Getting Around Florence
By air
The city is served by two airports: Amerigo Vespucci is a few miles northwest of the city center, and Galileo Galilei (for international flights) in Pisa is about 46mi west of the city. Galilei has regular connections to London, Paris, Munich and major Italian cities.
Aeroporto Amerigo Vespucci
Via del Termine, 11 - 055. 373.498
Aeroporto Galileo Galilei
Pisa 050-500707
A city bus runs every 20 minutes from the main train station to Amerigo Vespucci airport. There is frequent train service between the main station and Galileo Galilei airport.
By Train
Trains from all over Italy arrive and depart from Florence's Santa Maria Novella Station. The pendolino (rapid intercity trains) uses Florence's Rifredi Statiion. There are many passes that can be purchased to effect great savings on rail travel. Always buy a ticket before you board the train, as there is a surcharge for purchasing on the train. Telephone reservations are not accepted, but many trains require advance booking. There are often long lines at the ticket window. The solution is to have the reservation booked by a travel agent. There are Eurail and InterRail cards that can be purchased before you depart the United States. These may still require a supplemental fee. Tickets for local rail travel can be purchased at news stands. Italy's State Railway (FS) has a train for every type of journey. Florence is connected by train to Rome, Milan, Venice, Trieste, Verona, Bologna and Pisa.
By Bus
There are also two bus stations. For international services, which go all over Europe, you need the Lazzi station - buses to Rome also go from this station. For domestic services to Siena, Arezzo, Castellina and all over Tuscany, go to the SITA station. Buses (autobus) are useful only to reach outlying destinations or to get to your hotel with luggage. Florence is a walkable city, and many first-timers coming from Rome or Milan misjudge distance and hop on a bus only to find themselves in the suburbs or hills within minutes.
The train station is the city's bus hub, and many buses pass through Piazza San Marco as well, but the pedestrian zone historic center isn't well serviced, though the new electric minibuses A, B, C, and D do go into it. A single ticket is good for 60 minutes. There are also a 3-hour ticket, a 24-hour ticket, and a 3-day pass. You can ride unlimited buses within the time limits: just stamp one end in the orange box on the first bus you board. Tickets are available at newsstands and tabacchi tobacconists shops, marked by a white "T" against brown.
Ask the tourist office for a bus map. Regular buses run daily between 5:30 and 8am to between 7 and 9pm. Night buses include nos. 67, 68, and 71 running 9pm to 1am and no. 70 running 12:30 to 6am from the main train station through the center to the suburban Campo Marte station where some express and night trains stop. For more information, contact the ATAF at Piazza della Stazione and Piazza del Duomo 57 055--565-0222.
By Bicycle
Though traffic can be heavy on the narrow streets, the city is mainly flat and not bad for biking.
By Car
Trying to drive in the centro storico is a frustrating, useless exercise. Florence is a maze of one-way streets and pedestrian zones, and it takes experience to know which laws to break in order to get where you need to go. You need a permit to do anything beyond dropping off and picking up bags at your hotel. Again, Florence is a walking town, so park your vehicle in one of the huge underground lots on the center's periphery and pound the pavement. If you're traveling by car, you can take the A1 to Bologna and Milan in the north or Rome and Naples in the south.
By Motorcycle & Moped:
Motorini mopeds are the Italian way to get around and can be especially useful for exploring the hills.
Taxis aren't cheap, and with the city so small and the one-way system forcing drivers to take convoluted routes, they aren't an economical way to get about town. Taxis are most useful to get you and your bags between the train station and your hotel in the centro storico. There's a taxi stand outside the train station; otherwise you have to call for one a Radio Taxi at 4242, 4798, or 4390.