Florence Airport is officially called Amerigo Vespucci, and it’s in Peretola, only around four kilometres from the centre. The T2 tram stops a two-minute walk from the terminal and runs to the main station, Santa Maria Novella, in around 20 minutes, so getting from Florence Airport to the city centre is both easy and cheap.
If you land at Pisa Airport instead, which is called Galileo Galilei, you’re around an hour’s journey from Florence. From there, you can take either the PisaMover shuttle and a regional train or the direct bus, and the right choice depends on when you land and where you’re staying. Here are all the options from both airports with fares and journey times, where to get off, and how to travel on around Tuscany. For the rough conversions I’ve used about £0.85 and $1.12 per euro.
Contents
At a glance
- Florence Airport, T2 tram: €2 (about £1.70/$2.20), around 20 minutes to Alamanni - Stazione S.M.N., runs from 05:00 until around midnight, and later on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Florence Airport, taxi: A fixed fare of €28 (about £23.50/$31.50) to hotels in the centre, €32 at night, plus luggage.
- Pisa Airport, PisaMover and train: Around €16.30 (about £14/$18.50), roughly five minutes to Pisa Centrale and from there about an hour to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, runs from 06:00 until late in the evening.
- Pisa Airport, Flibco bus: From €12.90 (about £11/$14.50), around an hour to Via Guidoni, next to the T2 tram, runs day and night.
- Pisa Airport, taxi: A guide price of €220 (about £186/$247) to Florence, around an hour’s drive.
Finding your transport at Florence and Pisa airports
Florence Airport (FLR)
The tram terminus is called Peretola Aeroporto, and it’s around a two-minute walk from the arrivals and departures hall. The ticket machine is at the terminus, on your left as you come out, and it takes coins and payment cards. You can also buy your ticket at the tobacconist’s in the airport or pay with your card on board.
Taxis wait in front of the terminal, and the airport has one of the city’s tourist information offices. The car hire companies aren’t at the terminal but at Palagio degli Spini, and a free shuttle bus runs there every 20 minutes from the short-stay car park right next to the terminal building. You’ll find all the options on Florence Airport’s website.
Pisa Airport (PSA)
At Pisa, everything is close together just outside the terminal. The PisaMover station is next to the Gate B exit, which is also called City Gate, and there are four ticket machines here. You can also buy train tickets at the ticket office inside the airport.
Buses leave from the P6 bus area just outside the arrivals hall, and taxis wait in front of the hall. The car hire terminal is around 500 metres from the passenger terminal. See more on Pisa Airport’s website.
1. T2 tram from Florence Airport to the city centre
The T2, which is also called Vespucci, is the obvious way into the city. The tram runs from Peretola Aeroporto through the Novoli district to Alamanni - Stazione S.M.N. by the main station in around 20 minutes. From there, it continues past Fortezza and Piazza della Libertà to its terminus, San Marco - Università, on Piazza San Marco, which it reaches around 35 minutes after leaving the airport. The line has 20 stops.
From 06:30 to 20:30, the tram runs every 4 to 5 minutes on weekdays, every 5 to 6 minutes on Saturdays and every 7 to 11 minutes on Sundays. Early in the morning and in the evening, the trams are around 10 minutes apart. The first tram leaves the airport at 05:00 every day. From Sunday to Thursday, the last tram all the way to San Marco runs shortly before midnight, and on Friday and Saturday nights the last one runs at around 01:15. According to the timetable, there’s one more departure after that, which terminates at Unità close to the station. You’ll find the timetable at GEST, which operates the trams.
The trams have no luggage racks, so your suitcase has to stand on the floor where it doesn’t block the doors. Under GEST’s conditions of travel, you can take one piece of luggage of up to 50 x 30 x 25 centimetres and 10 kilos for free. Larger suitcases of up to 80 x 45 x 25 centimetres and 20 kilos need a ticket per suitcase, and you can take no more than two. Prams and pushchairs travel free, and all trams and platforms are wheelchair accessible. The rules are on GEST’s services page.
