car arriving to florence

Reaching Florence

Airplane, train or car?
Florence is located at the center of Italy, so, besides being well connected with the main European cities, it is also easily accessible from the rest of the country.
Find out how to reach Florence in a few simple steps.

Reaching Florence by Train

Florence is located at the center of the national railway network, so it is well serviced and directly connected with the main Italian and European Cities.

All the main trains linking the north and the south of Italy usually stop in Florence, and the High Speed and Intercity trains between Milan, Rome, Bologna, Venice, Verona, Pisa, are frequent and efficient. There are also several connections with European cities thanks to Eurocity and Euronight trains.

The main train station of the city is Firenze Santa Maria Novella (SMN), located right in the city center, 15 minutes by foot away from the Duomo and Europass. There are two other significant train stations in the city: Firenze Rifredi (located in the northeast of the city) and Firenze Campo di Marte (located in the southern part).

For any information, timetables or to book tickets check out the website of Trenitalia.

And for the High-Speed trains, there is a separate company: Italo.

Reaching Florence by Airplane

Florence’s airport is called Amerigo Vespucci (FLR) and it is located in Peretola, an area about 7 Km away from the center.

Florence airport is relatively small and it hosts a few international and intercontinental flights. It is useful mainly for domestic flights and for some low-cost airlines. It is well connected to the historical center of the city in a couple of different ways: taxi rides, shuttle bus and tramvia or – if you are already a Europass student and you need to be accompanied to your accommodation – our Transport Service.

The best options to reach Florence by plane are, in order of proximity:

Pisa-San Giusto Airport (PSA)

Tuscany’s main airport, which, while being not much bigger than Florence’s, attracts a large variety of European and low cost flights. It is well connected with Florence by train and by bus, with about an hour of travel time.

Bologna-Borgo Panigale Airport (BLQ)

One of the most efficient airports in Italy, but still largely dedicated to European and low cost flights. It is linked with Florence through Trenitalia High-Speed trains (only 37 minutes of travel time) and buses that bring you directly to the airport.

Milan Airports

There are three different airports around Milan, two of which host intercontinental flights.
Milano-Linate Airport (LIN), 7 km from Milan
Milano-Malpensa Airport (MXP), 48 km from Milan
Bergamo-Orio al Serio Airport (BGY), is 50 km away from Milan but it’s dedicated to domestic and low-cost flights.
Milan is well connected to Florence by Trenitalia High-Speed trains (1 hour and 40 minutes of travel time).

Rome Airports

There are two airports in Rome: the most important is Rome Fiumicino (FCO), which hosts flights from all around the world; the other is Rome Ciampino (CIA), which is dedicated exclusively to low-cost international flights and domestic flights.

Rome is a good option to reach Florence because the Trenitalia High-Speed train takes just 1 hour and 22 minutes to link the two cities. There is also a frequent train that connects Fiumicino directly to Florence in only 2 hours.

Resources

To find the best way to get to Florence from wherever you’re coming from, you can use Rome2rio, a very useful website to find the best travel itineraries from various airplane/train/bus/car sharing options.

Reaching Florence by Car

Florence is in the central-northern part of Italy and so is very well connected to other Italian cities.

There are two major motorways crossing Florence – the A1 motorway, also called the “autostrada del sole”, which connects Milan to Naples and passes through Bologna, Florence and Rome. There is also the A11 motorway or “Firenze Mare” which connects Florence with Pisa and the other seaside resorts of Tuscany. The FI-PI-LI (Firenze Pisa Livorno) is a toll free alternative to the A11 and connects Florence to the Tuscan coast.

If you are coming to Florence by car there are several different exits and so you have to be careful about which one you take.

  • If you are coming from Milan (or anywhere north of Florence on the A1), you should exit at “Firenze Nord”
  • If you are coming from Rome (or other cities south of Florence), you should exit at “Firenze Sud”

Also when you are driving in Italy it is important to remember that speed limits vary depending on the type of road:

  • For motorways: 130 Km/h maximum
  • For other main roads: 70/90 Km/h maximum
  • Within cities: 50 Km/h maximum

Further information can be found at the site of the Italian highway.

Europass Pick Up and Transport service

As soon as you arrive in the city – if you want or need it – a Europass staff member (or a member of your eventual host family) can pick you up from Florence’s stations or Airport to take you to your accommodation and vice versa when you have to leave.

You can choose this service directly at the moment of registration.
These are the prices:

One Way Round trip
Florence Train Stations 40€ 75€
Florence Airport 50€ 95€

N.B. The service is available at this price from 6 am to 11 pm, supplementary €10 is requested for one-way transportation between 11 pm and 6 am.

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