Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Almost all regional and city
buses
arrive at the station right outside SMN. But
since Florence is such a rail hub, there's usually no need to hassle with longer bus
rides, unless you're traveling to Florentine suburbs off the rail network.
It's fairly easy to reach the outskirts of Florence
by car,
via the A1 autostrada
cutting down the center of Italy. Then all hell breaks loose. Assuming you can find
the historical center among the tangled collection of one-way streets, you won't be
able to enter it: Only cars with special permits are allowed. Even if police don't
stop you, cameras can take a picture of the car's plates, and you'll get hit with a
whopping fine months later. The good news is that hotels have arrangements with
the city to permit guests to at least stop by to drop off luggage. But this means
you need to have made arrangements with your hotel prior to arrival; don't expect
to simply drive around and find a place.
For
parking,
you can make it as far as the garage under SMN for parking rates
of about
€
2 per hour. Most hotels offer some sort of parking option, but prices
vary widely, from
30 per day. If you're far enough from the
historical center, free street parking is available, but make very sure it's legal or
you're going to have a nightmare of a time getting your towed car returned. About
the cheapest overnight parking option is at Piazza della Libertà at
€
15 per day.
Best of all would be to rent a car before and/or after your Florence stay, and not
deal with any of the hassle and expense.
GETTING THERE & AROUND
Despite the uneven cobblestone streets, the crazy high-speed Vespe, and an
unnerving number of large, fast buses, the best way to get around Florence is by
walking. The central historical district takes only about 25 minutes to cross—
assuming you don't get lost. Avoid the city buses, which will bring you to outly-
ing districts before you can say “there goes the Duomo!” and then you'll have to
figure out how to find your way back. So bring some comfortable shoes, and keep
your eyes on traffic.
€
10 to more than
€
Deal Alert: Going with a Package
Like Rome, Florence has a bounty of hotels, meaning that those who want
to save (and who are willing to stay in somewhat dull hotels) may want
to look into air/hotel packages. Certain companies work closely with
Florentine hotels and get discounts that the individual traveler can almost
never match. I've seen off-season packages to Florence for as little as
$569 for airfare from the U.S. and 4 nights' lodging.
The best packages to Florence are offered by
Go-Today
(
%
800/227-
3235;
www.gotoday.com),
Virgin Vacations
(
%
888/937-8474;
virgin
vacations.com),
Gate 1 Travel
(
%
800/682-3333;
www.gate1travel.
com),
and
Europe ASAP
(
%
415/750-5499;
www.europeasap.com).
For
more about travel packages, see p. 578.