The tram suits almost everyone who’s staying in the centre. The catch is the ticket: it has to be bought and validated as soon as you’ve boarded, and a large suitcase needs one of its own.
Fares and tickets
A single ticket costs €2 (about £1.70/$2.20) and is valid for 90 minutes from validation on both trams and city buses, so you can change to a bus without paying again. There’s no special airport ticket and no return ticket, so you simply buy a new ticket for the trip back. A 10-journey ticket costs €18.20 (about £15.50/$20.50). Children under 11 travel free with an adult.
You can buy your ticket from the machine at the stop, which takes Visa, Mastercard, V PAY and Maestro, including contactless. It’s also sold at tobacconists, in the at bus app and, without an app, as Autolinee Toscane’s web ticket, Blink. The text message ticket only works with an Italian SIM card. A paper ticket has to be validated in the machine on the tram as soon as you’ve boarded, and a digital ticket has to be activated when you board. The fares are listed by Autolinee Toscane, which sells the tickets for both buses and trams.
If you travel without a valid ticket, the fine is €40 to €240 (about £34 to £203, or $45 to $269). If you pay the inspector or pay within five days, it’s €40 plus a fee of €5 (about £4.20/$5.60).
Paying by card on the tram
The easiest option is to pay contactless on board. Hold your Visa, Mastercard or American Express card, your phone or your watch against the ticket machine on the tram when you board, and you’ve bought a ticket at the standard fare of €2. The system is called tip tap. If you change to a bus or another tram, hold your card against the reader again, and you won’t be charged anything more within the 90 minutes.
Each card only covers one passenger, so you each need your own card or your own phone. V PAY and Maestro don’t work on board. If your ticket is checked, show the card or phone you paid with. If several of you only have one card between you, or your suitcase needs its own ticket, buy paper tickets from the machine. Read more about tip tap at Autolinee Toscane.
Where to get off
Alamanni - Stazione S.M.N.: The stop by the main station, Santa Maria Novella, and the right one for the vast majority of travellers. From here, you can walk to San Lorenzo and the Centro Storico, and this is where you change to trains, the T1 tram and the city buses. The journey from the airport takes around 20 minutes.
Valfonda - Stazione S.M.N. and Fortezza: The next two stops are on Via Valfonda by the station and by the Fortezza da Basso fortress. Get off here if your hotel is on that side of the station.
Libertà - Parterre: The stop by Piazza della Libertà, where you can change to the city buses. From here, the C1 minibus runs through the centre past San Lorenzo, the cathedral and the Uffizi.
San Marco - Università: The terminus on Piazza San Marco. Get off here if you’re staying in the neighbourhood around San Marco. The tram runs in a loop through the streets here, and towards the airport it also stops at La Marmora - Orto Botanico.
Unità: According to the timetable, the stop by Piazza dell’Unità Italiana close to the station is only used by a few early and late departures. So plan to use Alamanni - Stazione S.M.N., even if older guides give Unità as the terminus.
2. PisaMover and train from Pisa Airport to Florence
From Pisa, the classic route goes via the main station, Pisa Centrale. The PisaMover is a shuttle train that runs between the airport and Pisa Centrale in around five minutes, with one stop on the way at the San Giusto/Aurelia car parks. It runs every day from 06:00 to midnight, and from June to the end of September until 01:00. In the middle of the day, the departures are five to six minutes apart, in the morning and early evening around nine minutes, and early and late in the day 12 to 15 minutes.
At Pisa Centrale, you arrive at platform 14, and from there you walk through the station underpass to the trains. The regional trains run direct to Firenze Santa Maria Novella. The fast ones are called Regionale Veloce and take around an hour, while the ordinary regional trains take from an hour and a quarter to an hour and twenty minutes. In the middle of the day and late in the afternoon, there are two to three trains an hour.
The first train leaves Pisa Centrale just after 04:00. The last one that runs every day leaves at around 22:30 and reaches Florence shortly before midnight. So if you land late in the evening, the bus in section 3 is the safe choice. The times change with the timetable, so check them with Trenitalia or on RFI’s page for Pisa Centrale, where you’ll find the station’s departure board.
