stairs for everyone.
Can you buy Duomo rooftop tickets on the day?
Yes, at the ticket offices at Piazza del Duomo 14/a and 12, open until 18:00 with the last ticket at 17:50. Terrace slots between 10:00 and 14:00 sell out on weekends and in April, May, September and December, so a same-day buyer often gets a late slot or none.
Is the Milan Duomo rooftop worth it?
For a first visit, yes: the terraces are the only cathedral roof in Italy you can walk across, with 135 spires and the 1774 Madonnina at 108.5 metres above you and the Alps on the horizon on clear days. The 4.6 rating from more than 71,000 partner reviews and the forum consensus agree. Skip it only if stairs are impossible.
Are there evening or sunset openings on the terraces?
On announced summer dates the official office sells separate evening terrace tickets; they are not included in this ticket, and the dates are announced on the official site each summer. Within normal hours the last slot at 18:00 gives the lowest sun on the spires and the thinnest crowds.
Can I use this ticket for the Duomo Museum on another day?
The cathedral slot is timed, but the official conditions keep the other areas valid on the booked day and the following day, which lets you see the museum at Piazza del Duomo 12 on the next day. The museum is closed on Wednesdays.
Is the rooftop wheelchair accessible?
Partly. The official rules limit wheelchair users to the Retrochoir area, reached through the facade entrance and only with an accompanying person, behind the choir, daily from 10:00 to 17:00, and the cathedral has a ramp at the front doors. The upper terrace is stairs only. Entry is free for visitors with disabilities and one companion, and a manual wheelchair can be borrowed at Piazza Duomo 14/A.
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