Planning your first trip somewhere new can be intimidating but being well-informed in advance of your travels always helps make things easier and less stressful. Here at Tuscany Villas, we pride ourselves in being on-hand to help our guests enjoy their travels and answer any questions they have throughout the booking process of a villa in Tuscany and all through the holiday itself.
Our blog also acts as a great resource of useful information, travel tips, interesting attractions, and more and, continuing with our new series for first-time visitors who have booked a villa in Florence, now we address the question of: How can I get around Florence?
Buses
Autolinee Toscane runs a reliable and extensive bus network in Florence as well as bus services throughout Tuscany. You can buy a ticket at official ticket offices and machines located all around the city or from shops and caffès that display the Autolinee Toscane sticker in their window or store.
For those who prefer to go paper-free, there is the AT Bus APP, just register with a credit card or PayPal account and you’ll be ready to go.
Almost all buses also have TAP machines (we have written about this service more extensively on the blog before), which allow you to “tap” on by paying directly with a credit card or Apple Pay/Google Wallet on your phone or smartwatch.
If you buy bus tickets for your vacation in Florence but are planning on day-trips to other towns or cities, note that these can also be used in Lucca, Pisa, Siena, Arezzo, and other major hubs in the region.
Taxis
While you can find taxis in Florence, they can be hard to get. The taxi apps that exist can be very busy and ride-sharing services like Uber are very expensive in Italy. Ringing taxi companies directly is also an option but they are also often busy and it can be hard to secure a ride.
If you are eating or having a drink somewhere, you might be able to ask the bar or restaurant to ring for one on your behalf and they may have companies or drivers that they work with more often who will be easier to contact.
Traffic in the city can also be heavy and driving through a historic place can be slow and tough going, so all of this is worth considering if you are thinking about travelling via taxi.
Cars
Similarly, if you are thinking about driving in the city yourself, you might want to consider a few things, in addition to the traffic. Firstly, there is limited access in the centre of the city for much of the day, as well as ZTL areas where you cannot enter without a permit or you will be fined (for more information about these, see our article). Parking is also very expensive in the centre of the city. Disabled guests and those travelling with them, however, can avail of special access and parking, see our information on it here.
If you are renting a holiday rental in Florence and will be a bit further out of the city so you want a car to explore the wider region, then keep the car for day-trips elsewhere and use public transport for the city.
Bicycles and Scooters
Bicycles and scooters, meanwhile, offer one of the best ways to get around the city. RideMovi has electric bikes and pedal bikes that can be picked up and left anywhere inside their large operating area in the city (bar a couple of no parking zones) and Bird, TI Move, and BIT offer electric scooters in similarly big operating areas (but these must be left in designed parking).
On Foot
The centre of Florence itself, however, is pretty compact so for many going on foot will be the easiest answer much of the time! If your walk to an attraction is going to be a little longer, lean into being on holiday in Florence and stop at a caffè for a coffee or a glass of wine or a soft drink along the way and take your time – you’re on vacation in Tuscany!
