AIR: TO/ FROM
THE AIRPORT
Florence has two airports - Amerigo Vespucci for
domestic flights and Galileo Galilei (near Pisa) for
international flights. Galilei has regular connections
to London, Paris, Munich and major Italian cities
Buses from here will take you to the Santa Maria
Novella train station and other locations around the
city.
A city bus runs every 20 minutes from the main train
station to Amerigo Vespucci airport. There's a train
service between the main station and Galileo Galilei
airport.
However please note the airports are small and close
overnight. For early morning flights you will need to
get a taxi to the airport.
TRAIN
The central station, Santa Maria Novella, links
Florence with cities all throughout Italy and Europe
and is centrally located in the city, not far from the
Duomo. Florence is on the main Rome-Milan rail line,
and most trains are Eurostars (bookings and
supplements required). Regular trains also go to
Venice, Trieste, Bologna and Pisa. Although they do
not all leave from the central train station. Check
the boards in the train station or go online via
trenitalia http://www.trenitalia.it for more
information. For more informationation tel. 166 10 50
50. Florence does not have a metro system for the city
(which has a tiny centre and you can walk to all the
main sights) however there are train stations where
inter regional services depart all accessible from
Santa Maria Novella.
BUS
There are two bus stations. For international
services, which go all over Europe, you need the Lazzi
station - buses to Rome, Pisa, Lucca and Prato also go
from this station. For domestic services to Siena,
Colle Val d'Elsa, Poggibonsi (where connecting buses
go to San Gimignano and Volterra) Arezzo, Castellina
and all over Tuscany, go to the SITA station.
The SITA bus terminal is at Via Santa Caterina
da Siena (west of the train station), Tel.
055 21 4721 or 055 478 2231. The APT tourist
office has full details. Tel. 055 46 288.
The main bus terminal is right near the
train station in a small piazza to the left.
From here ATAF buses traverse the city centre
and Fiesole bus no. 7. Buy your tickets before
boarding at tobacconists, newstands, major
bus stops or vending machines. Tickets are
purchased in time periods. A city bus runs
every 20 minutes from the main train station
to Amerigo Vespucci airport. There's a train
service between the main station and Galileo
Galilei airport.
HITCH-HIKING
Hitching to places outside Florence is possible but it may be difficult to get to the right spot to get a ride. The best way is to make your way to the roads leaving Florence which may mean a short hike or a train ride to a station outside the city. For example if you are heading to Rome or Pisa take a train to somewhere like Empoli first and try hitching from the highway there. Intercity trains are pretty frequent and inexpensive so unless you are taking a long journey or have a lot of time, the train is probably a better option.
DRIVING
Driving into Florence is not as formiddable as Rome,
Milan or Naples for example and the central part of
town is relatively small. Check our driving in italy
pages for more details on parking and driving. You can
take the A1 to Bologna and Milan in the north or Rome
and Naples in the south.
Traffic is restricted in the city centre, so it's best
to park a little out of town and walk around - parking
in the more central areas is very expensive.
Here are some contact details for renting cars:
Auto Europe - www.autoeurope.com
Hertz - Via M Finiguerra 17r, tel. 055 282 260.
Avis - Borgognissanti 128r, tel. 055 213 629.
Alinari - (motorcycles), Via Guelfa 85r, tel. 055 280 500.
TAXI
Taxis can be found at ranks outside the train station
at Santa Maria Novella or you can phone one.
TICKETS
Buy your tickets before boarding buses at
tobacconists, newstands, major bus stops or vending
machines. Tickets are purchased in time periods. Train
tickets must also be purchased before boarding. Queues
can be long and timely at Santa Maria Novella so try
the automatic machines (although try and have the
right change or you lose money). Remember to validate
your ticket before boarding in the yellow machines on
every platform.
CAR/MOTORCYCLE
This is a better option for moving around in Florence as bikes are easier and cheaper to park.
To rent a bike try Alinari on Via Guelfa
85r, tel. 280 500.
Other useful links include:
Motonline.com - www.rent.motonline.com
Motonline allows you to rent a bike throughout Italy and Europe and there are pickup and drop off points around the country (for additional fees). Rentable bikes include Ducati, Aprilia, Yamaha and BMW.
Mototouring - www.mototouring.com.
Mototouring organises motorbike rental and tours through Italy. They are based in Milan but also have drop off and pickup points around the country (sometimes for additional fees).
Contact details are as follows: Via del
Ricordo 31, 20128, Milano - Italy tel. +39
02 2720 1556 - fax. +39 02 2720 1140.
rental@mototouring.com rental@mototouring.com
BIKE AND WALKING
There are a number of companies that rent bikes or run walks through the nearby Tuscan countryside.
IbikeItaly.com is one of the most popular companies offering fully supported single and two-day bike rides and walking tours through the nearby countryside. They provide shuttles from the city centre and 21 speed bicycles, meals and bilingual guides. For information go to their website www.ibikeitaly.com.
Euro-Bike and Walking Tours www.eurobike.com
offers similar tours by bike or foot starting
with Florence and venturing out to nearby
small towns.
Go to their website for more details or contact them at info@eurobike.com. Their postal address is PO Box 990, DeKalb, IL 60115. USA
La Dolce Vita also offers biking and walking tours throughout Tuscany, the Veneto and Sicily.
Go to their website - www.dolcetours.com
for full itineraries and prices.
The Bassetto Guesthouse www.bassettoguesthouse.com
- rent bikes from Certaldo, Tuscany to
their guests but may consider non-guests
as well.
They have good mountain bikes and can provide interesting maps and itinerary
ideas for getting around. Contact them at info@bassettoguesthouse.com. Go to
the website for directions on reaching the property.
