Florence is one of the easiest cities in Italy to reach and, once you are here, one of the easiest to love on foot. The historic centre is small, walkable and closed to most traffic, so the real question is not how to get around inside the city but how to arrive from the airport, from Rome or Venice, or from Pisa, and how to do it without wasting the first afternoon of your trip. Here is exactly how I come and go, with the routes, the times and the prices as they stand in 2026.
Arriving at Florence Airport
Florence’s own airport, Amerigo Vespucci (airport code FLR, still called Peretola by locals), sits just a few kilometres northwest of the centre. It is small, which is a blessing: you can be off the plane and on your way into town in half an hour.
The T2 tram is how I always do it. The line runs directly from the terminal to Santa Maria Novella, the main train station on the edge of the historic centre, in about twenty minutes. Trams leave every five to ten minutes from five in the morning until two at night, so you are almost never waiting. A single ticket costs €1.70 and is valid for ninety minutes, which means it also covers any onward tram or bus you need once you are in town. Buy it from the machines at the tram stop, from the tobacconist (tabaccheria) in the arrivals hall, or on the Autolinee Toscane app, and remember to validate it on board. A taxi from the airport to the centre is quick but far more expensive, and in the time it saves you the tram has usually already won.
Many travellers actually fly into Pisa instead, which often has cheaper flights. From Pisa airport you take the short PisaMover shuttle to Pisa Centrale station, then a train on to Florence. It works well, but budget for the extra leg.
Arriving by train
If you are coming from elsewhere in Italy, the train is almost always the right answer, and you will arrive at Firenze Santa Maria Novella (abbreviated Firenze S.M.N.), which puts you a ten-minute walk from the Duomo.
From Rome, high-speed Frecciarossa and Italo trains reach Florence in about an hour and a half, city centre to city centre, which is faster and far less stressful than flying. From Venice the journey is around two hours, from Bologna a remarkable thirty-five to forty minutes, and from Milan roughly two hours. Book the high-speed trains a few weeks ahead for the best fares; walk-up prices on the day can be double.
Pisa is close enough to be a day trip in itself, with regional trains running from Florence roughly every fifteen minutes and taking about an hour and twenty on the regional service, for somewhere between €11 and €18. Lucca takes around eighty minutes and usually needs a change at Pisa, while Arezzo is about an hour away on a direct regional line.
Should you drive?
In a word: no, not inside Florence. The historic centre is a ZTL (zona a traffico limitato), a limited-traffic zone monitored by cameras, and driving into it without a permit earns you a fine that arrives by post months later. If you are renting a car for the wider Tuscan countryside, pick it up as you leave the city rather than for your days in Florence itself, and if your hotel is inside the centre ask them in advance about the nearest garage and whether they can register your plate for drop-off. Honestly, the car only becomes useful once you are heading out to Chianti and the hill towns.
Getting around once you are here
This is the good news. Florence is one of the most walkable cities in Europe, and the centre is so compact that almost everything you have come to see sits within a fifteen-minute stroll of the cathedral. From the Duomo to the Uffizi is five minutes; from the Uffizi across the Ponte Vecchio into the Oltrarno is another five; the Accademia and David are ten minutes north. You will not need public transport for the sights themselves.
Where the buses and trams do help is reaching Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset, getting up to the hill town of Fiesole, or moving between the station and a hotel with heavy luggage. The same €1.70 ninety-minute ticket works across the whole network, and you can tap a contactless card on many buses now. Taxis do not cruise the streets the way they do in other cities; you find them at ranks (there is one at the station and one near the Duomo) or book by phone or app.
A word on shoes, because it matters more here than you would think: the centre is paved in pietra serena, a smooth grey stone that becomes slippery in the rain, and the streets are cobbled. Bring flat, comfortable shoes you can walk miles in, and save the heels for a single dinner.
Luggage, taxis and practical bits
A few small things that smooth the arrival. Santa Maria Novella station has a left-luggage office if you land before check-in, and there are several private bag-storage shops around the centre for a few euros a day, useful on your last day too. Official taxis are white and metered, found at ranks rather than hailed on the street; from the airport there is a set flat fare into the centre, so confirm the meter or the fixed rate before you set off. If you are coming by train from Rome or Venice, the countryside is prettier on the approach from the right-hand side of the carriage. And download the Autolinee Toscane app before you land: it sells the €1.70 tram and bus tickets, so you never have to hunt for a machine or exact change when you step off the plane.
When to time your arrival
If you can, arrive in the early afternoon rather than the evening. Checking in with a few hours of daylight left means you can walk a first slow loop of the centre, get your bearings around the Duomo and the Signoria, and find somewhere for an aperitivo before dinner, all of which makes the next morning’s early museum start feel far less rushed. Sunday afternoons and Monday mornings are quieter for arrivals; just remember that many of the big museums close on Mondays, so it is not the day to plan the Uffizi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way from Florence airport to the city centre?
The T2 tram, at €1.70 for a ninety-minute ticket that also covers onward buses and trams. It runs every five to ten minutes from 5am to 2am and reaches Santa Maria Novella station in about twenty minutes, which is both the cheapest and usually the fastest option.
How long is the train from Rome to Florence?
About an hour and a half on the high-speed Frecciarossa or Italo services, station to station. It is faster than flying once you account for airport time, and it drops you a ten-minute walk from the Duomo at Santa Maria Novella.
Do I need a car in Florence?
No. The historic centre is a limited-traffic zone where driving without a permit brings a fine, and everything worth seeing is within an easy walk. Only rent a car if you are heading out to the Tuscan countryside, and collect it as you leave the city rather than during your Florence days.
Which airport should I fly into for Florence?
Florence’s own Amerigo Vespucci (FLR) is the most convenient, connected to the centre by the twenty-minute T2 tram. Pisa often has cheaper flights and is a reasonable alternative, but it adds a shuttle-and-train transfer of well over an hour.
Is Florence walkable?
Extremely. The centre is compact enough that the Duomo, the Uffizi, the Ponte Vecchio and the Accademia are all within a ten- to fifteen-minute walk of one another. Comfortable flat shoes for the cobbles are the only thing you really need.
Read also: Where to Stay in Florence | The Perfect Florence Itinerary | The Complete Guide to Florence
