Leave backpacks, bulky bags and umbrellas at the free ground-floor cloakroom before heading up the Arnolfo Tower. The deposit is in the Cortile della Dogana, beside the ticketing area inside Palazzo Vecchio. The tower route is stair-only, with 418 steps in total and no lift. Rain can close the upper tower, and Florence also restricts access during the highest-level heat alerts, although the medieval patrol walkway may remain open.
The Palazzo Vecchio tower bag rules matter more than at an ordinary museum because you are climbing historic stone stairways rather than moving through wide galleries. A daypack that seems harmless downstairs quickly becomes awkward on narrow steps, so deal with the cloakroom before following the signs for the tower.
Which bags have to go in the cloakroom?
The City of Florence says visitors must deposit umbrellas, backpacks and large bags. The service is free. Students are specifically required to leave their backpacks there as well.
The Italian word to look for is guardaroba, meaning cloakroom. It is on the ground floor in the Cortile della Dogana, the courtyard containing the ticket office and visitor services.
A small handbag or compact personal bag is not specifically included in the city’s list of compulsory deposits. That does not guarantee that every small bag will be accepted on the tower route, however. Staff control access, so follow their instructions if they ask you to leave something downstairs.
Do not plan around finding a particular locker size. The official information describes a guardaroba, not a guaranteed bank of self-service luggage lockers with published dimensions. A normal sightseeing backpack is straightforward because it is specifically covered by the free deposit service. A suitcase or unusually bulky piece of luggage is a different matter, and Palazzo Vecchio should not be treated as a left-luggage facility for the day.
Where to leave your bag before the climb
- Enter Palazzo Vecchio from Piazza della Signoria and reach the Cortile della Dogana on the ground floor.
- Look for Guardaroba or ask staff, “Dov’è il guardaroba?”
- Deposit your backpack, large bag and umbrella before starting the museum or tower route.
- Keep anything you genuinely need during the climb in pockets or in a small permitted personal bag.
- Follow the museum signs marked Accesso Torre toward the Arnolfo Tower entrance.
The cloakroom’s position downstairs is important. You do not want to reach the tower checkpoint higher inside the palace and discover that your backpack has to go back to the ground floor while your timed entry approaches.
The tower is 418 steps, with no elevator
The City of Florence describes the tower visit as an exclusively stair-based route totaling 418 steps. There is no elevator for the Arnolfo Tower.
Within the tower itself, a stone staircase of 223 steps leads from the lower tower area toward the upper crenellated viewing level. The broader 418-step figure covers the complete visitor route involved in reaching and climbing the tower.
These are historic stairs rather than a modern observation-tower staircase. Official safety documentation for Palazzo Vecchio notes irregular step heights and tread depths in parts of the building. Wear shoes that grip well, keep your hands available for railings, and avoid taking anything that swings from your shoulder or needs to be carried by hand.
Do not count on the museum elevator to bypass the climb
Palazzo Vecchio does have an elevator for museum visitors with mobility difficulties, but that does not make the tower accessible. The official tower information specifically states that the Arnolfo Tower is not accessible to visitors with motor disabilities.
If stairs are the problem rather than the museum itself, separate the two decisions. You can still visit much of Palazzo Vecchio without attempting the tower. For an overview of what is inside and how the two experiences fit together, see our Palazzo Vecchio Museum and Tower guide.
Children and the tower stairs
Children under six are not permitted to climb the Arnolfo Tower. Visitors from age six through 17 must be accompanied by an adult.
That is a tower-specific safety rule, not a general prohibition on young children entering Palazzo Vecchio. Families with younger children can still consider the museum without adding the tower climb.
Strollers are obviously unsuitable for the stair route. Palazzo Vecchio lists free stroller and wheelchair loans among its ground-floor services, but neither changes the accessibility restrictions applying to the tower itself.
What happens if it rains?
Rain can change the visit even after you have booked a tower time. The current City of Florence conditions state that the upper section of the Arnolfo Tower closes for safety reasons in rain, while access to the medieval Camminamento di ronda, the battlement or patrol walkway, can remain available.
This distinction explains why you may arrive and hear that the “tower is closed” while staff still permit you to continue to the lower panoramic walkway. It is not necessarily a complete cancellation of every elevated part of the visit.
The city’s ticket conditions also state that this weather-related partial restriction does not normally produce a ticket change or refund because the medieval walkway remains accessible.
Check the official Palazzo Vecchio hours and ticket information on the morning of your visit, particularly when showers are forecast.
Extreme heat can close the upper tower too
Rain is not the only weather issue. Florence introduced operational restrictions during Level 3, Red Code heat-wave alerts in 2026. On those days, the Arnolfo Tower can be closed above the medieval patrol walkway for visitor and staff safety.
The municipality has used these restrictions during actual 2026 heat alerts, sometimes closing other exposed or hot sections of Palazzo Vecchio at the same time. There may be no reduction in the admission price when only part of the route is unavailable.
On a very hot summer day, therefore, do not assume that blue skies guarantee full tower access. Check Palazzo Vecchio’s current visitor notices before setting out.
Arrive before your tower time, not at it
Arnolfo Tower admission currently requires a reservation, and the museum asks visitors to arrive 15 minutes before the booked visit. That buffer is useful because you still need to enter the building, deal with the cloakroom and reach the tower access point.
As a practical rule, arrive with enough time to complete the bag deposit without rushing. A tower reservation is not the moment to discover that the guardaroba is downstairs and your backpack cannot accompany you.
The tower normally has shorter opening hours than the main Palazzo Vecchio museum, with an especially early closing on Thursday. Recheck the day’s schedule rather than assuming that a late museum admission also allows a late tower climb.
What to carry up the tower
- Phone: fine if permitted at entry, and much easier than carrying loose photography equipment.
- Small permitted personal bag: keep it compact and securely closed.
- Water: check current staff instructions before carrying bottles onto the route rather than assuming they are allowed everywhere.
- Umbrella: leave it at the cloakroom, even if you expect rain later.
- Backpack: deposit it downstairs, including small backpack-style day bags covered by the museum’s rule.
If Palazzo Vecchio is one stop in a museum-heavy Florence day, use the Italy on Foot trip planner to arrange the rest of the route so you are not carrying unnecessary luggage between timed attractions.
If the tower closes after you arrive
Ask staff specifically whether the Camminamento di ronda is still open. That is the useful phrase, because a weather closure affecting the tower’s final section does not automatically mean there is no elevated viewpoint available at all.
If both the upper climb and another part of your planned route are unavailable because of an institutional event or safety restriction, check the visitor notices and ask staff what remains accessible with your ticket. Palazzo Vecchio is still Florence’s functioning city hall, so ceremonies and municipal events can occasionally alter the normal museum route with relatively little notice.
Most bag-related problems are easier to avoid: enter through the normal visitor route, find the guardaroba in the Cortile della Dogana first, leave the backpack and umbrella there, and then go upstairs with your hands free for 418 steps of medieval Florence.