Getting to Florence and Moving Around by Tram, Foot and Train

Once you step off the train or airport tram at Firenze Santa Maria Novella (SMN), your feet will do 90 percent of the work. The historic centre is flat, compact and best crossed on foot, while regional and high-speed trains make day trips across Tuscany effortless.

From Florence Airport (Peretola, FLR)

Amerigo Vespucci Airport lies just 5 km north-west of the centre. Walk two minutes from the arrivals hall to the tram stop and board Tram Line T2 (Vespucci), which runs every few minutes straight to the side of Santa Maria Novella station (stop Unità) in about 20 minutes. Buy your ticket from the platform machine or tap a contactless bank card on board. Official white taxis also charge a fixed regulated fare between the airport and hotels inside the central ring road.

From Pisa Airport (PSA)

Many European low-cost airlines land at Pisa's Galileo Galilei Airport, 80 km west near the coast. From the terminal, take the automatic PisaMover shuttle (five minutes) to Pisa Centrale railway station, where frequent Trenitalia regional trains reach Firenze Santa Maria Novella in roughly an hour. Direct airport coaches also run between Pisa Airport and Florence's Villa Costanza or Piazzale Montelungo coach stops.

High-speed trains at Santa Maria Novella

Firenze Santa Maria Novella is the main high-speed rail hub of central Italy, situated a ten-minute walk from the Duomo. Both Trenitalia (Frecciarossa) and Italo run fast services here: Rome Termini is 90 minutes south, Bologna is 37 minutes north, Milan is under two hours away, and Venice Santa Lucia takes just over two hours. Note that a few overnight or passing services stop at peripheral stations (Firenze Rifredi or Firenze Campo di Marte), so choose Firenze S. M. Novella when booking.

Day trips and renting a car for Tuscany

For Pisa and Lucca, take the regional train from Santa Maria Novella. For Siena, the fastest option is the rapid autolinee bus (Line 131R) from the bus station beside Santa Maria Novella, which drops you inside Siena's historic walls at Piazza Gramsci, much closer to the Piazza del Campo than Siena's valley train station. If you rent a car to drive the Chianti hills or Val d'Orcia, rent from the airport or a depot outside the ZTL ring so you never cross a historic centre camera; combine your city days with our three-day itinerary first.