The train suits you if you’re staying within walking distance of Santa Maria Novella, or if you want to see Pisa on the way. The catch is the change: you have to take your suitcase through the station, and the ticket comes in two parts.
Fares and tickets
The PisaMover costs €6.50 (about £5.50/$7.30) per journey, and Trenitalia gives no child discount on that part. The train ticket between Pisa Centrale and Florence costs around €9.80 (about £8.30/$11) in 2nd class, according to Trenitalia’s fare table for Tuscany. So the whole journey from the airport to Florence costs around €16.30 (about £14/$18.50). Children under 4 travel free on the train when they don’t have their own seat, and children aged 4 to 11 pay half price for the train part, which is around €4.90 (about £4.20/$5.50) plus the PisaMover.
The easiest option is to buy one combined ticket from Trenitalia. Choose Pisa Aeroporto as your departure station in the app, on the website, at Trenitalia’s machines or at the ticket office, and the PisaMover is added to the train fare. You can also buy the two parts separately. You buy PisaMover’s own ticket from the machines at the line’s three stations, and you scan its QR code at the entrance. The ticket is valid for 30 days. Fares and times are listed by PisaMover.
How the train ticket works
The digital ticket for regional trains is valid for the train you’ve chosen, and it automatically becomes valid at the train’s scheduled departure time. So you don’t need to check in. You can change the time for free right up until the train’s scheduled departure, and you can buy the ticket up to five minutes before departure. If you miss the train after the ticket has become valid, you can take the next train on the same route without paying extra.
A paper ticket, on the other hand, has to be validated in the machines at the station before you board. If you forget, speak to the train staff as soon as you board. They’ll then validate the ticket for a fee of €5 (about £4.20/$5.60). The rules for the digital ticket are set out by Trenitalia.
Where to get off the train
Pisa Centrale: This is where you change from the PisaMover to the train. The station has luggage storage, so you can drop off your suitcase and see the Leaning Tower before you travel on.
Firenze Santa Maria Novella: The train’s terminus in the middle of Florence, right opposite the church of Santa Maria Novella. From here, you can walk to San Lorenzo and the Centro Storico, and trams, city buses and taxis stop at the station. Stay on until the terminus, even though the train stops at other stations in Florence on the way.
3. Flibco bus from Pisa Airport to Florence
The direct bus between Pisa Airport and Florence is run by Flibco, and on the airport’s and the tourist board’s websites it’s called Sky Bus Lines Caronna. The bus leaves from the P6 bus area just outside the arrivals hall and runs non-stop to Florence in around an hour, traffic permitting.
During the day, from 06:00 to 21:40, the bus stops in Florence at Via Guidoni 222, close to the Guidoni tram stop. From there, you continue on the T2 to Alamanni - Stazione S.M.N., and that last stretch takes just under 20 minutes and requires a tram ticket for €2 (about £1.70/$2.20). At night, from 21:40 to 06:00, the bus also runs all the way in to Santa Maria Novella. The departures are timed to match the flights, so the bus is the best option when you land late.
Fares and tickets
The ticket costs from €12.90 (about £11/$14.50) each way when you buy online, and children aged 4 to 13 pay from €8.99 (about £7.60/$10). Children under 4 travel free when you book them together with an adult. The fare includes one suitcase in the hold and one piece of hand luggage. Buy your ticket on Flibco’s website or in the app, because it costs more from the driver and is only sold if there are seats left. From Florence, the ticket is only sold online, according to Tuscany’s tourist board.
The ticket is valid all day. So if you miss the departure you’ve chosen, you can take the next one if there’s room, and you can change or cancel up to six hours before departure. Stops and times are listed by Flibco.
Buy your ticket for the bus between Pisa Airport and Florence here, and you’ll have it ready on your phone when you land.
