Florence city break

Florence city break

A short holiday in Florence Italy can be highly enjoyable. Not only is Florence compact enough to make it easily visited the city can also be reached without too much trouble. Well connected to other Italian cities by train Florence is also served by its own airport and the nearby Pisa airport. In addition the Rome and Bologna airports are not out of reach. The multiple travel options make a Florence city break relatively easy to plan.

Arrival

The main Florence train station is Santa Maria Novella. Both of the Italian high-speed rail companies serve the station with frequent trains.  The high-speed rail links make reaching Florence from Rome in the south or any of the northern cities quick,easy and relatively cheap.

Airlines

Vueling serves the Florence airport. Ryanair on the other hand flies into Pisa. If you normally fly Easyjet you will need to fly into Rome.

Airports

From the Florence airport you can arrive into the city by bus or by taxi. The current bus fare is €6 per person.

If you are landing at Pisa airport you can arrive in Florence either by bus or train. The bus leaves from just outside the arrival exit. If you take the train you will need to walk to the Pisa people mover which is next door to the terminal. You will then take the people mover to Pisa central station before making a connection to one of the many trains heading to Florence.  Currently the Pisa to Florence bus is €14. Taking the train will cost you a total of €11.10 (€2.70 for the people mover and €8.40 for the train from Pisa Centrale to Florence)

If your flight takes you to Fiumicino Airport in Rome there are a limited number of direct TrenItalia trains from the airport to Florence. But unless you’re lucky enough to have an arrival time close to one of the direct trains you would be advised to not book the direct train.  Instead of waiting for one of the direct trains you can take either the regional train to Tiburtina €8 or the express train to Termini for €14. Tiburtina is a little further north than Termini and that will offset the extra time you will spend on the regional train. Tiburtina is also a smaller and easier to navigate station.

Museums

If for you a Florence holiday is about museums you should STRONGLY consider buying your admission tickets in advance. Without advance tickets you’ll face extremely long lines during the busy season. Long lines during the short offseason.

Official Uffizi ticket website

More than museums

Florence can be more than museums. It’s a very walkable city you can just wander. From the heights of Piazzale Michelangelo you can overlook the city and it’s river. The city markets offer vibrant sights. Or you could even shop. You will find shops catering to almost every budget. From the common trinket to the most expensive designer products.

A Florence city break can be an opportunity to just let your inner photographer free.  Early morning when the city is still relatively crowd free or mid day when the streets can offer interesting street sights. The city being built long before the automobile tends to have narrow streets that will make you happy to have brought a wider lens.