Florence is Italy’s most central metropolitan city and is therefore an important traffic hub. Several railway lines pass through the city and there is a network of intercity buses that allow you to travel through the rest of Tuscany. The centre is not very large and is fairly easy to navigate on foot. There are city buses for attractions that are a little further away. Florence does not have a metro system.
Public transport Florence
To/from Florence
Amerigo Vespucci Airport
Florence airport is called Aeroporto Amerigo Vespucci. There are several ways to get to the city center from this airport.
However, many tourists arrive at the Pisa’s Galileo Galilei airport (Ryanair has its Tuscan home base here). From here there are both bus and train connections to the center of Florence.
Train stations
Florence is Italy’s most centrally located big city and is an important railway junction. Most trains arrive at the central Santa Maria Novella train station and it is from here that most trains depart. Recently, in addition to the FS (Trenitalia), there is a second company (Italo) that provides connections to Rome and Milan.
Regional buses
There are a number of bus companies that provide connections to other cities and towns in Tuscany, some of which (such as Siena) are not or not easily accessible by train.
Public Transportation within Florence
The centre of Florence is very small, so if your hotel is in or close to this centre you can actually visit almost the entire city on foot. The area around the Duomo is only accessible for pedestrians anyway. There is no metro system in Florence. The city buses are run by the company ATAF.
City buses
Most city buses in Florence have their starting or ending point in the Piazza Stazione, near the central station Santa Maria Novella. In the historic centre, where regular buses cannot enter, there are 4 lines that are provided by smaller electric buses.
Bus Tickets
Tickets for Florence’s public transport system are purchased at tobacconists, magazines, cafes and other places where a Biglietti ATAF sign is visible. At the bus station outside Santa Maria Novella station there is a ticket office, where you can also get a map of bus routes.
- A one-way ticket costs 1.20 Euro. It can also be bought from the driver, but then it costs 2 Euros. These tickets are valid for 70 minutes from the time of validating, so it is possible to change buses. The tickets must be stamped when entering the bus.
- A carnet of 4 tickets costs 4.70 Euro.
- The price of a day ticket is 5 Euro.
- A 3-day ticket is 12 Euro.
The tickets must be stamped when entering the bus. This is not checked by the driver himself, but by special units waiting at random stops.
Buses have three doors. Actually, the middle one is only for boarding and the other two are for disembarking, but in reality no one adheres to this.
The most important buses for tourists are the C1, C2, C3 and D lines, which run directly through the historic center.
Bus Information Florence
You can get bus information from the office at Piazza Stazione and from a smaller office at Piazza San Marco. From Italy there is a toll-free number (800 424500) that you can call. The website of the Florence public transport system has a (not very good) map with all bus lines and gives information about the prices.
Trams
The most important tramline for tourists is the T2 Vespucci, which runs in 20 minutes from the airport to the main train station. The route of the T1 Leonardo starts at Scanducci and continues through the station into the city. Bus tickets are also valid on the tram.
Taxis in Florence
There are official rates for taxi rides both inside and outside the city limits of Florence. The prices of the airport and train stations are fixed and independent of the meter.