FlixBus also runs between Pisa and Florence, but not from the airport itself. The nearest stop is by the PisaMover’s intermediate station, San Giusto/Aurelia, and in Florence the company’s stops include Villa Costanza, from where the T1 tram runs to Santa Maria Novella.
4. Taxis and private transfers
From Florence Airport, taxis charge a fixed fare when you’re going to a hotel in the historic centre within the UNESCO area. The fare is €28 (about £23.50/$31.50), €30 (about £25.50/$33.50) on public holidays and €32 (about £27/$36) at night. Luggage costs an extra €1.10 (about £0.93/$1.25) per piece, and if there are more than three of you, there may be a supplement on top. The fixed fare also applies from the centre to the airport. If you’re going to an address outside the centre, the taxi runs on the meter.
Taxis in Florence are white and wait in front of the terminal. Many cars take payment cards, but ask before you set off. The company Taxi 4390 also sells a prepaid voucher for €46.40 (about £39.50/$52) for up to eight passengers between the centre and the airport, but for a standard car the fixed fare is cheaper. The fares are listed on the City of Florence’s taxi page.
At Pisa Airport, taxis wait in front of the arrivals hall. The cooperative Co.Ta.Pi. quotes a guide price of €220 (about £186/$247) to Florence. The final price is the one on the meter, and it can go up with motorway tolls and supplements, so it’s only an option for a larger group or in an emergency. The guide prices are listed by Co.Ta.Pi.
Private transfer
If you’re landing late with children, or there are several of you with lots of luggage, you can book a private transfer from Florence Airport here. The driver takes you to the door, and the price is agreed in advance.
From Pisa, you can book a private transfer from Pisa Airport to Florence here. That saves you the change at Pisa Centrale and the tram from Guidoni.
Onward travel around Florence from Santa Maria Novella
Santa Maria Novella is in the middle of the city, and if you’re staying in San Lorenzo or the Centro Storico, it’s easiest to walk from the station. For Santo Spirito on the other side of the Arno, the small C4 city bus runs from the Stazione Scalette stop to Santo Spirito and Pitti. The C2 runs from Stazione Orti Oricellari past the cathedral and on along Via Ghibellina towards Piazza Beccaria, and the Ghibellina Bargello and Ghibellina Pepi stops are in the eastern part of the centre, where you’ll find Santa Croce.
The ticket is the same as on the tram. If you arrive on the T2 from the airport, it’s also valid on the bus as long as the 90 minutes aren’t up. The buses only take luggage when there’s room, so with large suitcases a taxi from the rank at the station is often easier.
If you’re hiring a car, you need to know that the historic centre is a ZTL zone with cameras at the entry points. It applies Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 20:00 and Saturday from 07:30 to 16:00, and in summer also on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. If you’re staying at a hotel inside the zone, give reception the car’s registration number when you arrive. The rules are on the City of Florence’s ZTL page.
Onward travel around Tuscany straight from the airports
If you land in Pisa and want to see the Leaning Tower, take the PisaMover to Pisa Centrale and change to city bus 1+, which runs from the station to the Torre stop. The city ticket costs €2 (about £1.70/$2.20) and is valid for 70 minutes in Pisa. You’ll find the route at Autolinee Toscane. From Pisa Centrale, there are also regional trains to Lucca in just under half an hour.
From Florence Airport, you first need to take the T2 to Alamanni - Stazione S.M.N., because the trains leave from Santa Maria Novella. The regional train to Siena takes around an hour and a half, and Autolinee Toscane runs direct buses to Siena on route 131R. The Frecciarossa and Italo high-speed trains run to Bologna in under 40 minutes and require a seat reservation. If you’re heading that way, you can read my guide to where to stay in Bologna.
If you’re hiring a car for a road trip, both airports are good places to pick it up, so you avoid driving in the centre of Florence. If you’re flying home from another city, I also have guides to Venice Airport and Milan Malpensa Airport.
