Photo (c) LucaP
Traveling to and in Florence
Getting in by plane
The airport is
Florence (code FLR). It has good connections to the center of the city, which
can be reached in about fifteen minutes by taxi. The Ataf-Sita "Vola in
Bus" ("Fly by bus") service costs €4 one way, and makes the circuit
between the airport and the central train station about every half an hour
from 5:30AM to 8:30PM, then once an hour afterwards.
Much cheaper flights to destinations throughout Europe can
be found at Pisa
airport (only a 5,20€ train journey from the centre of Florence).
Low-cost airlines which fly to Pisa include Thomsonfly, Easyjet, Ryanair,
Transavia and HLX. Delta also has a direct flight to Pisa from New York.
Getting in by train
Local trains from other parts of Italy and express trains
from around Europe arrive in Florence. The main station is
Firenze Santa Maria Novella, on the edge of the historic old town.
Other small stations are Firenze Campo Marte (near Florence Stadium)
and Firenze Rifredi. If you take an Intercity train to Florence, you
may need to change at Rifredi for another train to Firenze S.M.N. There is now a high speed train running between Rome, Florence, Bologna and Milano: 185mph! It has one run every hour frm Santa Maria Novella station, the train company is building a new high speed train station at this time near Firenze Rifredi.
Getting in by car
Florence is connected by good highways to the rest of
Italy. Cars aren't allowed in the small old town center, so plan on parking
your car and leaving it for a while.
Parking is expensive. There's a cheap open air parking
between the "Fortezza da basso" and "Santa Maria Novella" railway station.
On Sundays it's free!
Getting around by bus
Bus stops have clear, schematic labeling of the routes and
are all named according to the street name or major landmark nearby. They do
not always give an indication of bus times, however, so it is sometimes
difficult to figure out how long it may take till the next bus arrives.
Tickets must be bought in advance from Tobacconists or newspaper sellers,
and are usually valid for one hour over the whole network, so that you can
just hop on and off at will. They are valid for 60 minutes, and multiple
day tickets are also available. Tickets are also available on the bus, sold
by the driver, at an increased price (therefore, no more excuses
in case of ticket control!).
http://www.ataf.net/ is the official website. It has maps and
timetables.
Getting around
Most of the major tourist sights in Florence are within easy walking
distance of each other. Walking is not only an easy way to get around, it
also offers the chance to 'take in' much more of the city life.
Much of the town centre is blocked off to cars and anyway moving around
in the city centre by car is definitely useless and not advised. Parking is
also almost impossible in the city centre. A car can be useful only to reach
some destinations just outside the city centre, like Fiesole or Settignano,
which are however also connected by bus service. Be advised that at many
tourist destinations parking can be difficult and at least expensive.
Firenze and surroundings were not built for cars... Motor-bikes and bicycles
are common; pay attention to them since they tend to behave in an apparently
disorganized but efficient way, which can put the unsuspecting car driver
into trouble.
Some of the hotels actually provide their guest with free bicycles as
well. There is also a bike rental service organized by the city. Bikes can
be hired at several points in the city (and returned to the same place),
among which the most convenient for tourists is located at SMN station
(other locations are at all railway stations, but often with restricted
opening hours). Bike shops also rent bikes and some of them organize guided
bike tours in the countryside.
Taxis are available, but it's best if you have your hotel or the
restaurant you are eating at call ahead. Taxis can be called by phone and
the nearest is sent to you through the company's radio system. There is
a waiting list, so it is difficult and uncommon to flag them down
on the street.
The Treasures Of Florence And Italy
|
