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Transportation
Getting To Florence from Abroad
Florence can be reached via its own Peretola airport, though it is only 1 hour
by train from both Pisa and Bologna airports. Pisa airport is nicely connected
the train station and is a good low-cost option for getting to florence.
Getting Around Florence
To locate anything you need on a map, we recommend searching for it on Virgilio's
map service. Also useful is Via
Michelin.
| -FEET are by all means the best way
to get around this city whenever possible. This is because the bus system
is a disgrace. -BIKE: biking in Florence is really not that scary as long as you stay off the big ring roads. The city provides an excellent bike rental service (info on the website in italian). You can pick up a bike and return it the same day at one of the 6 locations, which are all near parking lots or train stations (SMN, campo di marte, rifredi, piazza cestello, piazza calza, parterre parking lot). Residents pay 1E for the day, tourists 8E. - BUS (ATAF): www.ataf.net . Tickets can be purchased at any "TABACCHI" store, signaled by a white T on a black or dark blue background. Ask for "un biglietto autobus". You can save with a 4-trip ticket . When you get on the bus you must stamp it in the machine. If you use a 4 trip ticket, two people can ride as long as you stamp it twice. -by TAXI: Taxis cannot be hailed in florence, but must be taken from designated taxi stands, or called. The meter starts from when the taxi responds to your call, not from when you get in the car! As they are expensive, they are best to be avoided. They also do not happily come late at night. If you have to take one, know that the rates are fixed by the city and must be metred. There are only a few taxi companies: radio taxi (055 4390) and the other one (055 4242). |
Look for this sign to buy bus tickets (as well as stamps and smokes...) |
Getting out of Florence
-train schedules and online ticketing: www.trenitalia.it
-The new low cost train service (at present only Rome-Milan and Rome-Bari,
but more to come): TrenOK
-there are two regional bus companies; check their websites for schedules and
destinations
SITA
has national and international lines. This is also the bus to siena (see schedule
here)
LAZZI runs along the Fi-Pi-Li,
to viareggio, prato, luca, empoli etc.
Driving in and around the city
-Parking: official
parking lot website
-City Centre traffic limitations (Zona ZTL): Most of Florence is traffic-limited.
You basically cannot drive within the limits of the "viali" between
the hours of 7.30 am and 7.30pm Monday through Saturday. Sunday it's open. Exceptions
to this is if you need to get to the parking lots of the Stazione or San Lorenzo,
to which you may take via Nazionale. The city is protected by electronic "gates",
and your license place is photographed as you come in unless you have a paid
subscription. The ticket is 68 euros. Most key "entries" are also
protected by police who will shoo you away. If you are staying at a hotel within
the ZTL, ask them if they have a permit to lend you for entry, or how they suggest
you get in. Additional information is available on
this site, with maps of the limited areas.
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