Getting back to the airport
The T2 to Florence Airport runs from San Marco - Università from 05:10 every day and stops at Alamanni - Stazione S.M.N. just over ten minutes later. From the station, the journey takes around 20 minutes, and the tram stops a two-minute walk from the departures hall. From Sunday to Thursday, the last one leaves San Marco at around 00:20, and on Friday and Saturday nights at around 01:50.
If you have a very early flight from Florence, a taxi is the answer. The fixed fare also applies from hotels in the centre to the airport. You can book a car with Taxi 4390 on +39 055 4390 or with Socota on +39 055 4242, and there are taxi ranks at the station, the cathedral, Piazza della Repubblica and Santa Croce.
For Pisa Airport, the first trains leave Santa Maria Novella at around 04:30, though not on public holidays, and at around 05:35 every day. They reach Pisa Centrale shortly before 06:00 and at around 06:35, and the PisaMover doesn’t start running until 06:00. If you buy your train ticket to Pisa Aeroporto, the PisaMover is included in the ticket.
So if you have an early flight from Pisa, the Flibco bus is the safe choice. At night it leaves from Santa Maria Novella, and during the day from Via Guidoni 222, which you reach by taking the T2 to the Guidoni stop. Remember that the ticket from Florence is only sold online.
Which option should you choose?
Here’s what I’d recommend, depending on where you’re staying:
San Lorenzo: From Florence Airport, take the T2 to Alamanni - Stazione S.M.N. and walk the last stretch. From Pisa, the train to Santa Maria Novella is my first choice, because the neighbourhood is close to the station.
Centro Storico: Take the T2 to Alamanni - Stazione S.M.N. and walk from there, or take a taxi from the rank at the station. If you have heavy luggage, the fixed-fare taxi straight from the airport is the easiest option.
Santa Croce: Take the T2 to Alamanni - Stazione S.M.N. and change to city bus C2. The neighbourhood is at the eastern end of the centre, so with suitcases I’d choose the taxi from the airport for €28.
Santo Spirito: Take the T2 to the station and change to city bus C4 from Stazione Scalette to Santo Spirito or Pitti on the same ticket. With lots of luggage, a taxi is easier.
If you land at night: In Florence, the T2 runs until shortly before midnight, and on Friday and Saturday nights until around 01:15. After that, a taxi costs €32 (about £27/$36) plus luggage. In Pisa, the Flibco bus to Santa Maria Novella is the answer once the last train has gone.
If there are three or four of you: From Florence Airport, four tram tickets cost €8 (about £6.80/$9), and a taxi costs €28 plus luggage, so the taxi is an affordable luxury. From Pisa, the PisaMover and train cost around €65.20 (about £55/$73) for four adults and the bus from €51.60 (about £43.50/$58), and both are far cheaper than a taxi.
If you want to see Pisa on the way: Take the PisaMover to Pisa Centrale, leave your suitcase at the luggage storage, see the tower, and take the train on to Florence the same day.
Practical tips for getting from Florence and Pisa airports to central Florence
Pay contactless, but use one card per person. On the tram and the city buses, you buy your ticket by holding your card against the reader, but each card and each phone only covers one passenger. Use the same card if you change along the way.
Remember to validate your paper ticket. A paper ticket for the tram is only valid once it’s been validated on board, and a paper ticket for the train has to be validated at the station before you board.
Choose Pisa Aeroporto when you buy your train ticket. That way, you get one combined ticket for the PisaMover and the train, both when you land and when you’re heading home.
Buy your bus ticket online. The Flibco ticket is cheapest online, it’s valid all day, and from Florence it can only be bought online.
Don’t count on the Unità stop. The through trams between the airport and San Marco stop at Alamanni - Stazione S.M.N., and this is where to get on and off at the station.
Choose your hotel with the connection in mind. If you stay in San Lorenzo, you can walk to your hotel from the tram and the train, and you can see hotels in San Lorenzo here. If you want to stay right by the station, you can see hotels near Santa Maria Novella here. By the tram terminus on Piazza San Marco, you can see hotels near San Marco here.
If you’re not sure which neighbourhood suits you, read my guide to where to stay in Florence.
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