Tips for Getting Around Florence
Information on taxis, buses, car rentals, scooters and bikes.
Tip - Pack comfortable walking shoes for your trip to Florence, Italy. If you're planning to stay in the city, other transportation options are few, and not often needed.
Part of planning a trip overseas involves figuring out your transportation ahead of time. When we last went to Florence, we knew we'd be traveling outside of the city for half of our trip, so we rented a car. But, honestly, don't rent a car in Florence if you don't have to. It's a walking city. Walking. The Florence residents own cars, of course, but these are those European midget cars that you expect a hundred clowns to pop out of, and usually stick shift to boot. Italians on mopeds or bicycles don't often obey right-of-way or other traffic laws, from what I've seen, and the entire city is a Traffic Limited Zone (cars go in only for pick-up or drop-off). Streets are one-way, bustling during tourist season, and an American attempting to navigate these Florentine streets in a car would surely muck things up. We rented our car and drove right out of the city, and returned it immediately upon our return.
The train station at Santa Maria Novella is centrally located: Tourists and daytrippers disembark and easily find a taxi or bus stop, or make their way through Florence on foot.
Taxicabs don't respond to hails; the Traffic Limited Zone law disallows this. There are a few spots where taxis wait for customers - these are major piazzas in Florence that you'll get to know should you spend more than a weekend there. Try the Piazza del Duomo, Piazza della Republica ( there's a gorgeous carousel here too), Piazza Santa Trinita, or Piazza San Marco for finding a few idling taxis.
If you really need a cab and are not near one of those main piazzas, you'll need to call for one. Call 055 4390, 055-4242, or 055 4798 for a taxi, and be sure to know the name of the street where you need to be picked up. The main taxi company in Florence is Taxi Socota. The Socota taxi we picked up at the Piazza della Republica was driven by a reasonably friendly man, nice enough to slow down as we gaped at the scenery. He sure earned his tip.
A day of sightseeing, museum-hopping, and fine dining can leave even the hardiest tourist pooped, but those cabs are pretty expensive. If you really don't want to walk, and are staying within Florence proper, your choices beyond cabs are severely limited.
- The main local bus company is ATAF. Buses are the only form of public transportation within Florence. During the day, you'll need to buy your bus ticket before you board (here's a tip - after 9PM you can buy them on the bus). You can buy your bus tickets at the train station, or at any tobacconist, newsstand or bar with the orange ATAF sticker on its window or door. Call 055 565-0222 for more info.
- Alinari Scooter Rental, at Via Guelfa 85r, rents scooters, obviously. Call 055 280-500 if you're already a good rider - your vacation in a foreign city with narrow medieval streets is not the time to learn!
- Florence by Bike rents bicycles as well as scooters, and offers bike tours on top of its rentals. Florence by Bike is at Via San Zanobi, 91r, and can be reached at 055 488-992.
And that's it! I saw a few electric cars that looked like rentals tooling around Florence, but I don't know where they came from. If anyone reading this knows where the electric car rental in Florence is, the one with cars so miniaturized that they're allowed on the pedestrian-heavy streets of this old city, please drop me this tip in an email. Next time I go, I might rent one.
Related, on Suite 101:
4-star Hotels in Florence, Italy
The Two Top Museums in Florence
Best Smaller Museums in Florence
Best Restaurants in Florence, Italy
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